March of the makers
Until earlier this year, a squat sculpture nestled rather unobtrusively outside 20 Manchester Square in Marylebone, an address once made…
The lying game
‘Adam Curtis believed that 200,000 Guardian readers watching BBC2 could change the world. But this was a fantasy. In fact,…
Sweet and sour
Great subject, terminal illness. Popular dramas like Love Story, Terms of Endearment and My Night With Reg handle the issue…
Walking the walls of Theodosius
Hagia Sophia (the Church of the Holy Wisdom) in Istanbul is arguably the most important building in our Judeo-Christian tradition.…
Brown study
Perhaps all is not lost. There might yet be hope for the education of our youth. Like many people, I…
The Battle for Britain
The post The Battle for Britain appeared first on The Spectator. Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment…
Bridge
The Gold Cup Finals were played in London this year and proved to be very exciting but ultimately unsuccessful for…
no. 432
White to play. This is from Lasker–Teichmann, St Petersburg 1909. Black had already resigned this game as he could anticipate…
Lines on the left
In Competition No. 2971 you were invited to submit poems written by Jeremy Corbyn. The seven printed below take £20…
2284: Shocking!
Unclued lights consist of a quotation (in ODQ), its speaker and source, and a synonym (one hyphened) of each of…
Straik
I’m very glad I followed a friend’s recommendation to read The Bird of Dawning by John Masefield, an author neglected…
La Belle Époque
Farce is a difficult theatrical form to write and to stage successfully. Farce operates beyond reality; a farce must establish…
Do words Trump facts?
To dispense with the obvious, Donald Trump’s recently aired commentary about his extra-marital escapades are ill befitting of any serious…
Life’s Too Short to Drink Bad Wine
We had a fine party at 67 Pall Mall last night to launch the new edition of Simon Hoggart’s Life’s…
The right write stuff: a conservative literature primer
Adelaide Sunday Mail columnist Peter Goers has written a hit-piece on his fellow News Corp scribbler, the precocious Caleb Bond, which he…
Time to start looking beyond Abbott
Whoever said or emailed what to whom, David Leyonhjelm’s Adler shotgun blasted through Coalition ranks last week. What this week’s…
Mia Freedman: preening poseur
Dear Mia I was interested to read the report published in the Grind coffee society magazine in relation to online…
The importance of being Kimberley Kitching
Senator-elect Kimberley Jane Elizabeth Kitching just loves winning. When it happens, her mouth literally explodes ear-to-ear with a supercilious Luna…
Lasker’s heir
Last week I previewed the respective chances of world champion Magnus Carlsen and his challenger Sergey Karjakin for their forthcoming championship…
In defence of Zac Goldsmith
I’m baffled by the reaction to Zac Goldsmith’s decision to resign as the Conservative MP for Richmond Park. It is…
Diary
I have never met Donald Trump, but I knew his parents. A fact that makes me feel about 100 years…
Flights of fancy
An extra runway for Heathrow was first proposed by a Labour government — not Gordon Brown’s, or Tony Blair’s, but…
Burlington Arcade
It all began with oysters. Londoners used to eat them as they walked along, throwing away the shells much as…
Lasker’s heir
Last week I previewed the respective chances of world champion Magnus Carlsen and his challenger Sergey Karjakin for their forthcoming championship…
