The singing is the star
When I were a lad — back when you could buy the entire back catalogue of the Fall for thruppence…
A classic defence
A teacher wanting to teach Latin has enquired whether it is worth doing because the subject has ‘such a bad…
High resolution
Jimmy Chin is part Bear Grylls, part David Attenborough: he both climbs snow, ice and rock and films other mountaineers doing it too, writes Theo Zenou
Solution to: 2532: Patchy?
The unclued lights are TV detectives and their PATCH: 10/8, 13/5D, 15/39, 26/41, 36/33. First prize Emma Corke, Abinger Hammer,…
Barometer
Thirsty work Sixty-one pub-goers on a night out in the Tan Hill Inn, 1,500 feet up in the Pennines in…
2535: Triplets
The unclued lights, all nouns or verb forms (one is a hyphened plural), include a common feature different in all…
Diary
The last time I wrote for The Spectator’s diary slot, over the summer, theatres were tentatively beginning to turn their…
Prophesying doom
Janine di Giovanni’s book begins in a Paris apartment during the first lockdown. She’s at a friend’s home, which she…
Salvation army
Last week, the government published its blueprint for how it intends to remodel the army. According to the plan, it…
Sharing the vibe
On a Monday evening in May 1966, Paul McCartney and John Lennon visited a nightclub called Dolly’s in Jermyn Street.…
Letters
The Waitrose test Sir: Like Rod Liddle, I live in the north-east of England — a little further north and…
This rough game
Through her diaries and notebooks we finally catch a glimpse of the real Patricia Highsmith, says Christopher Priest
Baileys
For many, the first Baileys of the year heralds the start of the festive season; to others, it’s a drink…
I won’t take the vaccine, here’s why
I won’t take a COVID vaccine. Here’s why. In 1783 the Treaty of Paris formalised American independence from Great Britain.…
Why has Shell really decided to ditch the Cambo oil field?
One of the unfortunate side effects of a steeply rising oil price this year is that it seems to have…
Let Cockburn debase himself at your Christmas party
It is, as Andy Williams memorably put it, the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas party season has hit…
Will Germany’s compulsory vaccine plan backfire?
Covid was probably the last thing on Angela Merkel’s mind as she listened to the East German pop tunes of…
Eric Zemmour’s big weakness has been exposed
George W Bush will forever be in debt to The Donald. Before Trump became the 45th president of the United…
Christian Kerr
As you’ll have seen from Rowan Dean’s announcement yesterday, our hitherto anonymous online editor, Christian Kerr, custodian of Flat White,…
Woke work is unhappy work
The more that we talk about work/life balance and diverse and inclusive workplaces, the unhappier we seem to be. Over…
Remembering Adam Smith before it’s too late
Adam Smith in his Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, published in 1776, marvelled at…
Is Twitter about to step up its censorship?
Farewell then @jack. Jack Dorsey’s departure from Twitter on Monday came as no surprise given that the firm Elliott Management,…
Why it matters that tennis is standing up to Beijing
The commercial road to Beijing is littered with grovelling apologies, cringeworthy kowtows and silent complicity in repression. That’s why the…
