Portrait of the week
Home In his speech at the Labour party conference, much of it taken from material that had been on the…
Barometer
Water worlds Nasa announced it had found evidence of running water on Mars in the form of dark streaks on…
Cicero on Labour taxes
At least one person on the Labour front bench seems to recognise that the state must protect property
Slow march to victory
From ‘The western victories’, The Spectator, 2 October 1915: As this is a war of heavy artillery, masses of slow-moving guns…
Letters
Plus: Conservatives who rock, Machiavelli on immigration, and the most moving moments in opera
The Time of Shoring Up
After the years at the gym, the diets and the supplements, he comes — nevertheless — to the time of…
Sex and the Saudis
Cruel sex crimes have surged since King Abdullah died, and we can do nothing about it
Baby steps
So many friends told me to go but not listen. Is it any surprise that people are setting up alternatives?
Where there’s smoke…
One-eyed environmental policy created the conditions for this fraud – and other damaging problems
How to save the hedgehog
A beloved species is in catastrophic decline. But there’s plenty we can do about it
Foote fault
Plus: students will find Lyttleton Theatre’s Jane Eyre an excellent revising resource. For a fun night out I’d look elsewhere
Incomprehensible genius
The German director’s animating rage was the misery of almost everyone’s life. And he used this to turn out several films a year that, on his 70th anniversary, continue to enthral
Now you see it, now you don’t
While Avigdor Arikha (Marlborough Fine Art) and Dennis Creffield (James Hyman Fine Art) toy with the abstract/figurative dichotomy, Robert Irwin and Cerith Wyn Evans (White Cube) sidestep it completely
Independents’ day
Plus: E! Online’s new reality TV show The House of DVF is transfixingly watchable even if you’re not gay or female
Special effects
Plus: a very Reithian message from Brian Eno in his John Peel Lecture and does the broadcast of Max Richter's record-breaking Sleep suggest that Radio 3 has lost its way?
Low life
To celebrate, I got totally and deliberately and gloriously drunk and danced the Gay Gordons
Long life
He should take his lead from American TV presenters, who are upholders of Reithian propriety
Bridge
The 42nd Bermuda Bowl has kicked off in Chennai, and after several weeks of cheat-busting Boye Brogeland (‘The Sheriff’) has…
Homer nods
Paul Morphy, in a strange prefiguration of the later career of Bobby Fischer, was often described as ‘the pride and…
No. 381
Black to play. This is from Botterill-Basman, Eastbourne 1973. What is Black’s best move? Answers to me at The Spectator…
Right to reply
In Competition No. 2917 you were invited to submit a reply from Andrew Marvell’s coy mistress. Marvell’s mix of cajoling…
Your problems solved
Also, how to tick off litter louts without getting beaten up, and a good way to make use of empty rooms
