In September 1955 The Spectator’s political commentator, Henry Fairlie, coined a term to describe the way in which Britain works which has been used ever since. The ‘Establishment’, he said, was the real mechanism through which power was exercised in this country. The elites of the business, political and media worlds wielded power via a ‘matrix
Home Findus frozen beef lasagne was found to be 100 per cent horsemeat, and Tesco frozen ‘Everyday Value’ spaghetti bolognese 60 per cent horse. French suppliers blamed a Romanian abattoir. Waitrose withdrew frozen beef meatballs in which pork was thought to be present. Owen Paterson, the environment secretary, told the food industry to publish soon
‘Nick and Jane couldn’t get a baby-sitter.’
‘Wouldn’t it be nice to slip into a simple little black number for a change?’
‘It’ll be an intimate, simple wedding on an aircraft carrier.’
‘Sorry it’s not more, but we didn’t lose as much money this year.’
‘It sank a bit in the middle.’
‘I’m bored; my parents let me do everything . . . ’
‘Just tell me the truth, Veronica! Are you having an affair?’
‘I’m worried this influx of Romanians will destroy our traditional Pakistani-Polish heritage.’
‘Let’s maintain a non-combative supportive presence.’
‘Red sky in morning — Sellafield warning.’
Respect the RSPCA Sir: You ask whether the RSPCA has ‘gone feral’ (‘The RSPCA’s secret war’, 2 February)? The answer is ‘no’. Since its founding, the society has promoted kindness to and respect for animals. We have done so through education, good science and campaigns to change the law to protect animals from cruelty. But
