There’s no denying the Boris tape was politically motivated
A neighbour records a domestic row through the wall of their flat, takes the recording to a newspaper which then…
Boris has to get out of Camberwell
Well! Just when it looked like the only political question anyone would be talking about is the start of the…
History will wonder how we trusted Boris with Britain
I am besieged by media folk asking when I shall make good on a four-year-old threat to flee to Buenos…
Israel and Maria Folau: first the PC police come for you, then they come for your family
Now that Israel Folau has had his contract with Rugby Australia torn up, it seems that his wife Maria’s future…
The Tory party has no choice but to bet on Boris
When Boris Johnson was appointed editor of this magazine two decades ago, an unkind soul said it was like ‘entrusting…
Portrait of the week: Boris surges ahead, Chuka joins the Lib Dems and Chris Froome crashes
Home Boris Johnson was well ahead in the parliamentary stage of the contest for the leadership of the Conservative party,…
History will wonder how we trusted Boris with Britain
I am besieged by media folk asking when I shall make good on a four-year-old threat to flee to Buenos…
Boris and the perils of popularity
So: Boris triumphans, ready to deliver a 140-seat majority for the Tories and lead the UK out of Europe and…
Why are hustings called hustings?
History of hustings Why are hustings called by that name? — The word ‘hustings’ is derived from an old Norse…
Letters: A green agenda will help the economy blossom
Eco opportunity Sir: As a North Sea oil engineer now working on the UK’s ‘green’ energy transition, I believe Ross…
Boris’s big mistake? Agreeing to the BBC debate
Boris and his team made a mistake by agreeing to take part in Tuesday’s BBC leadership debate. In such decisions,…
When it comes to Trump, don’t count on the polls
New York The great ceremonial game of poll dancing is gearing up for its quadrennial orgy. Headlines across the fruited…
We’ve been Rotherhamed
I think we need a new source of ultimate evil for people taking part in political discussions, because Godwin’s Law…
Why are sensible Tories backing Boris Johnson?
It was when Matt Hancock went over to Boris Johnson that something snapped. ‘Every time a child says “I don’t…
When did calorie counting become offensive?
An author of spoofy, light-hearted mysteries, my friend Ruth Dudley Edwards has had unusual difficulty completing her new novel, Death…
Is Green’s deal with his creditors the beginning of another scandal?
There’s a palpable urge elsewhere in the media to see Sir Philip Green come to grief, whether as a result…
Enter Boris: what his premiership will look like
Quietly and discreetly, the planning for Boris Johnson’s premiership has begun. No one wants to be seen measuring the curtains,…
Are you suffering from Boris Derangement Syndrome?
I switched on the radio last week and caught the tail end of a discussion about the Conservative leadership election.…
The brutality of the Isis Beatles
Beirut Television cameras get everywhere these days. Or maybe that was always true. Gore Vidal, the grand old man of…
What I’ve learned from 20 years without a TV
In the summer of 1999 I did something radical. Spurred on by my husband’s universal loathing of television I took…
The Pope is wrong to change the Lord’s Prayer
Is the pope a Catholic? You have to wonder. In the old days, a pope’s remit was modest: infallible, but…
Living on Pitcairn showed me that island life is no paradise
Islands have a special appeal. We imagine that on an island we’ll somehow ‘get away from it all’. In the…
What I learned from piercing ears at Claire’s Accessories
I was 17, studying for my A-levels in Great Yarmouth. Looking to defy my parents’ instruction to get a part-time…
Polari, the secret gay argot, is making a surprising comeback
Imagine you’re a gay man living in the year 1950. Not unnaturally, you would like to meet another gay man.…
An education in love: City of Girls, by Elizabeth Gilbert, reviewed
One of the chief regrets of book-loving women of my age — and a surprising number of men — is…
