The Spectator

Saturday

The Spectator

Barometer | 3 September 2011

From our UK edition

The taxes of sin Bonn has introduced a flat-rate tax of €6 a night for prostitutes working in the city, payable at a ticket machine. Attempts to tax prostitution have been made since at least Roman times: a receipt from Roman Egypt suggested that a male prostitute paid four drachmas in tax for a two-month period.     — Sweden has taxed prostitutes since 1982 at the normal rate; workers qualify for sick leave pay and a pension.     — The Netherlands imposes a sales tax of 19 per cent on each act.    — Nevada has proposed a tax at a flat rate of $5 for every sex act.

The Spectator

Portrait of the week | 3 September 2011

From our UK edition

Home In London more than 2,000 had so far been arrested in connection with the August riots, of whom 1,135 had been charged. Nationally, 70 per cent of those who appeared in court were remanded in custody for trial. In more than half of Britain’s postcode areas, the Royal Mail failed to meet its aim of delivering 91.5 per cent of first-class letters the next day, between March and June. BT was given planning permission to remove disused dish-shaped aerials from high up on the BT Tower before they fell off. Scratched depictions of reindeer made more than 12,000 years ago were found in a cave in the Gower peninsula. NF Simpson, the author of One Way Pendulum, died, aged 92.

The Spectator

Leading article: Ten years on

From our UK edition

Historical eras rarely start or finish smoothly. But the tenth anniversary of September 11th next week presents a useful opportunity to reflect on the decade since those attacks — what we have won and where we have lost. Historical eras rarely start or finish smoothly. But the tenth anniversary of September 11th next week presents a useful opportunity to reflect on the decade since those attacks — what we have won and where we have lost. In the immediate aftermath, and facing the prospect of further attacks, Britain and America acted decisively. The first phase of the war in Afghanistan, designed to remove al-Qa’eda training camps, was swift and successful.

The Spectator

Independent thinking

From our UK edition

British education is in a state of flux and uncertainty. This summer’s A-level results have prompted concerns about the number of university places, as too many well-qualified applicants seek to get started in higher education before university fees rise next year. British education is in a state of flux and uncertainty. This summer’s A-level results have prompted concerns about the number of university places, as too many well-qualified applicants seek to get started in higher education before university fees rise next year. At the school level, moreover, many troubling questions persist: are grades still inflating? Can Michael Gove’s free schools rescue the state sector?

Friday

The Spectator

Our apologies

From our UK edition

We apologise if you have had difficulty accessing the site or placing comments on blogposts today. The website has been encountering difficulties. Normal service has now been resumed.

The Spectator

The week that was | 2 September 2011

From our UK edition

Here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the last week. Fraser Nelson explains the dangers of home ownership. James Forsyth reveals that Cameron and Osborne are wary of Vickers’ banking reforms, and evaluates Whitehall’s leaks. Peter Hoskin spots Vince being Vince, and reports on Alistair Darling’s memoirs. David Blackburn relates a day in NATO’s war, and watched Ed Miliband re-open hostilities with the same old weapons. Daniel Korski asks where Gaddafi should be brought to justice. Alex Massie has a look at the latest events in Scottish politics. The Arts Blog tells you how to interview Ozzy Osbourne. The Books Blog says the death of books has been greatly exaggeration. The Business Blog charts the Crossrail row.

Tuesday

The Spectator

Just in case you missed them… | 30 August 2011

From our UK edition

…here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the bank holiday weekend. Fraser Nelson responds to the IPPR’s latest report into employment, and charts the course of Osborne’s jobless recovery. James Forsyth says that energy is likely to be a key political issue this autumn, and previews the Liberal Democrat conference. David Blackburn examines Labour’s latest attack strategy, and has some questions for UKBA and the Home Office. And Martin Bright criticises Theresa May’s overreaction in banning marches.

Monday

The Spectator

CoffeeHousers’ Wall, 29 August – 4 September 2011

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.

Saturday

The Spectator

Letters | 27 August 2011

From our UK edition

Family problems Sir: One can’t help but admire Iain Duncan Smith’s determination to rethink conventional ideas on social policy (‘Gang War’, 20 August). However, it’s not clear what action he has in store for the ‘120,000 families who cause the greatest problems’. The Family Intervention Project that he inherited from New Labour is, if the Department for Education website is to be believed, still in place — despite rather meagre evidence for its efficacy. Originally it was touted as a measure to move problem families into secure housing where their behaviour could be closely monitored. Yet when we examined this programme last year, we found that nearly all the scheme’s participants remained in the same housing.

The Spectator

Leading article: Victory in the air

From our UK edition

Critics of our intervention in Libya said that Colonel Gaddafi’s treatment of his people was not Britain’s direct concern. Critics of our intervention in Libya said that Colonel Gaddafi’s treatment of his people was not Britain’s direct concern. They argued that a prime minister’s job is to defend the national interest, not the rebels in Benghazi. When David Cameron called for a no-fly zone, he was ridiculed at home and outvoted in Brussels. Why interfere in a civil war? Why lose ourselves in another maze of Islamic tribal conflict? The Prime Minister saw it in more simple terms. The West had the means to prevent a massacre, and very little time to do so. It needed to act straight away, and worry about an exit strategy later.

The Spectator

Portrait of the week | 27 August 2011

From our UK edition

HOME David Cameron, the Prime Minister, stood outside 10 Downing Street and commented on events in Libya. ‘This has not been our revolution,’ he said, ‘but we can be proud that we have played our part.’ He had broken off his holiday in Cornwall for a meeting of the National Security Council. He had only just resumed his holiday after having previously flown home from Tuscany for the riots in England. Of the 1,400 people to have appeared in court in connection with the riots, 157 were convicted, 327 bailed and almost 800 remanded in custody. Birmingham police released footage of some of the 11 shots fired at them during the riots.

The Spectator

Barometer: Risky manoeuvres

From our UK edition

A Red Arrows pilot was killed when his plane crashed, the first fatality in the RAF’s aeronautical troupe since 1988. — Aeronautics were once more hazardous. They were pioneered by a San Franciscan, Lincoln Beachey. In 1910 he took flying lessons, crashing on his first and second flights. He went on, in 1911, to entertain crowds by flying over Niagara Falls. — By 1913 he had earned the nickname ‘the man who owns the sky’. In that year he saw a circus picture depicting a plane flying upside down, and performed the feat for the first time on 24 November 1913. — The following year he embarked on a 126-city US tour. In one display he accidentally killed a spectator when he swept her off a hangar with his wingtip.

Friday

The Spectator

The week that was | 26 August 2011

From our UK edition

Here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the last week. Fraser Nelson celebrates the schools revolution, and considers Cameron’s immigration problem. James Forsyth reveals how the government plans to overcome Labour’s education legacy, and reports on an encouraging start for the new Libya. David Blackburn charts the constructive debate between left and right over the riots, and examines thelatest divisions in the Eurozone.    Martin Bright is pleased that the EDL Tower Hamlets march has been cancelled. Rod Liddle is sceptical about our "great victory". Alex Massie explains how the Eurozone is affecting the SNP. The Arts Blog reads the work of Britain’s most tweetwise woman.

Thursday