If the government were to grant an award to the public servant who has made the greatest effort over the past year to manage expenditure, Her Majesty the Queen would be a strong contender. The royal public finances, published this week, reveal that the cost of running the royal household has fallen over the past
Here is a selection of posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the last week. James Forsyth says that the phone hacking saga will damage the reputation of the police, and watches David Cameron take a beating at PMQs. Peter Hoskin argues that the phone hacking saga is testing the ties that bind the coalition, and sees
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
…here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the weekend. Fraser Nelson considers Osborne’s voteless recovery. James Forsyth notes that Boris has turned against HS2, and says the times are changing in Europe. Peter Hoskin watches Yvette Cooper attack the coalition’s immigration policy from the right. David Blackburn reviews IDS’ great expectations, and
Child benefit? No thanks! Sir: I was particularly struck by Melanie McDonagh (‘What women want’, 25 June) trotting out the same old complaint about the ‘cloth-eared’ decision to take child benefit off families in the higher tax bracket. How and why have we got ourselves into a situation where even middle-class journalists think that they
Life of Pi A group of mathematicians is campaigning for the mathematical constant pi to be replaced by tau, the latter being the ratio of the circumference to the radius as opposed to that of the circumference to the diameter. As tau is simply twice the value of pi (approximately 6.28) it won’t consume so
Home Teachers went on strike for a day. The National Association of Head Teachers strongly advised heads not to allow parent volunteers to keep schools open. Public-sector workers chose the same day to strike, also in a dispute over pensions. The UK Border Agency advised against flying that day. Ed Miliband, the leader of the
There was a strange juxtaposition of events on Monday. That was the day Britain launched the fourth wing of its armed services: a ‘cyber-command’ designed to protect our country against online attacks, most of which are carried out by China. It was also the day when David Cameron welcomed Wen Jiabao, the Premier of China,
Here is a selection of posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the last week. Spectator.co.uk introduces its new Business and Investments section. Fraser Nelson recalls when he crossed a picket line. James Forsyth says the government must look beyond Europe, and says that Christine Lagarde’s appointment is a win for Osborne. Peter Hoskin says that this
