Unrepresentative swill
Once again a majority of Australian voters find themselves in the infuriating position of having their clearly established wishes frustrated…
London Diary
I am a stickler for the rule that a London diary should start with a cabbie story, so… In a…
Royal mail
It’s rare for the public to be given access to the Royal Archives. They are housed in the forbidding Round…
When the Rains Came
When the rains continued the rivers rebelled, the swans moved inland and even the bank was sandbagged and we saw…
Research Centre
Beyond the measured stretch of lawns and hedges are cultivated rows where snug plastic tunnels creep. Indoors, the fantastic spores…
Cutting the capon
A county, a house, a dog — and a bottle. Somerset: men have delved and farmed and built here for…
How user-friendly is your house?
Old Glaswegian joke: ‘Put your hat and coat on, lassie, I’m off to the pub.’ ‘That’s nice — are you…
Royal mail
It’s rare for the public to be given access to the Royal Archives. They are housed in the forbidding Round…
Thinking games
Forget the pedantic classifications of genres, styles and schools. When it comes to dance performances, it all boils down to…
Worshipping Bach
When I was first learning about classical music, 50 years ago, the scene was more streamlined than it is now.…
Worshipping Bach
When I was first learning about classical music, 50 years ago, the scene was more streamlined than it is now.…
When the Rains Came
When the rains continued the rivers rebelled, the swans moved inland and even the bank was sandbagged and we saw…
Research Centre
Beyond the measured stretch of lawns and hedges are cultivated rows where snug plastic tunnels creep. Indoors, the fantastic spores…
Ukip needs an ‘-ism’ – and I know just the one
Listen http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/TheViewFrom22_5_June_2014_v4.mp3 I’m worried about Ukip. It’s possible that my concerns are entirely misplaced but let me give you some…
Confessions of a thirtysomething patriot
In my late thirties, I have become patriotic. It’s one of those things that’s happened with age, like cooking to…
Australian notes
What can anyone do to change the world? Can any of us, for example, strike a blow that matters against…
Europe’s slippery slope
It's time to call the authoritarian statists of the Front National and its peers what they are
Portrait of the week
Home David Cameron, the Prime Minister, responded to the triumph of the UK Independence Party in the European elections (which…
Barometer
Plus: What readers really think of Of Mice and Men, and Britain’s last third-party election win
Labour has proved that it speaks for London – and nowhere else
The Newark by-election will show just how far the party has fallen
Mass murder and the Hollywood ending
Americans do mass murder on a grand scale, choreographed, with fast cars and guns
