Leading article

Saturday

Tim Montgomerie

Right-wingers have a bad reputation, but we do more for the poor than anyone else

I am a right-winger. There, I’ve said it. I’m out of the closet and proud about it. And what have I communicated to you in this act of confession? Do you picture me in a wide, pin-striped suit? Do you fear that I wouldn’t stop talking about the evils of the European Union if you ever made the mistake of inviting me to dinner? Do you imagine me as someone who doesn’t much like paying taxes unless they go to the purchase of tanks, nuclear weapons and battleships? The right’s traditional way of selling themselves to doubters is to rely on the, well, rightness of their arguments and the Tory right has, to be fair, got a very good record on the big issues of the last ten years.

The Spectator

Capital stuff

The Spectator on Boris Johnson’s new bicycle-sharing scheme Boris Johnson’s new bicycle-sharing scheme has had its share of ‘teething problems’, as the Mayor himself admits. Some Londoners have had to be refunded, for instance, after they were overcharged by the complicated bike ‘docking’ system. But it’s a tribute to Boris that Londoners have taken the difficulties in their stride as part of the general fun, and with their jolly, chunky design, the London bikes could become icons of the capital — thought of as fondly as red buses or black cabs. Boris’s cycling revolution has begun: bright blue ‘cycle superhighways’ come next, and a new unit of bicycling bobbies.

The Spectator

Double standards

Some prime ministers settle immediately on the international stage, others take their time to adjust to the nuances required in dealing with the assortment of democratically elected politicians, benign dictators and outright rogues who lead the world. David Cameron, so far, has struggled, achieving within three months something that took Blair six years: having his effigy burnt on the streets of a foreign capital, just weeks before a meeting with the president of that country. At least Mr Cameron and Pakistan’s President Zardari should be able to talk convivially about the cricket — unlike the last one, the current England vs Pakistan Test series has not been sullied by accusations of ball-tampering.

Saturday

Irwin Stelzer

What Washington thought of Cameron: smooth, genial, evasive — and tough

He came, he saw and, to the surprise of many in Washington, David Cameron conquered. Those who have been exposed to his personal charm were less surprised. For them, the surprise — perhaps they should have known better than to be surprised —- came from his willingness to resort to evasion. Faced with a specific question about his attitude towards Israel, the Prime Minister gave the usual answer about a two-state solution, the need for negotiations, etc. A few days later, before a Muslim rather than an American audience, he decided that Gaza is a prison, without mentioning that Hamas is the jailer, and that there are few prisons in which the inmates launch rockets at neighbouring countries.

The Spectator

Dangerous Balls

The Spectator on the threat Ed Balls poses to the government For Conservatives, a leadership fight is a blood sport: a feast of passion, revenge and political violence. Labour’s current contest has thus far been the precise opposite: an excruciatingly dull five-way verbal joust between candidates who have nothing new or original to say. Two of the candidates regularly express their fraternal love for one another. Still, however tedious, the contest remains one of historic importance because the winner may well be the next Prime Minister. After all, it would be a surprise if the leader of an opposition party with 256 seats — enough to force the Tories into coalition — did not win the next election.

The Spectator

University challenge

A small revolution in higher education took place this week when David Willetts, the universities minister, permitted BPP, a business and law college based in Shepherd’s Bush, to use the title ‘university college’. By doing so he created the first private university since Buckingham University opened its doors in 1976. The move was not to everyone’s taste: the University and College Union (UCU) claimed that the new institution represented a ‘huge threat to academic freedom and standards’, adding that in a survey of 504 professors, 96 per cent apparently endorse this view.

Saturday

The Spectator

Military matters

David Cameron is not as keen on fighting wars as Tony Blair. His hesitancy is born out of respect for the military. The last decade saw the British government fight five wars on a peacetime budget, thereby stretching the military to (and often beyond) breaking point. The cost of this was avoidable deaths and inevitable defeats. A few hundred troops on patrol in Basra were never going to pacify a city of three million. Without a surge in Sangin, the troops were left to be picked off. The defence review, due in October, comes at a crucial juncture for Britain as we decide our place in the world. Around that time, Sir David Richards is expected to take up his post as chief of the defence staff, succeeding the inadequate Jock Stirrup. It would be, for Mr Cameron, a brave appointment.

Saturday

The Spectator

God bless the Queen

The Queen’s speech to the United Nations this week was a masterpiece. A forum which hears so much from politicians with, at best, a passing grasp of world affairs was treated to the views of a head of state with half a century of experience and wisdom. As she so rightly observed, the most ‘sweeping advances’ she has seen came not at the behest of governments but because ‘millions of people wanted them’. Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the UN, perfectly captured the characteristics of her triumphant reign: ‘grace, constancy and dignity’. ‘In a changing and churning world,’ he told the monarch, ‘you are an anchor for our age.

The Spectator

Union rules

If David Cameron is looking for potential enemies, he need not worry about the Labour party. Mired in a five-way leadership race without any decent candidates or agendas, they are a danger only to themselves. Nor should he worry about rogue Liberal Democrats resigning to destabilise the coalition. His generous offer to hold a referendum on voting reform during next year’s May elections will keep them loyal until that date. The people with the energy and dedication to inflict damage on the government can be found in the teachers’ unions. It is hard to overstate the power of teachers’ unions in Britain. For decades they have worked with local authorities to assert complete bureaucratic control over the schools system.

Saturday

The Spectator

Passion play

Following England’s dismal world cup defeat to Germany on Sunday, the nation’s football pundits struck up a familiar refrain: our boys lacked passion. Following England’s dismal world cup defeat to Germany on Sunday, the nation’s football pundits struck up a familiar refrain: our boys lacked passion. This is something of an English obsession: players win because they play with pride; they lose when they don’t show enough commitment. Talent is for foreigners, the English are meant to play with heart. But passion is overrated; too often just code for a lack of discipline. Time and time again, the most ‘passionate’ players let their country down.

The Spectator

Who benefits?

The cries of unfairness which have gone up in reaction to George Osborne’s assault on the £12.5 billion annual bill for disability benefits are a sign of just how ingrained the welfare culture has become among Britain’s workshy millions. The cries of unfairness which have gone up in reaction to George Osborne’s assault on the £12.5 billion annual bill for disability benefits are a sign of just how ingrained the welfare culture has become among Britain’s workshy millions. They are also an indication of how hard the Chancellor will have to battle against the assortment of quangos and charities which stick up for their rights to taxpayer-funded lives of leisure.

Saturday

The Spectator

The road to recovery

The most heartening part of George Osborne’s Budget was perhaps one of its least glamorous proposals. The most heartening part of George Osborne’s Budget was perhaps one of its least glamorous proposals. In his speech, the Chancellor started to bemoan the regional disparities within Britain. Ten jobs in the private sector are created in the south for every one in the north, he said — all too true. One was braced, next, for some doomed proposal for a new Silicon Valley in Teesside, or a harebrained attempt to incubate green energy forms in the Welsh valleys. But no: he would cut the taxes of companies starting up in these areas. And that was it. It was wonderfully refreshing.

Saturday

The Spectator

Club vs country

Every four years, the World Cup presents an opportunity to see what English football would be like with only English players. The difference is more striking with each tournament. Our club game may well have become a global industry — but it is hard to see how the money has helped the national team. Our club sides are filled with global talent — but a young native player has never found it more difficult to reach the top. Since the Premiership’s inception in 1992, the number of English under-25s in the league has fallen by two thirds. Certainly, English players benefit from playing alongside the likes of Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres.

The Spectator

Prison works

One of the many ludicrous Liberal Democrat policies which Tories enjoyed rubbishing during the general election was their plan to send far fewer criminals to prison. But, alas, it seems that some bad ideas are infectious. Last week Ken Clarke, the new Justice Secretary, suggested that we can no longer afford to keep so many prisoners — so we should sentence fewer, and for shorter periods. Why, he asked, is the prison population twice what it was when he was at the Home Office in 1993? Isn’t it time to cut costs? As George Osborne prepares for his budget next week, he should be wary of this false economy. Locking people up offers a very good return on the taxpayer’s investment. It may well cost £29,600 to keep someone in prison for a year.

Saturday

The Spectator

Our debt to Maggie

Some politicians and members of the press have worked themselves into a fury with John McDonnell, the Labour politician who said this week that he wished he could go back in time and ‘assassinate Thatcher’. Harriet Harman has been urged to denounce him for making a ‘threat’ against the former prime minister. Though their indignation is understandable, they should lighten up. McDonnell (who on Tuesday withdrew from the Labour leadership race) was not, of course, being serious. His line drew loud laughs from his audience, a GMB trade union crowd. But more than that, John McDonnell has in fact done the Lady a service. In postulating a world without her, he has served to remind us how vital she was to this country, and how great is the debt we owe her.

The Spectator

Turkish menace

For years, Turkey has been the West’s great hope. For years, Turkey has been the West’s great hope. It is a Muslim democracy and loyal Nato member, ally in the war on terror and living rejection of the idea of a clash of civilisations. We flattered ourselves that it was keen to join the European Union so it could further ‘modernise’ — by which we meant westernise. As Turkey became richer, so we imagined, it would become a more moderate and a dependable ally of the free world. It is now clear that this was a fundamental misjudgment. Turkey is indeed growing richer, but the extra wealth is only lubricating its slide towards extremism.

Saturday

The Spectator

Bad habits | 5 June 2010

The idea that you can jack up prices — by taxation or other means — and thereby shape society seems to mesmerise politicians. So the new estimates by the Department of Heath that a minimum price for alcohol — of 50p per ‘unit’ — would mean precisely 43,800 fewer crimes a year and 296,900 fewer sick days is like a magic wand to be waved at the dispatch box. What officials forget is that people find ways of adapting to and circumventing government rules. Tobacco in Britain is very heavily taxed, purportedly to discourage its use. The Treasury now estimates that one in five cigarettes smoked in Britain has been smuggled in illegally.

The Spectator

Not British

Search any official document published by BP plc, the oil giant now battling not only to cap the Mexican Gulf oil spillage but to save itself from a terminal collapse of investor confidence, and you will not find anywhere the words ‘British Petroleum’. Search any official document published by BP plc, the oil giant now battling not only to cap the Mexican Gulf oil spillage but to save itself from a terminal collapse of investor confidence, and you will not find anywhere the words ‘British Petroleum’. The full version of the company name was dropped more than a decade ago, when the merger with US oil giant Amoco turned it into a transnational conglomerate with the green-tinged but much-mocked slogan ‘Beyond Petroleum’.

Saturday

The Spectator

Victory!

This magazine had hoped for a Conservative government. We have what is arguably the next best thing: a government led by David Cameron but supported by some political mercenaries put in the positions where they inflict the least harm — and reform-minded Tories in positions where they can do most good. The strategy is fairly clear: give Lib Dems more Cabinet crowns and chauffeurs than they could have dreamed of. Tie them in for five years, and have them defend Tory policy on the airwaves. And then, crucially, let them share the blame for the Irish-style spending cuts to come. Three appointments make this government, on balance, a victory for Conservatism.

Saturday

The Spectator

Greek lesson

The scenes in Athens, with thousands of protesters attempting to storm the Greek parliament, should send a chill down the spines of the British government this weekend. It is Britain, not Greece, that has the worst deficit in Europe. The story of the next four years will be one of brutal cuts. As the Greeks found, the day of fiscal reckoning can be delayed — but not avoided forever. An administration can buy time by cooking the books, talking about debt as if the money arrived down a moonbeam. But soon, payback time arrives. Now that the election is over, Britain’s payback time will start, and the anger among the electorate will be all the harsher because the main political parties were so dishonest about the scale of the pain to come.