The Spectator

Thursday

The Spectator

Spectator letters: Why rural churches are so important, and the best use for them

From our UK edition

The presence of a church Sir: The challenge for the Church of England and the wider community is to ensure that our village churches are a blessing and not a burden (‘It takes a village’, 21 February). The Church of England has approximately 16,000 churches, three-quarters of which are listed by English Heritage. Most of these church buildings are in rural areas. There are around 2,000 rural churches with weekly attendance lower than ten. It can be a significant responsibility for those small congregations to look after that church, and one has to recognise that this is a burden that falls on thriving parishes.

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Five more MPs making Malcolm Rifkind’s day rate

From our UK edition

Golden league Some MPs who earn Sir Malcolm Rifkind’s rate of £5,000 a day: — Sir Tony Baldry (Banbury): £3,333 for four hours work as deputy chairman of Woburn Energy. — Greg Barker (Bexhill and Battle): £20,000 for 30 hours providing advice to Ras Al Khaimah Development LLC. — Henry Bellingham (NW Norfolk): £7,500 for 12 hours’ work as non-executive director, Developing Markets Association. — Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham): £15–£20,000 for ‘about 20 hours a year’ as adviser to National Fostering Agency. — John Redwood (Wokingham): £27,941 for 40 hours’ work as chairman of Investment Committee of CS Pan Asset Capital Management Ltd.

The Spectator

Portrait of the week | 26 February 2015

From our UK edition

Home Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the former Conservative foreign secretary, resigned as chairman of Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee and promised not to stand for Parliament in May after he and Jack Straw, the former Labour foreign secretary, were suspended from their parties. This followed their being separately secretly filmed apparently offering their services for payment to reporters from the Daily Telegraph and Channel 4’s Dispatches programme pretending to be acting for a Chinese company. Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, declared that Labour candidates would in future not to be allowed to have second jobs.

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The real problem with our MPs: they’re obsessed with the super-rich

From our UK edition

Had the public been asked, before Monday morning, to identify two MPs who stood for honesty and decency, the names Jack Straw and Sir Malcolm Rifkind would have been prominent among their replies. Both have served as foreign secretary, Straw also as home secretary and justice secretary. Neither seemed unduly driven by personal ambition, nor were they the worst offenders in the expenses scandal. Both are probably right in saying that they have not broken any rules when discussing work opportunities with employees of a Chinese company who turned out to be undercover Daily Telegraph reporters. But it is astonishing that both seemed to believe this sufficient to let them off the hook.

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The Spectator at war: Animal sentries

From our UK edition

From ‘Animal Sentries’, The Spectator, 27 February 1915: OBSERVERS of birds have been much interested by the evidence, which seems to be fairly satisfactory, that pheasants in as remote a part of England as Westmorland were disturbed by the firing in the North Sea on the day of Sir David Beatty's action and showed many signs of excitement. The first evidence came from the Rev. W. M. L. Evans, of Busby, Lincolnshire, who related in a letter to the Times how on Sunday morning, January 24th, his clerk met him with the announcement "There be rare goings on in the North Sea the morn." When asked to explain the clerk said "The pheasants is all over the place with their fuss"; and many other villagers confirmed this statement.

The Spectator

From the archives | 26 February 2015

From our UK edition

From The Spectator, 27 February 1915: Observers of birds have been much interested by the evidence, which seems to be fairly satisfactory, that pheasants in as remote a part of England as Westmorland were disturbed by the firing in the North Sea on the day of Sir David Beatty’s action and showed many signs of excitement. The first evidence came from the Revd W.M.L. Evans, of Busby, Lincolnshire, who related in a letter to the Times how on Sunday morning his clerk met him with the announcement ‘There be rare goings-on in the North Sea the morn.’ When asked to explain the clerk said ‘The pheasants is all over the place with their fuss’; and many other villagers confirmed this statement.

Wednesday

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MPs hang out with the wealthy so is it any wonder their worldview is warped?

From our UK edition

Had the public been asked, before Monday morning, to identify two MPs who stood for honesty and decency, the names Jack Straw and Sir Malcolm Rifkind would have been prominent among their replies. Both have served as foreign secretary, Straw also as home secretary and justice secretary. Neither seemed unduly driven by personal ambition, nor were they the worst offenders in the expenses scandal. Both are probably right in saying that they have not broken any rules when discussing work opportunities with employees of a Chinese company who turned out to be undercover Daily Telegraph reporters. But it is astonishing that both seemed to believe this sufficient to let them off the hook.

The Spectator

The Spectator at war: The price of failure

From our UK edition

From ‘The Attack on the Dardanelles’, The Spectator, 27 February 1915: THE British public have recognized the importance of the attack on the Dardanelles. They have seen instinctively that it means a great deal more than the mere bombardment of the vulnerable points offered by the enemy's forts on the European and Asiatic sides of the gateway to Constantinople. It may be worth while, then, to show in more detail the significance of the action, and what are the results likely to ensue—provided that the general course of events is favourable to the Allies. Let us begin by saying, however, that, should the operations for any reason be temporarily unsuccessful, it would be most foolish to feel anxiety or even special disappointment.

Tuesday

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The Spectator at war: Romantic bombardment

From our UK edition

From ‘News of the Week’, The Spectator, 27 February 1915: A MOVEMENT which will appeal to many people as the most significant and romantic in the war was begun on Friday week, when an Anglo-French fleet appeared off the Dardanelles and bombarded the forts. Early in the morning Cape Relies and Kum Kaleh were bombarded with deliberate long-range fire. Considerable effect was produced on two of the forts. Two others were frequently hit, but as they were open earthworks it was difficult to estimate the damage. The forts, being outranged, were not able to reply. At 2.45 p.m. some of the battleships were ordered to engage the forts at closer range with secondary armament. The forts on both sides of the entrance then opened fire, and were engaged at moderate ranges.

Saturday

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The Spectator at war: Compulsory purchase

From our UK edition

From ‘Pitfalls in Bookland’, The Spectator, 20 February 1915: EVERY bookman knows that the taste for buying books inevitably outruns the capacity for reading them. At first a man buys a book only when he wants it vehemently—when he is so anxious to enjoy it that he despatches the preface while he is waiting for his 'bus, and runs through the first three chapters in the suburban train. Then he begins to buy books because he will want them some day in the future; and he puts them on his shelves and forgets about them, and goes out to buy more. After this he becomes rapidly shameless and buys for all sorts of reasons.

Friday

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The Spectator at war: Marching orders

From our UK edition

From ‘The Psychology of Drill’, The Spectator, 20 February 1915: One is tempted to divide all men under drill into two classes—the precipitate and the tardy. Every one who has listened to a drill instructor's words knows that the first part of a command is cautionary. For instance, in "Right—turn" there is a pause between the two words, and the movement to the right takes place on the word "turn." Some men cannot prevent themselves from moving at the word "right" Others are late on the second word. Surely this tendency must correspond to some constitutional temperament or innate mental quality. Shall we call the early movers impatient men and the late ones lethargic or slow-witted?

Thursday