Fifteen things we learned about sport this year
The problems of the Prem, Formula One's decisive 0.2 seconds, and more
Smock and awe
Spring is a testament, above all things, to whimsy — and may be the reason Santa is banished from Somerset House
Dear Mary
How to monetise your celebrity, which party to join when you’re not sure you believe anything, and more
No crib for a bed
What is ‘no crib for a bed’ meant to mean? And why were the angels saying ‘Nowell’?
Wicked versus Stupid
Where one side of politics revels in sanctimonious moralising, the other ignores it altogether
The real War on Christmas
An abundance of kitsch sentimentality and commercialism has ripped the ‘Christ’ out of Christmas
Christmas notes
Some Australians have forgotten how to speak their truth. Some have lost their ability to hear the truth. This is…
Australian letters
Gay Marriage Sir, I don’t give a tinker’s curse about gay marriage (Brendan O’Neill 6 Dec.) and am tired to…
Morality tales
‘And so this is Christmas, and what have you done?’ A question, originally set to an agreeably festive tune by…
Diary
I’ve been to Kirribilli House only twice. John Howard had little time for the Melbourne media, and I suspect did…
Voice notes
AFTER a year dabbling in radio, I listen to other people’s voices with a new ear. It is like suddenly…
Australian notes
It’s worth repeating. A British Prime Minister (the Earl of Derby) to Queen Victoria: ‘The definition of an Independent Member…
Brown study
I had hoped to bring you a cheery Christmas tale, but the political goings on in Melbourne and Canberra mean…
The shallow art of an insipid weirdo
Yep, the Pop art of Andy Warhol is every bit as vacuous as he claimed it was.
Under the bed
The bogeyman of the ASIO agent under the bed has long been an obsession of the Left, and judging from…
Spot the Booker Prize winning books
The post Spot the Booker Prize winning books appeared first on The Spectator. Got something to add? Join the discussion…
Juliet Townsend (1941-2014)
A new literary editor looks among his acquaintance for potential reviewers. There was no one I approached more confidently in…
Sunset Hails a Rising
O lente, lente currite noctis equi!— Marlowe, after Ovid. La mer, la mer, toujours recommencée.—Valéry. Dying by inches, I…
