The Spectator

Britain is to lend Ireland up to £9 billion. Home Britain is to lend Ireland up to £9 billion. ‘Ireland is a friend in need,’ George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer told the House of Commons, ‘and it is in our national interest that we should be prepared to help them at this difficult time.’ British loans could be made via three routes: bilaterally through the European Union; through an agreement under the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism; and through the International Monetary Fund.

Here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the past week The Spectator welcomes Nick Cohen as its latest guest blogger. The Spectator Book Blog congratulates 2 old friends of the magazine on their appointment to the Booker Prize judging panel. Fraser Nelson praises Michael Gove’s education white paper, and analyses the political precedents of Howard Flight’s loose talk. James Forsyth explains why Spain matters. David Blackburn watches the coalition forge another impressive compromise, and thinks that Ed Miliband must begin to define himself and his party. Mark Littlewood reports on the centre right’s changing conception of society and why Jon Cruddas is exercised by it. Martin Bright is asking questions about Bangladeshi war criminals.

The Spectator is delighted to welcome Nick Cohen as our new guest blogger. You can read Nick’s first post here and his blog can be found at new.spectator.co.uk/nickcohen. He needs no introduction, but Cohen is a columnist of both the Observer and Standpoint magazine. He has also written numerous books, including What’s Left?, which was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize in 2008. It's a pleasure to have him on board.

Trouble with stags In addition to next year’s royal wedding, Prince William will have to organise the royal stag party. William got into trouble in 2008 for flying a Chinook helicopter from Lincolnshire to his cousin Peter Phillips’s stag party on the Isle of Wight — at a cost of £8,716 to the public purse. In 1981 Prince Charles announced that he would hold a fireworks party in Hyde Park in lieu of a stag do — but he slipped off to meet friends at White’s. Prince Andrew was less successful at setting a decoy for his stag party in 1986: the press tracked him down, thwarting a plan by Sarah Ferguson and Princess Diana to crash the party dressed as policewomen.

Here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the past week. Fraser Nelson wonders if Cameron was being more than wryly ironic when ribbing Ian Gilmour. James Forsyth notes that Tuesday was a very good day to bury bad news, and says that Tim Farron is one to watch and not just for his rapping. Peter Hoskin notes that Tuesday was a day on which to bury good news, and argues that Ireland’s nightmare has been Europe’s problem. Martin Bright charts the chilling effect of the Woolas case. Rod Liddle has braced himself for months of vapid, pointless shit. Alex Massie aids the defence of the euro. And Melanie Phillips deplores the creep of ‘human rights’ on common sense and justice.

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.

Vulgar debate Sir: I have to disagree with Theodore Dalrymple on his always jaundiced view of England and the English (‘Common people’, 6 November). I work in a tourist area of Sydney and find the English/British the least offensive of any of the overseas visitors. They are also the most attractive, especially the young backpackers all tanned up from days on Bondi beach. And always very polite. I travel to England twice a year and use the trains and tubes, and the ferry over to France, and am always impressed by the orderliness I encounter. Sure, I see some fat, tattooed, pierced, appallingly toothed people, but surely they are the descendants of Sir Francis Drake and the armies of Nelson and Wellington?