The Spectator

Thursday

The Spectator

Letters: Spain vs Catalonia, hedgehogs vs badgers, Palmer vs Moore

From our UK edition

Spanish practices Sir: In your leading article last week you wrote: ‘Yes, Catalonia and Scotland were independent in the 16th century.’ True about Scotland, but not Catalonia. Since 1162, the Kingdom of Aragón and the county of Barcelona have been a single entity and, since 1475, the Catholic kings and their descendants have ruled both Castile and Aragón. The Spanish 16th century was essentially ruled by the King Emperor Charles I of Spain and his son Philip II, although Spanish kings would appoint viceroys in all the territories of the Kingdom of Aragón. To legitimise their claims, Catalan nationalists often compare their situation with that of Quebec or Scotland. But such a strategy will only succeed with the unwary.

The Spectator

Barometer | 8 October 2015

From our UK edition

The death of Diesel The Volkswagen scandal has brought into question the future of the diesel engine. A century ago its inventor, Rudolf Diesel, was himself the subject of scandal. On 29 September 1913 he disappeared from the steamship Dresden on its way from Antwerp to Harwich. He had retired to his cabin after dinner but had not changed into his bedclothes. His body was found off Norway ten days later. He was apparently on his way to discuss selling diesel engines to the Royal Navy for submarines, leading to suspicions that he had been murdered to prevent the technology falling into British hands. His financial situation, however, pointed to possible suicide. The Royal Navy went into the first world war with steam-powered submarines.

The Spectator

Dear Mary: How can girls avoid freezing in cold marquees?

From our UK edition

Q. What do you do when you are so cold at a party that you cannot enjoy it? At a recent 21st in Hampshire the theme was Summer of Love so I was in a beaded catsuit and my friends were in cotton minidresses with bandanas and thin velvet coats. But the theme Arctic Explorers would have been more appropriate. There were heaters in the marquee but they only made a difference if you stood in front of them and only one person at a time could do so. The food and music were brilliant but all we could think about was how cold we were. Our host was cold herself but she kept the house locked up. — B.G., London SW3 A. Nothing like this should happen if a proper party planner is employed.

The Spectator

Portrait of the week | 8 October 2015

From our UK edition

Home David Cameron, the Prime Minister, told  the Conservative party conference in Manchester: ‘We need a national crusade to get homes built.’ George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that councils would be allowed to set their own business rates and keep all the money they raise. Lord Adonis, the Labour peer, moved to the crossbenches on being appointed by Mr Osborne to head the new National Infrastructure Commission, to assess needs and ‘hold any government’s feet to the fire if it fails to deliver’.

The Spectator

This is the Tories’ golden chance to seize the centre ground

From our UK edition

Political party conferences have, in recent years, felt like an empty ritual. They used to be convened in seaside towns, so grassroots activists could find affordable accommodation. Now they are usually held in cities, so lobbyists can find better restaurants. Activists have been supplanted by members of the political class who are charged £500 a ticket. In the fringe debates, speakers face a volley of questions from people paid to ask them — on pensions, subsidies for green energy and the like. Politicians spend all day talking to journalists, and real politics vanishes. This year, however, politics has returned.

The Spectator

Bulgarian tragedy

From our UK edition

From ‘Bulgaria and Greece’, The Spectator, 9 October 1915: The fact that the British people will in all probability soon be at war with Bulgaria is a matter of very deep regret, for this nation has always watched the development of the peasant state with strong sympathy… But though we can and do sympathise with the Bulgarian people, it will be quite impossible to prevent the consequences of their king’s evil deeds from falling upon them. War is a stern business, and the allies cannot alter their course of action even though they understand Bulgaria’s difficulties. Regret it as we may, the Bulgarian people will have to reap the harvest they have sown, or allowed to be sown.

Wednesday

The Spectator

Full text: David Cameron’s 2015 Conservative conference speech

From our UK edition

I am so proud to be standing here in front of you today – back in government...and not just any government – a majority Conservative Government. To the people in this hall, I want to say thank you. You are the greatest team a Prime Minister could ever have. And to the British people: When you put your cross in the Conservative box, you were putting your faith in us. To finish the job we started. To back working people. To deliver security for you and your family. And I’ll tell you now: we will not let you down. But just for a moment, think back to May 7th. I don’t know about you, but it only takes two words to make me smile. Exit poll.

Tuesday

The Spectator

Full text: Boris Johnson 2015 Conservative conference speech

From our UK edition

Thank you Zac, and thank you for just showing once again that you have exactly the qualities of originality and drive that will help you win in London in May. https://soundcloud.com/spectator1828/boris-johnsons-tory-conference-2015 I tell you when I knew we were going to be all right in that amazing election and it wasn’t the Ed stone — the heaviest suicide note in history — or the mysterious second kitchen.

Monday

The Spectator

Full text: George Osborne’s 2015 Conservative conference speech

From our UK edition

Let me tell you how proud I am to stand before you the first Conservative Chancellor in a Conservative Government to address a Conservative Conference in eighteen years. If I’d told you twelve months ago that the Member of Parliament for Morley and Outwood was going to come onto this stage and speak in our economy debate you’d have called security. Andrea, your win capped off a night that no-one here will ever forget. Can you all remember where you were when that exit poll came through? I certainly can. I was just a few miles away from here, waiting to go to my count at the Macclesfield leisure centre. I was completely calm. No I wasn’t. I was completely nervous. Unable to sit down. Unable to stand still. I was pacing around.

Saturday

The Spectator

In memory of Denis Healey, saviour of the British economy

From our UK edition

Denis Healey, who has died at the age of 98, never led the Labour Party - but it still owes as much to him as to any post-war politician. And not just because of his time at the Treasury. The statements released by Labour figures tonight scarcely do him justice. Of course, he was a "towering figure" - but he was much more than that. He saved the Labour Party from itself, and saved Britain from the worst of the Labour Party. And when the crunch came, he rose to the challenge: bringing expenditure reform more radical than any Tory Chancellor has been able to enact.

Thursday