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Pride / Germany is still in denial about the Berlin terror attack
In hot water / Macron could’ve done more to stop the Bordeaux fires
Slug and Lettuce / Andy Burnham is a joke
Books / Why spiders deserve our respect, not fear or disgust
Opera / A Sound of Music with brains as well as heart
Dolce Vita / The wolves are at my door
Canicule / The horror of a French heatwave
Buffering / YouTube is destroying childhood
Vroom / Where the super-rich rev their engines
Books / Why spiders deserve our respect, not fear or disgust
Opera / A Sound of Music with brains as well as heart
Dolce Vita / The wolves are at my door
Canicule / The horror of a French heatwave
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Buffering / YouTube is destroying childhood
From Spectator Life
Vroom / Where the super-rich rev their engines
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Fallen idol / I invented Nixonmaxxing
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All the latest analysis of the day's news
There is nothing surprising about the Berlin pride attack
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We sacrifice the humanities at our peril
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An intelligent mix of culture, food, style and property, plus where to go and what to see.
Where the super-rich rev their engines
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The Ghostwriter
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Three bets for Ascot’s big card tomorrow
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The horror of a French heatwave
From Spectator LifeIt’s a sweet little town, Arcachon. Clinging to the long French Atlantic coast, adorned with Victorian villas and pretty flowerbeds, it reminds me oddly of Bournemouth. By which I mean: Bournemouth before it was ruined. As such, it’s the kind of place that usually calls for a return visit. I am sure for many French people it is a holiday regular – ‘ahh, shall we do Arcachon again? Mais oui, we can try that new oyster cabin.’ But right now I seriously wonder if anyone will want to return to Arcachon, ever. The reasons are twofold.
YouTube is destroying childhood
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Andy Burnham’s centrist act isn’t fooling anyone
Andy Burnham’s centrist act isn’t fooling anyone
When Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood arrived in Downing Street on Monday afternoon, the image of political rivals arm in arm symbolised a new government of differing views taking shape. It might have been more awkward. As they neared the door of No. 10 and the waiting television cameras, Miliband turned to Mahmood and asked: ‘Should we turn around for a photo together?’ Mahmood gave the idea short shrift: ‘We’re not getting married, Ed!’ But in a sense Labour is seeking a new relationship with the British public and everyone around Andy Burnham is alive to the importance of images, symbols and vibes. As Wes Streeting, the new Defence Secretary, put it in cabinet on Tuesday: ‘We have a second chance to make a first impression with the voters.
Andy Burnham’s centrist act isn’t fooling anyone
When Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood arrived in Downing Street on Monday afternoon, the image of political rivals arm in arm symbolised a new government of differing views taking shape. It might have been more awkward. As they neared the door of No. 10 and the waiting television cameras, Miliband turned to Mahmood and asked: ‘Should we turn around for a photo together?’ Mahmood gave the idea short shrift: ‘We’re not getting married, Ed!’ But in a sense Labour is seeking a new relationship with the British public and everyone around Andy Burnham is alive to the importance of images, symbols and vibes. As Wes Streeting, the new Defence Secretary, put it in cabinet on Tuesday: ‘We have a second chance to make a first impression with the voters.
Culture
The good, the bad and the ugly in books, exhibitions, cinema, TV, dance, music, podcasts and theatre.
A Sound of Music with brains as well as heart
From the magazineIf you’re interested in how words work with music, the collected lyrics of Stephen Sondheim are an investment you’ll never regret. But Sondheim isn’t infallible, and when he writes about his mentor Oscar Hammerstein II he’s often plain wrong. Sondheim mocks one particular lyric from The Sound of Music: ‘Like a lark that is learning to pray.’ ‘Wait a minute – a lark praying?’ he snarks. But the character who sings those words is a devout young Austrian woman with a head full of Schubert and folksongs. Hammerstein is writing as Maria, not himself. It’s an art that Sondheim never quite mastered, which is why his characters – whether Swedish aristocrats or East End cannibals – all sound like New Yorkers in therapy.
Wet Leg have become a proper rock band
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The finest music ever composed by a Breton naval officer
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This J. Edgar Hoover musical is destined for Broadway
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The Victorian Hieronymus Bosch
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Cartoons
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‘‘He’s not the messiah, he’s a very northern boy.’’
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‘‘Andy wants to tour the country and meet some of his subjects’’
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