Travelling lite
The brother of a friend in Durban was once given a generous donation by a wealthy aunt. ‘I hate to…
Sadness and scandal
In 1886 the British mathematician and schoolmaster Charles Howard Hinton presented himself to the police at Bow Street, London to…
Flower power
Critics have argued over the meaning of the great golden flower head to which Van Dyck points in his ‘Self-Portrait…
A rude awakening
Some accounts of moving to the countryside are aspirational and inspiring, but this book is more of a ‘how not…
High on speed
I have driven a racing car. On television, it looks like a smooth and scientific matter. It is not. A…
Being Woody Allen
It’s been tough recently being Woody Allen, something that didn’t look too easy to begin with. Last year Amazon breached…
The music deafens
People often say that the battle for male gay rights has been won, at least in the West, and that…
Tyrants at table
Private chefs keep many secrets and are expected to go to their graves without sharing a morsel of gossip about…
The perfect stranger
This novella is suited to our fevered times. Scheduled to coincide with the Swindon spring festival of literature, now cancelled,…
Spot the thing you can’t do under lockdown
You can find the answers here Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
Surprises in store
In these circumstances there’s a temptation to reach for the longest novel imaginable. If you’re not going to read Proust…
Low life
Once a week we break French emergency law and have a friend round for drinks on the terrace. The terrace…
We can’t stop here, this is Biden Country
One of the most eye-popping coronavirus containment measures instituted anywhere in the country can currently be found in the small,…
The shameful smearing of Michael Flynn
Among other things, the case of Gen. Michael Flynn reminds us of the old adage that things are always worse…
Biden’s denial doesn’t close the door on the Tara Reade accusation
Joe Biden finally went on the record Friday denying he sexually assaulted Tara Reade. It took 39 days and multiple…
We need to talk about Democrats on TikTok
With his usual haunts closed thanks to the COVID-19 lockdown, Cockburn has been clamoring for a new source of entertainment.…
It’s the economy, covid!
Perhaps more than any other magazine, The Spectator Australia was horrified by the Turnbull coup. The real one, that is,…
Latham’s law
It’s been the Year of Living in Lockdown. First the wretched bushfires smoked us out so badly we had to…
A leftie jumps out of the closet (no, not that closet)
Michael Moore’s new film exposes the renewables hoax
Australian notes
It’s almost always a binary political world Have you ever wondered what Malcolm Turnbull’s version of the Golden Rule might…
