Select company The appearance of Rupert Murdoch before the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee confirmed that some of the best action in parliament is now before select committees, not in the chamber. — Select committees were around in the 18th century, when they were convened for particular purposes. An early one, in
This week’s Portrait of the week Home David Cameron, the Prime Minister, cut short a trade mission to South Africa, returning to give a statement on the phone hacking scandal to the Commons, which delayed its summer recess. Rupert Murdoch, the chief executive of News Corporation, appeared before a select committee of the Commons investigating
As Keynes observed, the power of ideas — good ones and tragic, wrong-headed ones — is far greater than is commonly understood. As Keynes observed, the power of ideas — good ones and tragic, wrong-headed ones — is far greater than is commonly understood. The Thatcher counter-revolution in the 1980s was made possible by intellectual
Here is a selection of posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the past week. Fraser Nelson calls on MPs to save ‘Gobby’, and reflects on an odd parliamentary drama. James Forsyth says that there is a feeling that David Cameron has turned the corner over phone hacking, and wonders where Cameron’s praetorians might be. David Blackburn
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. James Forsyth says that the phone hacking spotlight is turning onto the police, reacts to Sir Paul Stephenson’s resignation, and notes how much ammunition Stephenson has given Labour. David Blackburn watches European financial institutions attack the EU’s latest answer to the Eurozone crisis,
No defending the tabloids Sir: Toby Young (Status anxiety, 9 July) suggests that we are only shocked by tabloid phone-hacking scandals because we are ignorant of the ways of tabloid journalism. He seems then to equate phone-hacking hacks with ‘these Fleet Street foot soldiers’ who are busy protecting us from becoming French (shudder) — i.e.
Achieving closure The News of the World has shut after 168 years, joining a long list of defunct British newspapers. Here are some of the more notable ones: Daily Herald Started in 1911 as a strike news sheet by the London Society of Compositors. Taken over by the TUC in 1922, in the 1930s it
