A very unusual State of the Union
From our US edition
Plus: The Republican response & Congress moves on immigration
The Spectator
Friday
Thursday
Letters: decarbonisation is futile
What’s the point? Sir: Your editorial (‘Net loss’, 2 March) sets out how the decarbonisation industry is a net drain on the British economy. While you mention that the UK has already decarbonised faster than any other European country, the fact that the UK produces less than 1 per cent of global carbon emissions to
Which upstarts parties have won by-elections?
Polls apart When was the last time an upstart party not represented by George Galloway won a UK by-election? – In November 2014 Ukip won by-elections in both Clacton and Rochester and Strood. In each case the winner was the sitting MP: Douglas Carswell and Mark Reckless, who had defected from the Conservatives. – A
2641: Mastermind - solution
Leonardo da Vinci (29/28) painted ‘Vitruvian Man’ (3A), ‘The Last Supper’ (1D), ‘Salvator Mundi’ (13D) and his masterpiece ‘Mona Lisa’(38/37). First prize Chris Edwards, Pudsey, Leeds Runners-up Hugh Green, Petersfield, Hampshire; Trish Baldwin, Chorley, Lancashire
Portrait of the week: Budgets, by-elections and Big Brother
Home In the Budget, Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, spoke of ‘long-term growth’. He cut National Insurance by 2p in the pound, saving the average worker £450 a year but pensioners nothing. A new ‘British Isa’ would allow an extra £5,000 a year tax-free investment. Tax arrangements for non-doms would be changed. The
What do voters have to thank the Tories for?
Last November Jeremy Hunt announced what he proclaimed was ‘the biggest tax cut on work since the 1980s’. He cut employee National Insurance from 12 per cent to 10 per cent, yet to his great disappointment, the polls didn’t budge. This week he decided to double down, lowering NI again, to 8 per cent. ‘The
Parliament and the press
Attempts by the Emirati government to buy The Spectator and the Telegraph through RedBird IMI, one of its state investment vehicles, pose a conundrum. There is no existing law against such a deal because until this point safeguards have not been needed. No autocracy has ever before attempted to buy a leading national newspaper in
Wednesday
The big lessons from Super Tuesday
From our US edition
What’s next for Nikki Haley, Biden’s ‘uncommitted’ threat & more
Monday
Nikki Haley dances on her own grave
From our US edition
Plus: SCOTUS rules on Trump ballot access & Super Tuesday preview
Friday
Trump and Biden’s border battle
From our US edition
Plus: Media facing mass layoffs & Haley visits DC
Thursday
Letters: Rod Liddle is on the side of experts
Work to do Sir: I agree with Kate Andrews’s diagnosis: the nation’s mental health is appalling and a major barrier to our economic prosperity (‘Sick list’, 24 February). I agree with her criticism of the treatment offered by the health service: we are failing to restore people to working health. Antidepressants are handed out like
2640: Double entry – solution
The unclued lights each contain a DOUBLE letter in the middle. First prize Sue Dyson, Poynton, Stockport, Cheshire Runners-up Geoff Hollas, London W12; Gill Wayne, London SW9
Which year was the worst for strikes?
Populist roots Where did the term ‘populist’ come from? The original Populist party grew out of the Farmers’ Alliance, a movement set up to fight corporate interests in the US in the 1880s. It then joined with other minor parties to fight the 1892 presidential election under the Populist banner. Its candidate James B. Weaver
Net-zero targets have hamstrung British prosperity
Britain’s ‘net-zero economy’ is booming, creating more better-paid jobs than any other sector, but it is all being put at risk by the government’s reversal on policies on electric vehicles and heat pumps. That, at any rate, is what the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) wants us
Portrait of the week: Anderson’s outburst and Biden’s ceasefire prediction
Home Lee Anderson, a former Conservative party deputy chairman, had the whip withdrawn after responding to an article by Suella Braverman that said: ‘The Islamists, the extremists and the anti-Semites are in charge now.’ He said: ‘I don’t actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is
Wednesday
Hunter’s big day in Congress
From our US edition
Plus: McConnell steps down
Monday
Ronna McDaniel hits the eject button
From our US edition
Plus: Hunter Biden tells all about his addiction
Friday
Trump’s unlikely ally in the NYC case
From our US edition
Plus: Will Nikki Haley and Dean Phillips team up to take out the gerontocracy?
Thursday
Letters: Rishi’s ‘road tour’ is not a good idea
Navy to the fore Sir: In Eliot Wilson’s stimulating article highlighting the lack of capability within our armed forces (‘Losing battle’, 17 February), he comments on the reduced size of the army and the fact that it would be pressed to contribute a brigade to any conflict in the near future. This reminded me of
Does any country allow children to vote?
Baby voters The Lib Dem Polly Mackenzie proposed giving people the right to vote from birth, with a proxy vote going to the under-tens. Does any country allow children to vote? – No country has a voting age lower than 16, although Iran allowed 15-year-olds to vote until 2007. Those countries that do allow 16-