Too Many Poets
Too many poets pack a line with thought But melody refuses to take wing. It’s not that meaning has been…
Switch over to the Greek debt drama: the final episode must be coming shortly
Bored with the election? Switch over to the Greek debt drama. In this week’s cliffhanger, silver-tongued finance minister Yanis Varoufakis…
I went looking for a used car – and found my inner boy racer
A bit late, I know, to put in a bid for Jeremy Clarkson’s old job. But I think I might…
Original sin makes us better people. I wish Muslims believed in it
These days, on the subject of Islam, non-Muslims have mostly divided into two camps — though there’s a little wandering…
A Scottish revolution is coming, and everyone’s losing their heads
Listen http://rss.acast.com/viewfrom22/edcouldstillwin/media.mp3 Normally, if a candidate whose party came fourth in a constituency last time tells you they’re going to…
The jihadi bride and her astonishing dad
Like you, I suspect, I have been terribly worried these last few weeks over the plight of 15-year-old Amira Abase.…
Pollie Pedal diary
The twin-engine turbo-prop lands in a downpour, skidding to a halt outside the terminal. ‘We haven’t seen rain like this…
Year of ideas
‘Today, I say very clearly, Labor will support reform which is fair. Labor will fight reform which is unfair,’ said…
Australian notes
The mystique of Anzac Day has always been a challenge to historians. The troops of several countries at Gallipoli fought…
Portrait of the week
Home The nation greeted with well disguised enthusiasm the beginning of the general election campaign after the dissolution of parliament.…
Barometer
Plus: the most suicide-prone jobs, Stephen Hawking™ and which countries are keenest on the death penalty
Sober into battle
From ‘News of the Week’, The Spectator, 3 April 1915: The chief obstacle to prohibition, as we point out elsewhere, is…
Letters
Plus: How to refer to Hitler's wife (if she's the daughter of a baron), vacancies for vicars, and a tipster's protest
The election result that everyone expects – and no one wants
The more voters reckon a hung parliament is coming, the more likely it becomes – even if they’d rather have a majority government
South America’s silent apartheid
In The Spectator of 21 March a column by Toby Young caught my eye. Discussing the pros and cons of…
A view from the departure lounge: why Heathrow expansion may never happen
The answer’s far from ‘obvious’ – or ideal – but I’d put a tenner on Gatwick
In defence of Christianity
Despite a tidal wave of prejudice and negativity, faith remains the foundation of our civilisation
A Moment
There it is, the wren. Keep still. Breathe in. The tiny bird with stumpy tail has landed near the windowsill…
A quiet revolution
This isn’t one of those I-was-lost-and-now-I’m-found sob stories; I wasn’t looking to be ‘healed’
‘The truth is hard’
The philosopher and novelist was right about immigration and education, 30 years too soon
The man to take on Hillary
War hero Jim Webb has the right record to take on Hillary – and to widen the Democratic coalition
Cross rail
As I was chased from the ticket barrier on to the train, I began to wonder what the inspector could be thinking
