Society

Wednesday

Tom Slater Tom Slater

Banning Russian players from Wimbledon will backfire

We need to talk about Russophobia. There really is no other word for the swiftness with which Russian sportspeople and artists are being expelled from international competitions and festivals, for no other crime than being born Russian. While all right-thinking people condemn Russia’s brutal, imperialist invasion of Ukraine, the neo-McCarthyism ripping through various western institutions is getting really ugly – and will prove completely counter-productive. Hot on the heels of Fifa – that most morally unimpeachable of sports bodies – banning Russia from the World Cup, Wimbledon’s organisers are now on the verge of announcing a complete ban of Russian (and Belarusian) tennis players. This will be felt right at the

Fraser Nelson Fraser Nelson

Have we hit peak Netflix?

This time last year, Netflix was fêted as the future of television. Its subscriptions grew by 30 per cent over 2020 as people bought in entertainment during lockdown. Netflix always warned that its growth would slow afterwards and the market seemed to accept that. But its shares have halved since their mid-November peak after a radical reappraisal of its fortunes. What’s going on? Those shares plunged 27 per cent in pre-market trading when Netflix said that, rather than see growth slowing to a mere 2.5 million more subscribers as it had expected for the first three months of this year, it has entered decline – actually losing 200,000 subscribers. A small dent on its

Tuesday

Kara Kennedy

Criminalising ‘cyberflashing’ is a waste of time

It’s a fact of life that at any given time, a woman’s social media messages will be filled with three things. Young Ponzi schemers asking if you want to earn £500-a-month from the comfort of your own sofa; an unknown jewellery brand with 15 followers begging you to be their new ‘brand ambassador’; and blurry photos of a man’s penis. The men who send these pictures are weirdos, obviously. But if the government gets its way, soon they’ll also be criminals. The Online Safety Bill, going through parliament today, makes so-called ‘cyberflashing’ a criminal offence. According to the government, the new law will mean that: ‘Anyone who sends a photo or film of a person’s genitals, for the

Monday

Alexander Larman

Prince Harry’s stolen future

It had been, for a change, a good few days for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Not only have they managed to make an atypically low-profile and successful visit to Windsor Castle for an air-clearing meeting with the Queen – which, unlike virtually ever other appointment they have had in recent years, appeared in the media after it took place – but they have now headed to The Hague for the Invictus games. The games remains one of the most successful endeavours that Prince Harry has ever associated himself with. After months of negative publicity, there has been the potential for the much-maligned duo to re-establish themselves in good standing

Sam Leith Sam Leith

It sucks to be a Christian who doesn’t believe

Easter Sunday. I went to church for the first time in ages. The little parish church has stood for 900 years in a village near where my parents live. It’s where my father James, who died last week aged 75, will be buried. It was a friendly, pomp-free service of the pragmatic sort – dogs were welcome, and there were tables with colouring-in pens to keep the kids occupied during the Eucharist. There was an easter-egg hunt in the graveyard afterwards. Pathetic fallacy is a bitch. While my dad was dying, outside the window of his bedroom the wet Wiltshire spring went indifferently about its business. Now, with my dad

Sunday

Melanie McDonagh Melanie McDonagh

Justin Welby is wrong about Rwanda

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Easter sermon was quite something; forcefully delivered, arrestingly put. At the heart of it was his corruscating criticism of the Government plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda; it was framed to capture the news agenda and released in advance of its delivery. ‘The details [of the plan] are for politics and politicians’, he said. ‘The principle must stand the judgement of God and it cannot. It cannot carry the weight of resurrection justice, of life conquering death. It cannot carry the weight of the resurrection that was first to the least valued, for it privileges the rich and strong. And it cannot carry the weight

James Jeffrey

The tragic loss of Somaliland’s epic Waaheen market

On the eve of Ramadan at the start of this month, the epic Waaheen market at the centre of Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, caught fire. The flames engulfed the entire market and took 12 hours to put out. There were no fatalities—it was Friday, the holy day of prayer for Muslims, and the market was closed—but the market no longer exists. Around 5,000 small businesses were impacted, with damages estimated at $2 billion so far. For a country that legally speaking doesn’t exist in the eyes of the rest of the world—despite Somaliland existing independently of Somali for over 25 years—it’s a big financial hit for this former British

Ben Sixsmith

The New York subway shooter’s private hell

A common theme among America’s spree killers is a fondness for rambling online. Isla Vista shooter Elliot Rodger griped about his inability to get a girlfriend. Troy Sesler made videos about anime that grew increasingly dark before he flipped out and killed his family. Randy Stair made numerous sketches and vlogs detailing his fondness for serial killers, his issues with his body image and his problems with his masculinity before massacring several of his co-workers.  The shooter who injured ten people on the New York subway this week did not become a spree killer, but only because of his blessedly incompetent aim. Frank James, the waddling sexagenarian suspect, was arrested

Saturday

Christopher Booth

Why are elite Russian musicians backing Putin?

A world away from the stupendous horror perpetrated by Russian forces in Bucha and Kramatorsk, a parallel conflict is being grittily fought in quite other theatres. La Scala and The Metropolitan Opera are two of them. Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Putin’s most favoured conductor, is at the heart of the crossfire. His overseas contracts went up in smoke at the start of the invasion after he failed to recant his long-standing admiration for the Russian president. On one side of the lines are those who would support him, and who charge that Gergiev’s detractors are ‘cancelling’ Russian culture wholesale. Chief among such is Putin himself: ‘The names of Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and

Mark Drew

Mark Drew, Luke Coppen and Edward Behrens

21 min listen

On this episode: Mark Drew explains how Putin weaponised the Russian Orthodox church (00:49); Luke Coppen says the war in Ukraine has revitalised Poland’s Catholic church (08:17); and Edward Behrens reads his notes on violets. (17:27)

Raquel Rosario Sánchez

Female prisoners are being endangered by trans rights

This week it was reported that a male convicted murderer in Scotland has not only been allowed to self-identity on the female prison estate, but had gone one step further and demanded that the guards treat them as a baby. Sophie Eastwood was initially jailed for a driving offence in 2004, but went on to kill a former cellmate with shoelaces. Eastwood received a life sentence in the Polmont prison for women. Far from settling in, Eastwood is alleged to have demanded that prison officials cater to surprising demands: from nappies and baby food, to the expectation that guards hold their hand. Instead of rejecting these demands, officials are acquiescing and

Friday

Stephen Daisley Stephen Daisley

Free speech shouldn’t depend on billionaires

If you take any interest in social media, Silicon Valley, or the culture wars — which all seem to be the same thing these days — you will be aware that the world is currently ending. At least, that is the impression given by those reacting to an attempt by Elon Musk to buy Twitter. Robert Reich, Bill Clinton’s former labour secretary, inveighs against Musk’s ‘libertarian vision’ for the internet as ‘dangerous rubbish’ and intones that it would be ‘the dream of every dictator, strongman, demagogue and modern-day robber baron on Earth’. (He also seems pretty peeved that Musk blocked him.) Professor Jeff Jarvis, TV Guide reviewer turned Supreme Arbiter

Damian Thompson Damian Thompson

Monsignor Michael Nazir-Ali on his first Easter as a Catholic

22 min listen

My guest on this episode of Holy Smoke was an Anglican bishop for 37 years – one of the Church of England’s foremost scholars and its leading witness for persecuted Christians. He was also an evangelical who, as bishop of the ancient see of Rochester, ordained women priests. But, as of this month, his title is Monsignor. I am, of course, talking about the Pakistani-born Michael Nazir-Ali, whose decision to join the Ordinariate has come as an enormous, if surprising, boost to the fortunes of that small but dynamic organisation for ex-Anglicans set up by Pope Benedict XVI. This will be his first Easter not just as a monsignor –

Thursday

Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Excl: NHS tries to ditch the focus on ‘normal births’ after scandal

It’s only been two weeks since the Ockenden report on the maternity scandal at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust came out. That report criticised – among many other things – a focus on ‘normal birth’ and a low Caesarean section rate which had harmed some of the mothers and babies in the cases it had investigated. Job adverts give the impression that some sections of the NHS aren’t prepared to learn the lessons from Ockenden Since then, though, there have still been job adverts going out from other NHS trusts for midwives who are interested in ‘normality’ – the common term for a vaginal delivery, preferably without instrumental

Ian Acheson Ian Acheson

Our prisons are woefully unprepared for Ali Harbi Ali

The Islamist terrorist Ali Harbi Ali will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the murder of Sir David Amess MP. But as he fades from public view, will his risk also disappear? That’s a headache our beleaguered prison service will now have for decades to come. The signs are not promising. Harbi Ali, who reportedly smirked after stabbing Amess more than 20 times, showed no sign of remorse or contrition throughout his trial. Unlike many of the terrorists he will be joining in one of our high security prisons, he managed to convert his distorted thoughts into lethal action. He’s a blooded jihadist and he will be

The Spectator

How much did Emily Maitlis cost licence fee payers?

Off duty How many non-doms are there in the UK? – In the year ending 2020, 75,700 people filled in a tax return in which they declared themselves to be non-domiciled – down from 78,600 the previous year and 137,000 in 2008. – Of the 75,700 in 2019/20, however, only 62,200 were actually resident in Britain. – In spite of their non-domiciled status, which does not oblige them to pay tax on foreign earnings, the 75,700 people still paid £7.85bn in income tax, capital gains tax and national insurance. – The highest number of non-doms in 2019 were resident in London (45,200), followed by the South East (10,400). The fewest

Justin Welby

How do we celebrate Easter in the shadow of war?

This week has been Passiontide, which means lots of wonderful plainsong in the choir of Canterbury Cathedral as my predecessors sleep. Holy Week began on Sunday in the shadow of war, suffering, loss and pain. How do we celebrate the promise of everlasting life in such darkness? Good Friday is ‘good’ because on the cross we see the goodness of God in the middle of the mess of our own creation. Jesus refuses to answer his accusers on their terms, to use his own power to overcome by force, or to see others hurt – even those who hurt him. Jesus lays down his life for the sake of others.

The Spectator

Letters: The Scottish government must be held to account

Backward devolution Sir: Thanks for once again highlighting the many issues with government in Scotland (‘Sturgeon’s secret state’, 9 April). It is time for the opposition leaders and the Scottish voters to temporarily put aside differences on other issues – including independence – and focus on holding the Scottish government to account. Surely no one could possibly wish for the additional misuse of public and party funds, and to watch Scotland’s services continue to deteriorate? The faults in the devolution set-up have been exploited by the 15-year-old SNP government for many years. This has resulted in a government which is obsessive about control, secrecy and hiding and denying mismanagement. So

The Spectator

Portrait of the week: Boris in Kyiv, Rishi in hot water and crystal meth in a cereal packet

Home Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, travelled to Kyiv in secret and joined President Volodymyr Zelensky for the cameras in his office and in empty streets. He was given a pottery cock by local people. He said: ‘We are stepping up our own military and economic support.’ Mr Zelensky said: ‘It is time to impose a complete embargo on Russian energy resources.’ Britain would send 120 armoured vehicles, Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles, 800 anti-tank missiles and anti-ship missile systems. Supporters of Extinction Rebellion sat down in the road at Oxford Circus in London. The tyres of 100 SUVs were let down in Edinburgh by campaigners who left notes saying ‘Your gas-guzzler

Myleene Klass

My Easter recipe: Greek-style marinated lamb

This is a delicious way to cook lamb with a distinctly Mediterranean feel. It’s super fresh, easy to prepare and would be perfect for Easter Sunday. I would serve it with pitta bread and chilli sauce. It pairs well with a chilled bottle of Sangiovese. Serves 2 The lamb – 2 lamb shanks – 1-2 sprigs rosemary – 1-2 sprigs oregano – 1-2 sprigs mint – 2 tbsp dried oregano – 2 tbsp dried mint – 1 tbsp smoked paprika – ½ tbsp ground cumin – ½ tbsp ground coriander – ½ tbsp Aleppo chilli powder – 500ml lamb stock (or chicken stock) – 1 small red onion, sliced –