Awestruck
‘I can comprehend Alekhine’s combinations well enough; but where he gets his attacking chances from and how he infuses such…
Bridge
High-level online bridge tournaments started almost as soon as lockdown began. It was going to take more than a worldwide…
Blasts from the past
Oh, nostalgia – so much better than it used to be! You’d never have guessed pop music was once the…
The less said the better
Some time ago I was a guest at a book festival in France where we were invited to dinner in…
Miniature rite of spring
Imagine a folk dance without music. Actually, you don’t have to: poke about on YouTube and you’ll find footage from…
Mitfordian mischief
It takes chutzpah to tackle a national treasure as jealously loved and gatekept as Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love.…
Three roled into one
Good, starring David Tennant, needs more dosh spent on it. The former Doctor Who plays John, a literary academic living…
How to protest the protestors
These are bleak times in our land, and we must take our pleasures where we can. Personally I have been…
We love you, Uncle Xi!
Tom Miller on the cult of personality that China’s ‘core leader’ has so ruthlessly constructed
NDIS: improvements that make things worse
Sometimes, when English is insufficient to describe a particular situation, we have to turn elsewhere. German has a terrifying phrase ‘verschlimmbesserung’ or…
Mount Warning banned! Which park will be next?
NSW Liberals betray Australians over National Park lock-out based on race. We are looking at widespread racial discrimination enforced by the state government
The decomposing of the Conservative mind
The Chicxulub meteor did for the dinosaurs; Netflix saw off Blockbuster. When the time comes to write the history of…
Could Boris Johnson’s cakeism survive the markets?
In the brief time Sajid Javid was chancellor to Boris Johnson, he spelled out to The Spectator his ‘low for…
Don’t bank on a better Boris
In the past century, only four British prime ministers have returned to 10 Downing Street after being ejected from office.…
The Real Housewives of the Campaign Trail
As the November midterms draw closer, the spotlight isn’t just on the Democratic politicians: Their spouses are making waves too.…
Chaos with Boris Johnson?
The chance of a Boris Johnson comeback has risen dramatically since Liz Truss’s resignation. Over 40 MPs have so far…
Is Penny Mordaunt the Stop Boris candidate?
Here’s a little mystery: whatever happened to that nice, sensible foursome whom all week we were led to believe were…
Boris won’t save the Tory party
In the aftermath of Trussfall, amid the victory of the lettuce, the Conservative party has today crashed to just 14…
Why the Lib Dems want Boris back
Suddenly, out of the blue, comes a saviour. The Lib Dems have failed to capitalise on the downfall of Liz…
Liz Truss was a conviction politician
As an erstwhile Brexit-voting academic, I’m used to being at odds with those around me. But in feeling troubled at…
Penny reign: why Mordaunt is the kingmaker
Tory MPs will likely have three candidates to vote for in Monday’s leadership race: Boris Johnson, Penny Mordaunt and Rishi…
Lessons have not been learned about child sex abuse
This week, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) published its long-awaited final report. It describes in harrowing detail…
The town John Fetterman ran is in ruins
Americans concerned about the economy — once again voters’ top priority — are turning their backs on the left. “Democrats’ momentum…
Rob Roos and Rowan Dean on the abuse of rights
The admission Dutch conservative member of the European Parliament, Rob Roos, dragged out of Pfizer representative Janine Small has thrown…
Australia’s dumbed-down schools are going nowhere
Over the last month, there have been yet another two initiatives designed, supposedly, to improve the performance of Australian schools,…
