Society

Elaines, on the Upper East Side, Manhattan (Photo: Michael Stewart)

I was sorry to hear about the closure of Elaine’s, the legendary New York watering hole frequented by the rich and famous. Fifteen years ago, when I lived in Manhattan, I used to go there quite often. After I was “let go” by Vanity Fair in 1998, I became a columnist for the New York Press. Taki edited a section in the middle called Taki’s Top Drawer and used to hold editorial meetings in Elaine’s on Sunday evenings. I say “editorial meetings” but, in reality, we just sat around getting… Read More

Chavmobile (Photo: Rex)

Polly Toynbee’s column about the word “chav” says much about class-hatred, although not in the way she meant. Britain’s most famous chianti socialist declared:
Chav: the vile word at the heart of fractured Britain

Fostering the loathing of a feral underclass allows public resentment to be diverted from those above to those below

That word slips out. This time it was used by a Lib Dem peer on the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Baroness Hussein-Ece tweeted: “Help. Trapped in a queue in chav land. Woman behind me explaining latest EastEnders plot to mate while eating largest bun I’ve ever seen.”… Read More

The abuse took place at a care home for adults with autism and learning disabilities run by Castlebeck (Photo: BBC)

Last night’s Panorama undercover investigation of a “care home” for adults with learning disabilities and autism has led to four arrests. It should lead to a complete shake-up of a culture that holds the disabled in contempt.

Viewers who squirmed and winced at the sight of “care” workers (a truly sick term in this context) slapping and punching their disabled charges must admit some complicity in this systemic cruelty. In Britain, the abortion law… Read More

English Dominican friars on the lawn at Mapledurham

Mapledurham House, an imposing Elizabethan mansion in south Oxfordshire, is one of Catholic England’s best-kept secrets. Which is appropriate, in a way – for it went to enormous trouble to keep its Catholic allegiance secret during times of persecution, when it was a safe house for fugitive priests.

That said, I think it’s high time that Mapledurham was better known: by rights it ought to attract thousands more visitors than it does. We live in an age when fans of The Da Vinci Code and other thrillers rush to historic locations to stare at “clues”… Read More

Paul Theroux and VS Naipaul shake hands at the Hay Festival (Photo: Daniel Mordzinski)

I have, I think, learnt more in four days at the Hay literary festival than in four years at university. Who knew that Jesus was crucified on April 3, Olivier Messiaen used overlapping prime number sequences in his music, or that we spent more money in one year bailing out the banks than we have in 2,000 years on science? Not me.

I’ve also learnt that I wouldn’t cut the mustard as a newshound. Yesterday, while playing the exciting game of “chase the internet… Read More

For some women, pregnancy must be 'convenient' (Photo: Getty)

I was 42 when I bullied my friend and colleague Jill to accompany me to the medical centre in Victoria Station for a pregnancy test. A week overdue, I was so nervous I was incapable of reading the DIY kit I’d bought from Boots: had that tell-tale spot really turned blue? The doctor, unlike the kit, was crystal clear.

My jubilation – I had given up all hope of having a child – overcame any practical considerations, such as would Edward be equally happy at the prospect of parenthood, and would I have to… Read More

One World Trade Center (Photo: AP)

News that Condé Nast is taking one third of the space in One World Trade Center won’t have gone down well with the company’s employees. Remember, these include the staff of the world’s glossiest magazines, including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Allure, Self, W, GQ, Brides, Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit and Condé Nast Traveller, not to mention The New Yorker. At present, Condé Nast is located at 4 Times Square in Midtown Manhattan, whereas One World Trade Center is in the financial district – Lower Manhattan. Not only will this mean they no longer have ready access to their… Read More

We don't want Joe Francis's show over here

The group of North East MPs who want to ban Girls Gone Wild – a fiercely tasteless and exploitative US show – from coming to Britain, are absolutely right, and I hope the Home Secretary listens to them. The theme of Girls Gone Wild is that its crew creates “adult entertainment” by approaching ordinary girls who are often extremely drunk and inciting them to strip off or perform sex acts for the camera, in exchange for a few scraps of cheap merchandise. Joe Francis, the director of Mantra Films, the company which produces the show,… Read More

Not on my watch (Photo: NNP)

I look at my lovely 8-year-old daughter and shudder at the prospect of her stumbling upon the ugly side of life. Witnessing a mugging; seeing one of her beloved brothers beaten up by thugs; or seeing the revolting misogyny of Girls Gone Wild.

For those of you who’ve never caught a glimpse of this US show, the premise is simple: get a pretty and celebrity-seeking girl to bare all (or just the key bits) on camera. The girls are real volunteers, not professional actresses. Usually drunk, often dim, they are perfect victims for an unscrupulous programme-maker. The male-only camera… Read More

The Natural History Museum (Photo: GETTY IMAGES)

The other day as my wife was walking into Natural History Museum she bumped into Jo Brand, the comedian, who was going up the stairs beside her. Miss Brand was there with about 50 or 60 primary school pupils from south London. “Hello,” said my wife, boldly. “How are you? I bet this is a nice change for you.” “Yes,” Jo replied.”We’re going to go and study stones.” She also said: “I try to help when I can.” In other words she’s like  thousands of mothers all over the country who devote… Read More