Jane Ridley 2014 has been the year of 1914. In the same way that Christmas puddings appear in supermarkets in October, many of the contestants in the publishing race for 2014 defied starter’s orders and came out pre-maturely in 2013. What has been striking about the bumper crop of first world war books is the
In this week’s Spectator, out tomorrow, our leading article looks at the Band Aid 30 single and why it’s time for Bob Geldof to pack Band Aid in. Pickup a copy tomorrow or subscribe from just £1 here. Anyone listening to the BBC this week could be forgiven for thinking that the musician Bob Geldof had just emerged
From The Spectator, 21 November 1914: If nations obtain the Governments that they deserve, it may be hoped that they do not always deserve their postage-stamps. If that were so, we should be a less deserving nation than we were in the twenty or thirty years which followed the introduction of “adhesive labels” in 1840,
From The Spectator, 21 November 1914: WE record with deep regret the death of Lord Roberts, which occurred last Saturday evening at Sir John French’s headquarters. Lord Roberts had gone to France specially to visit the Indian troops, of whom he was Colonel-in-Chief. He caught cold on Thursday week, and his heart was not strong
From The Spectator, 21 November 1914: Though we realize how terrible is the strain on our Army in Flanders, we are, of course, well aware that General French and Lord Kitchener are fully conscious of what is going on, and are taking all the measures necessary to provide the requisite reliefs, and to strengthen the
From The Spectator, 14 November 1914: THACKERAY dealt a blow at domestic service which it has never quite recovered. He made it ridiculous. It was the one bad turn that he did to English society. The litera- ture of his day reflected his point of view. Servants did not then read novels—they were 31s. 6d.
From The Spectator, 14 November 1914: A married man who was insured before the war may, if totally disabled, receive as much as 28s. a week for life. This is certainly an extremely liberal allowance, and we may be sure that the pacifists among us, especially those with Socialistic tendencies, will sooner or later draw
From The Spectator, 14 November 1914: The Spectator for the last twenty years has urged that the Russians are the appropriate successors of the Turks at Constantinople. Russia is by far the greatest of the Black Sea Powers, and she ought to be given the key to her own back door— the possession of the
‘He used to feed us, now he just takes photos of us.’
‘I don’t make sandwiches so much as curate them.’
‘It gets me from alpha to beta.’
‘I’m drinking for two.’
‘You try talking to him.’
‘What do you mean you’re going to tweet it?’
‘This is a repeat of yesterday’s rant about BBC bias, and it is also available online.’
‘I’m going on after the watershed.’
‘Look, dear, he’s networking.’