After three years and £20m, Sir Howard Davies’ Airports Commission has made its recommendation: Heathrow should have a third runway, and Gatwick expansion should not be ruled out either. But that doesn’t mean shovels will soon be tearing up the ground in West London: David Cameron needs to face up to making a decision, and face
From ‘Arraying the Nation’, The Spectator, 3 July 1915: The voluntary system has no doubt certain advantages, but under a great strain it becomes the refuge of the slacker—of the lazy man, the selfish man, and the cowardly man, It is a system which reserves all the blows for the willing horse, and allows the
From ‘Thrift and the War Loan’, The Spectator, 3 July 1915: There can be little doubt that tens of thousands of people who would never think about the War Loan merely as an investment can readily be persuaded to put their money into it on the ground that it is a patriotic duty so to
From ‘The Privilege of an Englishman’, The Spectator, 3 July 1915: [TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR] Sir,—There is one privilege which an Englishman has which is not shared by any other European nation. That privilege is neither asked for nor desired by other nations in Europe, for they are more democratic than we are.
From ‘Dawn on Box Hill‘, The Spectator, 26 June 1915: AS we rode down the gentle eastern slope of Ranmore Common we noticed that we could see our horses’ ears. The statement seems commonplace, but for the last two hours we had mostly taken not only our horses’ ears but our horses’ heads on trust.
From ‘Food and Drink’, The Spectator, 26 June 1915: The Government have been completely beaten by the trade in their attempts at prohibition. But are they justified at the present time in allowing this great waste of food to continue ? Even if in this the trade is strong enough to beat them, as it
From ‘Cold-blooded Goodness‘, The Spectator, 26 June 1915: A young person of either sex who is wholly without sentimentality has not as a rule much heart. On the other hand, where practicality so overruns the character as to destroy all the finest feelings, it may still leave the capacity for sympathy not uninjured, but certainly
‘We’ve had such fun paying off our children’s and grandchildren’s debts!’
‘All right, all right. Simon says, “Scalpel.”’
‘Great Scott, Professor Hunt has explained women!’
‘You rang, texted, emailed and face-timed, my Lord?
‘Have you made any nice friends?’
‘Our vicar’s a terrible name dropper.’
‘Dude, this is better than heaven — it’s the Cloud.’
‘You say art. I say graffiti.’
