Columnists
The risks for Osborne now he's back on top
The old Budget traditions are dying off. No Chancellor has observed Budget purdah, the tradition of not speaking about the…
How I became editor of The Spectator - aged 27
Thirty years ago this Saturday, I became editor of this magazine. In the same month, the miners’ strike began, Anthony…
So now we know – the BBC is more scared of offending Muslims than gay people
Are there enough black and minority ethnic people on our television screens? The comedian Lenny Henry thinks not and has…
We have to tell the truth about Tony Benn now. Who will hear it later?
I could start by remarking that we should not speak ill of the dead, quoting the pertinent Latin phrase: de…
Six months as a TV critic, and I’ve seen enough corpses to last a lifetime
It was Shetland that tipped me over the edge. Not the place, but the TV series. Although that’s set in…
How to beat a robot bookie
What does it mean these days to beat the bookie? Many of us like to imagine that winning a bet…
HS2’s boss is right – it’s push on or be rubbed out
I’m sure HS2 chairman Sir David Higgins is right to argue that if we’re serious about building a new north-south…
Must every quality TV show begin with a young woman’s corpse?
It was Shetland that tipped me over the edge. Not the place, but the TV series. Although that’s set in…
Why it’s right to criticise the newly dead
I could start by remarking that we should not speak ill of the dead, quoting the pertinent Latin phrase: de…
Man vs machine
What does it mean these days to beat the bookie? Many of us like to imagine that winning a bet…
Man vs machine
What does it mean these days to beat the bookie? Many of us like to imagine that winning a bet…
Michael Gove, Boris Johnson and the return of Tory wars
From the moment he took his job, Michael Gove knew that he would make energetic and determined enemies. The teachers’…
Dyslexia is meaningless. But don't worry – so is ADHD
There is a beautiful symmetry to all things, I think, and probably related somehow to the concept of karma. Only…
Libya is imploding. Why doesn't David Cameron care?
A few days ago I went to a talk about Syria; one of those events for the concerned layman, in…
I’ve seen the future of conservatism at CPac – and it doesn’t work
About the coolest guy I saw at CPac this year was this wild-eyed, middle–aged crazy wearing ‘statement’ spectacles, faded Levis…
Any other business: Turn down those token directorships, girls, and tell them you want to be chairman
Last Saturday was International Women’s Day, but we celebrated early in Helmsley when my Yorkshire home town was featured in…
I’ve seen the future of conservatism– and it doesn’t work
Listen http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/TheViewFrom22_13_March_2014_v4.mp3 About the coolest guy I saw at CPac this year was this wild-eyed, middle–aged crazy wearing ‘statement’ spectacles,…
Kidnaps and killings in Cameron’s happy place
A few days ago I went to a talk about Syria; one of those events for the concerned layman, in…
The Spectator's Notes: In the radical 1970s, logic was on the side of the Paedophile Information Exchange
People seem bewildered that the National Council for Civil Liberties in the late 1970s gave house-room to the Paedophile Information…
Leave Ukraine to the Russians
‘You can’t always get what you want,’ chorused Mick Jagger, ‘but if you try some time/You just might find/You get…
Why Boris is wrong to say that the children of jihadis should be taken into care
Do your children have a bleak and nihilistic view of the world? It’s hard to tell, really, when they spend…
Why are we turning London into Dubai?
If you’ve ever wondered what it will look like when we colonise Mars, the answer is ‘Dubai’. I was there…
Any other business: Britain’s chaotic energy policy puts us in Putin’s hands
To have written last month that the headline ‘Kiev in flames’ looked like a black swan on the economic horizon…
Why are we turning London into Dubai?
If you’ve ever wondered what it will look like when we colonise Mars, the answer is ‘Dubai’. I was there…
Leave Ukraine to the Russians
Listen http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/Untitled_2_AAC_audio.mp3 ‘You can’t always get what you want,’ chorused Mick Jagger, ‘but if you try some time/You just might…
