no. 476
White to play. This position is from Paul-Jonsson, Isle of Man 2017. How did White make a decisive material gain?…
No pain, no gain
The best episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm are the ones that make you want to hide behind the sofa, cover…
Unhappy days
Scriptwriters love to feast on the lives of children’s authors. The themes tend not to vary: they may have brought…
I spy
Where was Degas standing as he sketched his ‘Laundresses’ (c.1882–4)? Did he watch the two women from behind sheets hanging…
Woman of a thousand voices
‘On air, I could be the most glamorous, gorgeous, tall, black-haired female… Whatever I wanted to be, I could be……
Bloody minded
Tristan Bernays loves Hollywood blockbusters. His new play, Boudica, is an attempt to put the blood-and-guts vibe of the action…
2329: Places to eat
The unclued lights, when paired, are of a kind, the first word in each pair being thematic. Two of the…
to 2326: ‘Suits you, sir!’
The unclued lights are part of a SUIT of armour. First prize Clive Rose, Henley on Thames, OxonRunners-up Virginia Porter,…
The dwarves of death who control your TV
My own fault, I suppose, for turning on the television. Not an action I undertake very regularly these days, because…
The Spectator’s Notes
You can see why Theresa May said in Florence that the British wished the European Union well in its plans…
Portrait of the week
Home Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, told the party conference that Labour was ‘on the threshold of power’. The party…
A clear run for Corbyn
Paralysed by Brexit divisions, the Tories risk handing Britain to the hard left
Abe’s challenge
Is his rival Yuriko Koike behind the Japanese PM’s decision to call a snap election?
A better cause than Marie Stopes
Yesterday abortion provider Marie Stopes Australia announced that it “is searching for “brave philanthropists” to bankroll a $3 million fund for women…
Beaches, blood and the balance of nature: the great white debate
Environmentalists probably don’t realise that they anthropomorphise nature. But academics like Christopher Neff should know better. He designed a survey,…
Loved to death
Last week, the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2017 was introduced before the Legislative Council of New South Wales. In one…
Hanson’s the only hope for family court reform
It sounded like good news at first. Attorney General George Brandis announced he’s commissioned a review of the family law…
Where are the equality campaigners on liberty?
A churchgoing driver getting harassed on his way to a meeting, a young woman losing her job over her stance…
Abe’s challenge
As the only nation to have suffered mass casualties from a nuclear bomb, Japan has been understandably nervous about Kim…
Trump, Otto Warmbier and the left’s sick loss of sanity
If anyone is looking for definitive proof that loopy loony lefties have lost it, here you are. Centre of the…
Why Turnbull cannot be English
There is a school of thought that Malcolm Turnbull can still salvage his leadership of the Liberal Party here in…
North Hobart’s village idiot
Opportunities to undermine the state can’t present themselves too often in a place like North Hobart, so it’s hardly surprising…
