Rgj 18
The Spectator
Saturday
Letters | 3 December 2011
Women for Islamic law Sir: Douglas Murray’s article (‘After spring, winter’, 26 November) was well written, but it missed a crucial point. What we are seeing in the Arab Spring is an awakening of a political Islam that is neither strictly ‘Islamist’ nor compatible with liberal ideals of freedom. The phenomenon is driven in large
Barometer | 3 December 2011
Gross domestic products The Office for Budget Responsibility downgraded UK GDP growth for 2011 to 0.9 per cent, down from 1.7 per cent. How many extra manufactured products does a 0.9 per cent growth in GDP — £12.56 million — translate to? 4.6bn 250g jars of Marmite 60m Dyson vacuum cleaners 34m pairs of Church’s
Portrait of the week | 3 December 2011
Home Public borrowing will exceed previous forecasts by £5 billion this year, £19 billion next year and £30 billion in 2013-14, George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, said in an Autumn Statement delivered under dark clouds. The ratio of debt to GDP would rise to a peak of 78 per cent in 2014-15. He
The forgotten workers
It was a reasonable guess that, once the government had appointed a group of the great and good to investigate the summer riots, somehow we would all have to share the blame. It is a central tenet of liberal Britain that while criminals may share some of the blame for the acts which they perpetrate,
Friday
The week that was | 2 December 2011
Here are some of the posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the past week: The Autumn Statement Fraser Nelson says that, with growth evaporating, Osborne’s chosen more debt over more cuts. Peter Hoskin points out that the dreary forecasts might actually be far too optimistic. James Forsyth thinks Osborne did well considering the situation, and still has
Monday
Oh come, all ye Speccie readers
A brief post to alert CoffeeHousers to The Spectator’s carol concert, which is taking place next Wednesday in the beautiful St Bride’s Church on Fleet Street. It promises to be a suitably Christmassy affair. There will be carols from the choir of St Bride’s; readings from Jeremy Clarke, Rod Liddle, Rory Sutherland and the Mary
CoffeeHousers’ Wall, 28 November – 4 December 2011
Welcome to the latest CoffeeHousers’ Wall. For those who haven’t come across the Wall before, it’s a post we put up each Monday, on which — providing your writing isn’t libellous, crammed with swearing, or offensive to common decency — you’ll be able to say whatever you like in the comments section. There is no
Just in case you missed them… | 28 November 2011
…here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the weekend. Fraser Nelson says that Osborne and Balls are like wrestlers, putting on a show but doing no real fighting. And on the Arts Blog, he picks his ten favourite cover versions. James Forsyth reports that the Tories are getting fed up with the Lib
