Spectator, The; London

Ted Kennedy was a staunch supporter of liberal, Democratic causes, but his great gift was for working with his Republican opponents to get legislation through Congress.

Two's Company

Because the Rev-o-lution's here . . (At its thickest point the wood is only 1.5 mm thick. ) Along the way we discovered how the lute fell out of favour in the 18th century as public performance and the piano became more popular.

Diary

[...] there are no speed limits. [...] no smoking ban, so you can light up wherever you like.

Standing Room

The European Union has banned the sale of incandescent bulbs in order to slash energy bills and cut carbon dioxide emissions. When my husband dutifully jumped the gun three months ago and replaced the old bulbs in our sitting-room with the new, low-energy CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) I started to display worrying symptoms of Seasonally Affective Disorder (SAD).

Diary of a Notting Hill Nobody

[...] wants me to call Dave and explain that he came up with his mention of The Wire before Dave did his interview. [...] that he never meant to suggest that the sort of TV shows Sam enjoys with a plate of spaghetti are in any way immoral or based on a 'horrendous drug world', as his speech might have inadvertently, or indeed explicitly, implied. Thursday I can't possibly arrange a meeting between Dave and Andrew Strauss before the England cricket team get to Downing Street and draft anothe...

Cowards Colluding with Terrorists

Should Al-Megrahi Have Been Released? A Spectator Poll

Over the past few days The Spectator has conducted an exclusive poll into the Lockerbie bomber's release, and has found that of those who expressed a view, 72 per cent believe quite strongly that it was a disgrace to release al-Megrahi.

Why has My Father's Murder Gone Unpunished?

Since 2003 Libya has been extolled by Britain as an example of a reformed state. While Libyan officials have this week expressed pride at the fact that al-Megrahi's release has been on the table at every discussion and meeting with UK politicians - why is there not a similar urgency among British officials to push for justice for my father or in the even more clear-cut case of WPC Yvonne Fletcher? WPC Fletcher was gunned down outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984 with a machine-gun wi...

How Religion Could Help Save Iraq

Canon Andrew White, the vicar of Baghdad, says that the recent horrifying escalation in violence could be due to the unfortunate disbanding of the council of religious leaders Baghdad Not so many months ago we all heard a lot about Iraq. To join the group, a leader had to fall into one of the four categories: religious leaders with major influence and a large following; those with a significant TV following; those with very significant political influence within the Iraqi government; those w...

What Is It with Women and Handbags?

The Real Price of True Love

Letters

Jonathan Foreman's article ('Britain's forgotten casualties', 22 August) highlights how the focus on the death toll in Afghanistan eclipses a much wider human and economic cost arising from those many seriously injured soldiers who will require help for the rest of their lives. A sleazy film producer expounds on his notion of appropriate subject matter, declaring, 'Comedy equals Tragedy plus Time'.

The Stories That Could Be Written About Airport Luggage Carousels

Cobwebs went up his arms, there were spiders round his neck, and his shorts revealed barbed wire around his knees, calves festooned with bats, a scorpion on one ankle and a small snake on the other. [...] it was a suitcase designed to look like a ladybird, red, with big black spots, complete with false wings.

Festival Business Bucks the Recession

Let Me Not Be Mad

Mixing Memory with Desire

Life of a Cave Dweller

From Russia with Love

Daily Grind