The Spectator

Monday

The Spectator

The Spectator at war: Rational optimism

From 'News of the Week', The Spectator, 29 May 1915: The past fortnight, partly perhaps owing to the uncertainty of the political situation, has been marked by a great deal of anxiety and pessimism of a very unworthy kind. Yet there is no real cause for grumblings and lamentings, but strong cause for the reverse. We have been optimistic throughout the war, but we admit that at periods like that of the last days of October ours was optimism based on faith, faith in the invincible courage and great-heartedness of the British people. Now, however, our optimism is based upon facts. Provided that we hold on and do not flinch from the last and most painful pull upon the rope, nothing can prevent our winning.

Sunday

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The Spectator at war: Strikes and scraps of paper

From 'Scraps of Paper', The Spectator, 22 May 1915: Fifty years ago Parliament was far more conscious collectively of the sanctity of contract than it is at the present time, and the change of attitude can only be attributed to the change of constituency. The House of Commons of previous generations was elected by a constituency composed of a limited number of voters, mostly belonging to the middle classes. Those classes, being for the greater part engaged in commercial occupations of various kinds, had all learned the value of contract.

Saturday

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The Spectator at war: Has Kitchener gone mad?

From 'Array the Nation', The Spectator, 22 May 1915 THERE have been many surprising things in this war, but perhaps the most surprising of all is Lord Kitchener's speech in the Upper House on Tuesday afternoon. In it he told the nation that he wants three hundred thousand more recruits "to form new armies." If he had asked for a million, or even two million, more men we should not have been surprised, though even then, taking the Army and Navy together, we should not be doing, per head of population; more than, or even as much as, the French; and should be doing a very great deal leas than the Germans. At such a juncture as this to ask for only three hundred thousand men literally makes one's brain reel.

Friday

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The Spectator at war: The future of Italy

From 'The Future of Italy', The Spectator, 22 May 1915: WHEN the King of Italy found himself unable to accept the resignation of Signor Salandra at the end of last week the intervention of Italy on the side of the Allies became almost certain. The cause of the neutralist party had flared up for a moment, but had succeeded only in illuminating the strong reserves of the interventionists which were waiting in the background. The dramatic attempt of Signor Giolitti to keep Italy neutral—and, if possible, in an attitude of benevolence towards Germany—was but the affair of a few hours. Public opinion would have nothing to do with it. As we write we do not know when war will be declared, but we can say with confidence that the course of Italy is irrevocably marked out.

Thursday

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Letters | 21 May 2015

Soldiering on Sir: Max Hastings’s article about demobbed army officers trying for a job after the war struck a chord (‘Demob unhappy’, 16 May). The problem prevailed. I left as a captain many years later in 1978. The local vicar asked what I was going to do with myself, adding scornfully, ‘Go into commerce, I suppose. Well, even that might be a struggle for someone who knows little else other than to play cowboys and shoot Indians!’ Somewhat bemused, I asked where his Sunday collections came from if — either directly or indirectly — it wasn’t commerce. He wasn’t pleased with this. Luckily, a few months later I was hired by a British company to do some fascinating work in north Africa.

The Spectator

Barometer | 21 May 2015

Cake discrimination A bakery in Northern Ireland was found guilty of discriminating against a gay couple for whom it refused to bake a cake celebrating gay marriage. Cake-baking has become the epicentre of gay rights. — In April a lesbian couple were awarded $135,000 in damages against Melissa’s Sweet Cakes, in Oregon, after shop owners refused to bake them a wedding cake. — In a similar case, 111 Cakery, based in Indianapolis’s gay district, closed down after being attacked on social media for refusing to bake a cake for a gay couple. — One cake that did get baked, however, was one commissioned by Republican senators in Texas in February to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Texas Marriage Amendment, which outlaws gay marriage.

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Portrait of the week | 21 May 2015

Home The annual rate of inflation turned negative in April, for the first time since 1960, with deflation of 0.1 per cent as measured by the Consumer Prices Index, so that a basket of goods and services that cost £100 in April 2014 would have cost £99.90 in April 2015. But, measured by the Retail Prices Index, inflation continued at a rate of 0.9 per cent. Marks & Spencer reported its first rise in annual profits for four years. Police trying to find the gang that broke into safe-deposit boxes in Hatton Garden last month arrested nine men. A botanist claimed unconvincingly that Shakespeare was depicted in the frontispiece of Gerard’s Herball dated 1597. Greggs, the baker’s, stopped selling loaves in many of its shops.

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Isis rising

[audioplayer src="http://rss.acast.com/viewfrom22/michaelgovesfightforjustice/media.mp3" title="Fraser Nelson and Freddy Gray discuss the march of the Islamic State" startat=1785] Listen [/audioplayer]In recent months, as the country went through a general election, our focus has been on our own domestic debates. Meanwhile, the situation in Iraq has deteriorated significantly. After intense fighting, the jihadist group Isis has now taken the city of Ramadi. They already control Fallujah and Mosul. A growing body of opinion says that something must be done, before the group moves on Baghdad or organises a major terror strike over here. But what? There are plenty of reasons not to take action. Our interventions in Iraq have not been successful, to put it mildly.

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National government

From ‘A National Government’, Spectator, 22 May 1915: When we wrote last week there seemed little possibility that our hopes for the formation of a National Government would be fulfilled. Yet on Tuesday a National Government was in process of construction… We have followed the Roman example. We have named a Dictator — but we have put the Dictatorship in commission. Till the war is over there must be, and will be, no thought of who is a Liberal and who a Unionist, or of what the elements in the Cabinet desire. The Administration will have but one thought and one aim — the saving of the nation and the destruction of our enemies. spectator.co.