Society

Thursday

Elizabeth Day

Men are allowed to fail, too

The weather in Bath has been preposterously good, with the Royal Crescent glowing in a soft, lemony light. I’m here for my How to Fail live podcast tour. I launched the podcast back in 2018, which, by podcasting standards, makes me practically geriatric. At the time, I felt like a failure (divorce, infertility, that kind of thing) and I wanted to know how others coped. So I started asking them. I could never have imagined that How to Fail would, ironically, become the most successful thing I have done. Nor could I have anticipated the growth in podcasting as an industry. An intimate audio medium has turned into a cultural

Charles Moore Charles Moore

After Francis, who?

After Francis, what, or rather, who? The coverage so far, rightly admiring of the Pope’s unvarnished, rather un-papal Christianity, has played down how much turmoil he leaves. His openness to all human beings – the poorer, the better – clashed with his old-fashioned, authoritarian, even angry will. Benedict XVI was more traditionalist but much more pacific. There is therefore a case for a conciliatory, transitional candidate. The Church, however, like so many secular institutions nowadays, may be too polarised for that. The liberals, mostly appointed by Francis, dominate the voting cardinals, but lack wide appeal. Liberalism in religion tends towards its own dissolution. The young Catholics starting to swell church

Owen Matthews

How Rome copes with the Conclave

Ordinary Romans, famous for their cheerful working-class familiarity, loved Pope Francis for his common touch. For the first time in living memory, they will have the opportunity of turning out on the streets to say their final farewells to a Pope, as Francis willed that he be buried in the papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore on the Esquiline hill rather than in the vaults of St Peter’s. His will be the first papal burial procession to the Basilica since Clement IX’s in 1669. Unlike his predecessors, though, Francis insisted on plainness, economy and simplicity. His first arrival in the Vatican as Pope was by public bus. His departure, in

The Spectator

Which pope has served the longest?

Papal reign The mostly elderly runners and riders to be the next pope are unlikely to challenge the record for the longest papal reign – still held by the very first pope, St Peter, who served for 34 years in the 1st century. The second-longest reign was the 31 years and 7 months served by Pius IX between 1846-78, while third was Pope John Paul II (1978-2005). John Paul II was preceded by one of the shortest papal reigns in history, that of Pope John Paul I, who died just 33 days after being chosen in August 1978. Nine have lasted less than a month: Urban VII lived for just

Damian Thompson Damian Thompson

The extraordinary scale of the crisis facing the next pope

At 9.47 a.m. on Easter Monday we heard the words ‘con profondo dolore’ from a cardinal standing in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta. Two hours earlier, Pope Francis ‘è tornato alla casa del Padre’ – ‘had returned to the house of the Father’. Most people won’t have noticed a curious detail: the cardinal was speaking Italian with a pronounced Irish brogue. The incoming pope will face challenges that dwarf those that confronted any in living memory Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the papal ‘Camerlengo’, was born in a Dublin suburb. Or, as a tabloid put it: ‘Interim Pope is a bloke called Kevin from Dublin.’ That’s an exaggeration, but the

Melanie McDonagh Melanie McDonagh

Pope Francis had his priorities right

After Pope Francis emerged from the Gemelli hospital in Rome last month, a reflection attributed to him a few years ago returned to circulation. It was on ‘hospital’. Some of it was the usual, about how it’s where like meets unlike (‘In intensive care you see a Jew taking care of a racist’ etc). Some seems like standard homely Francis: ‘This life will pass quickly, so do not waste it fighting with people… Do not worry too much about keeping the house spotless.’ And it ended: ‘Love more, forgive more, embrace more… And leave the rest in the hands of the Creator.’ That was the disconcerting thing about Francis. Everything

The Spectator

The law that is choking civil society

If one were to ask for a quintessential display of the British character it would be hard to better the Shrewsbury Flower Show. Officially the world’s ‘longest-running flower show’, according to the Guinness World Records, it is held over two days in August, attracting 60,000 visitors. This summer should be the show’s 150th birthday. Last week, however, the Shropshire Horticultural Society abruptly cancelled it. Rising costs were cited as a factor. But the main reason was the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act – known as Martyn’s Law. The legislation, which was given royal assent this month, requires organisers of events with more than 200 people to engage in lengthy bureaucratic

Wednesday

Kitty Thompson

What Lent taught me about the sugar tax

Christ is risen. Lent is over, Eastertide has begun. With it, my Lenten fast – and that of millions of others – has also reached its natural conclusion. This year, I sacrificed every kind of sweet treat I could think of: cakes, chocolate, biscuits, jam, pastries, ice cream. In doing so, I found myself grappling with the significance of resisting temptation in a society that increasingly outsources its self-discipline. Back in March, I knew the next 40 days and 40 nights would not be easy. That is why I chose to do it. Growing up, no dinner was complete without a dessert. My grandad’s puddings would have made Mary Berry blush. Thanks

Brendan O’Neill Brendan O’Neill

Kneecap’s Israelophobia has gone too far

The day after the Nova music festival massacre, the Irish band Kneecap posted a photo of themselves grinning from ear to ear alongside the words: ‘Solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.’ The bodies of the 364 revellers butchered by Hamas were barely cold before these rappers from Belfast seemed to give smiley support to the militants who did it. ‘Palestinian struggle’, they called it, when what the rest of us saw was a straight-up pogrom in which Israeli youths were raped and murdered without mercy at a trance festival made into a slaughter zone. Fast forward 18 months and Kneecap themselves are performing at a music festival in a desert. It’s

Kristina Murkett

In defence of ‘free’ breakfast clubs

This week the government has started rolling out their free breakfast club scheme, which will be trialled in 750 primary schools until July. The initiative – which, as many are quick to point out, is not actually free but funded by the taxpayer – will cost around £30 million. However, many headteachers have warned of a funding shortfall as the basic rate is just 60p per meal per day (with an additional 78p per pupil per day added based on the proportion of free school meal pupils at the school). When I first heard about the proposal in Labour’s manifesto, I did my usual teacher eye-roll. I thought: here is

Debbie Hayton

Starmer’s words about ‘trans women’ are too little, too late

When will Keir Starmer finally show some leadership over the most fundamental distinction in human society: the difference between men and women? The Prime Minister’s silence after the Supreme Court judgement last week had been deafening. The ruling – which stated that sex is binary – brought clarity and restored sanity; it’s a pity the same could not be said about the PM’s thinking when it comes to defining what a woman is. When put on the spot by ITV News in an interview yesterday, and asked: ‘Do you believe a transwoman is a woman?’, Starmer could not give a straight answer. The correct response, of course, is ‘no’ and

Ian O’Doherty

Ireland is still in denial about trans rights

The reaction in Ireland to the UK Supreme Court’s decision on the meaning of ‘woman’ in the Equality Act has been revealing. The ruling, which found that women are defined by their biological sex and not a gender recognition certificate, has been watched carefully in Ireland, where trans people have been able to apply to change their gender since 2015. The Irish law making this possible was passed without much attention being paid to it at the time. But in the decade since, trans issues have become the most viciously fought front in the culture wars. Irish politicians and the media have been largely silent on the matter, preferring to stay

Robin Ashenden

Is Labour taking Britain back to the 1970s?

As the Birmingham binmen’s strike, full on since 11 March, grinds well into its second month, there is talk of similar action spreading nationwide. A crop of lurid headlines have been appearing in the press: ‘My Mercedes was destroyed by rats’, exclaims the Daily Telegraph, while the Daily Star announces that ‘Psycho seagulls and super rats team up to spread disease in Birmingham trash mountains.’ Residents, meanwhile, have begun to complain about marauding urban foxes, and of infestations of cockroaches and ‘rats as big as cats.’ With Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner calling in the army to help with the crisis, there is, as so often with Keir Starmer’s government, a

Tuesday

James Hanson

Is Notting Hill Carnival worth the risk?

Safety concerns around Notting Hill Carnival are nothing new. During last year’s event alone, 334 people were arrested and two people were killed, including 32 year-old Cher Maximen, who was stabbed to death in front of her young daughter during the festival’s ‘family day’. Forty-one year-old Mussie Imnetu was beaten to death during a separate altercation after the festival. Another eight non-fatal stabbings were also recorded. But while so often the focus is on knife-crime, there is another, more fundamental, safety risk that has long been ignored: overcrowding. In a new report, the London Assembly’s police and crime committee has warned that Notting Hill Carnival is at risk of a

James Tidmarsh

Pet theft in France is out of control

Dog theft in France is soaring. Animal protection groups estimate that up to 70,000 dogs are stolen each year – nearly 200 a day. The scale of the problem is staggering, and it’s getting worse. Small, high-value breeds are the main targets. French Bulldogs, Pugs, Chihuahuas and Siberian Huskies are among the most frequently stolen. A purebred French Bulldog can sell for up to €2,500 on the black market. Some are resold within hours. Others are trafficked to illegal breeding operations. It is not only dogs that are disappearing. Cats, particularly purebreds, are increasingly being targeted as well. According to animal welfare organisations, the number of cat thefts is rising in

Stephen Daisley Stephen Daisley

Could this photo cost Mark Carney victory in Canada’s election?

Caryma Sa’d has captured the definitive image of the Canadian federal election. Over the weekend, the independent journalist posted a photograph from an event in Brantford, Ontario for Mark Carney, the former Bank of England governor who has replaced Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader and prime minister. The pic shows an older gentleman appearing to give two middle fingers to the camera while similarly-aged Carney enthusiasts around him laugh. In isolation, just another snapshot from an ill-tempered election. In the context of this poll, a readymade icon of everything Carney’s critics say he stands for and everything his Conservative opponent Pierre Poilievre is against. Elbows and/or fingers up. #cdnpoli #Brantford

James Heale James Heale

Why Labour is finally publishing migrant crime league tables

Official league tables displaying nationalities of migrants with the highest rates of crime are set to be published for the first time in Britain. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has reportedly ordered officials to publish the detailed breakdown of offences committed by foreign criminals living in the UK while awaiting deportation. Unofficial tables have previously been published, but civil servants have resisted an official tally, arguing it would be too difficult to provide quality data. So why the change of heart? The answer, it seems, is good old party politics. A Labour source is quoted as boasting in the Daily Telegraph: ‘Not only are we deporting foreign criminals at a rate never seen

Alexander Larman

Prince Andrew’s Easter appearance was a royal blunder

Every Christmas, Easter and other public gathering, the Royal Family are faced with an unfortunate choice: what to do about the two pariahs in their midst? One of them, Prince Harry, is sulkily ensconced in Montecito, and tends mainly to pop up in this country when he’s fighting yet another legal battle. The other, however, who has been even more of a public embarrassment over the past six years, resists any entreaty to remove himself from the spotlight. Should the Firm simply throw Prince Andrew out altogether, or allow him to tag along whenever they’re all assembled, and hope for the best? It was the latter option that the royals

Gareth Roberts Gareth Roberts

Have I Got News for You is a sad, unfunny spectacle

Like most people, I haven’t tuned in to Have I Got News For You for years. But when I heard of a staggering omission in last Friday night’s edition, I just had to see it – or, rather, not see it – with my own eyes. The biggest news story of the week – the momentous ruling by the Supreme Court on the meaning of sex in the Equality Act 2010 – was not covered at all, even obliquely. You’d think that the absurdity of the highest court in the land being called to adjudicate on one of the most basic facts of observable reality – that there are two

Stephen Pollard

Why are the police boasting about how useless they are?

If you’ve been in the City of London recently, you’ll likely have seen one of the blue plaques that have sprung up on pavements. Instead of pointing out the home of someone memorable, these tell a very different story: “A member of the public had their phone stolen here” reads the message, with the City of London Police’s logo underneath and the slogan, “Look up, look out” on the bottom of the plaque. When I first saw one, I assumed it was the work of the wave of anti-crime campaigns that have sprung up on social media, which highlight the extent of crime in the capital – and the uselessness