Joubert’s the man to sort out Syria
Not since Walter Palmer, a cudddly Minnesota dentist, put down his drill and vanished off the face of the earth…
Club class won’t fly any more
I’m getting a lot of abuse on Twitter for saying that having been a member of the Bullingdon is more…
Club class won’t fly any more
I’m getting a lot of abuse on Twitter for saying that having been a member of the Bullingdon is more…
Jumping for joy
Thank God for jump racing. The Flat has its glitz and speed and glamour, and we could not help but…
Jumping for joy
Thank God for jump racing. The Flat has its glitz and speed and glamour, and we could not help but…
The emperors of Brussels
As both sides of the great EU debate line up their forces, it is worth reflecting on the implications of…
Barometer
Killer facts The World Health Organisation added processed meats to its list of ‘known’ carcinogens. A few of the other…
Diary
I’m counting ‘Wows!’ Suddenly everyone is using this irritating expletive expressing incredulity, amazement and nothing at all. I’ve heard it…
From the archives: W.G. Grace’s legacy on the Western Front
From ‘W.G.’, The Spectator, 30 October 1915: The late Dr. W.G. Grace had become in his lifetime a legend, and he is…
Portrait of the week
Home After it was twice defeated in the Lords on its plans to reduce working tax credits, the government announced…
Shaken, not stirred
Spectre is the 24th film in the Bond franchise, the fourth starring Daniel Craig, the second directed by Sam Mendes,…
Of gods and men
Over the stupefyingly long course of Egyptian history, gods have been born and they have died. Some 4,000 years ago,…
Wherefore art thou Romeo?
You always remember your first time, don’t you? And in ballet one imagines that Juliet wants to remember her first…
Unreliable evidence
I hadn’t really thought much about pixels before, despite spending a large portion of my day looking at them. After…
Hanging offence
Modern Scottish Men, a new exhibition celebrating the achievements of male artists in the 20th century, opens next month in…
Intelligent design
Peter Mandelson, in his moment of pomp, had his portrait taken by Lord Snowdon. He is sitting on a fine…
Maximum Bob
We were like four hapless contestants on University Challenge. None of us knew the answer. But just like they do…
Maximum Bob
We were like four hapless contestants on University Challenge. None of us knew the answer. But just like they do…
Irish ayes
It’s Halloween, and right on lightning-flash cue enters an operatic ghost story exhumed from the grave of long-since-buried works. You…
Irish ayes
It’s Halloween, and right on lightning-flash cue enters an operatic ghost story exhumed from the grave of long-since-buried works. You…
Character assassination
Here are three truths about play-writing. A script without an interval will be structurally flawed. A vague, whimsical title means…
Character assassination
Here are three truths about play-writing. A script without an interval will be structurally flawed. A vague, whimsical title means…
Battle fatigue
Can anyone explain this sudden enthusiasm for Agincourt, that unexpected victory over the French, now being celebrated, or rather commemorated,…
Battle fatigue
Can anyone explain this sudden enthusiasm for Agincourt, that unexpected victory over the French, now being celebrated, or rather commemorated,…
In Other Eyes
Someone to trust with parcels, because he’s ‘always in’; the character who locks the gate at night and lingers to…
