The Spectator

Tuesday

The Spectator

Robert Conquest: ‘There is something particularly unpleasant about those who, living in a political democracy, comfortably condone terror elsewhere’

Robert Conquest, the historian of Soviet Russia who has died aged 98, was also The Spectator's literary editor between 1962 and 1963. The following essay was published in the magazine on 4 May 1961, in response to a letter published in the Times about the Bay of Pigs Invasion.  The round robin on behalf of some supposedly Leftist cause is a well-established little nuisance which we should all have got used to by this time. The letter sent by Mr.

The Spectator

Come work for us: The Spectator is looking for an assistant production editor

The Spectator is looking for an assistant production editor, to help us produce our magazine and supplements. The job will be three days a week, ideally Tuesday to Thursday, and initially on a six-month contract. What kind of person are we looking for? You are a careful, rapid and sensitive text sub capable of hitting tight deadlines with grace, and comfortable creating elegant layouts from template in Indesign. Your proofreading is reliable and judicious. Your headlines are both witty and to the point; you also know to rethink them so that they fly on the web and via social media. You can keep complex publishing projects running smoothly to timetable, chasing politely but firmly where necessary; you're happy taking the responsibility for bringing them home.

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The Spectator at war: Warsaw and Russia

From 'Warsaw and Russia', The Spectator, 7 August 1915: ON Thursday afternoon the German wireless news announced the occupation of Warsaw. Official confirmation is lacking as we go to press, but in any case it is probable that the city will be evacuated very shortly. Earlier news had encouraged the hope that the determination of the Russians to postpone the evil day as long as possible would prevail, and that the Germans would have to spend another week in hard fighting outside the city. What is, we trust, certain is that the Russian armies have made their position secure, and that there is now no risk of their being caught between the two jaws of the pincers that are closing from the north and south.

Monday

The Spectator

The Spectator at war: Born under fire

From 'News of the Week', The Spectator, 7 August 1915: A YEAR has elapsed since the first war issue of The Spectator. We have tried elsewhere to say something in answer to the question. "How do we stand?" Here we only reply very shortly. If we cannot say all is well, we can at any rate say that no man whose mind is not blinded by panic or prejudice can fail to admit that the position is on the whole satisfactory. It is true that we are still in peril, and that, unless we strain every nerve to carry the war to a successful issue, that peril may at any moment assume the most deadly proportions. But though this has been the prevailing condition ever since the war began, we can say truthfully that the peril is far less now than it was a year ago.

Sunday

The Spectator

The Spectator at war: Germany’s moral code

From 'Germania Contra Mundum', The Spectator, 31 July 1915: It may be said that, in the domain of international relations, the triumph of the German arms would substitute the perpetuation of a state of war rather than the maintenance of peace as the ideal goal which the rulers of the world should seek to attain. The leaders of German thought, indeed, openly avow that "war is the noblest and highest expression of human activity." The predominance of German principles would foster discord in the place of amity and suspicion in the place of confidence. Mr. Oliver scarcely overshoots the mark when he says that the new German code of morals, "if universally adhered to, would make an end of human society.

Saturday

The Spectator

The Spectator at war: That touch of mink

From 'Sim-sam the Mink', The Spectator, 31 July 1915: Sim-sam's bath was the spectacle that revealed him at his very best. Watching him glide and twist and loop the loop under water with the utter ease of a fish made you see the reason for the webbed toes, the powerful short, double-jointed legs that bent in any direction indifferently, and for the slim, lithe body with its rippling muscles. Sim-sam, you perceived, was built expressly for quick movement under water—movement far different from the clumsy-looking bopping gallop that was his best gait on land. A bath was his supreme enjoyment. It filled him with the highest spirits.

Friday

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The Spectator at war: Debating compulsory service

From 'News of the Week', The Spectator, 31 July 1915: The debate on compulsory service in the Commons on Wednesday night was remarkable for the speeches in its support made by Liberal Members. Captain Guest, who raised the question, declared that if we were to win in the present war, and to win quickly, compulsory service was the only way. Mr. Wedgwood, like Captain Guest fresh from active service in the field, vigorously supported the demand, and claimed to represent the views of all the fighting spirit of the Labour movement. What the country wanted more than money, shells, or men was a leader who could lead without fearing the consequences. Mr. Amery emphasized the dangers of our "dogged irresolution." Mr. Tennant, replying for the Government, demurred to the statement of Mr. J. H.

Thursday