The Spectator

Barometer | 3 March 2012

Sister ships The Costa Allegra, sister ship of the Costa Corcordia, suffered a fire off the Seychelles. Are families of ships jinxed? —The Titanic had two sister ships. The Olympic collided with a naval vessel off the Isle of Wight soon after its maiden voyage in 1911, and again with a lightship off New York

Portrait of the week | 3 March 2012

Home Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, lent his support to a series of amendments to the government’s Health and Social Care Bill that he said would limit its adoption of competition and privatisation. The British Medical Association said that two thirds of members had approved some form of action over plans to make them

Bad habits | 3 March 2012

Professor Hamid Ghodse, president of the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board, is not the first to observe that Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham have acquired ‘no-go’ areas of ‘fractured communities’ ruled by gangs. But if he were brave enough to venture just a little bit closer to the frontline of Britain’s drug problem he would realise

Bookbenchers: Keith Simpson

This week’s bookbencher is Keith Simpson, the Conservative MP for Broadland. He tells us about a book which argues that the Cold War might have been avoided, and of his desire to be Tom Jones — the Fielding variety. Also, he wouldn’t save Shakespeare from the flames, because someone else would. Which book’s on your

The week that was | 2 March 2012

Here is a selection of articles and discussions from this week on Spectator.co.uk… Most read: Matthew Parris calling on believers to be aware of the patronage of unbelievers. Most shared: James Forsyth reporting that Europe is being strangled by the Franco-German alliance. Most discussed: James Forsyth on Len McCluskey versus the Olympics. And the best

Interview: Lt. Parry’s Falklands war

In April 1982, as the Falklands War got underway, HMS Antrim steamed south through the Atlantic. On board was 28-year-old Lieutenant, Chris Parry. Parry kept a diary for ten weeks which recounted in vivid detail the action at sea and in the air, as well as daily life on board ship. 30 years later Down

Join The Spectator’s debate on immigration

‘Immigration: enough is enough.’ That’s the motion for The Spectator’s next debate, and also a major concern for many disgruntled voters. The Tories are currently miles off course for achieving their aspiration of reducing net migration from the ‘hundreds of thousands’ to the ‘tens of thousands’ in this Parliament. Should they do more to meet

Just in case you missed them… | 27 February 2012

…here are some posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the weekend: Fraser Nelson says that the government should raise the income tax threshhold and let youth prevail. James Forsyth explains why Nick Clegg wouldn’t be averse to a Boris victory in May, and details the two types of Tory modernisation. Peter Hoskin watches David Willetts try