The case for Biggles
The first Cold War thriller I ever read – before MacLean, before Le Carre, before Clancy – was Biggles Buries…
The great British pub is not dead yet
My Oxfordshire taproom used to sing on Fridays: carpenters, teachers and office clerks, knackered from the week’s graft, would elbow…
The joy of flying will never die
The golden era of flying is over: rowdy passengers, greedy airlines and miserable airports make travelling nowadays rather grim. The…
Forced marriage, multiculturalism, and a rise in human trafficking
The Australian Labor Party’s failure to see the failings of multiculturalism might be behind a record rise in human trafficking…
Bridge of shame
For many years, Australians have marvelled with pride at the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, a symbol of all that is…
Getting down and dirty
It’s splendid to be sitting at the very front of the Playhouse watching a new musical from the Melbourne Theatre…
Aussie life
Much of the advice you received as a child is now redundant. For example, don’t even think about telling an…
Language
From time to time there are journalists who like to aggrandise their humble trade by claiming they are ‘speaking truth…
Letters: What Trump has got right
Trumped up charges Sir: I am a huge admirer of Max Hastings, whose contribution to our knowledge and understanding of…
Was the car finance judgment fair?
I must modestly doubt that the Supreme Court justices took account of my 12 July column in their ruling on…
North Uist’s whisky is one to watch
There are at least two Long Islands. One of them, eternally famous for The Great Gatsby, is a fascinating blend…
The mysteries of ‘spoof’
‘Spook or spoof?’ asked my husband, throwing a copy of the paper over to me, and only missing by a…
The case for an independent Kent
I’m just back from Vancouver, where I was speaking at a fundraiser for the Free Speech Union of Canada. At…
