2
The Spectator
Saturday
Letters | 14 January 2012
Pick your battle Sir: In your leading article ‘Save the Union’ (7 January), you allude to Alex Salmond’s plan to hold a referendum on Scottish independence shortly after the 700th anniversary of the battle on Bannockburn. I suggest a referendum on the 500th anniversary of the battle of Flodden Field (September 2013) when we English
Barometer | 14 January 2012
War horses Steven Spielberg’s film War Horse was released this week. How many horses were killed in British Army service during the first world war? — According to the Official History of the War Veterinary Services, it was 484,143. — Michael Morpurgo, on the other hand, says he asked the Imperial War Museum before writing
Portrait of the week | 14 January 2012
Home The High Speed 2 rail link between London and Birmingham is to go ahead, Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for Transport, announced. The stretch to Birmingham would be completed by 2026, but a connection to Heathrow not until 2033, when the extensions to Manchester and Leeds would be finished. The cost of the
Cameron’s best weapon
When Ed Miliband stands up in the House of Commons, he might be surprised to hear the loudest cheers coming from the wrong side of the chamber. He is becoming an unlikely Tory champion, the man who’ll do more than anyone else to ensure that David Cameron wins an outright majority at the next general
Friday
The week that was | 13 January 2012
Here are some of the posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the past week: Fraser Nelson says the battle for Britain has begun, and explains why IDS’s welfare reforms are so important. James Forsyth looks at the battle lines being drawn over Scotland and wonders if Spain might prevent its independence. Peter Hoskin reports on Ed
Monday
Just in case you missed them… | 9 January 2012
…here are some of the posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the weekend: Fraser Nelson asks why Ed Miliband stopped his brother becoming Labour leader. James Forsyth looks at the implications of HS2 on the Cabinet, and reports on Cameron’s latest attempt to redefine fairness. Peter Hoskin says Miliband’s position is under increasing threat, and asks
Saturday
Dive
Letters | 7 January 2012
Russian resolution Sir: Anne Applebaum (‘Russia’s new dissidents’, 31 December) welcomes the Moscow protestors’ challenge to a smug and venal elite. We can all agree with that. But she asks if they are developing into an opposition — and the simple answer is ‘no’. Alexander Navalny, the Moscow protest leader, cries out against ‘villains and
Barometer | 7 January 2012
State of uncertainty The Iowa caucuses create much excitement in the US presidential race but the winners do not have a good record of winning the presidency. — In the nine contested Democratic caucases since 1972, when they first marked the beginning of the presidential race, only two winners, Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Barack
Portrait of the week | 7 January 2012
Home Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty, on the evidence of blood and fibre traces, of the murder of Stephen Lawrence at Eltham in 1993. Dobson had been acquitted of the crime in 1996, but the law changed to allow a new trial to consider new evidence. A 20-year-old man charged with murdering
Save the union
‘Saving the union’ is unlikely to rank highly on David Cameron’s list of new year resolutions. Scotland is becoming a land about which most Westminster politicians know little and care less. It is being handled in 10 Downing St by Ed Llewellyn, who specialises in foreign affairs, yet neither he nor anyone else has the