Bridge
When I first learnt bridge, my teacher (not known as bossy boots for nothing) would thump the table when dummy…
Culture club
In Geoff Dyer’s Jeff in Venice, the protagonist, at the Venice Biennale, muses on installations. ‘Ideally, the perfect art installation…
In defence of George Bernard Shaw
What has happened to Rada? The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is the latest arts establishment to have gone mad.…
High life
Gstaad I’ve been wrestling all week with indecision, the kind that tests one’s soul, and the uncertainty is killing me.…
Time for me to be more assertive
In the light of recent articles in The Spectator, I think it is vital I should point out here and…
Letter from Madagascar
Earlier this month, in his weekly address to the nation, our President, the former DJ and coup leader Andry Rajoelina,…
The Spectator’s Notes
The National Trust has brought out its ‘Interim Report’, with the clumsy title ‘Addressing our histories of colonialism and historic…
Puzzle no. 623
White to play. Areshchenko–Koch, Bundesliga 2020. White has won rook for bishop, but the queen is offside and his Rf2…
When Garry met Fabi
Send in haste, repent at leisure. It is a cruel certainty that you will sooner or later text your intimate…
Lead alert
In Competition No. 3167 you were invited to submit a rhymed poem that is leadenly prosaic in tone and content.…
2476: Playtime
The ten unclued lights (one of two words and hyphened) consist of two themes which can be resolved into five…
Solution to 2473: May
The unclued lights, along with Peter MAY in the title, are England cricket captains. First prize Harry Hyman, Streatley, West…
A scene with Harry and Son
José Mourinho, it was surprising to read, recently said how relieved he was that the Amazon Prime cameras were out…
Don’t arm Iran
Hard though it is to remember now, 2020 began with a very different dark cloud on the horizon. For a…
Soho: home of the brave
London is gasping — so where to go but Soho, which is so good at despair? It is often necrotic…
Dear Mary
Q. My husband and I have spent many happy weekends in the seaside cottage of long-standing friends. Knowing how much…
Portrait of the Week
Home Pubs and restaurants would have to close at ten o’clock, under new coronavirus restrictions announced by Boris Johnson, the…
Herd immunity
‘It was the pyres,’ said my husband. He meant the effect of television pictures of cattle, hooves silhouetted against the…
Andrew Neil to chair a new British television news network
For some time now, there has been talk about a challenger television to rival Sky and the BBC. Now it’s official:…
Are the polls worth your attention?
The polls are predicting Donald Trump will lose in November — again. Is it worth paying them attention? Pollsters have…
Borrowing Blackness
I’m old enough to remember when it was considered a noble goal for the United States to become a colorblind…
