‘Before I was part of Team Turnbull…’ said Tony Abbott, letting the moment hang in the air with a mischievous…

Whether or not Australians get to vote on the subject of gay marriage later this year, nobody would dispute the…

I love Malcolm, but where is he when you need him?   ‘This isn’t the Malcolm Turnbull Australians thought they…

Labor are a little too quick to accuse others of ‘racism’

Liberals are dancing with the devil

This election should be about more than which of two spendthrift assassins is likely to waste less money − yours−…

The Left are sharpening their axes

By placing so much faith in benign government, we are deceiving ourselves

It’s rather nice when people queue up to give me money. Of course, the money isn’t for me – it’s…

I picked up only one bad habit the last time I was in jail. Believe me, that’s a great conversation…

Should employees be judged by their parents' income? Our Prime Minister appears to think so

The fact is that we care more about animal welfare. And if we left the EU, we could act on that

If today’s students believe that hearing a dissenting opinion can kill them, it’s because we taught them to think like that

One of Britain’s great pleasures has been devalued by cheap imitations

The man I met in the moose-hunters’ bar, and what happened between us

The economic case isn’t strong. The moral one, on the other hand…

It’s in the Highlands. And there’s no better place from which to see it than Brodie Castle

That Britain is outperforming its neighbours can be linked to the many times we have fought EU directives

Also in Portrait of the Week: Duke of Edinburgh unwell, Austin Reed chain to close, Zika Virus threat to Rio Olympics

Also in Niall Ferguson’s diary: Around the world in 21 days; Australia’s convex middle class; historians against Brexit

Also in our Barometer column: Trains, migrants and Alastair Cook’s batting milestone

‘Socio-economic background’ wouldn’t be a part of it

We are not engaged in an 18th-century duel, but in a fight for the survival of civilisation

A Del Con writes… Sir, your leading article of 28 May 2016 sets out the terrible choice we face on…

Also in The Spectator’s Notes: Kohl and Mitterrand at Verdun; Jutland 1916; bathrooms; babies’ names; cuckoos

It was meant to happen after the eurozone had decided how to address its problems, not before

The Labour party is now headed by people who support Muslim terrorist attacks upon Israel and equate Jews with capitalism

The thin don’t have better morals or stronger willpower. Genetically, they don’t feel the same temptation

Mike Daunt is a terrific raconteur and he invited me fishing on the Itchen. And he’s written a great book

Also in Any Other Business: HSBC’s trouble at the top; a new way to avoid discussing Brexit

A great American novelist tackles complex themes in an epic account of the deforestation of North America. But this doesn’t make Barkskins the next great American novel

Brigid Keenan and Lyndall Hobbs were both funny and famous in Swinging London — and their delightful memoirs of the Sixties reflect this

In The Lure of the North, three 19th-century travellers vividly recall their adventures sailing, camping and birdwatching in the wilds of the fjords

JFK’s charming, rebellious younger sister defied her parents and captivated the English aristocracy. Two biographies, by Paula Byrne and Barbara Leaming, show how it all ended in tragedy

In a touching memoir, Wynn Wheldon pays tribute to his broadcaster father Huw — who aimed to make the good popular and the popular good at the BBC

Robin Dalton’s memoir — and a juvenile novel worthy of Daisy Ashford — make for hilarious reading of bohemian life in 1940s Sydney

Surely not — but in their introduction to Children’s Fantasy Literature, Michael Levy and Farah Mendlesohn remind us that expertly crafted fantasy is unnervingly hard to resist

In Second-hand Time, Svetlana Alexievich traces the experiences of ten families since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, revealing how quickly euphoria gave way to despair

Anna Keay may go weak at the knees over Charles II’s dashing illegitimate son — but he still emerges as the most honourable of the Stuarts

J .M.G. Le Clézio’s protagonist goes looking for pirate gold, but ends up on the hellish Western Front in this exquisite, newly translated novel from 1985

Taras Grescoe’s tales of opium dens and dancing girls make for thoroughly seductive reading

The French legend brings the most sexually unhinged French drama in years to the Barbican next week. She explains what it takes to tackle this epic

There’s plenty of drama, much cultural fusion and several distinctly weird masterpieces in this new exhibition exploring the lost cities of the Egyptian Nile Delta

This buddy caper crime comedy set in the 70s porn industry has the moral compass of a tanked-up frat boy – and is a blast right from the start

The cast includes a sensational Susan Bickley and the production remains precisely what it was, and is mainly successful

Plus: a slate of new political playlets at the Arts Theatre that range from the trite and unfelt (Mark Ravenhill, Caryl Churchill) through to the richly enjoyable (Stella Feehily)

Had Radiohead gone for more obvious crowd-pleasing, they would have pleased the crowd less

Plus: a Kenneth MacMillan revival that makes you think and a Wayne McGregor premiere that’s a real shock  – it’s full of emotion!

Is there, for example, anyone on radio more irritating than Eddie Mair? Yes, her name is Anita Anand

Plus: an inexplicable new French import, BBC2’s Versailles, which continues to be excruciating even after the drama ends

A failed political experiment that began nearly 100 years ago, the Weimar Republic (1918-1933), still holds considerable fascination for many…

Modern tennis has become a soulless game thanks to technology and big money

With 3mg coursing through my bloodstream, I lay back and waited for my central nervous system to shut down

OK, so it was a ludicrous thing to do but I blame the ex builder boyfriend

Unlike everyone else, he has said what he actually believes

The Hubert Phillips Bowl is one of my favourite tournaments of the year: a friendly, knockout event with a rather…

The grandmaster Nigel Davies has just written a new book on the Pirc Defence, a variation in which Black sacrifices…

Black to play. This is from Cherin-Pedini, Italy 2016. Black has just sacrificed some material as he could foresee a…

In Competition No. 2950 you were invited to propose a new and ludicrous piece of legislation along with a justification…

Each of twelve clues contains a misprinted letter in the definition part. Corrections of misprints spell a four-word phrase forming…

BUTTONS AND BOWS (1A) is a song in the film THE PALEFACE (10), sung by BOB HOPE (27). Other unclued lights…

Only four out of ten pals turned up for my stag do, not including the ‘best friend’ who organised it

I’m not sure about my prefrontal cortex, but if I were American, my amygdala would vote for Donald

Other problems solved by Dear Mary: is it ‘cultural appropriation’ to wear a sari to a Sikh wedding?; farmers’ fancy dress

Some girls thought the late Albert deserved a libation, but even a grand pussy cat does not deserve grand cru champagne

Mind Your Language on the correct use of ‘Including’