Tax and cut: a very modern oxymoron
For a week now our newspapers have been ablaze with news stories and poll analysis celebrating the government’s announcement of…
I don’t like Safe Schools, so I’m a transgender traitor
As a transsexual woman, I have been accused of betraying the trans ‘community’, just because I oppose Safe Schools. I…
Daniel Andrews, mansplainer
Look at those hands, those legs — and he’s sitting higher than her! Look at the tip of his tie!…
Do you hate your mother? Read on…
Do you hate your mother? Hate? Like really hate? Is Mother’s Day a source of constant pain and distresses as…
Beer can craft and other symbols of war
The beer can plane was perched high on a seldom-dusted shelf in the local op-shop. The last time I had…
Who’s afraid of cryptocurrency? It could be the answer to our ills
Since its inception, cryptocurrency has been regarded as technically fascinating but fundamentally unreliable. Those who invested £10 in Bitcoin eight…
The perils of speaking in public
I spend my life moving. Over recent years it was research. Now it’s caused by that research. But I have…
Portrait of the week: Trump withdraws from the ‘horrible, one-sided’ Iranian nuclear deal
Home Although the world was led to believe that, thanks to the vote of Sajid Javid, the new Home Secretary,…
Alfie Evans and a matter of life and death
Alfie Evans was seven months old when he went to hospital with seizures. When more than a year later doctors…
All peril on the Western Front
From ‘The situation on the Western Front in light of the Paris speech’, 11 May 1918: Instead of the Western…
Letters: Capitalism’s merits are debatable when it comes to public services
Where capitalism fails Sir: James Delingpole is right, of course, to extol the virtues of capitalism (‘We don’t deserve capitalism’,…
The Iran deal is a western concession not matched by change on the other side
The point behind the argument about the Iran nuclear deal goes beyond precise nuclear facts. It is like the row…
Brexit is fast becoming a Tory no-win
Theresa May’s Brexit dilemma is becoming more acute. Last week, she failed to garner the support of the Brexit inner…
I suspect that Brexit is driving me mad – but I will not shut up
Rosé wine is, I know, considered naff. Were you unaware of this you’d fast conclude as much from the incidence…
It’s time to get real about gang violence in London
Hey, Londoners — been stabbed or shot yet this week? Just thought I’d check as the place seems to resemble,…
The Irish border is the EU’s problem, not ours
In deference to public exhaustion, I’ve largely avoided Brexit in this slot. But a columnist’s output ought rightly to echo…
It was a hot weekend for takeover deals – and cycling
The bank holiday turned out to be a hot one, not least in the takeover arena. First, Shire Pharmaceutical accepted…
Trump, Iran and the end of the deal
For someone so frequently denounced as a liar, Donald Trump keeps an awful lot of promises. In the 2016 election…
Thanks to Donald Trump, night is falling in Iran again
In the White House on Tuesday, with the world just where he wanted it — eyes on the TV, transfixed…
Is it any wonder children can’t express themselves when all they have is emojis?
Smiley face. Sad face. Smoochy face. Sick face. Edvard Munch ‘Scream’ face. How are you feeling today? Any of the…
The ‘woke’ who do coke
Midnight in Shoreditch, and snaking round the brickwork of old east London is a line of chattering clubbers. Everyone seems…
Our great universities are struggling – but not because of Brexit
British universities have serious problems. The recent strikes protesting against a sudden reduction in pension rights were unusually effective, and…
What The Spectator’s 48-year-old intern did next
To anyone who has dreamed of becoming a journalist, the thrill of walking into a national newspaper office never goes…
Interview: what Aussies really think of Brexit
When friends speak, you should listen — and you would be hard pressed to find a better friend of this…
Shirtmaker Simone Abbarchi
The Premio Rezzori literary prize — held every May in Florence — is named after the Austrian writer Gregor von…
