The Week

Leading article

C’est fini

The most distressing news of the week may be the suggestion that the world’s most entertaining love affair — between Nicolas Sarkozy and his First Lady, Carla Bruni — is drawing to a close. The most distressing news of the week may be the suggestion that the world’s most entertaining love affair — between Nicolas

The scandal of Scotland

A politician, a cocaine dealer, blackmail, links to organised crime and the mysterious death of a teenage boy: it is hard to think of more potent ingredients for a political scandal. Had it happened in Paris, the story would be all over the English press. But this scandal took place in Glasgow — so the

Portrait of the week

Portrait of the week | 13 March 2010

Mr Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, appeared before the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war and denied that as Chancellor of the Exchequer he had harmfully squeezed defence budgets. ‘At any point, commanders were able to ask for equipment that they needed and I know of no occasion when they were turned down,’ he said.

Diary

Diary of a Notting Hill nobody | 13 March 2010

Monday Massive double red alert!!! Lily Allen dedicated her song ‘F*** You!’ to Dave last night at the O2 arena!! How could she?? We offered her a peerage and a front-bench job as a Treasury minister in the Lords for goodness sake. Tom says it’s cos we took a principled stand against her foul-mouthed Broken

Letters

Letters | 13 March 2010

Not cricket Sir: Many a cricket follower (‘Cricket’s foreign legion’, 6 March) would join Peter Oborne in denouncing the growth of South African mercenaries entering our domestic game. As a county cricket spectator, I have always enjoyed scouting for new talent for our national team. It gave me great pleasure to watch an emerging Michael