The Spectator

Friday

The Spectator

The week that was | 9 September 2011

From our UK edition

Here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the last week. Freddy Gray says the riots were informed by a "hip hop culture" and reports on Wednesday night's Republican debate.  Fraser Nelson asks "Who were the rioters?" and says Osborne should drop the 50p tax rate. James Forsyth reports on the breakdown of relations between Nick Clegg and his Tory Cabinet colleagues and reveals that Eric Pickles will be in charge of dealing with Britain's "problem families". David Wooding says the News of the World fire is still burning strong. Justin Marozzi, our man in Triploi, reveals the contents of a Gaddafi's school notebook and says that oil will be central to Libya's future.

Thursday

The Spectator

Who cares about abortion?

From our UK edition

Thanks to Nadine Dorries' amendment to the Health and Social Care bill, abortion rights have been discussed a great deal this week – both inside and outside of Parliament. In her cover article for this week's Spectator (out today), Mary Wakefield says that this debate has revealed a "strange and unpleasant consensus... that abortion is not just a necessary evil, but a jolly good thing." In the piece, Mary asks "Why are we so keen on abortion?": "The fact is that unless you’re a fan of infanticide you’ve got to agree that somewhere along the slippery ascent from that little Alka-Seltzer of pluripotent cells to the birth of an actual baby, your child becomes human.

Monday

The Spectator

CoffeeHousers’ Wall, 5-11 September

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… | 5 September 2011

From our UK edition

…here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the weekend. Hamish Macdonnell reveals Murdo Fraser's plans to disband the Scottish Conservatives. Fraser Nelson supports the idea, and says Nick Clegg's opposition to profit-making schools is self-defeating. James Forsyth says the government won't back down on its planning reforms. In Triploi, Justin Marozzi visits the remains of the Gaddafi family fortress. And on the Arts Blog, Jerry Hayes talks to Hannah Rothschild about her Peter Mandelson documentary.

Saturday