Books and arts – 25 May 2017
The Spectator
Thursday
Tuesday
Theresa May condemns ‘callous’ Manchester attack, full statement
I have just chaired a meeting of the government’s emergency committee COBR, where we discussed the details of – and the response to – the appalling events in Manchester last night. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families and friends of all those affected. It is now beyond doubt that the
Monday
Andrew Neil interviews Theresa May: full transcript
AN: Prime Minister, you started this campaign with a huge double digit lead in the polls, it’s now down to single digits in some polls. What’s gone wrong? PM: Well, Andrew, there’s only one poll that counts in any election campaign, as I’m sure you know from your long experience, and that’s the one that
Thursday
Letters | 18 May 2017
Libyan solution Sir: Boris Johnson correctly reports glimmers of hope in Libya, but to say its problems can be solved by political will risks falling into the same trap of wishful thinking that has hobbled the international community’s intervention there (‘Libya’s best hope’, 13 May). To fix Libya, its political process must be restructured to
Portrait of the Week – 18 May 2017
Home The National Health Service was one of the first big victims of a vermiform global ransomware computer infection going by names such as WannaCrypt and WannaCry, which locked computer systems. Hackers demanded $230 a time in Bitcoin to unlock them. Thousands of NHS devices were affected and outpatient appointments had to be cancelled. The
Trump on the edge
Donald Trump has often wrong-footed the media. In last year’s election his campaign seemed to be always on the verge of falling apart, but it didn’t. Candidate Trump was endlessly engulfed by crisis. The media said he could not win, but he did. It’s tempting to think that the Trump presidency fits the same pattern;
Barometer | 18 May 2017
Veggie skills Forest Green Rovers, described as the world’s first vegan football club, was promoted to the Football League. Some sportsmen who have become vegan: Neil Robinson turned vegan at 23 while playing football for Everton in 1980. Dustin Watton played in the US National Volleyball team in 2015. Peter Siddle, a bowler in the Australian
Books and arts – 18 May 2017
2017 Conservative Manifesto: full text
The Conservative Manifesto 2017: Our Plan for a Stronger Britain and a Prosperous Future The next five years are the most challenging that Britain has faced in my lifetime. Brexit will define us: our place in the world, our economic security and our future prosperity. So now more than ever, Britain needs a strong
A brave new world
From ‘The New Reform Bill’, The Spectator, 19 May 1917: Though we used to be opposed to the suffrage for women, and have only accepted it in view of the great upheaval of the war, we feel most strongly that it had better be ‘a clean cut’ and a generous cut. Just as we opposed it
Wednesday
Is the Trump presidency in its last days?
This is the leading article from this week’s issue of The Spectator – out tomorrow. Donald Trump has often wrong-footed the media. In last year’s election his campaign seemed to be always on the verge of falling apart, but it didn’t. Candidate Trump was endlessly engulfed by crisis. The media said he could not win,
Britain has no need to fear Fortress Europe
It’s now a tradition for an incoming French president to make his first foreign trip a visit to Berlin. Yet even by past standards, Emmanuel Macron’s dash to meet Angela Merkel on the day after he was inaugurated seemed indecently quick. The lightning meeting at the German Chancellery was a statement of intent by the
Tuesday
Labour Party manifesto 2017 (official version): full text
Labour have this morning launched their manifesto for the election. A big part of being the leader of a political party is that you meet people across the country and hear a wide range of views and ideas about the future. For me, it’s been a reminder that our country is a place of dynamic,
Friday
Jeremy Corbyn’s Chatham House speech, full text
Chatham House has been at the forefront of thinking on Britain’s role in the world. So with the General Election less than a month away, it’s a great place to set out my approach: on how a Labour Government I lead will keep Britain safe, reshape relationships with partners around the world, work to strengthen
Thursday
Barometer | 11 May 2017
God forbid Irish police investigated Stephen Fry over a complaint of blasphemy, which is no longer a criminal offence in Britain. — The last prosecution was a private case brought by Mary Whitehouse against Gay News and its editor Denis Lemon over a poem in which a Roman centurion tells of having sex with Jesus
Letters | 11 May 2017
It’s a Unionist revival Sir: Contrary to Alex Massie’s claims, there is no rebirth of Scottish Conservatism in Scotland (‘Queen of Scots’, 6 May). Rather, there is a strident Unionist vote from 2014 that has found its home in the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party — the latter part being the key. Mr Massie makes
No left turn
It would be easy to dismiss Jeremy Corbyn’s launch of the Labour party’s election campaign this week on the grounds that hardly anyone believes he has the slightest chance of becoming prime minister. But given that David Cameron was given a 0.5 per cent chance of winning a majority, and Donald Trump a 1 per cent
Portrait of the week | 11 May 2017
Home After spectacular local election results, Theresa May, the Prime Minister, said: ‘I’m taking nothing for granted over the next five weeks. I need support from across the United Kingdom to strengthen my hand, and only a vote for me and my team will ensure that Britain has the strong and stable leadership we need.’
Books and Arts – 11 May 2017
Leaked draft of Labour 2017 manifesto – full text
Labour’s draft manifesto for the general election has been leaked; here’s the full text: Manifesto: For the many not the few Creating an economy that works for all Our economic strategy is about delivering a fairer, more prosperous society for the many, not just the few. We will measure our economic success not by the