The Spectator

Thursday

The Spectator

Barometer | 11 July 2013

Family games Andy Murray said that as a child he lived in the shadow of his elder brother Jamie, who was then thought the better tennis player. Some other sporting brothers: — As a teenager Wayne Lineker was thought to be more talented than his elder brother Gary. While Gary went on to captain England, and score 48 goals for the national team, Wayne dropped out of football and opened several bars in Spain. His latest venture is an appearance on ITV2 show The Only Way is Essex. — While Bobby Charlton was given an apprenticeship, his elder brother Jack sought work in a coal mine before a talent scout for Leeds United spotted him in an amateur match. He went on to join Bobby in England’s World Cup winning team and later succeeded as a manager.

The Spectator

Portrait of the week | 11 July 2013

Home There was a fine game of hunt-the-issue over the process to find a replacement, as parliamentary candidate in Falkirk, for the Labour MP Eric Joyce (who had decided not to stand again after being convicted of assaulting a Labour whip in the Strangers’ Bar). The union Unite was accused by Ed Miliband, the leader of the Labour party, of signing up its members to the Falkirk constituency Labour party without their knowledge. Unite’s chosen candidate Karie Murphy had been the officer manager of Tom Watson MP. Mr Watson resigned as Labour’s national election co-ordinator. The next day, Mr Miliband referred the imbroglio at Falkirk to the Scottish police, but not before a Tory MP, Henry Smith, had written to the Chief Constable alleging fraud.

Tuesday

The Spectator

Ed Miliband’s speech on reforming Labour’s relationship with trade unions: full text

Let me start by saying how pleased I am to be here at the St Bride’s Foundation. Only a few hundred yards from where the Labour Party was founded over a century ago. And especially to be here with so many community organisers and Labour Party members from right across the country. I am here today to talk about how we can build a different kind of politics. A politics which is truly rooted in every community of the country. And reaches out to people across every walk of life. That is what I mean by One Nation. A country where everyone plays their part. And a politics where they can. It is about a politics that is open. Transparent. And trusted. Exactly the opposite of the politics we’ve recently seen in Falkirk. A politics that was closed.

Friday

The Spectator

The best books section in the world

Many guests at the Spectator’s summer party on Wednesday night expressed their admiration for the magazine’s books section, which is edited by Mark Amory and Clare Asquith. Consistently strong, they said. What a cracking section, said an excited Australian gentleman. It's a tremendous honour to have such support, and we're grateful to all our readers.

The Spectator

Sir Ian Kennedy’s speech on MPs’ pay

The Chair of IPSA, Sir Ian Kennedy, gave a speech at the IPPR this morning on MPs' pay.  Here's what he said: There’s never a good time to do anything about MPs’ pay. The pressing issues of the moment always make it a bad time. This is the sad history of attempts to introduce changes in the way MPs are remunerated. It’s a history that goes back centuries. It’s a history punctuated from time to time by some long overdue catch-up or some kind of fix. There was even a time during the Middle Ages when each community paid its own MP. A number of cunning plans emerged - some communities paid their MPs in fish or local produce so as not to have to find the money. And, of course, there was always the subtext: should MPs be paid at all.

Thursday