The Spectator on the plight of Britain’s vulnerable children Families are the raw materials from which society is constructed. They constitute the foundations of our civilisation. And it follows that there are few more unnatural actions that the state can undertake than to invade the relationship between parent and child or even to sever it.
Primary colours Sir: As a former chairman of a Conservative association, I read with interest your suggestion that the open primary held by the Tories in Totnes was a success (Leading article, 8 August). The association I chaired was constantly under pressure to increase membership. When we attempted to do so, prospective members quite reasonably
…here are some of the posts made on Spectator.co.uk this week. Fraser Nelson says that Lord Mandelson’s attempt to incite class war avoids the real problems confronting education, and laments the fate of ‘Brown’s children’. James Forsyth says that understanding the real origins of the Osborne – Mandelson feud reveals why Mandelson is perpetuating it,
We’ve just seleceted our new Book of the Month over at the Spectator Book Club: John Updike’s collection of short stories, My Father’s Tears & Other Stories. The collection features recent material and some stories that were written in the author’s Sixties heyday, and was published just after his death in January. It would be
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 over the weekend at Spectator.co.uk Fraser Nelson asks if David Cameron can afford the ‘untouchable’ Andrew Lansley. James Forsyth argues that a hike in Vat is inevitable, and discerns growing splits in the Pakistani Taliban. Peter Hoskin analyses General Richard’s claim that the Afghan conflict could last 40
As the country prepares for Peter Mandelson’s week in charge, The Mail on Sunday reports that the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Gus O’Donnell, put the kybosh on him acquiring the title of Deputy Prime Minister. O’Donnell may well have said that it was inappropriate for a peer to be deputy PM but I would have thought
The success of the open primary held by the Tories in Totnes could mark a turning-point in British politics. A candidate is usually selected by party members, but in Totnes all constituents were allowed to vote and they achieved a remarkable result: a turnout of one in four. Also remarkable was the candidate they chose:
There is no set of results a bank could have declared this week which would have pleased the general public. A bank which made losses was inevitably going to be accused of continuing incompetence, while one which made profits was sure to be condemned for its greed. As John Varley, chief executive of Barclays, hinted
See better, Sugar Sir: We the undersigned wish to condemn Baron Sugar of Clapton’s threatened legal action against our colleague Quentin Letts for calling him a ‘telly peer’ who ‘doesn’t seem to have an enormous intellect’ on LBC on 20 July. According to a letter Mr Letts received from Herbert Smith, Lord Sugar will issue
…here are some of the posts made on Spectator.co.uk this week. Fraser Nelson says that David Cameron should ditch the 50% tax rate, and catches his old chum Ed Balls telling porkies again. James Forsyth has Georgia on his mind, and is encouraged by rumours that a Tory government would include a designated Minister for
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 on Spectator.co.uk over the weekend. James Forsyth says that the Afghan conflict will improve our security in the long run, and says that the Tory leadership will use seat vacancies to expand its ministerial talent pool. Peter Hoskin argues that if Mandelson runs for the Commons it will
‘Twat’ is not a swear word. This may come as a surprise to those of us who have studiously avoided using it in front of our mothers-in-law and elderly relatives. But after David Cameron said it in a radio interview, Tory press officers were quick to point out that Ofcom does not consider it to
‘You’re going to feel some pressure,’ say dentists as they prepare to inflict pain. The more honest they are, the more tolerable the experience tends to be. So it is with political actions that have foresee-able adverse consequences: as much as voters dislike those consequences, they dislike being lied to even more. David Cameron’s interview
Not every illness is swine flu Sir: Congratulations to Sarah Standing (‘The national swine flu sickie’, 25 July). It seems incredible that so much money is being spent so recklessly when we have such an enormous debt on our national books. In these days of ‘patient-led’ medicine the public decides what it is suffering from
…Here are some of the posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the past week: James Forsyth thinks we need a larger army, and believes that a televised electoral debate is a potential game-changer for Brown. Peter Hoskin sees another bubble about to burst, and highlights one of Cameron’s weaknesses. David Blackburn says that the public do
We’ve just uploaded a web exclusive article on the fifteenth anniversary of the Washington Declaration by James Clappison MP. Read it here.
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