The Spectator
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The case for bringing back feudalism
The Samurai would soon bring the left to its senses and put a stop to its moral preening
Why the kindness of strangers trumps a pagan festival
After the festival blip, and a nap, our evening improved considerably with a chance encounter under a tree
Why won’t anyone live with me?
I was deluged by responses to my ad for a lodger but no one would actually come and see the room
Racing for the app generation
With teams anthems and a pop concert afterwards, the Shergar Cup brings a different crowd to the racecourse
Wine Club 18 August
We’re clearing the decks and having a late summer sale — or rather our partner Mr Wheeler is. Fill your…
Luke’s gospel
Perhaps the outstanding clash of the recently concluded British championship in Hull, supported by Capital Developments Waterloo Ltd, was the…
No. 519
White to play. This position is from Fernandez-Pritchett, Hull 2018. White found an extraordinary, problem-like move to finish the game.…
The appliance of science
In Competition No. 3061 you were invited to imagine a well-known author who doesn’t normally write in the genre having…
2372: Spot-on
One unclued light (three words) is a phrase referring to an item whose scientific name is formed by two unclued…
to 2369: Prodigious
WUNDERKIND — given by corrections of misprints in clues — can be read as W UNDER KIND, indicating the unclued…
Vocational schools are not to be sneered at
When I was 16 I failed all my O-levels, bar a grade C in English Literature, and concluded I wasn’t…
Why data doesn’t always reveal the truth
In late 1973 the graduate admissions department at UC Berkeley discovered that for the forthcoming year it had awarded places…
Dear Mary: What do I say when people want to visit my family’s stately home for free?
Q. My husband and I were among the first to arrive at a recent large house party in Scotland. We…
Wine, women and willow: a perfect combo for a perfect English summer day
The first time I went to Lord’s was in 1970, just before the unofficial Test series which replaced the cancelled…
Petrichor: an awkward word for a pleasant phenomenon
I’m not too sure about the word petrichor, invented in 1964 as a label for the pleasant smell frequently accompanying…
What happened to Je Suis Charlie, Prime Minister?
On January 11 2015, I was one of two million people who marched slowly and silently through Paris to honour…
The myth of Jeremy Corbyn, a kind and gentle man
I am relaxed about Jeremy Corbyn being thicker than mince but draw the line at the assumption, all too evidently…
Is the BBC scared of the transgender debate?
I like the BBC. I like the idea of a national broadcaster and I like a lot of BBC output.…
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