Society

We are delighted to announce the finalists, region by region, for The Spectator Economic Disruptor of the Year Awards sponsored by Julius Baer. We received entries from every corner of the UK, in business sectors ranging from advanced genetics to ice cream and from musical instrument-making to cyber security. Particularly well represented were ‘Fintech’ in all its aspects — in which the UK has already established a reputation as a world leader — and healthcare, including a number of smart ideas aimed at improving patient experience in the NHS. Overall, we’ve been thrilled to learn about the creativity, enthusiasm and dedication of the entrepreneurs behind the entries. Many of these

Notice accounts require you to give advance notice of any plans to withdraw money – but at the same time, they may sometimes give better rates. Here are the best options on the market right now, from data provided by moneyfacts.co.uk.

Have you ever met a real misogynist? Probably not, because misogyny is a very strong word. Coming from the ancient Greek misos (hatred) and gyne (woman), it should only be used to define extreme behaviour: woman-hating to be exact.  And yet some people seem to think that British streets are full of woman-haters. Misogyny was made a hate crime in Nottingham two years ago, meaning that anyone caught wolfwhistling at women, being sexually explicit or generally mean to the fairer sex was liable to be investigated by the police as a woman-hater. This pilot scheme has been deemed to be a success; now some campaigners are calling for misogyny to

This piece was first published in the ‘190 years of The Spectator’ special. 15 March 1986 It is difficult to estimate the number of young investment bankers, stockbrokers and commodity brokers earning £100,000 a year. Perhaps there are only a couple of thousand, but they are so mobile and noisy that they give the impression of being far more numerous. Most are aged between 26 and 34, and two years ago they were being paid £25,000, in some cases even less, until the opening up of the City markets precipitated an epidemic of headhunting and concomitant salaries. In this respect they resemble the lucky winners on Leslie Crowther’s television quiz

Is it coming home? If it is, don’t expect all the home nations to welcome it. In Scotland, the dismal grunt of ‘Anyone but England’ (ABE) is the balm that soothes our aggrieved wee souls. It’s never difficult to distinguish between a Scotsman watching England do well and even the most fleeting flicker of sunshine. Every four years — in fact, anytime England steps onto turf for an international — the worst kind of Scot is to be found cheering on the other side, whomever that happens to be. If the Three Lions drew Hannibal Lecter FC, chianti and fava beans would outsell Tennent’s and square sausages overnight. These bitter

Even though I don’t watch much football I love the World Cup because it’s my passport to total freedom. I can nip off to the pub, slob indoors on a sunny Sunday afternoon, leave supper before we’ve finished eating, let alone before the dishes are done. And where normally that kind of behaviour would at the very least get me a dirty look, during World Cup season it actually gets me brownie points. Why? Because it’s a sign that I’m being a Good Dad. It worked in the old days with the Rat. And now it works with Boy. Mothers are absolutely potty for their sons and will look fondly

The young writer Guy Stagg threw in his job a few years ago to undertake a pilgrimage to Jerusalem via Rome – choosing a hazardous medieval route across the Alps. It nearly killed him: at one stage, trying to cross a broken bridge in Switzerland, he ended up partially submerged in the water, held up only by his rucksack. His new book The Crossway grippingly describes his solitary journey. He was a pilgrim, not just a traveller, he insists – despite still being an atheist at the end of it. On this week’s Holy Smoke podcast, Guy explains why that makes sense to him. And I also take the opportunity