The Spectator

Saturday

The Spectator

Letters | 27 March 2010

Rural matters Sir: Alexander Waugh’s reference to planning officers asking impertinent questions about sexuality (‘The countryside under attack’, 20 March) reveals but a glimpse of the crackpot behaviour considered normal by these people. Last autumn, I went to an event sponsored by CABE, the government architecture quango, in which someone was brought in to lecture the audience, mainly council planners or diversity officers, on the importance of ‘inclusive planning’. This apparently requires councils to analyse the supposed different needs of people according to their race, religion or sexual identity, and to ensure that plans for public spaces are designed accordingly.

The Spectator

Portrait of the week | 27 March 2010

Mr Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, sought in the Budget to give some credibility to the government’s plans to tackle the national deficit. Mr Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, sought in the Budget to give some credibility to the government’s plans to tackle the national deficit. Forecasts had improved, he said, government borrowing this year would be £167 billion rather than £178 billion. Thresholds for inheritance tax are to be frozen for four years. This was the extent of the good news. Duty on beer, wine and spirits was increased. Growth forecasts for future years were reduced.

The Spectator

A beautiful mind

A few days ago a young Russian man, Grigori Perelman, was awarded a prize for solving one of mathematics’s most difficult problems. A few days ago a young Russian man, Grigori Perelman, was awarded a prize for solving one of mathematics’s most difficult problems. It was an extraordinary achievement. The Poincaré conjecture (a topological conundrum) had baffled the best minds on the planet for over 100 years and the solution could help us understand the shape of the universe. Yet Perelman avoided any fanfare and, to the great surprise of the maths community, simply posted his solution online. Almost more extraordinary (for non-mathematicians) than Perelman’s proof was the fact that on Monday he turned down the prize money of a million dollars.

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Over to you, Dave

David Cameron is always at his best on budget day. This week his response was mocking. He dismissed as nonsensical the projections and figures which Alistair Darling gave to the House. And rightly so: it was the usual mixture of fairytale economics. But it was in keeping with Gordon Brown’s budgets — creative accounting applied to a nation, with cataclysmic results. It is almost funny to hear Mr Darling talk about the fact that the government overspend will be £167 billion this year rather than £178 billion. Both figures represent a monumental failure of the policy adopted by the government.

Friday

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The week that was | 26 March 2010

Here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the past week. Fraser Nelson presents a defence of Alistair Darling, and is unimpressed by George Osborne’s response to the Budget. James Forsyth says that Darling’s nothing Budget puts the ball in the Tories’ court, and laments another shaming day for Westminster. Peter Hoskin argues that Darling’s phoney Budget changes nothing, and thinks the Tories should be authentic. David Blackburn mistrusts four politicians singing the same tune, and thinks that Labour and the Tories need to get stuck into Vince Cable. Daniel Korski ponders Sarko the comeback kid. Martin Bright wonders where the jobs are coming from. Susan Hill is always Mrs Wells. Rod Liddle has found a latter day Mary Seacole.

Monday

The Spectator

CoffeeHousers’ Wall, 22 March – 28 March

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… | 22 March 2010

…here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the weekend. Fraser Nelson introduces a new tax, and says that the internet has made deception transparent. James Forsyth believes Obama's healthcare bill comes at a cost, and welcomes Cameron’s theory of change. Peter Hoskin laments yet another dirty politics story, and evaluates the new cuts versus investment dividing line. David Blackburn says voters deserve better, and warns the Tories against pushing an alternative to Ashcroft. Martin Bright reviews Tony Judt’s manifesto for the left. Alex Massie finds an eye-raising passage in the Pope’s letter to the Irish church. And Melanie Phillips notes the emasculation of America.

Saturday

The Spectator

Letters | 20 March 2010

The cunning Mandelbrown Sir: David Cameron and his gallant band do not seem to realise that they no longer face the clumsy and clunky Gordon Brown, but a new political hybrid — Peter Mandelbrown. The outward form may still be as lumpy and leaden as ever, but that merely serves as concealment for the hybrid’s cunning in thought and speech, its nimbleness in deceptive manoeuvre, and the lethally poisonous fangs, which it sinks into its victims’ reputations. Unless David Cameron now hunts down Mandelbrown without mercy, then the monster will surely get him — and the rest of us thereafter. Correlli Barnett CBE Norwich Commonsense solutions Sir: The Spectator Manifesto is a welcome blast of concentrated common sense.

The Spectator

Portrait of the week | 20 March 2010

A European Commission report warned that Britain would not meet the 2014-2015 deadline for reducing the budget deficit to below 3 per cent of domestic output. Mr Liam Byrne, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said: ‘We think the EU has got the judgment wrong.’ British Airways cabin crew belonging to the union Unite announced strikes for three days from 20 March and four days from 27 March. Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, called the strike ‘totally unjustifiable’. Mr Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, then spoke out against it on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour: ‘It is the wrong time, it is unjustified, it is deplorable, we shouldn’t have a strike.

The Spectator

Bad habits

The brutal assassination of the US government workers Lesley Enriquez and Arthur Redelfs, carried out by gangsters linked to the Juarez drugs cartel last week, is reported to have been a retaliatory exercise following the recent extradition of several Mexican drugs lords to the States. It was another reminder that the US-led ‘war on drugs’ is lost. It is unwinnable, and merely serves to illustrate the folly of pursuing agendas for the sake of soundbites. Both America and Britain must accept that the international narcotics supply chain cannot be broken. Governments may not like it, but they must instead look to the users on their own streets. Wherever there is hopelessness, unemployment and poverty, demand will be highest.

The Spectator

A propaganda war

If you want to know about Labour’s election campaign, simply turn on a commercial radio station. If you want to know about Labour’s election campaign, simply turn on a commercial radio station. Soon enough, you will hear an advertisement offering to help you lose weight, buy a car, claim more benefits, deal with door-to-door salesmen or stop smoking. Who provides all these services? The government, of course. The covert message is that Gordon Brown cares and Labour, if re-elected, will look after you. The cap on election spending in Britain is £19 million, a sum that the Labour party cannot hope to raise. So instead, the Prime Minister is doing what he does best: helping himself to taxpayers’ money, in this case to advertise the virtues of his big government.

Friday

The Spectator

The week that was | 19 March 2010

Here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the past week. Fraser Nelson says that age is no impediment to wit and intelligence, and argues that Cameron has to win outright. James Forsyth watches Cameron kick-off his campaign, and says there is growing confidence among Tory ranks. Peter Hoskin asks if the Tories have been fools or knaves over Ashcroft, and welcomes the start of mature economic debate. David Blackburn believes that the Tories’ Unite strategy is paying unimagined dividends, and watches Brown dither over BA. Daniel Korksi evaluates the ECR. Martin Bright finds Ashcroft and Whelan equally repellent. Susan Hill has had more than a day at the races. Rod Liddle is surprised that young black men are ‘over-feminized’.

Monday

The Spectator

CoffeeHousers’ Wall, 15 March – 21 March

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… | 15 March 2010

…here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the weekend. Fraser Nelson uncovers Brown’s latest confidence trick. James Forsyth argues that the LibDems should receive more scrutiny, and spies electoral politicking amid Labour’s Lords reforms. David Blackburn thinks that David Cameron’s interview with Sir Trevor McDonald was a success, and reckons that Edward McMillan-Scott will make no impression. Daniel Korski welcomes Liam Fox’s approach to diplomacy. And Rod Liddle opposes Manichean approaches to Islamism.

Saturday

The Spectator

Letters | 13 March 2010

Not cricket Sir: Many a cricket follower (‘Cricket’s foreign legion’, 6 March) would join Peter Oborne in denouncing the growth of South African mercenaries entering our domestic game. As a county cricket spectator, I have always enjoyed scouting for new talent for our national team. It gave me great pleasure to watch an emerging Michael Vaughan score a double century at Scarborough in the early days of his career, and see Graeme Swann spin-bowling for Northamptonshire: both of them with obvious England potential. Somehow it is not quite the same these days, as we survey the array of journeyman players.

The Spectator

Portrait of the week | 13 March 2010

Mr Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, appeared before the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war and denied that as Chancellor of the Exchequer he had harmfully squeezed defence budgets. ‘At any point, commanders were able to ask for equipment that they needed and I know of no occasion when they were turned down,’ he said. ‘That is simply disingenuous,’ said Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, Chief of the Defence Staff from 1997 to 2001. ‘He’s being disingenuous,’ said Lord Boyce, the Chief of the Defence Staff from 2001 to 2003. Mr Brown then flew off to see British troops in Afghanistan. The death of a British soldier in Helmand brought the number killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 272.

The Spectator

C’est fini

The most distressing news of the week may be the suggestion that the world’s most entertaining love affair — between Nicolas Sarkozy and his First Lady, Carla Bruni — is drawing to a close. The most distressing news of the week may be the suggestion that the world’s most entertaining love affair — between Nicolas Sarkozy and his First Lady, Carla Bruni — is drawing to a close. The rumours began on Twitter, where they could be easily ignored, but now Le Journal du Dimanche has confirmed what it calls the story of the year. The presidential marriage is ‘breathing its last breaths’, it says. Perhaps it was optimistic to hope that such a gripping union could last.

The Spectator

The scandal of Scotland

A politician, a cocaine dealer, blackmail, links to organised crime and the mysterious death of a teenage boy: it is hard to think of more potent ingredients for a political scandal. Had it happened in Paris, the story would be all over the English press. But this scandal took place in Glasgow — so the London papers are not interested. After devolution, Scotland is fast becoming a foreign land about which the English know little and care less. The downfall of Steven Purcell, leader of Glasgow City Council, is not just a tale of one man’s collapse, but a grim allegory for the tragedy of devolution. Purcell was, until last week, the man to watch in Scottish politics. Many regarded him as the politician who could win back the Scottish parliament for Labour.

The Spectator

The Spectator Manifesto

David Cameron, should he become Prime Minister, has an urgent and momentous task – to transform Britain from top to toe. The Spectator gives him some pointers The key to great success is to follow great failure. David Cameron has this if little else in his favour if, as expected, he is Prime Minister in two months’ time. He may not have the majority he hoped for, but he will be able to command the government machine. Civil servants, for all their love of procrastination, will follow direct instructions. A Tory government can deliver them on the first day. This guide explains how, precisely, Britain can be transformed. The key is to demand, and expect, change at an urgent pace.