The Spectator

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 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, in some areas, 100 per cent. But wasn’t this precisely same result Gordon Brown achieved when he was ‘elected’ Labour party leader after his character assassins had dissuaded all potential rivals from standing? Karzai may well have more support in his country than our leader does in ours.

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 has evolved from an excuse to behave badly in the classroom to the real-life equivalent of one of Willy Wonka’s golden tickets.

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 the Treasury may finally be getting to grips with spending. David Blackburn reviews the Lockerbie documents, and insists that governments tackle illegal immigration. Daniel Korski makes a convicing case for remaining committed in Afghanistan. Martin Bright says that the game is up over the release of the Lockerbie bomber. Clive Davis on the psychology of rage. Alex Massie asks why the SNP did it.

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 and hard-working in the Senate. Though he was born to one of the wealthiest families in America and became a great celebrity, he nonetheless championed the poor and referred to health-care reform as ‘the cause of my life’. Despite being a devout and practising Catholic, he endorsed same-sex marriage and a woman’s right to abortion.

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 policy is one issue where Cameron is emphatically not the “heir to Blair”. Daniel Korski believes Libyagate has its roots in Labour’s devolution. Clive Davis says that, from Labour’s perspective, Dan Hannan is the gift that keeps on giving. Alex Massie remembers Senator Edward Kennedy. And, over at Cappuccino Culture, Lloyd Evans hails BB's demise.