Irish quarter Is there any such thing as a US president without Irish roots? The US genealogist Gary Boyd Roberts has researched the origins of all US presidents and concluded that 20 of the 44 US presidents had some Irish family connections. Half of these, however, have been within the past 50 years. — Until
Home President Barack Obama arrived in Britain for a state visit, having fled Ireland a day early lest the ash cloud from the Grimsvötn volcano in Iceland engulf his aeroplane. In Ireland he met his eighth cousin at Moneygall, where he drank a pint of Guinness, said ‘I’ve come home to find the apostrophe we
Scottish readers may be puzzled to see so many newspaper headlines about drought. Parts of the country, notably the Borders and the western Highlands, have already received one and a half times their normal rainfall for May. On Monday — as the water companies proposed seasonal tariffs to discourage customers from watering their gardens and
Here is a selection of posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the last week. Fraser Nelson cuts through the BS, and points out that the austerity hasn’t even started yet. James Forsyth considers the super-injunctions saga, and watches Barack Obama reaffirm the special relationship. Peter Hoskin notes that there are limits to Obama and Cameron’s mutual
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 has some thoughts on Cameron’s Cabinet of the undead, and some more thoughts on Cameron’s Cabinet of the undead. James Forsyth considers how Mitch Daniels’ decision not to stand will affect the race to the White House, and explains why the
The full Scottish Sir: Iain Martin (‘How to save the Union’, 14 May) has an excellent appreciation of the issues, bar one: what Scotland seeks is a return to statehood such as other nations have. The lack is grievous. Scotland does not have representation in important international bodies. We lack a commissioner in the European
Royal reception — The first visit to Ireland by a British monarch in 100 years has focused attention on the last, by George V on his coronation tour in July 1911. He remarked on the warmth of his reception, even though this was just five years before the Easter Rising. — One visit that went
Home Police decided to investigate an allegation that Chris Huhne, the Energy Secretary, had persuaded someone else to take penalty points for speeding that he should have incurred. In parliament, Mr Huhne outlined plans for Britain to halve carbon emissions by 2027. Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, outlined plans for a new House of
The British are a generous people. We donate more to humanitarian causes than anyone else in Europe, and by some margin. The average Brit gives twice as much as a Norwegian, three times more than a Belgian, six times more than a German and seven times more than a Frenchman. All told, British households send
Here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the past week. Fraser Nelson ponders the power of Eurovision. James Forsyth reveals that the Cameroons can’t wait to get of Ken Clarke, and considers the fallout from the leaked Liam Fox letter. Peter Hoskin notes George Osborne return his attention to the post-bureaucratic age,
It is fifty years since the publication of Catch-22. The Spectator Book Club will be running a series of pieces on the book and we hope that readers will lead the debate, as part of our reader’s review feature. Catch-22 is a book you either love or hate. So, we want to publish two polemics
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 this weekend’s revelations pose a grave threat to Chris Huhne’s career, and reveals that the Lanlsey plan has suffered another setback. Peter Hoskin analyses the government’s policies on a military covenant, and ponders Maurice Glasman’s ‘Blue Labour’. Daniel Korski
Parting could be sweet Sir: Your leader (‘Disunited Kingdom’, 7 May) omitted to mention that if Scotland becomes independent, tens of thousands of British government jobs will be moved to England, and as many again from the private sector will invigorate our northern cities, as the financial organisations now based in Edinburgh will have to move
A better class of tourist — The Seychelles tourism industry received a boost with the announcement that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to spend their honeymoon there. — Like many island states in the tropics, tourism is a huge part of the economy: just over half the country’s GDP and 70 per cent
Home Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader and deputy Prime Minister, said: ‘People want a louder Liberal Democrat voice in government,’ after his party did very badly in local elections and saw its proposal of the alternative vote defeated in a national referendum. Mr Clegg said there would be ‘substantial and significant changes’ to the
When disabled activists converged on the House of Commons this week to protest against welfare reform, they wanted to remind the Tories of what happened the last time a reforming government tried to tackle disability benefits. That was December 1997, when Tony Blair was talking as fervently about welfare reform as Iain Duncan Smith does
Here is a selection of posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the last week. Coffee House has an A to Z of the coalition’s first year in office. Michael Thomas Duffy, a veteran of charter schools in the US, gives his exclusive insights on the free schools programme in England. And Ed Howker reveals that some
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