The Spectator

A war crime – and a president’s dilemma

From ‘Germany and the United States’, The Spectator, 15 May 1915: The text of President Wilson’s Note to Germany on the sinking of the Lusitania has not been published at the time when we write, but there is no doubt that the unofficial summaries convey its sense accurately enough. It asks that some assurance shall be

The Spectator at war: Will Germany change her ways?

From ‘Germany and the United States’, The Spectator, 15 May 1915: The questions that concern us now to the exclusion of all others are: What will the German answer be to Mr. Wilson? and To what action by the United States will Mr. Wilson’s Note lead? We take it for granted that Germany will not

The Spectator at war: The sinking of the Lusitania

From ‘News of the Week’, The Spectator, 15 May 1915: SINCE our last issue every day has been to packed with incident and emotion that it is difficult to see events in their right perspective. The diabolical crime of sinking the ‘Lusitania’ is, from a military point of view, of course much lees important than

As it happened: post-election Cabinet reshuffle

Welcome to The Spectator’s coverage of David Cameron’s post-election reshuffle. Here are the latest appointments along with analysis. Key appointments: New appointments: Michael Gove (Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor), Sajid Javid (Business Secretary), Amber Rudd (Energy and Climate Change Secretary), Greg Clark (Communities and Local Government Secretary), David Mundell (Scotland Secretary), Greg Hands (Chief Secretary to the Treasury), Mark Harper (Chief Whip),

The Spectator at war: Counting the cost | 9 May 2015

From ‘News of the Week’, The Spectator, 8 May 1915: Mr. Lloyd George opened his Budget on Tuesday. We have dealt with it at length elsewhere, and will only say here that “for the present” he proposes no new taxation. Later in the year, however, the whole fiscal problem will have to be reconsidered. If

Remembering VE Day

It is 70 years since Britain celebrated Germany’s unconditional surrender and the arrival of victory in Europe. Prime Minister Winston Churchill hailed ‘a victory of the great British nation as a whole… against the most tremendous military power that has been seen,’ and he asked ‘when shall the reputation and faith of this generation of

As it happened: 2015 general election results

Welcome to The Spectator’s live coverage of the 2015 general election results. We provided results and analysis overnight and throughout the day. You can read all the coverage below. Key points: David Cameron remains PM —He has won a majority and has visited Buckingham Palace for an audience with the Queen. The Conservatives have won 331 seats. In an

The Spectator at war: Brave little Belgium

From ‘The Starving Belgians’, The Spectator, 8 May 1915: The two hundred thousand Belgian refugees who are being provided for in the United Kingdom have made us feel that the refugee question is part of our daily life. We hear of the refugees wherever we go; we see them; our everyday conversation is concerned with