The Spectator

Q. May I pass on a tip to readers? It is famously difficult to find a present for a man. We were going to stay with a male friend and, what with all the talk of prepping, I bought him a top-of-the-range head torch and batteries and he really could not have been more delighted.

– J.R., London W12

Article | spectator.com/article/dear-m…

'Hello girls!' A few weeks ago, a WhatsApp chat named 'Millie's hen' whirred into life on my phone. 'We're so excited to reveal the details of what will hopefully be an amazing long weekend!'.

Three nights in the south of France next June, 15 women and a £500 'contribution' for some, but by no means all, food, drink and activities. On flights, airport transfers, the rest of the food, drink and activities, we were expected to fend for ourselves.

All in, Millie's hen do would cost me close to £1,000. I scrolled down to the bottom of the eight-page PDF document that had been distributed by the organisers: 'Once everything is booked, there might be a tiny variation in price. Thanks for understanding!' I felt my blood pressure rise.

✍️ Lisa Haseldine

Article | spectator.com/article/how-to… | @lisahaseldine

A Range Rover was long the motoring equivalent of a pair of wellies, mud splattered and smelling slightly of wet spaniel.

The moment of mutation happened later, when Land Rover bosses realised that wealthy urbanites were buying Range Rovers, not to carry wayward sheep and wet hay bales, but to climb the kerb outside Harrods.

Gradually vinyl was swapped for Connolly leather, rubber mats for deep-pile carpet and the hose-down dash for polished walnut.

✍️ Simon Heptinstall

Article | spectator.com/article/farewe… | @sheptinstall

If the Holy Land is where the highest of all idealism goes to die, please let this be the case when it comes to Andy Burnham’s enthusiasm for bringing in proportional representation.

Like a lot of British Jews, seeing how it works in Israel has inoculated me against this progressive temptation for life.

Who won the Israeli election? Well, I can't really tell you. It's over a week since Israelis went to the polls, from the most secular Tel Avivis or devout Jerusalemites to bedouin riding out of the desert to the vote. And there still isn't a government.

✍️ Ben Judah

Article | spectator.com/article/propor…

What did the BBC think would happen if its all-conquering Strictly Come Dancing show recruited 'stars' no one had heard of, shunned the elements that made it entertaining and replaced its popular presenters with a gormless trio that appears to have been picked by a HR diversity committee?

Corporation bosses ought to be asking themselves this question in their post-mortem of the current car-wreck season of the celebrity dance competition. Clearly, they're not, given their apparent vexation over viewer dissatisfaction and mediocre ratings.

✍️ Michael Day

Article | spectator.com/article/how-st…