World
The Tunisian paradox
‘We swore to defend the constitution,’ shouted the deputy speaker of the Tunisian parliament, to which a young soldier retorted,…
Covid collapse fails to revive MPs’ bars
The bars at Parliament have played host to many scenes over the years – plots, arguments, merriment and even fisticuffs –…
What can’t civil rights law do?
The Biden administration fired a stern warning to five states on Monday afternoon, warning them that forcing all students to…
Zero-Covid is wishful thinking if Australia wants to rejoin the world
As former Australian foreign minister and High Commissioner to the UK Alexander Downer wrote in last week’s magazine, almost all…
The battle for Eastern Europe’s energy sector
The fight to power eastern Europe is heating up. As Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky prepares to meet Joe Biden at the…
The Liberal Democrats have a dangerous vision for the City of London
Liberals have always set great store by laws and declarations. It was joked about Lord Loreburn, the liberal Lord Chancellor…
How China drove a wedge between America and Israel
Two weeks ago, CIA director William Burns – who has rather a lot on his plate just now – had…
Why Boris Johnson’s opponents keep failing
Which Boris Johnson should Labour fight? There is little doubt about the personality traits most left-wing activists think they have…
Why football fans are still booing players taking the knee
On the opening day of this year’s season, I went to see Chelsea play Crystal Palace. The match programme featured…
The Prince of Prussia’s Nazi problem
Perched on a mountain top overlooking the Swabian Alps, Hohenzollern Castle, with its picturesque towers, seems like something out of a…
Expelled leftists mull new party
The not-so-great and good of the onetime Labour left were out in force last night, as members of Labour Against the…
The bell tolls for us in Kabul
Some events are like this. They creep up like a stalking wolf. Or, as Nietzsche put it, on doves’ feet. We don’t…
Who lost Afghanistan?
America’s longest war draws to a bloody end. As the pullout deadline approaches, the probability of more atrocities like the…
In defence of cruel foods
Fishmongers are an endangered species in London. Thankfully, 15 minutes walk across Westminster from The Spectator’s offices there is an…
Anne Hidalgo’s socialist reign of error in Paris
A photograph, taken in June 2014, has become emblematic of Anne Hidalgo’s Socialist rule of Paris. In the picture stands…
The rise and fall of the yakuza
For the first time in history, an organised crime ‘yakuza’ boss has been sentenced to death in a Japanese court.…
The law is not fit to stop Extinction Rebellion’s street protests
Extinction Rebellion (XR) are once again blocking London’s streets, reportedly emboldened by the Supreme Court’s recent Ziegler decision – which…
The shameful evacuation of pets from Afghanistan
Two stories on the Afghan evacuation today combine to leave me full of bewildered rage. The first, from the Times:…
Biden’s big empathy fail
Empathy won Joe Biden the White House, we were told. Indeed, as former Republican speechwriter Peter Wehner informed us, ‘In the…
We need to find the muscle memory of Western greatness
Like millions around the world, I have spent recent days watching – sometimes forcing myself to watch – these images…
Here comes the Afghan refugee crisis
The rapid takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban has potentially dire consequences for Afghan women and children. The Islamist group…
Biden’s mad-lib bungle
The terrorist attack at Kabul airport on Thursday was so horrific as to summon the word ‘unprecedented’. But it was…
The descent of Afghanistan
The bomb attacks at Kabul airport were what US and allied commanders overseeing the mass evacuation had most feared. In…
The problem with PC policing
Ah, the last days of summer. Long evenings, sunny weekends, and crusty Extinction Rebellion hippies blocking arterial traffic lanes to…
Would Japan defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack?
In a parliamentary debate in early June about Covid, Japan’s prime minister Yoshihide Suga said that Australia, New Zealand and…
