Books and Arts - 30 August 2018
The Spectator
Thursday
to 2371: In a paddy
The unclued lights and those clued without thematic definition (2, 11, 26, 33 and 42) are Irish forenames. Nuala Considine’s crossword compiling career spanned over 70 years. Doc was privileged to meet her five years ago when Saga magazine invited five British compilers to a photoshoot to accompany an article about the hundredth anniversary of the
The facts about the Venezuelan economy
Contrary to the impression given by Jason Mitchell, Venezuela does not have a socialist economy (‘Maduro’s madness’, 25 August). It has a ‘mixed’ economy (and therein lies some of its problems; such as food hoarding by private companies hostile to the regime). The private sector is large, and involved in numerous sectors within the economy;
Friday
Britain’s economy is not suffering as much as the doom-mongers insist
This piece first appeared as the leading article in The Spectator. Economies run on confidence — as Franklin D. Roosevelt observed when he told Americans, in his first inaugural address during the depths of the Great Depression in 1933, that they had ‘nothing to fear except fear itself’. If that confidence is lost, if people
Thursday
Letters | 23 August 2018
Not up to snuff Sir: The country is indeed crying out for expertise, as James Ball and Andrew Greenway wrote last week (‘The rise of the bluffocracy’, 18 August). But the main problem is with the civil service, not politicians. The civil service has traditionally wanted experts to be ‘on tap, not on top’. This
Barometer | 23 August 2018
Cultured tastes Dawn Butler accused Jamie Oliver of ‘cultural appropriation’ for coming up with his own recipe for jerk rice. Some other culturally appropriated dishes she might find hard to swallow: Chop suey is said to have been invented in 1896 — during a visit to New York by China’s US ambassador Li Hung Chang
When fear fails
Economies run on confidence — as Franklin D. Roosevelt observed when he told Americans, in his first inaugural address during the depths of the Great Depression in 1933, that they had ‘nothing to fear except fear itself’. If that confidence is lost, if people collectively start drawing in their horns, squirrelling money away because they
Portrait of the week | 23 August 2018
Home Government finances were in surplus by £2 billion in July. Public sector net debt rose to £1,777.5 billion, equal to 84.3 per cent of GDP, £17.5 billion more than a year before, but less as a proportion of GDP than last year’s 86 per cent. Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, flew to Washington and made a speech
to 2370: Problem XII
The numbers were linked to titles of classic works of FICTION (12): The Two DROVERS (26) (Walter Scott), The Three MUSKETEERS (1D) (Alexandre Dumas (père)), The Thirty-Nine STEPS (34) (John Buchan), The Five RED HERRINGS (36D/5A) (Dorothy L. Sayers), Eight COUSINS (15D) (Louisa M. Alcott) and Five WEEKS IN A BALLOON (14/20) (Jules Verne). 2 x
Thursday
Barometer | 16 August 2018
Black list Jeremy Corbyn was attacked for attending a ceremony for members of Black September, the terrorist group which carried out the Munich Olympics massacre in 1972. The group took its name from a PLO terror campaign in Jordan two years earlier. Some other black months: Black January: Soviet crackdown against Azerbaijani independence, 1990 Black
Letters | 16 August 2018
Boris mishandled Sir: Your editorial ‘Bravo Boris’ (11 August) suggests that the treatment meted out to Boris Johnson by the Prime Minister and the party chairman makes a leadership challenge more likely. That is correct. This duo have demonstrated a breathtaking lack of political sophistication. Not only have they promoted Boris Johnson’s chances of the leadership,
Portrait of the Week - 16 August 2018
Home Unemployment fell by 65,000 to 1.36 million — at 4 per cent the lowest level since 1975. The economy in the United Kingdom grew by 0.4 per cent in the second quarter, compared with 0.2 per cent in the first. The rate of inflation rose a jot from 2.4 to 2.5 per cent, measured
The futility of terror
By now, the routine is familiar: a lone wolf strikes, roads are sealed off, buildings locked down and a biographical picture begins to emerge. Often, the perpetrator turns out to be born and bred in Britain. His astonished friends and neighbours say they saw no signs that he had succumbed to fanaticism. It later emerges
to 2369: Prodigious
WUNDERKIND — given by corrections of misprints in clues — can be read as W UNDER KIND, indicating the unclued lights in each of four columns. First prize Cathy Staveley, London SW15 Runners-up Frank Anstis, Truro, Cornwall; S.J.J. Tiffin, Cockermouth, Cumbria
Wednesday
2018 finalists – Scotland and Northern Ireland
Amiqus ID is an encrypted online system for client-onboarding and transaction checks, with the intention of tackling cyber risk and money laundering. Avocet Infinite makes use of a ‘unique hydroponic system’ to produce fodder to grow ideal barley for cows. See.Sense makes ACE, an award-winning smart bike light that uses advanced sensor
2018 finalists – The North East
rradar has established a vast online resource for clients seeking legal advice, a database for risk management, and the opportunity to contact a team of experts who can respond quickly to their queries. Surfaceskins have developed push pads for the fight against superbugs. Designed to be placed at hand height on doors they
2018 finalists – The North West and Wales
AMPLYFI has created DataVoyant, which it claims is ‘the most advanced business intelligence and research tool in the world’. Arctic Shores is developing pioneering psychometric assessments to help people and organisations make better career and personnel decisions. Evergreen Life’s NHS-approved app enables people to own and take control of their own health
2018 finalists – The Midlands
Black Pear’s principle activity is software research and development in the healthcare sector. Its greatest innovation has been the use of the public cloud to create an electronic ‘Shared Plan’ for patients. Speechmatics has recently developed a unique AI-powered framework called ‘The Automatic Linguist’, which uses machine-learning to ‘build’ any language in the
2018 finalists – London and The South
Carwow is a comparison website that aims to facilitate car sales in the smoothest way possible. Echo is an app designed to make NHS prescriptions more efficient. Users download the app, select their GP, and input what repeat medication they need. Hectare is aiming to reinvent farm trading by bringing the sales
Thursday
Letters | 9 August 2018
Why we love Boris Sir: Stephen Robinson is right: Boris Johnson is not loathed outside the Westminster bubble (‘Brexit means Boris’, 4 August). The reason is simple — people can tell he loves the country and is prepared to fight for it. Jacob Rees-Mogg is also very popular for the same reason. Many of our politicians and