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The unclued lights (paired at 5/8, 24/3, 30D/30A and 42/35, and the singleton at 37) are titles of series of books written by ENID BLYTON which is an anagram of TINY BLONDE in the title. First prize John Nutkins, London TW8 Runners-up C.V.
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‘Homosexuality without the cant’, by Simon Raven, 14 June 1968: ‘All virile societies,’ writes Mary McCarthy à propos the Florentines, ‘see boys as objects of desire.’ And there you have it in one. Men will find younger men physically pleasing, not because of some terrible occurrence years ago in the woodshed, but because young males, like young females, are physically pleasing… They are a pleasure to look at, as everyone admits; they are also a pleasure to touch, when legitimate occasion presents; presumably, therefore, they are a pleasure to take to bed. The above is a straightforward statement of an attitude that has been common to many young males in many times and places. (It was certainly my own.
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To buy tickets, head to the Spectator Shop. Join us in the Spectator boardroom on Friday 28 February for the next in this year’s series of Spectator Winemaker Lunches with Alex Schulz, fifth generation owner and head winemaker of Turkey Flat Vineyards, the cult winery of the Barossa Valley, Australia. First planted with Shiraz in 1847, Turkey Flat Vineyards is one of the oldest producers in Australia, famed not only for the remarkable quality of their sustainably-farmed Rhône-style wines but also their downright accessibility.
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As we all know, we live in strange times and to do our part to shield our readers The Spectator has decided to cancel events until further notice. This means that several of our Spectator Winemaker Lunches will need to be cancelled or postponed. If you have already booked for any of these you will, of course, be refunded.Until we meet again, stay safe and make sure you have enough wine to see you through these dark days. Future virtual Wine Club events for which you might like to join us for:September 30 2020 - Online rum tasting October 14 2020 - Online cognac tasting October 28 2020 - Online whisky tasting *We will communicate any further changes to the schedule should the need arise.
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The statement, ‘HINDSIGHT IS ALWAYS (10/17) twenty-twenty’ was made by the FILM DIRECTOR (48/21) BILLY (4) Wilder (suggested by the title). His works include SOME LIKE IT HOT (1A/23D) and The APARTMENT (44). TWENTY-TWENTY (diagonally from 12) was to be shaded. First prize C. and A. Snelson, Leyburn, N.
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Enemies on the left Sir: James Forsyth’s article ‘Labour must change to win’ (25 January) describes how little appetite the party’s prospective leaders seem to have for arranging this change. Nonetheless, Labour remains a threat to national prosperity. The party was captured by the Trotskyists of Momentum in 2015. Trots never give up. Indeed, they regard politics as a long game. The danger is that the Conservatives have already been in government for nine years, and sooner or later all governing parties become unpopular. Momentum knows this very well and is getting ready. We ducked a bullet at the recent general election, but sensible people, of whatever political stripe, should not yet relax about Britain’s political situation.
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In the beginning How did Britain mark its entry into the European Economic Community on 1 January 1973? There were no official celebrations, though George Thomson, one of Britain’s first two European commissioners, led a torchlit procession through London. In Brussels, a Union Flag was raised. Prime Minister Edward Heath was present at neither event: he was flying back from Ottawa, having attended the funeral of former Canadian prime minister Lester Pearson. Already, there were signs that many Britons saw it as nothing to celebrate: a poll for the BBC found 38 per cent were happy about joining — and 39 per cent already wanted to leave.
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Home Using a Parker fountain pen (a brand now made in Nantes), Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, signed the EU withdrawal agreement, which had been signed by Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, in Brussels and sent to London by train. The Queen had given royal assent to the Withdrawal Bill. All that remained was for the agreement to be rubber-stamped by the European Parliament to allow the United Kingdom to leave the European Union at 11 p.m. GMT on 31 January. A 50p coin was minted, inscribed: ‘Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations’; Lord Adonis declared: ‘I am never using or accepting this coin.
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The moment of Britain’s departure from the EU was always likely to be an anticlimax, both for those who expect great things from Brexit and for those who had been braced for disaster. Departure day is not much of an event in itself, merely a moment at which new economic policies become possible. Thanks to the transition period and the Withdrawal Act, there is no cliff edge — at least not for now. Tough negotiations will begin again, but the Prime Minister has a chance to handle all this in a better, less divisive way than his predecessor. After leaving, Britain now takes on a new role: as the European Union’s strongest ally. Although the UK has opted out of the EU’s bureaucratic hierarchy, we remain part of Europe in terms of geography, culture, trade and outlook.
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At 11pm tonight, Britain will finally leave the European Union, after 47 years inside the bloc. And, as expected, many European newspapers chose to mark Brexit day on their front pages. Le Figaro: 'L'adieu a l'Europe Liberation: It's time La Croix: See you! Le Monde: Europe enters the unknown Die Welt: The British leave.
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The Spectator is the world’s oldest (and Europe’s fastest-growing) magazine and is read by more people than ever. But our podcasts now get over 1.5 million downloads a month: demand is pretty big and we need a podcast producer to help the expansion. We currently have a one-person podcast team, Cindy Yu, who produces nine regular podcasts covering everything from Brexit and Trump to the latest releases in the literary and culinary world. We need someone who, at 8am, can have a decent idea for what to discuss on a Coffee House Shots; who can look at a copy of the magazine and suggests not just three topics for our Edition podcast, but the guests.
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The news this week could easily have led with the deaths of 14 Afghan and Iraqi migrants in the English Channel, drowned as they attempted to reach Britain. In the event this didn’t happen, but only because their boat proved to be so unseaworthy that it capsized before they made it out of sight of the Belgian coast. All were able to swim back to the beach. This is the reality of people-trafficking: it is a callous industry whose operators care little for the lives of the migrants to whom they charge large sums for the promise of a new life. It is only three months since 39 Vietnamese migrants were discovered dead in the back of a refrigerated lorry at Tilbury. It is luck that has so far prevented a seaborne version of that disaster, but luck will not hold.
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Parliamentary motions The government floated the idea of moving the House of Lords permanently to York. Until it was found a home in the Palace of Westminster in Henry VIII’s reign, parliaments were regularly held all over the country. A few of them: 1266 Parliament convened at Kenilworth, Warwickshire, while Henry III besieged Simon de Montfort’s followers in the castle. 1283 Parliament met at Shrewsbury so that members could watch the execution of Welsh rebel Dafydd. 1414 ‘Fire and Faggot Parliament’ met at Leicester and passed the Suppression of Heresy Act, allowing Lollards to be burned with bundles of sticks. 1459 ‘Parliament of Devils’ met in Coventry to try Yorkists with High Treason.
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Royal travails Sir: The travails of the royal family outlined by Penny Junor (‘In check’, 18 January) may be public theatre but that does not make the suggestion to ‘slim down’ the monarchy any less dangerous. It might be farce now but it could turn to tragedy. Remember King Lear, where Goneril and Regan use Lear’s rowdy night in the castle as a pretext to begin robbing him of his knights and independence, leaving him destitute and mad. ‘What need you five and 20, or ten, or five, to follow in a house where twice so many have a command to tend you? What need one?
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Home The Duke of Sussex left England to join his wife, Meghan, in Canada. This followed an agreement that stripped him of the style His Royal Highness and her of the style Her Royal Highness. ‘They are required to step back from royal duties, including official military appointments,’ a statement from Buckingham Palace said. ‘They will no longer receive public funds for royal duties.’ The Sussexes said they would repay the cost of the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, put at £2.4 million. ‘Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family,’ the Queen said. On the eve of his departure, the Duke said: ‘It brings me great sadness that it has come to this.’ Three men were stabbed to death in Ilford.
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By Leo McKinstry, The Spectator, 17 August 2002: The modern MEP is a titan of tedium, a figure whose every action spreads ennui through our civic life. Only a hardline bore would want to handle the pettifogging bureaucratic activities of the European parliament, and only a true bore could possibly think that the pontificating and prattling of MEPs could be of the slightest interest to anyone outside their number… ‘A period of silence from you would be welcome,’ Clement Attlee once told the garrulous socialist and Labour executive member Harold Laski. The same remark could be directed today at our overpaid, publicity fixated MEPs.
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The Spectator’s annual Parliamentarian of the Year awards took place at the Rosewood Hotel in London this evening. The awards were presented by the guest of honour, former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt.
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To buy tickets, head to the Spectator Shop. Join us in the Spectator boardroom on Friday 14 February for the next in this year’s series of Spectator Winemaker Lunches with Nicole Rolet, owner of Chêne Bleu, the boutique estate in the southern Rhône celebrated for its organic, biodynamic ‘couture’ wines which Decanter Magazine declared to be ‘exceptional’. Chêne Bleu – described by the Wall Street Journal as ‘The world’s first super Rhône’, lies is a dramatically isolated position high in the Dentelles de Montmirail above Gigondas and Séguret and has deliberately opted out of the appellation contrôlée system, allowing them to make the wines that they feel best reflect the local terroir.
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The Japanese are fond of poeticising the fleeting beauty of the cherry blossom season, which no sooner reaches its full glory than is gone, leaving behind nothing but bare branches, scattered petals, and a sense of wistful regret and nostalgic yearning. It’s the theme of countless haikus and mournful folk ballads. But if the cherry blossoms themselves soon vanish, the cherry blossom party scandal, currently vexing prime minister Shinzo Abe, is proving as worryingly hard to remove as Japanese knotweed. It’s in danger of turning into a Japanese version of Watergate. The annual prime minster’s cherry blossom viewing party is a tradition going back to 1952.
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On child care Sir: Your recent editorial deplores, among other things, the cost of child care, to which you attribute the loss of female skills to the workplace (11 January). I would agree that pursuing a career is easier if one has no children. I also agree that the cost of child care is a significant drain on the income of young families. I am less convinced by the implicit suggestion that cheaper child care is the solution. I speak from experience and with hindsight. My son was born in 2000. For women of my age and education, at that time it was almost imperative to shove your baby into an expensive nursery and get back to work as quickly as possible. This is what I did — and I can’t say it was a good investment, for me, for his father or for him.
