The Spectator

Thursday

The Spectator

Guests

From our UK edition

‘OK...shall we call a cab or are you going to persuade us to stay and sample a bottle of the fine Rioja I spied in the kitchen?’

The Spectator

Pets

From our UK edition

‘I just love that little fluffy grey kitten!’ ‘No chance! Just look at those sad big eyes on that gerbil!’

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Jury

From our UK edition

‘Not only have we reached a verdict, Your Honour, we’ve had some T-shirts made.’

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Barometer | 3 January 2013

From our UK edition

The Seacole empire Education Secretary Michael Gove says he wants to rewrite the national curriculum in history to concentrate on figures such as Cromwell and Churchill instead of Mary Seacole. Some institutions which have been named after Seacole in recent years: — Mary Seacole House, ‘mental health drop-in centre primarily for black and ethnic communities

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Letters | 3 January 2013

From our UK edition

Caught in the ratchet Sir: Melissa Kite (‘Hunting for Dave’, 29 December) wonders why the Prime Minister won’t reopen the question of hunting. Is it not just possible that the reason given is the real reason — he knows he could not win a vote on it? There is no point in leading the troops

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Over the cliff

From our UK edition

There is something about the dying embers of a year which causes the world to concentrate on entirely the wrong story. In the last days of 1999 many were fixated on the so-called ‘millennium bug’ rather than on the real computing crisis: the absurd over-valuations of internet companies which was soon to lead to stock

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Portrait of the week | 3 January 2013

From our UK edition

Home On the eve of a speech by David Cameron, the Prime Minister, on the EU, Andrew Duff MEP, the leader of the Union of European Federalists, suggested that Britain could be offered second-class ‘associate member’ status in the EU. ‘If the British cannot support the trend towards more integration in Europe,’ Jacques Delors, the

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What’s wrong with foreign aid?

From our UK edition

Justine Greening is a robust politician and bean counter who reportedly used extremely fruity language when told she was being reshuffled to the International Development Department. Even though the new Secretary of State has made a strong start in her role, announcing the end of Britain’s aid programme to India by 2015 and suspending bilateral