The Battle for Britain – 6 April 2017
Thursday
Books and Arts – 6 April 2017
to 2301: Age of extremes
Unclued lights (in red) are the characteristics of ‘the period’, from the opening sentence of A Tale of Two Cities. The highlighted words are part of the same quote, appropriately occupying the first line of the grid. First prize R. Snailham, Windsor, Berkshire Runners-up M. Threasher, Winscombe, Somerset; Ben Stephenson, London SW12
Simon Jenkins lifts the lid on BBC chief’s ‘dinner circle wailing’ over Brexit
This week Nick Robinson set the cat among the pigeons when he claimed that the BBC no longer has a duty to ‘broadly balance’ the views of Remain and Leave in its Brexit reports now that the EU referendum is over. However, many have questioned Robinson’s so-called ‘due impartiality’ — with 70 Eurosceptic MPs previously signing a letter
The real significance of Theresa May’s meeting with Donald Tusk
Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, has been in Downing Street this afternoon meeting with Theresa May. The official readout of their talk is much as you would expect. Warm words about the hopes for a ‘deep and special partnership’, an attempt to calm things down over Gibraltar but nothing major as the
The National Trust is compromised by its own success
Cadbury and the National Trust stand accused of taking the Easter out of Easter eggs. The Trust’s ‘Easter Egg Trail’ is now renamed the ‘Cadbury Egg Hunt’. My little theory about the National Trust is that all its current woes result from the tyranny of success: it has become so attached to ever-growing membership (now
Mark Reckless’s defection presents the Tories with a conundrum
Mark Reckless infuriated many Tories when he defected to Ukip. Now, he’s defected again – and made few people happy in the process. The Ukip AM has announced that he is joining the Conservative Group in the Welsh Assembly, where he sits as a regional representative. Not for the first time, he is following in
The Spectator Podcast: Trump’s wars
On this week’s edition of The Spectator Podcast, we consider President Trump’s growing military ambitions, dissect the problem of radical Islam in our prisons, and judge what makes a perfect marmalade. First, this week’s magazine cover depicts Donald Trump in full Kaiser Wilhelm II costume. The reason for that image is Andrew J. Bacevich‘s assertion that
The nightmare of school holidays
The decision by the Supreme Court to find against parent Jon Platt in his battle with his local education authority is both outrageous and debatable. Mr Platt took his daughter on holiday for a week during the school term in 2015 and was arbitrarily fined by Isle of Wight council for doing so. Platt successfully
High street firms shun government savings programme
Poor LISA. She’s all dolled up, ready to make her entrance onto the national stage and nobody wants her. She’s the girl at the dance who sits on her own, unloved and ignored. Today marks the launch of the Lifetime ISA, the government’s flagship savings programme. The LISA is a version of the Individual Savings
Books Podcast: The joy of indexes
On this week’s Books Podcast, I’m joined by the scholar Dennis Duncan to talk about a subject that’s very dear to both of our hearts: that neglected few pages at the back of any book — the Index. In the wake of last week’s National Indexing Day, we talk about the ancient history of indexes
Pepsi’s advert gives protesters exactly what they want: another opportunity to protest
No sooner had Pepsi skooshed open its latest ad campaign, the internet burped it back up. The soft drink giant’s new commercial features Kendall Jenner (ask a young person) emerging from a crowd of protestors to offer a can of Pepsi to an officer on a police line. The advert is more sugary than the fizzy beverage it hawks.
The left will eat itself – Easter special
This week, there has been a chemical attack in Syria, Labour decided not to expel Ken Livingstone from the party and Michael Howard suggested that Britain could take military action if necessary to protect Gibraltar. So, what are the hard left protesting? A left-wing magazine daring to criticise Corbyn. Tomorrow: Protest New Statesman's biased coverage of
What does the new tax year mean for your pocket?
Today marks the start of the new 2017/18 tax year, and this month a long list of changes come into effect that could impact on your household finances. There’s good news for the low paid thanks to an increase in the National Living Wage, and middle earners also stand to benefit from a rise in
What the papers say: Why Labour must give Ken the boot
Ken Livingstone’s Labour membership card remains valid – but for how long? The former Mayor of London avoided being booted out of the party following his comments about Hitler. But he was told by Jeremy Corbyn yesterday that he faces another investigation into remarks he has made since the party’s decision to suspend him. The
VAT on fees? Our greedy private schools have it coming
The standard conservative response to Jeremy Corbyn’s proposal to impose VAT on private schools would be to attack it as as a policy motivated by class envy and dreamed up to please his party’s levellers — except that Michael Gove, too, questioned private schools’ charitable status a few weeks ago. Private schools might moan and
Naz Shah makes a profit on the NHS
With health bosses warning last month that the NHS faces a ‘mission impossible’ to meet the standards required by the government with the current levels of funding, there are financial worries over its future. So, how is the NHS spending its limited funds? Well, the latest register of interests shows that Naz Shah has been brought in to
Understated eloquence
It is 50 years since the publication of Very Like a Whale, Ferdinand Mount’s first novel. ‘Mr Mount’s distinguishing feature as a novelist,’ Mary-Kay Wilmers wrote in her sniffy, uncomprehending Times Literary Supplement review, ‘is that his analysis of society is obedient to Conservative economic principles.’ In the ensuing half century Mount has proven resolute
A toast to unsung heroes
We were talking about war, the desert and God. In the early Seventies, one of our number, Christopher James, had been involved in serious fighting in the struggles to stop Yemeni-backed communist insurgents from destabilising Oman. Christopher was happy to pay tribute to everyone else, but evasive about his own service in the SAS. That
All hail the new taxi-card revolution
From October last year, it was compulsory for all London black cabs to accept payment by card. London cabbies aren’t always sunnily disposed towards Transport for London, but those I have spoken to since the move seem to welcome the ruling, and acknowledge that business has picked up since. There are, of course, plenty of
