The day of fallers
On a grey October morning, along a Berkshire lane leading up to the Ridgeway amid fields stuffed with pheasant, 30…
How to reduce journey times without HS2
I am still waiting for someone to refute my argument that it would be possible to reduce the journey time…
Light and shade
Sun is one of those performances that confront reviewers with the eternal dilemma of whether or not it is appropriate…
Why I’d never be a Tory princeling
Since I was a child, pretty much everybody I have ever met has asked me if I want to be…
The night I fell back in love with Shakespeare
‘Dad, it’s three hours long,’ says Boy, worriedly. ‘Yeah. And whose bloody fault is it we’re going?’ I want to…
Double trouble
There’s courage, there’s fearlessness, and then there’s the sort of sublime audacity you need to do something like sidecar racing.…
Cantons and Cantonese
In 1863, the pioneering travel agent Thomas Cook took a group of British tourists on the first package holiday to…
Double trouble
There’s courage, there’s fearlessness, and then there’s the sort of sublime audacity you need to do something like sidecar racing.…
Cantons and Cantonese
In 1863, the pioneering travel agent Thomas Cook took a group of British tourists on the first package holiday to…
Australian Notes
In his call to arms at the black-tie dinner in Sydney Town Hall celebrating the Lowy Institute’s tenth anniversary, Rupert…
High-speed fail
By clinging on to costly HS2, the Tories are allowing Labour to look like the prudent party
Portrait of the week
Home A storm passed over England, with plenty of warning. The strongest gust, of 99mph, was recorded at Needles Old…
Art history
The ancient Greeks would have been appalled at the reverence accorded to potters like Perry
Letters
Not fair on cops Sir: Nick Cohen (‘PCs gone mad’, 26 October) claims that the police are deliberately attacking the press…
The next election will break all the rules
In an era of coalitions and four-party politics — and with the left more united than the right — all bets are off
The Spectator’s Notes
Plus: Prince Charles and Paul Dacre have the same birthday — but Dacre is more likely to abdicate
It’s a tough life when you wear a burka. Believe me, I know
People look at you differently — just as they would if you turned up at the Guardian with pink cords and tweeds
Arise, Sir Jim: Grangemouth’s offshore billionaire is an industrial hero
Plus: Tea for Spectator readers on a yacht (hopefully)
The thrill of the bore draw
Why not bet on boredom? Most sports fans assume a game will be more thrilling than it turns out to be
