Bernie 6
The Spectator
Saturday
Ajs 4
Holland 4
Global Britain
David Cameron did not expect to spend Christmas being toasted as a conquering hero. The Prime Minister fully intended to sign a new EU Treaty that night in Brussels, subject to a modest condition that the City of London would be exempt from even further regulation. But the French refused him so much as a fig leaf, and Nicolas Sarkozy went off to cast Britain as the villain of the summit. Had talks started at 7 a.m., rather than 7 p.m., they might have ended more amiably. But much of history is decided by frayed tempers in negotiating rooms. It could scarcely have ended better for the Prime Minister. He is aligned on this definitive issue not just with his own party but with the British public, who back his decision by a margin of four-to-one.
Portrait of the year | 17 December 2011
JanuaryThe government introduced a Health Bill to give control of the NHS budget to GPs. Andy Coulson resigned as head of communications at Downing Street. Prisoners set Ford open prison on fire. Gerry Rafferty, the singer, died, aged 63. Nigel Pargetter fell to his death from the roof at Lower Loxley. A fox weighing 26.5lb, suspected of having killed a cat, was trapped at Maidstone. President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled Tunisia in the face of a popular uprising. Crowds rioted in Cairo. Floods drove people from their homes in Sri Lanka, Brazil and Australia. Gabrielle Giffords, a Democratic congresswoman, was wounded by a shot to the head at Tucson, Arizona. Three thousand dead blackbirds fell on the city of Beebe, Arkansas. FebruaryThe government dropped plans to sell off woodland.
Letters | 17 December 2011
Enough BrusselsSir: Owen Paterson (‘Dave’s big push’, 10 December) is absolutely right to suggest that we should use the EU summit to renegotiate our relationship with Europe. The Prime Minister’s wielding of the veto offers real scope for change. He must now be bold enough to seize the moment. This fundamental renegotiation of our relationship needs to be based on free trade, competitiveness and growth, and not on political union and dead-weight regulation. This is not some grand utopian vision — it exists today. Switzerland in particular has an excellent relationship with the EU, enjoys easy access to its markets without burdensome regulation, and prospers as a result.
Friday
The week that was | 16 December 2011
Here is a selection of posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the past week: Kelvin MacKenzie asks if the Guardian will apologise to Rupert Murdoch. Fraser Nelson looks at where the Europe debate left us, and says Cameron's having trouble articulating the government's growth strategy because there isn't one. James Forstyth thinks Cameron pummelled Miliband in PMQs, and reports on Cameron's cautionary words to an applauding 1922 Committee. Peter Hoskin takes a look at Labour's latest attempt to reach out to Lib Dems, says Miliband's position is foggy and nebulous, and reveals Nick Clegg's Chistmas recipe. Jonathan Jones calls Mitt Romney's $10,000 bet a big mistake, and takes a detailed look at the latest public and private employment stats.
Tuesday
Christmas holiday poetry competition
Spectator readers have gone where seasoned pros Alice Oswald and John Kinsella feared to tread: by writing a poem about the present ascent of money. The entries for the last online poetry competition were of a typically witty standard, many thanks for submitting them. Particular praise goes to the poems written by Basil Ransome Davis, Sam Gwynn and Didi Mae Hand. But the winner of the prized bottle of Pol Roger is Felix Bungay for this amusing verse on Britain’s present financial ills: 'Our monetary system isn’t sound. It’s built on very shaky ground.Now as it all collapses, “blame capitalism” scream the chattering classes.But free markets aren’t to blame, when central bankers run the game.Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Monday
CoffeeHousers’ Wall, 12-18 December 2011
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.
Just in case you missed them… | 12 December 2011
…here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the weekend. Fraser Nelson says Cameron's veto will not leave Britain isolated. James Forsyth thinks the UK's 'influence' in the EU is overrated and reports on Nick Clegg's attack on Tory eurosceptics. Peter Hoskin examines the Lib Dem response to Cameron's move, and picks ten modern Christmas classics for the Arts Blog. Daniel Korski looks at where Cameron can go from here, and says Sarkozy could cause trouble for the government. And Kwasi Kwarteng MP tells the Book Blog what he's reading and what he'd recommend.
