Putin’s éminence grise: The Wizard of the Kremlin, by Giuliano da Empoli, reviewed
Modelled on Putinism’s founding father, Vladislav Surkov, the protagonist of this internationally acclaimed novel pales by comparison with the real-life ideologue
Is the future of democracy in the balance?
Economic insecurity, intolerance and fear, combined with public expectations that the state will fix everything, are seriously endangering western democracy, warns Jonathan Sumption
The Coromandel coast under threat
The rich biodiversity of Chennai’s littoral is in imminent danger from toxic petrochemical industries, warns the ardent naturalist and activist Yuvan Aves
In search of Pico della Mirandola, the quintessential Renaissance Man
Though the scholar himself remains an enigma, his theories about language as a portal to the divine are explored in depth by Edward Wilson-Lee
JD Vance’s criticism of Europe is hard to take
JD Vance certainly knows how to grab people’s attention. In a landmark address to the Munich Security Conference, he accused…
Wine highlights from Inauguration Day
I write a few days after the Big Event in Washington, DC on January 20, 2025. For us deplorables, it…
How Trump is revolutionizing Washington
Weeks into his second term, it’s clear President Trump intends to be the most transformative force our politics has seen…
Read: JD Vance’s full speech on the fall of Europe
Here’s a full transcript of the speech that JD Vance gave at the Munich Security Conference this afternoon. One of…
Vance: Free speech ‘in retreat’ in UK
To Germany, where the Munich Security Conference is in full swing. The city is hosting a number of political bigwigs…
Dinner for one is the best way to spend Valentine’s Day
This Valentine’s Day, as the nation does its duty and celebrates by dining out, often in stilted discomfort, it occurs…
Feminist coding and Armenian fashion week – my findings from Spaff
The Spectator Project Against Frivolous Funding, or Spaff, has been launched this week to shine a light on government waste.…
In defence of The Apprentice’s Jana Denzel
The front page of the Sun today pronounced that a star on the television show The Apprentice has quit for using ‘racist…
