Yes, there’s a pandemic, but we have pushed our public finances past the point of no return
The perfect storm of more than a decade of fiscal mismanagement and a “once-in-a-century shock” — Treasurer Josh Frydenberg –…
No masking reality
This week, the face of Melbourne literally changed. From last Thursday, Victorian premier Daniel Andrews decreed that all Melburnians must…
Brown study
The Spectator Australia book club has saved our members hundreds of dollars by recommending books that you should not buy…
Latham’s law
A week ago on this page, courtesy of The Spectator Australia Neil Brown Centre for Shamelessly Cynical and Opportunistic Corporate…
Australian notes
Takin’ it to the streets Although public protests have exploded in the last few months in some Western countries, there…
One of the most colossal failures of the century
History will be scathing about government responses to Covid-19
Language notes
One of the most intriguing expressions to come out of the pandemic so far is ‘deep cleaning’. We read that…
Pierre Soulages
A French painting purchased in Melbourne in 1953 has been repatriated selling for $5.26m earlier this month in Paris. For…
Aussie Life
Noosa Main Beach is a prime promenade for the fashion-conscious, except at 7am when it belongs to the athleisure and…
Youthful mistakes
In January, the director-general of the BBC, Lord Hall of Birkenhead, announced that the corporation intended to shift away from…
Is it too late to jump on the gold bandwagon?
The price of gold has been rising since the earliest virus reports from China in December. Adherents regard it as…
Why I love the French
There’s a scene in the French espionage series The Bureau — about the DGSE, France’s equivalent of the CIA or…
The Spectator’s notes
I think Anne Applebaum is a friend of mine. I certainly hope so, since I have always admired her writing,…
747s
I felt a genuine pang when British Airways announced that it was retiring its fleet of Boeing 747s, the largest…
Orbs and triangles
The BBC announces Merchant of Venice as if it were a Hollywood blockbuster. ‘In the melting pot of Venice, trade…
I’m missing moshpits
There was only so long anyone could put up with the live musical performances of the early days of lockdown:…
The grand inquisitor
I always want to know more about Louis Theroux, which is odd, since I’ve seen so much of him already.…
Boris’s red wall problem
When Boris Johnson met with his cabinet in person for the first time in four months on Tuesday, his aim…
