World
The Liberal Democrats have a dangerous vision for the City of London
Liberals have always set great store by laws and declarations. It was joked about Lord Loreburn, the liberal Lord Chancellor…
How China drove a wedge between America and Israel
Two weeks ago, CIA director William Burns – who has rather a lot on his plate just now – had…
Why Boris Johnson’s opponents keep failing
Which Boris Johnson should Labour fight? There is little doubt about the personality traits most left-wing activists think they have…
Why football fans are still booing players taking the knee
On the opening day of this year’s season, I went to see Chelsea play Crystal Palace. The match programme featured…
The Prince of Prussia's Nazi problem
Perched on a mountain top overlooking the Swabian Alps, Hohenzollern Castle, with its picturesque towers, seems like something out of a…
Expelled leftists mull new party
The not-so-great and good of the onetime Labour left were out in force last night, as members of Labour Against the…
The bell tolls for us in Kabul
Some events are like this. They creep up like a stalking wolf. Or, as Nietzsche put it, on doves’ feet. We don’t…
Who lost Afghanistan?
America’s longest war draws to a bloody end. As the pullout deadline approaches, the probability of more atrocities like the…
In defence of cruel foods
Fishmongers are an endangered species in London. Thankfully, 15 minutes walk across Westminster from The Spectator’s offices there is an…
Anne Hidalgo’s socialist reign of error in Paris
A photograph, taken in June 2014, has become emblematic of Anne Hidalgo’s Socialist rule of Paris. In the picture stands…
The rise and fall of the yakuza
For the first time in history, an organised crime ‘yakuza’ boss has been sentenced to death in a Japanese court.…
The law is not fit to stop Extinction Rebellion’s street protests
Extinction Rebellion (XR) are once again blocking London’s streets, reportedly emboldened by the Supreme Court’s recent Ziegler decision – which…
The shameful evacuation of pets from Afghanistan
Two stories on the Afghan evacuation today combine to leave me full of bewildered rage. The first, from the Times:…
Biden’s big empathy fail
Empathy won Joe Biden the White House, we were told. Indeed, as former Republican speechwriter Peter Wehner informed us, ‘In the…
We need to find the muscle memory of Western greatness
Like millions around the world, I have spent recent days watching – sometimes forcing myself to watch – these images…
Here comes the Afghan refugee crisis
The rapid takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban has potentially dire consequences for Afghan women and children. The Islamist group…
Biden’s mad-lib bungle
The terrorist attack at Kabul airport on Thursday was so horrific as to summon the word ‘unprecedented’. But it was…
The descent of Afghanistan
The bomb attacks at Kabul airport were what US and allied commanders overseeing the mass evacuation had most feared. In…
The problem with PC policing
Ah, the last days of summer. Long evenings, sunny weekends, and crusty Extinction Rebellion hippies blocking arterial traffic lanes to…
Would Japan defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack?
In a parliamentary debate in early June about Covid, Japan’s prime minister Yoshihide Suga said that Australia, New Zealand and…
How will Europe respond to a wave of Afghan refugees?
On Tuesday, Franek Sterczewski made a break for the border. Wearing a long trench coat and carrying a blue plastic…
The Supreme Court’s shameful statement on Hong Kong
In a statement which will doubtless surprise the scores of lawyers, democratic politicians and human rights activists who are currently…
The cost of the terrible tragedy at Kabul airport
America’s frantic, confused exit from Afghanistan was a humiliating shambles even before today’s terrorist attack. Now, it is something much worse. It…
Seven times Joe Biden claimed ‘America is back’
It’s been a sobering two weeks for fans of America’s septuagenarian president. Even before he took office, Joe Biden was…
Exclusive: ‘The Taliban smelled weakness’, says Mike Pompeo
President Biden blames Donald Trump and his former secretary of state Mike Pompeo for the debacle of the Afghanistan withdrawal.…