Let Libya split Sir: Back in the days of Good King Idris, I did archaeological fieldwork in Cyrenaica in which I traced the main water supply of ancient Ptolemais from its source to the city’s cisterns. I came to know my patch pretty well and I feel that Peter Jones (‘The two Libyas’, 26 March)
Flowering wilderness A Bangor university study has claimed that Antarctica has become greener as the climate in the Western Peninsula has warmed. While most of Antarctica is under permanent snow and ice, one per cent of the continent’s surface area is warm enough in the summer for the snow to melt and expose two species
Home At a conference on Libya held in London, representatives of more than 40 nations and international bodies declared that Colonel Gaddafi’s regime had ‘lost legitimacy and will be held accountable for their actions’. Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, told delegates that attacks would continue until Colonel Gaddafi met UN terms, and that
How the paparazzi must have groaned about Prince William’s low-key stag do, which took place in secret last weekend. Last weekend, a relatively peaceful anti-cuts march through the capital was infiltrated by a small number of criminals armed with crowbars and intent on destruction. Their handiwork defined the march. All it took were a few
Here is a selection of articles made at Spectator.co.uk over the past week. Fraser Nelson says we need a rational debate about climate change. James Forsyth reveals that the coalition is straining under the pressure of AV, and comments on Boris’ ability to infuriate Labour. Peter Hoskin introduces another Libyan question, and has a memo
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
…here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the weekend. Fraser Nelson praises diversion, and reveals how much we’re still paying for Gordon Brown. James Forsyth thinks that Ed Miliband made a strategic mistake by marching without an alternative, and explains why Cameron is so keen on start-ups. Peter Hoskin discerns nerves in
All in the delivery Sir: Toby Young’s opinions about Cardinal Vaughan school (Status anxiety, 19 March) are subjective and misguided. When seeking a new headteacher, our governing body will be looking for the best person to fill that role and that is all. Cardinal Vaughan is rated ‘outstanding’ and there is every commitment, from the
Night shift The BBC director general, Mark Thompson, says the corporation may cut the £150 million a year it spends on night-time programming, with the ‘theoretical possibility’ that insomniac viewers might be left with a black screen. — Although it is now taken for granted, 24-hour television is a relatively recent phenomenon. It wasn’t until
Home David Cameron, the Prime Minister, said that attacks on Libya to protect civilians from Colonel Gaddafi were ‘necessary, legal and right’. He told the Commons that the UN resolution authorising them ‘explicitly does not provide legal authority for action to bring about Gaddafi’s removal from power by military means’. MPs voted by 557 to
Every time George Osborne has been in serious trouble, he has produced a tax cut — and it has worked perfectly. Osborne can go further Every time George Osborne has been in serious trouble, he has produced a tax cut — and it has worked perfectly. He did it again in his budget, and the
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Here is a selection of posts about this week’s Budget, made at Spectator.co.uk. Coffee House ran a live blog of the Chancellor’s statement and the Leader of the Opposition’s response. Fraser Nelson has ten questions for the OBR. James Forsyth considers the politics of Osborne’s measures. Peter Hoskin wonders if Osborne has done enough to
Coffee House ran a live blog of the Chancellor’s statement and the Leader of the Opposition’s response. In addition to that, here is a selection of posts from Spectator.co.uk on the Budget: Fraser Nelson says Osborne’s cuts have got softer. James Forsyth considers the Budget’s political implications, and witnesses Ed Balls’ mischievous response. Peter Hoskin
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
…here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the weekend. Fraser Nelson makes some Budget predictions, and describes a threat to British liberty. James Forsyth explains why Osborne is so keen to unite National Insurance and Income Tax, and analyses the weekend’s events in Libya. David Blackburn notes that Sarkozy is being lauded
On suffrage Sir: In his article ‘Failure of the Feminists’ (12 March), Paul Johnson asserts that some women would have got the vote in Britain well before 1914 if ‘feminists’ had been willing to accept property qualifications. In fact the stated aim of the major suffrage societies was to achieve the vote on the same
Midsomer and Soham The producer of ITV’s murder-mystery series Midsomer Murders was suspended after saying he didn’t want black characters on the show because it was ‘the last bastion of Englishness’. While many English villages still reflect Midsomer in their colour, it is over 200 years since a black man first settled in the English
Home David Cameron, the Prime Minister, told the Commons that a no-fly zone over Libya was ‘perfectly deliverable’. Next day, G8 foreign ministers meeting in Paris failed to agree to one. Britain, France and Lebanon put a resolution to the United Nations. Chris Huhne, the Energy Secretary, said ‘We should not rush to judgment’ on
The extraordinary images from Japan over the past week evoke not only sympathy but awe. The damage wreaked by the natural disasters, in both human and economic terms, has been colossal. Entire communities have been reduced to little more than shattered glass and driftwood. The death toll is already well into the thousands, with more