The Spectator

Thursday

The Spectator

Reasons for Ed Miliband to be cheerful (we had to stretch a bit)

From our UK edition

Election omens Reasons for Ed Miliband to feel confident in 2015: — Only three parliaments since 1945 have run to their full five-year term. The subsequent general elections, in 1964, 1997 and 2010, all resulted in a change of government. But John Major did hold on in 1992, having gone to the country four years and ten months after the last election. — In four elections since 1945, the three main parties have been led by MPs who represent constituencies in each of the three countries which make Great Britain: 1970, 1979, 1983 and 1987. The Conservatives won them all. This year’s election, assuming no change of party leadership between now and May, will be only the second one since 1945 when all three main party leaders had constituencies in England.

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Letters: Why Ofsted should be disbanded

From our UK edition

Disband Ofsted Sir: Dennis Sewell’s damning indictment of Ofsted (‘Ofsted in the dock’, 13 December) stopped short of the logical conclusion of disbanding it, arguing instead that the chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, should be supported in his efforts to purge inspectors promoting the progressive educational agenda that the coalition inherited. We’ve been here before. Chris Woodhead was chief inspector for six years, and despite his best efforts concluded that his organisation had ‘become a part of the [progressive] establishment, and arguably the most lethal part…’. Wilshaw has been chief inspector for almost three years, and apparently is only just discovering the extent to which his inspectors are still promoting fashionable dogma.

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What David Cameron must do to win (properly this time)

From our UK edition

Almost exactly five years ago, the Conservatives fired the starting gun for a general election — and shot themselves in the foot. ‘We can’t go on like this,’ said the poster, next to a picture of an airbrushed David Cameron. ‘I’ll cut the deficit, not the NHS.’ What on earth did it mean? No one seemed sure. As early as January 2010, it was horribly clear: here was a muddled party, preparing to fight an election campaign with a muddled message. Little wonder it ended in a muddled election result. This time, it should be different. The Tories have a professional, Lynton Crosby, running their campaign. He should be able to point out the basics: a clear message is required, and it needs to be repeated.

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Portrait of the week | 1 January 2015

From our UK edition

Home King’s Cross railway station was out of operation, stranding thousands, and Paddington saw badly delayed services after Network Rail engineering works overran beyond Christmas and Boxing Day. Connection with the internet for Xbox and PlayStation games consoles was disabled on Christmas Day and a group of hackers called Lizard Squad said it had interfered. Before the end of 2014, Mandy Rice-Davies, who had come to public attention during the Profumo scandal of 1963, died, aged 70; John Freeman, the journalist and interviewer on the BBC television programme, Face to Face, died, aged 99; and Jane Bown, the outstanding black-and-white photograph portraitist, died, aged 89. Sales of sherry rose 15 per cent in 2014, Marks & Spencer reported.

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The Spectator at war: Taking stock

From our UK edition

From 'The War and the New Year', The Spectator, 2 January 1915: THOUGH the corning of the New Year makes, and could make, no difference at the front, it does present a convenient opportunity for taking stock of the military situation. The year 1915 finds the Allies and their enemies in a condition approaching stalemate. Neither side has won, neither side has lost, and neither side is able to make a new move with the pieces actually on the Board. Of course, no analogies of this kind are perfect ; but, roughly speaking, the sacrifices which the Allies in the western theatre of the war would have to make in order to carry the German trenches are, for the present at any rate, held too great to to worth making.

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From the archives | 1 January 2015

From our UK edition

From ‘News of the Week’, The Spectator, 2 January 1915: The first German aeroplanes which have visited us since the beginning of the war appeared on Thursday and Friday of last week. On Thursday week, about eleven o’clock in the morning, an aeroplane circled over Dover and dropped a bomb, which fell in a garden and did very little damage. British aircraft started up from the ground in pursuit, but the German aeroplane disappeared in the mist over the sea, after having been visible for only a few seconds.

Wednesday

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The date when Julie Burchill really was made of money, and Richard Madeley’s unfortunately timed break-up

From our UK edition

Julie Burchill I've never really been on a date - I got with my first husband as a teenager, then married two further men one after the other. But in the very early days of courting my husband Dan (who is thirteen years younger than me) I was very keen to appear the worldly 35-year-old and when I told him 'We'll take a suite at the Imperial in Torquay for a week this summer - I always do that', I was determined to show him how sophisticated I could be. We rocked up to this gorgeous hotel (it really was splendid in the 1990s) and made ourselves, ahem, at home. Then I took him to the balcony and pointed down to the deserted swimming pool: ‘Let’s go!’ Dan and I both like to drink, and I'd bought a huge bottle of vodka on the way.

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The Spectator at war: Christmas indulgence

From our UK edition

From 'The Great Improvisation', The Spectator, 2 January 1915: Though we fully recognize that praise is dangerous, we must at Christmastide indulge ourselves with a little praise of the British people, or rather of the British Army, for that part of the British nation which really deserves praise is in the Army. Once again, what we are doing, and doing exceedingly well, though in a sense it is a disgrace for any nation to have to do it, either well or ill, is improvisation. We are improvising an Army in a way that probably no other nation in the world, except the American, which, after all, is only the other side of the same medal, could accomplish.

Sunday

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The Spectator at war: Egypt and her future

From our UK edition

From The Spectator, 26 December 1914: Egypt, as the Royal Proclamation in effect, if not in word, shows, has passed into the British Empire. She is as much a part of it as any of the Feudatory States of India. Technically we have not annexed Egypt, nor do we desire to do so, since we are able to show a consideration for Mohammedan feeling which we are very glad to show, and for which Mohammedans will be grateful. In the case of a country like India, where things are on a gigantic scale and where there is a great mixture of creeds and races, direct British rule may very often be essential to efficient government. Lord Cromer was very wise when he told us that the thing for which Oriental peoples are most grateful is low taxation.