Dear Mary
Q. Living in a large house in the country within striking distance of a motorway, we get a lot of…
Norse code
Aquavit is a ‘uniquely Nordic–style’ restaurant in the St James’s Market development between Regent Street and the Haymarket. This development…
Hammond’s humiliation
After Philip Hammond delivered his Budget last week, he went to speak to a meeting of Conservative backbench MPs. Several…
Tapestry in progress: Gordian Knot, 2016
For a creative arts organisation to operate successfully in Australia for 40 years is an achievement in itself. The Australian…
Bridge
Tournament bridge players do not expect, or get, much in the way of luxury. I have played in some of…
Vale Bill Leak
He was our very own rock ‘n roll star of the printed page. An Aussie Keith Richards and John Lennon…
Reason and faith
Roy Hattersley would never have been born had it not been that his mother ran away with the parish priest…
Secrets of the secretaries
The minister’s private secretary wrote to another cabinet minister about the previous day’s cabinet meeting: They cannot agree about what…
The mysteries of colour
When Australia imposed generic packaging in its war on cigarettes, there was consumer research into the most deterrent colour. Pantone…
Forbidden love and the beautiful game
Nowadays, most of us living in the liberal West agree that there can never be anything morally wrong with love…
Speckled Footman and Maiden’s Blush
Last year, I attempted to pass through security in an American airport carrying a small black box, containing eight batteries…
Spot the endangered species: white men grab the chairs while Hogg loses her job
Tesco chairman John Allan provoked feminist fury by telling would-be non-exec directors, ‘If you’re a white male, tough: you’re an…
Prisoners, phones and Amazon’s bottom line
On the Amazon page that sells the world’s smallest mobile phone, the reviews are mainly about putting it into your…
Europe’s politicians rightly feel extinction breathing down their necks
Allahu Akbar! Greetings from Samsun, where Turkish protestors — their eyeballs spinning in orgasmic Islamic rage — tried to set…
The Spectator’s Notes
The great achievement of the Scottish Nationalists is to persuade people outside the borders of their own nation — including…
Double trouble
Theresa May is a cautious politician. She has risen to the top by avoiding unnecessary risks; no one survives 18…
Israel Notebook
On the Israeli side of the Syrian border, near al-Quneitra, you can watch the war. From my vantage point on…
Uncover her face
I was raised as an observant Muslim in a British family. Women, I was taught, determine their own conduct —…
Redemption for the Ripper
In the autumn of 1888 London was in a state of terrified excitement over Jack the Ripper. There had never…
Why Milton still matters
Just 350 years ago, in April 1667, John Milton sold all rights to Paradise Lost to the printer Samuel Simmons…
Little birds, big trouble
A British military base is being used for a multi-million-quid criminal enterprise, possibly involving the Russian mafia — and Britain…
Lawrence of Arabia
The centenary of General Allenby’s capture of Jerusalem falls later this year. On 11 December 1917, the commander-in-chief of Britain’s…
Oxford v Cambridge
The 135th Varsity Match hosted by London’s Royal Automobile Club last Saturday resulted in a narrow win for Oxford, who…
no. 448
White to play. This is from Horton–Murphy, Varsity Match 2017. Can you spot White’s winning coup? Answers to me at…
To die for
Down the Mighty River with Steve Backshall (BBC2) was perfect Sunday-night TV — one of the most enjoyable adventure travelogues…
