This is the best read for knowing what people in Britain are thinking and arguing about this week, or half of them, anyway. It is shamefully and unashamedly politically incorrect. I must say I start at the back of the book, with the country's most preposterous agony aunt and well written, even touching columns on low life, City life, the turf etc. The book and arts reviews are superb. As for the political coverage, well, if that's what the Conservative British think, what am I suppose to do about it, huh? An excellent complement to Pravda and the Washington Post.
It is right wing, by British standards, and supports the Conservative Party. This bias is reflected in its editorials and most, but not all, of its articles.
Their spectator.co.uk website is very good. It contains most of what's in the print edition plus quite a lot that isn't. Some regular columns are not included in full, except with a paid online subscription. This is unfortunately true of my favorite, Dot Wordsworth's 'Mind Your Language', which covers topics relating to English usage. The crossword is a recent inclusion in the free online edition. Some readers used to buy the printed magazine just for that. Be warned that it is one of the most difficult crosswords out there.
Raymond Keene's chess column is one of the best there is. That also is available in full online, free.
Unusually for these days, the magazine features an original poem each week, and the standard is remarkably high.
You can get a very good idea of whether the Speccy is to your taste by visiting the website, (you have to register, but registration is free) and then you can decide whether to buy an online or print subscription.
If it seems too far to the right for you, take a look at its left-wing rival, The New Statesman.In a country where reporting is as self serving as politics, it's grand to find a publication so enriched with intelligent dialogue, insightful thinking, un-poisoned by our politics or big money interests. It's wonderful to read the POV of those with enough distance to be able to sift the insanity into meaningful discussion...not to mention the literary excellence and wit with which it is done. Intelligence and excellence are addictive, especially when it's so rare.If you live in the United States and love "The New Yorker", you will thoroughly enjoy "The Spectator". It is so refreshing to read about world events from a non-American point of view. Also you may find their humor as a completely different flavor. The Kindle really makes this possible since the print version of this magazine is exorbitantly expensive to receive in America.
No comments:
Post a Comment