Columnists
David Cameron's fog of war
It was clear that things were going wrong for David Cameron when he had to say that his position on…
Romance isn't a religion. Stop looking for The One and join The Queue
Pity the modern starlet. Be she steaming-hot pop-tart or reality-show show-off, her range of emotional experiences will, thanks mostly to…
The surer we are that machines can think, the less sure we'll be about people
Having written (for a Times diary) a few sentences about consciousness in robots, I settled back to study readers’ responses…
Julian Assange is a narcissist and a nut — and if America comes for him we should take his side
Poor Julian Assange. Call me a contrarian but I’m genuinely starting to feel sorry for the guy. He’s just made…
It’s not just left-wingers who think the bosses’ pay boom is unhealthy
The FTSE100 index stands precisely where it did in the first week of December 1999. Whichever way you look at…
Assange is a narcissist and a nut – but if America ever comes for him, we should take his side
Poor Julian Assange. Call me a contrarian but I’m genuinely starting to feel sorry for the guy. He’s just made…
The real dilemma of artificial intelligence
Having written (for a Times diary) a few sentences about consciousness in robots, I settled back to study readers’ responses…
When did romantic love become a religion?
Listen http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/TheViewFrom22_21_August_2014_v4.mp3 Pity the modern starlet. Be she steaming-hot pop-tart or reality-show show-off, her range of emotional experiences will, thanks…
When did romantic love become a religion?
Listen http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/TheViewFrom22_21_August_2014_v4.mp3 Pity the modern starlet. Be she steaming-hot pop-tart or reality-show show-off, her range of emotional experiences will, thanks…
It costs £34,000 to become an MP. No wonder they expect higher pay
Mark Simmonds has been in politics long enough to know not to expect much sympathy from his constituents. He resigned…
It’s OK to mention anti-Semitic attacks – but not who commits them
I was attacked by a swan the other day, as I walked along the bank of the River Stour in…
You’re never too old, they say. But I am
For my 49th birthday treat, I went to see Shakespeare in Love at the Noël Coward theatre in London. Expensive…
Why a City job should be graduates’ last resort
August is the season for conversation about career choices. Every holiday party seems to include new graduates or next year’s…
You’re never too old, they say. But I am
For my 49th birthday treat, I went to see Shakespeare in Love at the Noël Coward theatre in London. Expensive…
A fitting exit for the self-publicising Lady Warsi
At the impressive Westminster Abbey vigil to mark the centenary of the first world war on Monday night, there was…
Tread carefully! Your garden is saturated with racial meaning – and so is Ikea
Is your life saturated with racial meaning? The most common answer to this question, when I ask friends and acquaintances,…
I found my inner fascist in a letterbox
There’s a little bit of a fascist in all of us. For some, the tragedy of human want may provoke…
The man who could sell the British public on fracking
Iain Conn, who will succeed Sam Laidlaw as chief executive of Centrica, would have been a dead cert for the…
Why don’t any of my friends own holiday homes?
This is to be one of those columns that makes the writer faintly wish there wasn’t an internet. It would…
I found my inner fascist in a letterbox
There’s a little bit of a fascist in all of us. For some, the tragedy of human want may provoke…
The Spectator’s Notes
Listen http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/TheViewFrom22_07_August_2014_v4.mp3 At the impressive Westminster Abbey vigil to mark the centenary of the first world war on Monday night,…
Why this could be David Cameron's last summer in politics
At this time of year, whenever you see a British politician looking particularly busy, you can take it as a…
The Spectator's Notes: My grandfather's dire omen on the eve of war
This week’s issue is dated 2 August. On that date 100 years ago, my great-grandfather, Norman Moore (always known as…
I was a slut too, Prime Minister, and I think you're giving in to PC nonsense
Is it ever appropriate to use the word ‘slut’? I always take my lead from the Prime Minister and he…
You’ll mock me, but I have to ask: why don’t any of my friends have holiday homes?
Hugo Rifkind 9 August 2014 9:00 am
This is to be one of those columns that makes the writer faintly wish there wasn’t an internet. It would…