We’ve revamped the design of Spectator.co.uk. There are technical tweaks and improvements aplenty, but three will be of particular interest to CoffeeHousers. First, you can now register for comments by following the instructions here. If you register, it means that any comments you make on Coffee House, and on other blogs, will appear instantly. You
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 believes the politics of decline are back. James Forsyth argues that the government’s child protection initiative does more harm than good, and wonders if Brown will last until December. David Blackburn finds Lord Myners not toeing the party line over cuts,
The Afghans would be entitled to feel a little aggrieved at the way the West has criticised their ‘fraudulent’ elections. Doubtless Hamid Karzai rigged the system to get the result he wanted, but in doing so, he was following a fine European tradition. The United Nations are suspicious that Karzai’s share of the vote was,
On the anniversary of the 11 September attacks, Britain has learned just how close it came to its own version. The trial of the Heathrow plotters, three of whom were convicted this week, shows how developed the jihadi menace had become in our country. They planned to bring down six aircraft, in all likelihood killing
Don’t bank on Osborne Sir: Reinforcing your article on City doubts about Osborne’s economic credentials (Politics, 5 September), a City contact of mine, technically expert in a matter of finance and taxation of central interest to any Chancellor, had a meeting with Osborne a few months back. He found Osborne not only badly briefed and
Here are some of the posts that have been made on Spectator.co.uk over the past week: James Forsyth analyses Jon Cruddas’s intervention, and reports on Alistair Dalring’s public spending speech. Peter Hoskin says it’s mission accomplished for Cameron’s cost-cutting speech, and claims that Labour will struggle to outflank the Tories on reform. Daniel Korski wonders
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 over the weekend on Spectator.co.uk: James Forsyth highlights a devastating assessment, and reports that Unite isn’t united in its support for Labour. Peter Hoskin wonders whether Alistair Darling will have the spending gauntlet thrown back in his face, and gives his take on the news that Nick Griffin
There’s one present a parent can give a child in modern Britain that they will prize above all others. It’s not a Playstation or a puppy or even an iPhone. If a boy today has any sense, he’ll instead insist on having a certificate diagnosing him with the popular personality syndrome Attention Deficit Disorder. This
So who to believe? Saif al-Gaddafi, son of the Libyan dictator, has said that the release of Abdelbasset Ali al-Megrahi was ‘on the table’ during trade talks with Britain. Lord Mandelson, who was holidaying with the young prince of Tripoli in Corfu a few weeks ago, says such a suggestion is not just wrong but
For evil to triumph Sir: As screenwriter of the recent film Good, I was interested by the references to it in Kate Williams’s thought-provoking piece (‘We are forgetting great evils’, 22 August). For my part I think the recent spate of films about Nazi Germany has less to do with an ‘obsession with Hitler’ or
Here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk this week. James Forsyth believes that the government’s handling of the al-Megrahi affair was colossally incompetent, and suggests that a live election debate might be a lifeline for Mr Brown. Peter Hoskin argues that Brown’s fightback is marred by negative stories, and sees some evidence that
…here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk over the bank holiday weekend. Peter Hoskin says the Sunday Times’ revelations about a Lockerbie deal for oil leave the government in very hot water, and thinks that the Tories will have to raise taxes. David Blackburn believes Labour must come clean over al-Megrahi’s release, and
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
Senator Edward Kennedy lived in the shadow of Chappaquiddick, but his life deserves just as much celebration as it does censure. Like his brothers, he exemplified his clan’s customary mix of vice and virtue, he was irrepressible and impossible to predict. Though a Rabelaisian figure — a great playboy and drinker — he was disciplined
In contrast to Gordon Brown’s dull and worthy holiday working as a volunteer on community projects in his constituency, there is something rather refreshing about Lord Mandelson’s taste for extravagant vacations on Corfu in the company of wealthy moguls. Moreover, his holidays are a godsend for deskbound journalists in London struggling for a good political
The Afghan toll Sir: Jonathan Foreman’s article (‘Britain’s forgotten casualties’, 22 August) highlights how the focus on the death toll in Afghanistan eclipses a much wider human and economic cost arising from those many seriously injured soldiers who will require help for the rest of their lives. If you include those who are subsequently affected,
Kenny MacAskill’s decision to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, on compassionate grounds has caused controversy around the world — in America and also in Britain. Kenny MacAskill’s decision to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, on compassionate grounds has caused controversy around the world — in America and also in Britain. But though he
Here are some of the posts made at Spectator.co.uk this week. Matthew d’Ancona wishes one of the nation’s greatest novelists a happy 60th. Peter Hoskin dissects a disingenuous Ed Balls, and argues that Gordon Brown’s unpopularity runs deeper than concern for the public finances. David Blackburn asks if Cameron would govern differently, and says that foreign