Mary Wakefield
Is our only choice to be cynics or suckers?
It’s all the rage to mistrust the powerful these days, to say politicians are scum, or all bankers are selfish.…
Is my only choice to be a cynic or a sucker?
It’s all the rage to mistrust the powerful these days, to say politicians are scum, or all bankers are selfish.…
The contagious madness of the new PC
Obsessive searching for hurt and offence will create it where once it never existed
The contagious madness of the new PC
It’s becoming pretty clear, as the year rolls on, that some of our brightest youngsters have gone round the bend.…
‘Not to worry, just a gang killing’: the mantra of the metropolitan middle classes
Another stabbing in my new neighbourhood, not with an axe or with a samurai sword this time, but a machete.…
Machetes and the middle classes
Another stabbing in my new neighbourhood, not with an axe or with a samurai sword this time, but a machete.…
Are schoolgirls still fair game for teachers?
Mr Malcolm Layfield, the former violin teacher at Chetham’s music school, will have been celebrating this week after being found…
Are schoolgirls fair game for teachers?
Mr Malcolm Layfield, the former violin teacher at Chetham’s music school, will have been celebrating this week after being found…
Eritrean migrants face many dangers. Are we one of them?
A few weeks ago someone very dear to me passed on a question about The Spectator, asked them by a…
Migrants face many dangers. Are we one of them?
A few weeks ago someone very dear to me passed on a question about The Spectator, asked them by a…
In praise of the pit bull terrier
Last night I saw a woman dancing with a pit bull terrier. It was about 9 p.m. and her curtains…
In praise of the pit bull
Last night I saw a woman dancing with a pit bull terrier. It was about 9 p.m. and her curtains…
Original sin makes us better people. I wish Muslims believed in it
These days, on the subject of Islam, non-Muslims have mostly divided into two camps — though there’s a little wandering…
Original sin makes us better people. I wish Muslims believed in it
These days, on the subject of Islam, non-Muslims have mostly divided into two camps — though there’s a little wandering…
How do bright schoolgirls fall for jihadis? The same way they fall for Justin Bieber
How could they? How could girls brought up in the wealthy West abandon their families and their own bright futures…
Why do bright schoolgirls run away to Syria?
How could they? How could girls brought up in the wealthy West abandon their families and their own bright futures…
Do I really care about Ebola? Do you? Does Oxfam?
It’s strange how quickly we all forgot about Ebola. Speak for yourself, you might say — and I will. Until…
Do I care about Liberia? Do you? Does Oxfam?
It’s strange how quickly we all forgot about Ebola. Speak for yourself, you might say — and I will. Until…
The real reason GPs are grumpy: the robots are coming for them
There’s something wrong with the relationship between patients and their GPs. I’ve spent much of this winter in my local…
Would you put your life in the care of Dr Droid?
There’s something wrong with the relationship between patients and their GPs. I’ve spent much of this winter in my local…
Are old fairy stories too scary for kids?
Moving house, stacking books in boxes, I came across a clutch of fairy books, Andrew Lang’s folk tales from around…
Why scary fairy stories are the best
Moving house, stacking books in boxes, I came across a clutch of fairy books, Andrew Lang’s folk tales from around…
Patriotism isn’t uncivilised - it’s what makes civilisation possible
Is it racist to be patriotic? Is patriotism, by definition, small-minded and exclusive? When you strip away the onion layers…
Without patriotism, there’s no civilisation
Is it racist to be patriotic? Is patriotism, by definition, small-minded and exclusive? When you strip away the onion layers…
What are 16-year-olds supposed to learn by making posters?
My niece, Lara, 15, has a mind like a surgical blade. On any subject, from calculus to The X Factor,…
