The Spectator

Saturday

The Spectator

Barometer | 11 June 2011

From our UK edition

Suicide country The BBC is to broadcast a documentary featuring a man committing suicide at the Dignitas clinic in Zurich. Where else in the world can assisted suicide be carried out without attracting a murder charge? Netherlands: prosecutions for voluntary euthanasia effectively ceased in 1973, after an agreement between doctors and the government. Formally legalised in 2001 by Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide Act 2001 Belgium: euthanasia legalised for adults in 2002.

The Spectator

Portrait of the week | 11 June 2011

From our UK edition

Home David Cameron, the Prime Minister, gave five ‘guarantees’ about the National Health Service, including a pledge not to endanger universal coverage and to increase spending on the NHS. He also said that hospital doctors and nurses would be involved in new consortiums to plan and buy care, not just GPs. Wayne Rooney, the 25-year-old footballer, had a hair transplant. Ryan Giggs, the 37-year-old footballer, was said to have spent £30,000 on hair replacement. A man, part of whose skull was blown off when he tried to steal some live cabling, was given a 12-month community order by Leeds magistrates. Energy prices rose again. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to make their home at Kensington Palace when they are in London.

The Spectator

Leading article: True welfare

From our UK edition

If Blake were writing ‘Jerusalem’ today, he would find an easy contemporary equivalent for his ‘dark, satanic mills’. If Blake were writing ‘Jerusalem’ today, he would find an easy contemporary equivalent for his ‘dark, satanic mills’. In our attempt to build a welfare state, we have created a national disgrace: welfare ghettoes, which scar every British city. Over the Labour years, millions of people were shovelled away in edge-of-town housing estates and paid (in benefits) to stay there. They were categorised so as to not show up on the unemployment count. They were replaced in the jobs market by an industrious immigrant class.

Friday

The Spectator

The week that was | 10 June 2011

From our UK edition

Here are some of the posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the past week: Fraser Nelson looks at the latest efforts to fix Britain's economic dysfunction, and explains George Osborne's fiscal flexibility. James Forsyth says that David Cameron is a leader in need of a People, and argues that the coalition's u-turns come at a price. Peter Hoskin writes a five-point guide to the Ed Balls files, and observes that the welfare revolution will require much time and effort. David Blackburn reports on the Archbishop of Canterbury's latest political outburst, and watches Cameron embark on a charm defensive over the government's NHS reforms. Martin Bright welcomes the government's latest anti-terror measures.

Monday

The Spectator

CoffeeHousers’ Wall, 6 June – 13 June

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… | 6 June 2011

From our UK edition

…here is a selection of posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the weekend. James Forsyth welcomes the government’s moves to stop the sexualisation of children, and thinks that Downing Street’s political operation is in danger of faltering. Peter Hoskin reacts to the foundation of the New College of Humanities, and laments the return of the signatories war. David Blackburn notes that Ed Balls is opening up a new front with the same old tricks, and sketches the debate over deploying attack helicopters in Libya. Daniel Korski reports on worrying developments on the Golan Heights. And Rod Liddle reckons that the C-word is no longer English’s most heinous.

Saturday

The Spectator

Letters | 4 June 2011

From our UK edition

Spectator readers respond to recent articles Target practice Sir: It is simply wrong to say — as an anonymous officer claimed in your magazine (‘Target Men’, 28 May) — that every facet of the Metropolitan Police is now dominated or disfigured by targets or quotas. However, if we are to be truly accountable, there must be some performance measures. How else can we reassure the communities of London that they are getting value for money? We aim to increase public satisfaction and confidence — and we conduct surveys to ensure we deliver on this commitment. Is that an unnecessary target? How else can we know if we are getting things right? The people of London have a right to know how we are performing.

The Spectator

Barometer | 4 June 2011

From our UK edition

This wek's Barometer Crime lords — Lord Taylor of Warwick was jailed for 12 months for fiddling his expenses. He is the fourth peer of the realm to be jailed, after Lord Archer (jailed for four years in 2001 for perjury), Lord Watson of Invergowrie (16 months in 2005 for setting light to hotel curtains at the Scottish Parliamentarian of the Year awards) and Lord Ahmed of Rotherham (12 weeks in 2009 for dangerous driving). Lord Hanningfield, convicted last week of fiddling his expenses, is also likely to receive a custodial sentence. — If five out of 789 peers are jailed over a ten-year period it suggests an annual imprisonment rate of 0.06 per cent of the ennobled population, about one third of that for commoners.

The Spectator

Portrait of the week | 4 June 2011

From our UK edition

This week's Portrait of the week Home The Court of Appeal ruled that Sharon Shoesmith had been sacked unfairly in 2008 as head of children’s services in Haringey after the death of baby Peter; asked if she blamed herself for the child’s death, she said: ‘I am not into the blame game. I don’t do blame.’ Southern Cross, Britain’s biggest care home company, caring for 30,000 people, agreed with its landlords to defer 30 per cent of its rent for four months. Four people were arrested after a Panorama programme about abuse of patients with learning difficulties and autism at a residential hospital in Bristol. In the first quarter of the year 300 cases of measles were recorded, four times last year’s incidence.

The Spectator

Lead article: Half baked

From our UK edition

When you put your loose coppers in an Oxfam tin, it is tempting to think that they will be going towards a bag of grain for a drought-torn African village. When you put your loose coppers in an Oxfam tin, it is tempting to think that they will be going towards a bag of grain for a drought-torn African village. Maybe they will, but there is also a chance they will be spent on the likes of ‘Growing a Better Future: food justice in a resource-constrained world’, a pamphlet published this week. Not alone among charities, Oxfam is diversifying into the think-tank business.

The Spectator

Travel

From our UK edition

The Spectator's supplements on Travel, since June 2011 The Spectator's supplements on Travel, since June 2011 The Spectator Guide to Cruises — Autumn 2011 View online version  |  View print version 17th September 2011 The very idea of a cruise holiday sends shivers down some spines — and not necessarily shivers of excitement. There’s something about the stereotypical swirly carpets and afternoon dance classes that puts a lot of people off.

Friday

The Spectator

The week that was | 3 June 2011

From our UK edition

Here is a selection of posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the past week. Fraser Nelson has been reminded of the proximity of evil. James Forsyth asks if FIFA really matters, and reveals the extent of Ken Clarke’s crimes. Peter Hoskin reveals the scale of Britain’s debt crisis, and notes that Clegg has ermine troubles. David Blackburn sees the Lords trying to frustrate the coalition’s EU referendum lock, and examines Labour’s malfunctioning front bench. Jonathan Jones believes Sarah Palin hasn’t a chance of becoming President. Rod Liddle has a complaint. Alex Massie anatomises Sri Lanka’s dramatic collapse. And Melanie Phillips awaits the arrival of the floating theatre of jihad.

Tuesday

The Spectator

Just in case you missed them… | 31 May 2011

From our UK edition

…here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the Bank Holiday weekend. James Forsyth says you couldn’t make the Wayne Bishop story up, and wonders if Sarah Palin is about to launch a bid for the Republican nomination. David Blackburn reveals the unlikely triumvirate opposing the government’s energy policy, and argues that the Shoesmith case is about much more than the tragedy of Baby P. Daniel Korski is back in Cairo, finding out where the Egyptian revolution has got to. And Melanie Phillips says that Cameron has been drinking the Kool-Aid.

Monday

The Spectator

CoffeeHousers’ Wall, 30 May – 5 June

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 | 28 May 2011

From our UK edition

Clarity? New Labour? Sir: I read with growing disbelief your leader ‘Lost Labour’ (14 May), but I now realise that it must have been intended as joke. ‘The tragedy of the Labour years was that so many good ideas were mooted…’; ‘The New Labour years can now be regarded as… a moment of clarity…’ You can’t be serious. Blair did indeed talk fervently about welfare reform. He talked fervently about many things, such as fictitious WMDs capable of striking within 45 minutes or the elimination of poverty not only in this country but in Africa and indeed everywhere. One of his favourite fervent words was ‘reform’, which for him meant to wreck what is in place and working.

The Spectator

Barometer | 28 May 2011

From our UK edition

Irish quarter Is there any such thing as a US president without Irish roots? The US genealogist Gary Boyd Roberts has researched the origins of all US presidents and concluded that 20 of the 44 US presidents had some Irish family connections. Half of these, however, have been within the past 50 years. — Until the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961 only 11 out of 34 presidents had had some Irish blood. Since then, nine out of ten presidents have had some Irish ancestry, although it is tenuous in the case of Bill Clinton, in spite of his claim: ‘I mean, I’m sort of… I look Irish’.

The Spectator

Portrait of the week | 28 May 2011

From our UK edition

Home President Barack Obama arrived in Britain for a state visit, having fled Ireland a day early lest the ash cloud from the Grimsvötn volcano in Iceland engulf his aeroplane. In Ireland he met his eighth cousin at Moneygall, where he drank a pint of Guinness, said ‘I’ve come home to find the apostrophe we lost somewhere’, and got his armour-plated car stuck on a bump in the road. In London he stayed at Buckingham Palace, attended a state banquet and addressed Parliament. In a joint newspaper article with David Cameron, the Prime Minister, he wrote: ‘Ours is not just a special relationship, it is an essential relationship — for us and for the world.’ Hundreds of flights were cancelled in Scotland as the ash cloud blew into its airspace.

The Spectator

Lead article: Water, water everywhere

From our UK edition

Scottish readers may be puzzled to see so many newspaper headlines about drought. Parts of the country, notably the Borders and the western Highlands, have already received one and a half times their normal rainfall for May. On Monday — as the water companies proposed seasonal tariffs to discourage customers from watering their gardens and taking baths in dry summers — Rannoch Moor in the Highlands received two and a half inches of rain. Where the headlines were written, however, the drought is acute. In London, Kent and East Anglia, there has not been a full day’s rain for nearly three months. Rainfall in May over a wide band of eastern England has been less than a fifth of normal. Crops are threatened and reservoirs are emptying.

Friday

The Spectator

The week that was | 27 May 2011

From our UK edition

Here is a selection of posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the last week. Fraser Nelson cuts through the BS, and points out that the austerity hasn’t even started yet. James Forsyth considers the super-injunctions saga, and watches Barack Obama reaffirm the special relationship. Peter Hoskin notes that there are limits to Obama and Cameron's mutual appreciation, and explains why Miliband needs to be more specific. David Blackburn examines the ‘essential relationship’, and says that the helicopters fiasco has added to the Libyan fog of war. Jonathan Jones discovers that DSK’s troubles have not benefitted Sarko. Nick Cohen has some advice for the footballer formerly known as CTB.

Monday

The Spectator

CoffeeHousers’ Wall, 23 May – 29 May

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.