Society

Thursday

Peter Jones

The Roman approach to tax

The Sunday Times rich list would have excited the male citizens over the age of 18 who determined state policy in the Athenian assembly in the 5th century bc. The reason is that Athens levied taxes on citizens by their wealth, as judged by the property they owned. The most important tax was the leitourgia (source of our ‘liturgy’). This was imposed upon the 300 wealthiest Athenians and was hypothecated on two specific projects: the funding of the annual comic and dramatic festivals (one of which involved, among much else, the training of 1,165 men and boys for months on end) and the funding and maintenance of fully equipped Athenian

Rod Liddle Rod Liddle

Reform and the problem with the Overton window

In the space of about one month a further 9 per cent of the electorate has decided that the views of Reform UK accord with their own take on the world, putting Nigel Farage’s party well ahead of the government in the polls and leaving the Conservatives trailing Ed Davey’s cavalcade of grinning village idiots. The Greens are not that far behind the Tories, either, on 10 per cent. This means that policies which were once considered extreme, such as the immediate joyous jettisoning of all that diversity, equality and inclusion rubbish and drastic action taken against asylum seekers, are now considered acceptable by almost a third of the electorate.

Alice Loxton

The short history of short histories

My friend Ruby recently started a TikTok channel called ‘Too Long Didn’t Read’. With boundless enthusiasm and a colourful wardrobe, she prances around Hampstead Heath, summarising classic novels in 60 seconds. The channel ‘sums up anything ever written so you can talk about it to your mates’. Ruby is not alone in her approach of offering such educational digests. Scan the tables at Hatchards in Piccadilly and you will find endless shortest histories, or – for brevity’s sake – ‘shistories’. Popular formulas include ‘The Shortest History of …’, ‘A Brief History of … or ‘A Little History of …’. New publications include The Shortest History of Scandinavia by Mart Kuldkepp,

Charles Moore Charles Moore

My VE Day in Kyrgyzstan

In travelling to Bishkek, I was heading for the hills. I had not expected to be marking the 80th anniversary of victory in Europe there. But thanks to our leader, Alexandra Tolstoy, who has high standing with the authorities in Kyrgyzstan, we found ourselves in honoured places beside the presidential podium for the parade. Being a former Soviet republic, Kyrgyzstan speaks not of the second world war but of the Great Patriotic one. The Russian link remains so strong that the president had advanced the date of the parade so he could join President Putin for his great march past in Moscow on 9 May. Standing near us were bemedalled

The Spectator

How popular is Airbnb?

Tall order Two naval cadets were killed and 19 injured when a Mexican sail training vessel, the Cuauhtemoc, crashed into Brooklyn Bridge. How many fully-rigged sailing vessels are there in the world? — Sail Training International lists 383 such ships which have taken part in races and regattas in recent years. — The oldest still in use, Constitution, was built in 1797. It is moored in Boston as a museum ship but still undertakes voyages. — The Australian navy trains sailors on the STS Young Endeavour, a gift from the UK government to mark the 200th anniversary of European settlement in 1988. Other countries which still train naval recruits on

Tom Jones

Inside the Conservative clubs that are turning Reform

My first job was working behind the bar of the Richmond Conservative Club in North Yorkshire. The place was as you might expect: dark blue doors, no women in the bar – other than on Fridays – and a ban on red ties. There were portraits on the walls of Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill. The local MP, William Hague, sometimes held his surgeries there. The Richmond club is still open, but many others have closed since the 1950s, when more than a thousand clubs offered cheap beer, snooker and bingo to almost three million Tory members. The party’s membership is now a fraction of what it once was; only

Wednesday

Brendan O’Neill Brendan O’Neill

The UN’s claim about babies dying in Gaza is unravelling

Just when you thought Israel couldn’t be any more evil, yesterday we learned that thousands of babies are set to perish under its ruthless writ in Gaza. Fourteen thousand to be precise. All in the next 48 hours. Thousands of innocent lives snuffed out as the Jewish State, that most wicked of states, looks the other way. Now we know, the cry went up, just how barbarous the State of Israel can be. Israelophobia is out of control. It is the most dangerous bigotry of our times This story spread like a pox through the internet yesterday. It infected influencers everywhere. Everywhere you looked you’d see those cruel numbers –

David Shipley

Banning pointed kitchen knives won’t make us safer

Anarcho-tyranny is a term used to describe societies which obsessively regulate and punish law abiding citizens, while being unwilling or unable to protect them from crime, violence and abuses of their good nature. These societies are terrible places to live.  Many people believe that the UK is either already an anarcho-tyranny or close to becoming one. That argument is strengthened by today’s report that the, ‘heroic yoga teacher stabbed in Southport attacks calls for ban on pointed kitchen knives’. I do not wish to diminish Leanne Lucas’s suffering, or her bravery. Axel Rudakubana stabbed her five times as she fought him off, and managed to save several young girls from

Matthew Lynn

David Lammy is wrong to halt trade talks with Israel

In recent weeks, Britain has wrapped up trade deals with India and the United States and is on the lookout for new agreements. Keir Starmer has agreed a ‘re-set’ with the European Union that will make it slightly easier to export goods across the continent. It has been a good few weeks for ‘Global Britain’. There is, however, one country that the Labour government does not want to trade with: Israel. Turning our back on our great ally in the Middle East is a mistake. Israel is a country we could, and should, do a lot of business with. But instead of bringing ‘Global Britain’ to the Jewish State, Foreign Secretary

Gawain Towler

Patrick O’Flynn helped make Brexit possible

Yesterday, the world dimmed a little. Patrick O’Flynn, a man who was both a titan of the Brexit cause and a cherished friend, died. The news hit like a sledgehammer, and as I sit here, with a cup of tea, trying to make sense of it, memories flood. Paddy wasn’t just a figure in the political and journalistic firmament, though of course he was that; he was a force, a believer, a strategist, and, above all, a decent human being. His death leaves a void that no amount of words can fill, but I’ll try to do a little justice to the man whose efforts in no small way changed

Tuesday

David Shipley

Lucy Connolly is the victim of a great injustice

Lucy Connolly has lost her appeal against her 31-month sentence for inciting racial hatred following the following the horrific murders committed by Axel Rudakubana in Southport. But having attended the hearing l believe she is the victim of a great injustice. I believe the evidence I heard at the Royal Courts of Justice showed that Lucy Connolly did not understand the effect of pleading guilty after she was advised by her original lawyer. I believe that Lucy Connolly is a victim of the state’s desire to crush the spontaneous rioting which took place last August. And I believe that comments like Lucy Connolly’s, however unpleasant, should not be illegal in

Ed West Ed West

Lucy Connolly is in prison because of her politics

Childminder Lucy Connolly was caring for infants at her home in Northampton on July 29 last year when she heard on the news about the murder of three young girls in Southport. She was upset – like many people – and had seen – again, like many – rumours that an illegal immigrant was responsible. These had been fuelled by early eyewitness reports describing the killer as dark skinned, boosted by fake online news reports, and growing public discontent about hotels being filled with mostly young men claiming asylum. The state treats expressions of majority nationalism as an existential threat in a way it doesn’t any other worldview, including Irish

Alexander Larman

Is it wise for King Charles to drive a Chinese-made EV?

There is no such thing as a ‘royal car’. Traditionally, the monarchy has been associated with various British manufacturers, such as Bentley, Rolls-Royce and (until their recent, breathtakingly misjudged advertising campaign, at least) Jaguar. But there is no equivalent of the Popemobile, brought out on every public occasion so that the King might be received by his adoring people. Instead, when one glimpses Charles, or the other major royals, in public, it is usually in the back of an extremely expensive and suitably petrol-guzzling vehicle, which sits at odds with the monarch’s avowed commitment to the environment. In private, at least, the King has now found a compromise. It has

Oliver Lewis

Keir Starmer has walked into the same Brexit trap as Theresa May

One of the most depressing concepts in physics is entropy – the principle that all systems tend toward disorder and breakdown. That’s all I could think of while reading today’s headlines praising the so-called “reset” deal between the UK and the EU. I know the tricks of the EU’s trade – and “tricks” is the key word here We’re being told this deal represents a new direction for Britain and its neighbour, a “new era”. It’s nothing of the sort. If anything, this “deal” is more of a repeat than a reset, a continuation of a long story of sellouts. I can claim some experience here. Having served as the

Gareth Roberts Gareth Roberts

Will Gary Lineker please take the BBC with him when he goes?

They think it’s all over … well, it is now. We’ve had false alarms about Gary Lineker leaving the BBC before, and several yellow cards have been flashed. But this time – following his reposting of a video about Israel featuring a rat emoji – the ref has finally blown the whistle and pulled out the red. Lineker is to leave the BBC, ‘stepping back’ at long last.  The BBC’s attitude towards what the ‘creative sector’ calls ‘talent’ – in plain language, the attitude of showbiz to its stars – is once again on full display. It begins to look like a pattern; the Beeb lumbers itself with a powerful,

Alexander Larman

Greggs’ security crackdown is a sign of broken Britain

Greggs is a great British success story. The ever-popular bakery chain provides good-quality (if, admittedly, rarely healthy) treats for millions of satisfied Britons. Yet some depressing news has taken the joy out of visiting Greggs for a steak bake and an iced doughnut. The chain has become a Mecca for shoplifters, who refuse to pay even its modest prices. To deter thieves, Greggs is resorting to desperate measures To deter thieves, Greggs is resorting to desperate measures: ditching its self-service fridges and keeping sandwiches and bottled drinks behind the counter. The crackdown will be trialled in five stores, the Sun reports. But shoplifting is now so rife it seems likely

Philip Patrick Philip Patrick

What the Europa League losers’ final reveals about English football

Two of world football’s biggest but worst performing clubs Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur face off in Bilbao on Wednesday in the Europa League final. There is quite a lot at stake, not only Europe’s second most important club title but the substantial bonus of a place in next year’s Champion’s League (worth an estimated £60 million) and with it the kudos to attract top players. It’s been called back door entry to UEFA’s elite tournament, but it feels more like a magic portal transporting the currently humdrum aspirant super clubs into another dimension, and not one where they necessarily belong. If football is all about stories, this is a very odd one.

Monday

Arabella Byrne

The private school exodus has begun

‘Why did Albert [not his real name] leave before sports day?’ As is increasingly the norm, I am driving my seven-year-old daughter home from school, and she has questions for me. As questions go, they are reasonable. ‘Albert left to go to a new school’ I say. ‘But he told me it was because of the bat’ comes the response from the back seat. We’ve been here before. The bat is not in fact a placental mammal but the VAT rise on school fees, in playgroundese. Bats and VAT rises are both alarming and linger in the dark of parents’ minds, so it makes sense. ‘Yes’ I reply, ‘you’re right; it’s because of the bat’.   In

Zachary Marsh

What is really being taught to our children in history lessons?

History is an area of remarkable success in our schools thanks to recent education reforms. However, these impressive strides forward risk being undermined by a new wave of activism in classrooms. This process of ‘decolonisation’ in history is not necessary Following the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, 83 per cent of schools have made changes to ‘diversify’ or ‘decolonise’ their curriculums in recent years. In many cases, this shake-up has brought politicised and one-sided narratives into schools. Inaccurate and poor-quality teaching resources are being used to give students a mistaken impression of the past. During research for Policy Exchange’s report,  Lessons from the Past, we found children being taught the ahistorical claim that Stonehenge was built by black people. Elsewhere, pupils

Brendan O’Neill Brendan O’Neill

Gary Lineker and the truth about toxic centrism

What happened to Gary Lineker? For years he was football’s Mr Nice Guy. To some he was the Steve Davis of footie: a tad dull but a good egg. Now he’s been let go by the BBC after sharing an Instagram post that seemed to compare Jews to rats. That’s one hell of a tumble. I have seen many good men lost to the religion of centrism My view? He was radicalised online. We often hear about kids being led astray by digital fruitcakes like Andrew Tate. Now we need to talk about the full-grown adults whose minds are turned to mush by drivel on the internet. In Lineker’s case