The insidious rise of Tannoy spam
Six people meet for a picnic on Richmond Green. They eat Popeyes chicken nuggets, Sainsbury’s sausage rolls, M&S sandwiches, Cadbury…
The King is still our Trump card
George III has not been well remembered on either side of the Atlantic. Despite reigning for almost 60 years, in…
Ladies love an eye patch
Kenya While we were loading two stud bulls and eight hoggets onto a lorry in my ranch’s yard in the…
Spectator Competition: No thanks
For Competition 3440 you were invited to supply a diplomatic thank-you letter for an unwanted gift. According to a recent…
Am I an extremist?
On Monday, the Communities Secretary Steve Reed rose in the House of Commons to unveil ‘Protecting What Matters’, the government’s…
I’m stuck in a house of madness
‘I want to learn Iranian,’ said my father, resolutely, as he watched the bombing on the television. ‘Farsi,’ I said,…
Why are the British so snobby about prosecco?
My late grandmother used to say that seeing Pope John Paul II descend by helicopter into Dublin’s Phoenix Park in…
Dear Mary: how do I seat lesbians at a dinner party?
Q. We have recently moved out of London and have met charming, married lesbians who are living locally. They are…
‘Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’ is genius marketing
Last Monday, I delivered a speech to mark the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith’s second-best book: An Inquiry into the…
Do I have what it takes to be a magistrate?
I’m thinking of becoming a magistrate. Before applying, I was advised to attend a few sessions and find out how…
Those who believe in liberalism must now fight for it
I’m conscious that, just as the easiest way to lose an argument is to mention Hitler, so the easiest way…
Why is the ‘gay press’ so cowardly on Iran?
Sometimes the obvious is so obvious that people forget to state it. So let me observe one small footnote among…
How the Germans saved the Telegraph
I spent my last year as editor of this magazine trapped on an auction block, hunting for a new proprietor.…
My phobia is not to be sneezed at
In January 1894, an assistant of Thomas Edison made a five-second silent film of Fred Ott taking snuff and then…
‘Here’s a novel concept – arrest bad people’: how Sir Stephen Watson saved Greater Manchester Police
Sir Stephen Watson, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), is Warrington-born, Rhodesia-raised. His father was an engineer in the…
