Real help for those in pain Sir: The fickleness of existence is exemplified by the fact that being Tony Blair’s ex-flatmate puts you in the position of further eroding the moral fabric of the nation without ever having had stood for office. An advert for Charlie Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill is rather cynically placed opposite
Public benefit Public sector unions held a strike over pay. How well are public-sector workers paid compared with their counterparts in the private sector? — Comparing jobs like for like, public sector workers earn between 2.2% and 3.1% more than private sector workers in April last year. — In the lowest-earning 5% of workers, public
Listen to ‘Is climate change a factor in the recent extreme weather?’ on Audioboo It is only a matter of time before Nigel Lawson — if he is allowed on the BBC at all — has to have his words spoken by an actor in the manner of Gerry Adams at the height of the IRA’s bombing
Home Theresa May, the Home Secretary, ordered a review, taking perhaps ten weeks, by Peter Wanless, the head of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, of how her department, the police and prosecutors handled historical child sex-abuse allegations. There would also be a large-scale inquiry by the retired judge Lady Butler-Sloss. These
In this special View from 22 podcast, Fraser Nelson discusses the case for the expansion of Gatwick Airport. Guest speakers include Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick Airport, Mark Reckless, Tory MP for Rochester and Strood and Karen Lumley, Tory MP for Redditch and a member of the Transport Select Committee. listen to ‘Spectator Gatwick podcast’
‘I’ve decided to take your advice and stick to one glass’
‘Well, how else are we supposed to know if it’s the right bed for us?’
‘…and he’s my accountant.’
‘Under the new rules, you’re entitled to nothing for something.’
‘He loves watching Wimbledon.’
‘Such a relief to get away from the office.’
‘Hey, man...Mercedes bends.’
‘Could I borrow some slug pellets, please?’
‘I’ve discovered this absolutely divine little food bank off the high street…’
‘I just worry about the extent of jihadi infiltration.’
‘If only they’d been phone-hacked.’
Beyond the law Sir: In your leading article of 28 June you make the point that the hacking trial demonstrates why political oversight of press regulation, not press regulation by politicians, would be an unnecessary ‘draconian step’ because ‘hacking is already against the law’. Later you compare the illegal but honourable behaviour of Andy Coulson