Latest from Coffee House

Latest from Coffee House

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

Rod Liddle

World Cup diary – Thank God the reign of Spain is over!

It is a wicked thing to revel in someone else’s misery. Trouble is, occasionally it can’t be helped. So – bye, bye Spain! I think I would have traded England winning tonight (and therefore prolonging the agony) for Spain’s magnificently rapid exit from this world cup. Oh, Chile – you brave sons of Pinochet and

175 years of watchmaking expertise

A watch isn’t necessarily something that you think of as being a feat of engineering. But there is far more to a watch than meets the eye. Underneath its face, a vastly complicated machine is silently chugging away. In that way, Patek Philippe are very similar to their products; a simple Swiss brand on the

Pakistan’s ISI accused of subverting media freedom

Media freedom is under attack in Pakistan, declared Hamid Mir, one of Pakistan’s most prominent journalists. He had six bullets pumped into him by bike riders in Karachi on 19 April. TV anchor, Raza Rumi, was similarly attacked in Lahore in late March. In May 2011, investigative reporter Saleem Shahzad was murdered following his allegations

Lloyd Evans

PMQs sketch: The bombshell from a man who could be a bore

Explosive stuff at PMQs. Question two and Sir Peter Tapsell, the Father of the House, was called. This quaint semi-official title makes him, potentially, the chamber’s most dependable bore. Not today. He called on backbenchers to enact their ‘ancient but still existing power’ to commence procedures of impeachment against ‘the Rt. Hon. Tony Blair’. Not

Isabel Hardman

Mike Hancock: I crossed the line

Mike Hancock has settled the civil case brought against him by a constituent alleging that he sexually assaulted her (Julie Bindel outlined the case for the magazine here). In a statement released today, the MP, currently suspended as a Liberal Democrat, apologises for his behaviour. He says: ‘In October 2009 you first came to me

Steerpike

Jeremy Paxman’s greatest hits

Farewell then, Jeremy Paxman. The veteran broadcaster bows out of Newsnight tonight. Mr S has compiled his favourite Paxo moments: The infamous Michael Howard interview is foremost in the extensive genre of politicians not answering the question: Chloe Smith, who was a high-flying Tory Minister at the time, never recovered from this encounter with Paxo in 2012: It’s

Ed West

Debate: will a robot steal your job?

Was Karl Marx right all along about capitalism? One of the subjects I like to bore everyone about whenever I get a chance is the hollowing out of middle-class jobs as a result of technology, squeezing wages just as the old German predicted. It’s the subject of a Spectator debate tonight, which will be well

Melanie McDonagh

DNR notices: A matter of life and death

It was Janet Tracey’s family who brought about a change in the law regarding Do Not Resuscitate notices on patient’s notes in hospital. Thanks to their efforts, hospitals will now have to consult patients and their families before instructing medics that they shouldn’t go out of their way to provide life-saving treatment. Mrs Tracey had

Isabel Hardman

Shock as select committee backs minister

Like all good select committees, the Education Select Committee is rarely a helpful chum of Michael Gove. Its warnings on the reform of GCSEs, for instance, played a part in one of Gove’s biggest volte-faces. But its report this morning on ‘underachievements of white working class children’ (a group it then narrows to ‘poor white

Rod Liddle

World Cup diary: Here’s why we need Wayne Rooney…

Greg Dyke was right with that throat-slitting gesture, when England’s world cup group was announced. Seeing the quality in some of the other groups gives you an indication of how much harder we have it. Which isn’t to say we’d have breezed through, mind. But I suspect we would have beaten Russia and South Korea,

The Middle East’s own 30 Years War has just begun

In January, Douglas Murray explained in The Spectator how relations in the Middle East were becoming increasingly tense. With northern Iraq now in turmoil, following the advance of Islamist militant group Isis, Douglas’s insight seems prescient. Syria has fallen apart. Major cities in Iraq have fallen to al-Qa’eda. Egypt may have stabilised slightly after a

Isabel Hardman

Tories win knife fight using devious and confusing methods

As expected, Nick de Bois’ amendment to the Criminal Courts and Justice Bill passed 404 votes to 53. It owes nothing to the Conservative frontbench, which abstained for reasons I’ve tried my best to outline here (it’s difficult to explain something that doesn’t make a grab deal of sense, especially when both parties have voted

Isabel Hardman

Govt sources: die is not yet cast for Juncker

Funnily enough, the government seems a little less bullish about blocking Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission than it did a fortnight ago. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman was asked about the reports that the die is now cast for Juncker, and whether his appointment could bring forward the UK referendum on the

Isabel Hardman

Tory ministers will abstain on a knife crime amendment they support

The Commons will host another odd coalition situation this afternoon, as MPs vote on Nick de Bois’ amendment to the Criminal Courts and Justice Bill which introduces mandatory minimum sentences for repeat knife offences. Nick Clegg and David Cameron have agreed to waive collective responsibility for this vote. The Lib Dems who have publicly opposed

Steerpike

Politicians don’t make good sports

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has a long way to go if he is serious about his awkward watching sport photographs. Proud of our boys who secured our first point–hopefully the first of many more to come. #WorldCup2014 #TeamMelli pic.twitter.com/9pzyT1Dr3f — Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) June 16, 2014 Last night’s effort was a good start, but he

What’s the best way to prepare young people for employment?

Britain’s skills crisis was addressed by the country’s leading educationalists today at The Spectator’s half-day conference, Giving Britain the skills it needs. Matthew Hancock, Minister for Skills and Enterprise, delivered the key note speech. In it he outlined his plans for better preparing young people for employment. ‘I’m determined that apprenticeships  become the established route for