The Spectator

The week that was | 24 February 2012

Here is a selection of articles and discussions from this week on Spectator.co.uk… Most read: Fraser Nelson saying George Osborne accidentally makes the case for more savings. Most shared: Rod Liddle on the Saudi journalist who could be killed for a tweet. Most discussed: Matt Cavanagh discussing the implications of the border security report. And

Just in case you missed them… | 20 February 2012

…here are some posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the weekend: Fraser Nelson reveals the cynicism behind Ed Balls’ call for tax cuts. James Forsyth says green energy must be price-competitive before we try to move everyone onto it, and thinks that, if Tory Ministers won’t get behind the NHS reforms, they can’t expect anybody else to. Jonathan

Barometer | 18 February 2012

Cradle to grave The Health Bill is one of numerous attempts to change the administrative make-up of the NHS. What did it look like on its first day, 5 July 1948? — There was a tripartite structure under the Minister of Health, Nye Bevan (who was also responsible for housing policy). — 14 regional hospital

Portrait of the week | 18 February 2012

Home Bideford town council acted unlawfully by allowing prayers to be said at meetings, the High Court ruled. ‘A local authority has no power under section 111 of the Local Government Act 1972,’ Mr Justice Ouseley said, ‘to hold prayers as part of a formal local authority meeting’, but he rejected arguments based on the

Get-out clause

In the same week that Sun journalists were subjected to dawn raids at home, the British justice system released one of the leading ideologues of al-Qa’eda to walk the streets. The fact that Abu Qatada should never have been here in the first place, having arrived in 1993 on a forged passport, is not a

The week that was | 17 February 2012

Here is a selection of articles and discussion from this week on Spectator.co.uk… Most popular: Fraser Nelson’s warning for George Osborne. Most discussed: Melanie McDonagh’s take on why Richard Dawkins is wrong. Most shared on social media: Peter Hoskin on why Labour would have cost us our AAA rating already. And the best of the