The Spectator

Tuesday

The Spectator

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

From our UK edition

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

From our UK edition

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

From our UK edition

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