Society

Thursday

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Welfare to work will be the first big test of the coalition’s new model for public services

Moving people from welfare to work is going to be the first big test of the idea that public services should be paid for by the state but don’t have to be provided by the state. The coalition intends to task private sector and voluntary groups with moving the unemployed back into the labour force and then pay them by results. For every person they move back into stable employment, they will be paid a fee—based on how long the person has been out of the labour market—out of the saved welfare payments. Tomorrow, the government intends to announce the groups that have successfully bid for these contracts. I understand

Rod Liddle Rod Liddle

Exceeding the remit

Ah, first The Arab League and now The Guardian. There was a piece by Jonathan Freedland earlier this week about why the military action against Gaddafi has recently exceeded its original remit and – sadly, for the world – he could no longer support it. During the article, he danced on the head of a pin for several hundred words, pausing only to quote from the leftish and clever human rights lawyer Phillipe Sands about the present illegality of action. How awful to have these people on your side during a conflict, those of who you stupid or forgetful enough to have wanted a conflict. These hopeless, confused, hand-wringing faux

Alex Massie Alex Massie

Clinton’s Contempt for Congress: We’ll send you a press release…

I rather suspect there’d have been a mighty uproar if Dick Cheney had told Congress he’d send members a few press releases to keep them informed of developments in Iraq. This, however, seems to be the Obama administration’s current position vis a vis the kinetic military action in Libya: Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), who asked Clinton about the War Powers Act during a classified briefing, said Clinton and the administration are sidestepping the measure’s provisions giving Congress the ability to put a 60-day time limit on any military action. “They are not committed to following the important part of the War Powers Act,” he told TPM in a phone interview.

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

When it comes to global warming, rational debate is what we need

We had a sell-out debate on global warming at The Spectator on Tuesday and, as I found out this morning, the debate is still going on. The teams were led by Nigel Lawson and Sir David King, and I was in the audience. I tweeted my praise of Simon Singh’s argument as he made it: it was a brilliant variation on the theme of “don’t think – trust the experts”. He seems to have discovered the tweet this morning, and responded with a volley of five questions for me. Then David Aaronovitch weighed in, followed by Simon Mayo. At 8.35am! I had the choice between replying, or carrying on with

Daniel Korski

How to help the rebels

The lack of weaponry is not the only problem plaguing the Libyan rebel forces. Their disordered retreat reveals that they need training, better organisation and in-theatre liaison and support. From what I saw, the Transitional Council is very well organised politically, but there is a general lack of military cohesion. Youthful volunteers and self-armed families are fighting alongside ex-loyalists. (There also seems to be a significant Muslim Brotherhood/Islamist presence, though the Council has detained a number of Al Qaeda associates.) Communications are poor because the rebels rely on mobile phones, which rarely work on the front. NATO has now taken over the air and naval mission, but it will struggle

Daniel Korski

Cairo Diary: The Brotherhood

Back in Cairo, I try to find answers to what everyone wants to know. Who are the Muslim Brotherhood? What role will the Muslim Brotherhood play in the future? Even to seasoned observers it seems hard to divine. Their support in the country has never been tested and the constitutional referendum, where the brotherhood was on the winning side, is a poor proxy. What is clear, however, is that they have the organisational muscle the post-Tahrir Square parties lack. And that they are willing to play a long game, rejecting a shot at the presidency for example for fear of a backlash against them. Though some members talk of Turkey’s

Charles Moore Charles Moore

Exclusive: the man who saved the Zurbarans

The drama over Durham’s Zurbaran paintings has reached an extraordinary conclusion — and one that is revealed exclusively in this week’s Spectator. The protest against the Church of England’s proposed sale had snowballed into a national campaign, with Jeremy Hunt calling for them to be “enjoyed by the public.” Today we can disclose that they have been bought for £15 million — by an investor (and Spectator reader) called Jonathan Ruffer, who has decided to gift them back to the church. Here, for CoffeeHousers, is Charles Moore’s interview with him for the magazine: ‘It’s the pearl of great price,’ says Jonathan Ruffer. Like the merchant in the Gospel, he is

Wednesday

Alex Massie Alex Massie

Osborne’s Black Gold Populism

James is right to draw attention to the problems arising from the coalition’s decision to hike taxes on oil companies. Perhps halting the fuel duty escalator was worth it but there are always costs associated with this kind of populism. Oil companies, like the banks, are friendless enterprises and so easy targets for tub-thumping or magpie politicians. Nevertheless, some North Sea oil fields now face marginal rates of 81% while less-maure fields will be taxed at 62%. No wonder Statoil and other companies are reconsidering planned investments in the North Sea. Osborne should understand why. In 2007 he visited Aberdeen and said: “The Treasury don’t seem to understand that the

Daniel Korski

Libya diary: Tobruk

Twelve different checks later and I’m in Free Libya, hurling down the road to Tobruk at 100 mph, with Arabic music blasting away. This place is firmly held rebel territory and most journalists have moved towards the battlefields further west. A pair of beautiful American relief workers tell me just to keep going “to see real action”. They’ve just from Benghazi and are headed back to Egypt. They grab my driver. Tobruk, though, has plenty of action for me; and I need to get back to my programme in Cairo. After all, I’m a think-tanker, not a war correspondent. I stop by the oil refinery which is beginning to run

Martin Bright

Why criticism is good for the Arts Council

Today we will hear our fate. As the head of one of hundreds of organisations waiting to hear whether we receive Arts Council funding, I have to admit these are nervous moments. My small organisation, New Deal of the Mind, was set up two years ago to help young unemployed people find jobs in the arts and the creative industries. We happen to think this is worth a small amount of government funding. My attitude to the Arts Council will hugely depend on whether or not it is enlightened enough to see the worth of what we do. And this, I’m afraid, is the Arts Council’s biggest problem. The system

Tuesday

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Budget lessons from across the pond for America

In Washington, a budget shutdown is becoming an increasing possibility. The Republican controlled House of Representatives wants deeper cuts than the White House will accept. This has led a growing bi-partisan group of Senators to try and revive the work of the blue-ribbon commission on Fiscal Reform and Responsibility that produced its report late last year. Interestingly, the commission’s proposals are very similar to George Osborne’s plan. UK Treasury analysis shows that the Osborne plan calls for an average tightening of 1.6 percent a year from 2009-10 to 2015-16  while the commission suggests 1.4 percent a year from 2010 t0 2015. The composition is also similar, both work on roughly

Daniel Korski

Cairo Diary: Libyan transit

The road from Cairo to Salloum, Egypt’s Wild West town on the border with Libya, stretches out into the desert until the patched-up, grey and black cement blurs into the yellow dunes. Throughout the journey, well-kept electricity pylons line the road, while the occasional shepherd looks out from a desolate shed-like house. Otherwise there is nothing to see.  This is the road to war, or away from it. I expected to see more people fleeing the conflict; but at the last roadside café, life seems to be following its normal routine. Bedouin waiters mingle quietly with smugglers, relief workers and the occasional journalist. In the background, President Obama’s speech is

Ed Vaizey-Mp

How the government plans to support the arts

We tend to steer clear of politics on the Spectator arts blog, leaving that to our blog brethren over at Coffee House. But this week we’re making an exception for a series of posts, from all sides of the debate, on arts funding during the cuts. And to get us started, this: a post from Ed Vaizey, the Minister for Culture Communications and Creative Industries. Do, as always, have your say in the comments section. We’re lucky in this country to have some of the finest arts organisations in the world, and some of the best practitioners of the arts. Despite the fact that we are facing the toughest economic

James Forsyth James Forsyth

What to do with Gaddafi?

The charge sheet against Colonel Gaddafi in any trial would be a long one. There are his crimes against his own people, his support of terrorism overseas and his wars in Chad. But, however morally right it would be to make Gaddafi face justice, the door should be left open to him to go into exile. Gaddafi and his family leaving Libya would make possible an end to this conflict and prevent huge bloodshed as Gaddafi attempts to cling on to power street by street. The unpleasant truth is that if dictators are left only with the choice between fighting to the bitter end and a trial in the Hague,

David Blackburn

Allowing localism to flourish

David Orr, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, and 551 local councillors have written to the Times (£) warning that short-term cuts to care charities will bequeath deeper medium-term costs. They say: ‘Local councils face a difficult spending situation. However, cutting services for the vulnerable does not make financial sense. Without early identification and support, vulnerable individuals will reach crisis point as their needs become more severe, leading to greater pressure on acute health services, the criminal justice system and carers.’ The spending settlement in local government is stringent and some services are being necessarily affected: even model councils like Reading have cut some of its education services. But

Peter Hoskin

Obama sketches out the limits to American involvement in Libya

There was one aspect of Barack Obama’s Big Speech on Libya last night that was particularly curious: for a President who is trying to downplay American involvement in this conflict, he sure went in for good bit of self-aggrandisement. The amount of references to his and his government’s “leadership” — as in, “At my direction, America led an effort with our allies at the United Nations Security Council to pass an historic Resolution” — was really quite striking, at least to these ears. I suppose it’s all about mollifying those voices who argue that the US Pres hasn’t done enough, quickly enough. But it’s hardly going to endear him to

Monday

James Forsyth James Forsyth

Boris’s remarkable ability to infuriate Labour

Today’s Commons ding-dong on the riots that followed Saturday’s march was real, politics of the viscera stuff. The Labour benches were furious about Boris’s comments in today’s Telegraph that ‘Balls and Miliband will feel quietly satisfied by the disorder’ and that they ‘will be content to see the police being unfairly attacked on all sides’. Yvette Cooper was so angry that when she tried to read out this section from Boris’s column that she couldn’t get the words out. Boris and Yvette, both Balliol graduates, have previous. But it was still striking quite how angrily Cooper heckled May as she refused to condemn Boris’ comments. It was all further evidence of

Rod Liddle Rod Liddle

It’s the real thing

At last I have managed to get my five year old daughter to like Coca Cola. Previously she drank only still water, milk or apple juice. I think she found the fizziness of cola disconcerting – but at last commonsense has prevailed, helped by a little peer pressure from her brothers. Now she loves the drink. Next I shall try her on cream soda, if anyone still makes the stuff. What treats she has in store. I had a cola the other day, I think a Coca Cola or it may have been Pepsi, either way, the one which comes in that rather cute retro bottle. It struck me again

Alex Massie Alex Massie

Tales from the Big Society: Whitlawburn Edition

Of all the criticisms* of David Cameron’s Big Society, the one that makes least sense is the notion that while it might be fine for wealthy parts of the country it’s of no use in poorer communities. Nothing could be further from the truth. If it’s anything the Big Society is about untapped “social capital” and there’s more of that, in more communities, than the scoffers and titterers on the News Quiz would have you believe. Nor, really, is it a new idea. Take this example cited by Lesley Riddoch in her Scotsman column today: In 1988, Glasgow Council was given £6.6 million to refurbish this run-down estate on its

Daniel Korski

Cairo Diary: it’s the economy, stupid

Whether revolutions devour their own children often depends on the ability of a post-revolutionary government to deliver political freedom, jobs and services. Egypt is no different. If the economy opens up, then the country’s transition to democracy is likely to continue. If not, then anything can happen. So, which will it be? The stock exchange has reopened and is doing better than many expected. The government is bullish about growth, but it is hard to see where it will come from. Tourists, who account for a major part of the economy, are staying at home. Hotels are empty and BA is cancelling flights due to lack of passengers. The uncertainty