Government
The insoluble link between government and crime
Taxes and prohibition invariably lead to evasion, racketeering and corruption in an endless capitalist cycle, says Mark Galeotti
Qatargate and the dubious moral authority of NGOs
The Qatargate scandal haunting the European Union is not merely about corrupt politicians and officials. The deplorable role of a non-governmental organisation is at the heart…
How to be PM
Ten rules for the next Tory leader to live by
Boris should keep copying Blair
Having written here at least once before that Boris Johnson is the heir to Blair, my first thought on the Prime…
The art of government
What politicians’ paintings say about them
Powers of persuasion
The art of the public information ad
The Covid trap
Will we ever go back to how we were?
The invisible men
Home-working shows how many government jobs can be moved out of London
Rewiring the state
Covid has revealed what is wrong with Whitehall
Phantoms of liberty
Word has it that ministers already do not bother to argue their corner with the government’s inner ring, while a…
Judgment day: the danger of courts taking over politics
Who runs Britain? When Boris Johnson’s lawyers made their case in front of the Supreme Court this week, defending his…
Why austerity is coming to an end
The last day of the parliamentary term is usually an occasion for the government to get a whole bunch of…
£350 million for the NHS: How the Brexit bus pledge is coming true
A fortnight before Philip Hammond delivered his last Budget, the chief executive of the NHS gave a speech making the…
17 reasons why we should love Brexit
‘But what are you going to do with the powers?’ the minister asked, while I negotiated devolution of powers to…
Crunch time
For anyone considering a career in economic forecasting, the Bank of England’s inflation report for August 2007 ought to be…
Let’s make assisted dying legal for Brightonians
I am having terrible trouble with my hair at the moment. It is lank, flat and lifeless. There are split…
The slow death of environmentalism
Would you describe yourself as an ‘environmentalist’? I would, mainly to annoy greenies, but also because it’s true. If your…
Who needs governments?
The Spanish seem to be doing better without one
Desperate straits
The Turkey-EU deal will do nothing to fix the migrant crisis. Just ask the people-smugglers in Istanbul
Flying doctors
A few months ago, paramedics were on the brink of industrial action. They had legitimate grievances. Ambulance services were being…
The Spectator’s Notes
Many have rightly attacked the police for their handling of the demented accusations against Field Marshal Lord Bramall, now at…
The Clare Valley
It is a century and a half since The Spectator noted the exceptional qualities of South Australia, a colony of…
The best things in the world spring up by accident
Since no one has bothered to ask what my must-read book of last year was I’m going to tell you…
Where’s the joy gone?
Britain seems to be suffering from a dearth of lightheartedness
