Latest from Coffee House

Latest from Coffee House

All the latest analysis of the day's news and stories

Steerpike

MC Dave and post-modern politics

After David Cameron’s conference speech, Mr S noticed a YouTube video of the Prime Minister all over Facebook and Twitter. For a moment it looked like a great coup for Cameron. Except the video wasn’t showing Cameron’s actual speech but rather a ‘comic’ hip-hop mashup of his words. It features the Prime Minister’s Home Counties

Damian Thompson

Communion for divorced: Pope Francis has created a crisis

The Vatican Synod of Bishops on the Family begins on Sunday amid a degree of chaos unprecedented in recent Catholic history. And I’m afraid it’s the Pope’s fault. Francis kicked off proceedings in February by asking the retired German Cardinal Walter Kasper to address the world’s cardinals. Kasper used the opportunity to float his proposal – which he’s

Why Britain should scrap the Human Rights Act

Will the scrapping of the Human Rights Act make Britain a pariah in Europe? When the Human Rights Act was passed in 1998, it was presented as a moment of great liberal modernization that was to take Britain closer to liberal democracies on the continent. Yet, the European experience was quite different. In Germany, France,

Steerpike

Salmond cancels first south of border appearance

Alex Salmond is licking his wounds up north in the wake of his defeat in the Scottish referendum. After describing being booed by golf fans at the Ryder Cup as a ‘peaceful and joyous’ protest, the outgoing First Minister promptly pulled out of his first public appearance south of the border, which had been pencilled

Alex Massie

Chris Grayling is an advertisement for a Labour government

Thank heavens for Ed Miliband, eh? The leader of the opposition remains the single most compelling reason to hope the Conservatives remain in power next May. A shame, then, that cabinet ministers appear determined to promote the idea that a Labour victory would be garlanded with at least some silver promise. Chiefly, Chris Grayling would

Fraser Nelson

Why David Cameron’s tax reform won’t break the bank

It’s odd to see David Cameron’s tax pledge being denounced as profligate, even in publications like the Financial Times. The Prime Minister has always been a moderate on tax, and remains one now. He has astutely positioned his promise to rise the 40p threshold as a giveaway, which makes sense politically. But the truth is a little

Steerpike

Michael Dugher names Tory rival as greatest living Yorkshireman

Professional Yorkshireman and Labour attack dog Michael Dugher was quick to jump on the Prime Minister’s claim that William Hague was the greatest living Yorkshireman. Telling the BBC yesterday that Alan Bennett, and Ian McMillan are still alive, Dugher also claimed that one James Hockney was a contender for title. But who is James Hockney?

Isabel Hardman

Grayling unveils Tory plan for human rights reform

One of the biggest pledges of the Conservative party conference wasn’t actually made at the Tory conference. It’s being set out today by Chris Grayling and is the Tory plan to strip European judges of their powers over British laws. The Conservatives will scrap the Human Rights Act and introduce a British Bill of Rights

A new report calls into question what the RSPCA has been up to recently

Yesterday, the RSPCA published the long-awaited review of its prosecutions policy. Interesting choice of timing – it finally released the critical report on the day of Cameron’s conference speech. Talk about burying bad news. The review recommends that the RSPCA no longer prosecutes hunts because it also campaigns on hunting, and calls into serious question

James Forsyth

The Lib Dems are the winners of conference season (and they haven’t even held theirs yet)

[audioplayer src=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/TheViewFrom22_2_Oct_2014_v4.mp3″ title=”James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman review the conference season” startat=604] Listen [/audioplayer]Normally, the last party conference season before an election clarifies matters. But, so far, this one has not. Instead, it has merely compounded the factors  that make the next election so difficult to call. The reason why people are reluctant to predict

Podcast: naked selfies, happy Tories and divorced Catholics

Why is everyone obsessed with taking naked photos of themselves? From celebrities to politicians, people can’t seem to stop taking explicit ‘selfies’. It’s the ultimate expression of our increasingly puerile and narcissistic society, says Rod Liddle in this week’s issue. Rod joins Freddy Gray on this week’s podcast, along with Maria Miller MP, the former

The Spectator at war: Slow and steady

From The Spectator, 3 October 1914: Quick results must not be expected. It must be remembered that in military as in political affairs it is a comparatively easy task to prophesy, but in both cases the prophets are always apt to have much too ambitious a time-table. Events which are expected to happen in a

Damian Thompson

Will Guardian readers hold their noses and vote Tory?

Well! Jonathan Freedland of the Guardian was impressed by David Cameron’s conference speech and no mistake. The campaign for 2015 has begun. On Wednesday, in what may well have been his sharpest, most effective speech since becoming prime minister, David Cameron fired the starting gun. In the process, he lodged at least a couple of

James Forsyth

Cameron’s shield and spear

[audioplayer src=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/TheViewFrom22_2_Oct_2014_v4.mp3″ title=”James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman review the conference season” startat=604] Listen [/audioplayer]Today’s speech was all about equipping the Tories with the weapons they’ll need to fight the next election. The Cameroons have always been convinced, with justification, that the Tories can only hope to win elections if they neutralise the NHS as an

Steerpike

Tory faithful send the PM a clear message on Gove

Many Tories had begun to wonder where Michael Gove had got to. The Chief Whip’s move from the Department for Education was heralded with a briefing that he would be doing far more broadcasting, representing the government front and centre on the airwaves. However, there was only silence. Though he has been dealing with defections

James Forsyth

David Cameron’s speech had classically Tory messages – but it shows he hasn’t given up on modernisation

[audioplayer src=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/spectator/TheViewFrom22_2_Oct_2014_v4.mp3″ title=”James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman review the conference season” startat=604] Listen [/audioplayer]The Tories leave Birmingham in far better heart than when they arrived. They feel that they have succeeded in setting the terms of debate this week. On tax and spending, their baseline is now what Labour will be judged against. listen to

Fraser Nelson

Podcast special: David Cameron’s speech

Has David Cameron just delivered his best-ever speech as party leader? I discuss it with James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman in this View from 22 podcast special. My write-up is here, James’s here and Isabel’s is here. listen to ‘Podcast special: David Cameron’s speech’ on audioBoom

The Spectator at war: Birthday wishes

From The Spectator, 3 October 1914: All Britain and all the Empire have during the week been congratulating Lord Roberts on his eighty-second birthday. His vigour, physical, intellectual, and moral, is marvellous. In spite of his years, he is able to give an enormous deal of help to the nation in its need. His suggestion

Isabel Hardman

Without Michael Gove the Tories have no moral mission on education

Why is Nicky Morgan the Education Secretary? She’s long been billed as a rising star in the government and has put in some very passionate and impressive performances on the conference fringe this year. But her speech to the Conservative conference hall this afternoon didn’t really answer that question. It was workmanlike, and its main

Isabel Hardman

Tory nerves over Osborne welfare gamble

Will George Osborne get away with his conference gamble that hits working families? The Chancellor’s speech would have received a far worse reception on the front pages of today’s newspapers had it not been for the announcement on GPs offering a seven-day service. But it remains a topic of debate in the party. Today at