Diary
Monday night’s US presidential debate should convince a majority of American voters that Hillary Clinton is their only credible choice…
Serpent of mud
From ‘The fall of Combles and Thiepval’, The Spectator, 30 September 1916: The trench — ugly, dirty, dull, untidy serpent…
Australian letters
Slow boats Sir: I hope Rod Liddle seeks therapy vis-a-vis that terrifying penis that haunts him (‘Haunted by an honourable…
Letters
Ground zero Sir: James Forsyth looks for hope for moderates within the Labour party and finds none (‘The party’s over’,…
Portrait of the week
Home Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, said that Britain would oppose attempts to create an EU army, as it…
American beauty
‘At last,’ wrote Patrick Heron, a British painter, in 1956, ‘we can see for ourselves what it is to stand…
White Knight
Free State of Jones is an American Civil War drama ‘inspired’ by the life of Newton Knight, who led an…
Breaking up is hard to do
’Will you be dancing?’ the man in front asks his friend before the lights go down. ‘Most likely,’ she says.…
Breaking up is hard to do
’Will you be dancing?’ the man in front asks his friend before the lights go down. ‘Most likely,’ she says.…
Bach to basics
The churning, rheumatic mechanism of a harpsichord — notes needling your ears like drops of acid rain — doesn’t necessarily…
Bach to basics
The churning, rheumatic mechanism of a harpsichord — notes needling your ears like drops of acid rain — doesn’t necessarily…
There’s something about Mary
Music likes to tell the same story over and over again. This is part of its tradition but even individual…
There’s something about Mary
Music likes to tell the same story over and over again. This is part of its tradition but even individual…
Hilarious, puzzling, boring
No Man’s Land isn’t quite as great as its classic status suggests. At first sight the script is a bit…
Hilarious, puzzling, boring
No Man’s Land isn’t quite as great as its classic status suggests. At first sight the script is a bit…
Losing heart
The subtitle for Mozart’s Così fan tutte may be ‘The School For Lovers’, but it’s as a school for directors…
Losing heart
The subtitle for Mozart’s Così fan tutte may be ‘The School For Lovers’, but it’s as a school for directors…
One day in November
The weather was ‘treacherous’ on Saturday, 23 November 2013, the day chosen randomly by Gary Younge as the focus for…
One day in November
The weather was ‘treacherous’ on Saturday, 23 November 2013, the day chosen randomly by Gary Younge as the focus for…
Diary of a parliamentary nobody
Upon debut as a columnist some explanatory notes are surely in order. Like the American columnist George F. Will I…
Consider This
The WHO is a closed shop ‘I for my part am convinced that the day will come when international health…
Consider This
The WHO is a closed shop ‘I for my part am convinced that the day will come when international health…
Bridge
TGR’s rubber bridge club is a bit like the set of your favourite soap. You have the regulars, of varying…
Malcolm (never to be released)
Malcolm Turnbull should surrender his passport and never again be allowed to leave these shores, at least while he is…
Malcolm (never to be released)
Malcolm Turnbull should surrender his passport and never again be allowed to leave these shores, at least while he is…
