The Spectator, Author at The Spectator

Saturday

December 31, 2011

Chiller appSir: Niall Ferguson (‘On being called a racist’, 17/24 December) says that ‘the freedom of the press does not extend to defamation’. This is an odd idea, but one which Ferguson shares with the governments of those countries in which journalists are routinely imprisoned for insulting the powerful. In England, defamation is a civil offence and claims of libel must be won through reasoned argument, not simply asserted. He claims that, in the London Review of Books review of Civilisation, Pankaj Mishra accuses him of racism. He says that ‘expressions of racism are now defined as criminal acts in Britain’. They are not.

The Spectator

Barometer | 31 December 2011

From our UK edition

100 candlesSome of those who are due to be celebrating hundredth birthdays in 2012: 3 February Mary Carlisle, US actress who starred alongside Bing Crosby in Doctor Rhythm 8 April Alois Brunner, assistant to Adolf Eichmann, never brought to justice and still believed to be living under the name Dr Georg Fischer in Damascus 28 April Kaneto Shindo, Japanese film director best known for making films about the bombing of his home city, Hiroshima 4 July Said Akl, Lebanese poet and nationalist 1 October Kathleen Ollerenshaw, mathematician who overcame deafness to become head of mathematics at Manchester University and education adviser to Mrs Thatcher 17 December Ted Short, former education secretary and deputy leader of the Labour party Titanic connection1912 has.

The Spectator

Portrait of the week | 31 December 2011

From our UK edition

HomeThe Duke of Edinburgh, aged 90, left Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire four days after arriving by helicopter for an emergency operation to fit a stent in a blocked coronary artery. ‘It is tragedy that often draws out the most and the best from the human spirit,’ the Queen said in her Christmas broadcast, recorded earlier. In an interview with RTE, David Cameron, the Prime Minister, said that the Queen’s visit to Ireland in May had been a ‘game-changer’ in Anglo-Irish relations. The body of Christopher Hitchens, who died aged 62, was donated for medical research. Kauto Star won an unprecedented fifth King George VI Chase at Kempton. ••• Mr Cameron said that he supported minimum pricing for alcohol.

The Spectator

How to write a diary

From our UK edition

Over the years, many intriguing, famous and noteworthy individuals have written a diary for The Spectator. Some good, some bad. Some exhilarating, some excruciating. But this week’s diarist offers a timely lesson in how to do it properly. The best Speccie diaries are both personal and professional, idiosyncratic yet informative, quirky yet insightful, giving the reader a unique ringside perspective into important topical events. Ideally, they are devoid of the spin and crass self-promotion normally found in the mainstream press, and delve not only into the mindset but also the emotional vulnerabilities of the diarist at a decisive, reflective or simply amusing point in their lives.

The Spectator

Escape from gangland

From our UK edition

The murder of a teenager on Boxing Day, stabbed during a brawl over a pair of trainers in Oxford Street, offers another horrifying glimpse of the culture of violence being incubated in our sink estates. Police have not yet confirmed if this was another gang killing, but it seems to fit a sickening pattern. There was Negus McClean, killed in April after he confronted a gang who tried to steal his brother’s mobile phone. Then Nicholas Pearton, stabbed to death in a shop doorway in May by a group of schoolboys. At each outrage politicians denounce criminality and the police promise crackdowns. Then things carry on as before. It’s unclear at what point children killing children became part of British national life.

Monday

December 26, 2011

The Spectator

CoffeeHousers’ Wall, Boxing Day – 1 January

From our UK edition

Welcome to the latest CoffeeHousers' Wall. For those who haven't come across the Wall before, it's a post we put up each Monday, on which — providing your writing isn't libellous, crammed with swearing, or offensive to common decency — you'll be able to say whatever you like in the comments section. There is no topic, so there's no need to stay 'on topic', which means you'll be able to debate with each other more freely and extensively. There's also no constraint on the length of what you write — so, in effect, you can become Coffee House bloggers. Anything's fair game, from political stories in your local paper, to chat about the latest football results.

Monday

December 19, 2011

The Spectator

CoffeeHousers’ Wall, 19 December – Christmas Day

From our UK edition

Welcome to the latest CoffeeHousers' Wall. For those who haven't come across the Wall before, it's a post we put up each Monday, on which — providing your writing isn't libellous, crammed with swearing, or offensive to common decency — you'll be able to say whatever you like in the comments section. There is no topic, so there's no need to stay 'on topic', which means you'll be able to debate with each other more freely and extensively. There's also no constraint on the length of what you write — so, in effect, you can become Coffee House bloggers. Anything's fair game, from political stories in your local paper, to chat about the latest football results.

The Spectator

Just in case you missed them… | 19 December 2011

From our UK edition

...here are some of the posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the weekend: James Forsyth spots another sign of coalition splits over Europe, and gives his take on the coalition's marriage troubles. Peter Hoskin marks the death of Vaclav Havel, and wonders what phase of the coalition we're in now. Melanie McDonagh says that David Cameron is missing the point: Christian values require Christianity. Jonathan Jones reports on the latest in the Republican nomination race. The Spectator Books Blog speaks to Caroline Lucas MP. And the Spectator Arts Blog has another top ten albums of 2011 list.