Fabulous
In Competition No. 3115 you were invited to submit a fable for the 21st century, complete with moral. James Michie,…
2425: Herein
The unclued lights (two individually, both of two words, one an abbreviation, and five pairs) are of a kind. One…
to 2422: 40 furlongs
The unclued Across lights are words abbreviated by F which includes ‘40’ and the unclued Down lights are abbreviated by f…
How John Bercow saved me from Short Man Syndrome
I think my colleagues on the pro-Brexit side of the aisle have been a little unkind in their response to…
Business is the only area of human activity where you get paid to change your mind
In 1891, a 29-year-old man moved from Philadelphia to Chicago intending to start a business. With $32 to his name,…
Dear Mary: How do we explain being in Jeffrey Epstein’s little black book?
Q. We often have friends coming to stay before (and after) we all head off for Glyndebourne, a 20-minute drive…
Claret, dogs and nothing to grouse about
What do you get if you cross a dyslexic, an insomniac and an agnostic? Someone who wakes up at 4…
When did ‘big girl’s blouse’ become an insult?
Fotherington-Thomas was introduced by Nigel Molesworth, the narrator of Down with Skool!, in 1953: ‘As you see he is skipping…
Deal or no deal
No longer can Brexit be considered inevitable: British democracy is on life support, and there are many who want to…
Business/Robbery etc
‘It was just a good title for a book’, Graham Richardson protested last week, after a federal Labor front-bencher blamed…
David McVicar’s production of The Marriage of Figaro
It was hailed as a masterpiece at its premiere in Vienna in 1786; it still is a masterpiece. The Marriage…
India notes
A new golden age built with Australian coal Thanks to the British Raj, English has many words of Indian heritage.…
Not the Right appointment
From President Eisenhower’s time in office to the end of President Obama’s, there were 27 vacancies on the Supreme Court…
Iran’s dual threat
The US and Australia will soon raise a glass to a ‘common vision for global peace, security and prosperity.’ On…
Q&A with Savage
On my visits to Australia I have felt a strong sense of mystery and even apprehension. How is it that…
Anglosphere’s finest hour
These are extraordinary days for the Anglosphere. As China and the EU show their contempt for ordinary people, the values…
Prince Andrew’s trial by media
In this year’s Star Chamber trial by media, Prince Andrew has been found guilty with instructions to with- draw from…
Are you being served?
As Labor politicians dragged their heels back to parliament this week, there are signs of progress through the five stages…
Diary
For the past three years, I had been looking to say something strong and substantial about Brexit. I first had…
Brown study
I made three gigantic mistakes in my political career. Not just the usual stupid things that politicians do, like wasting…
The Cheneys have always put war first and America last
Donald Trump has called the Iraq war the ‘worst single mistake’ in US history. Most Americans, including our military, agree…
Marianne Williamson is Trump’s perfect female counterpart
If the Democratic presidential debates reflected the sort of person who votes for the party, Marianne Williamson and Tulsi Gabbard…
In Houston, Biden got his teeth into Sanders
To the extent Joe Biden is capable of actually formulating coherent sentences – a questionable proposition – he delivered an…
Psychology’s war on men
American pharmaceutical companies aren’t allowed to advertise on Australian TV unless you’re talking over-the-counter cold tablets or pain killers. Which…
