The Spectator

Just to remind CoffeeHousers that the deadline for the Spectator's short story competition is fast-approaching.  Entries have to be in before the end of Thursday, 25 June.  Here are details for anyone who's interested: To celebrate the launch of the Spectator Book Club, The Spectator is giving you the chance to have a short story published in the magazine. To enter, write a short story of 2,000 words or under, on the subject of invisibility, and email it as an attachment to shortstory@spectator.co.

Here are some of the posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the past week: Matthew d'Ancona introduces the Spectator's 50 Essential Films, and observes Gordon Brown following a dividing line to oblivion. Fraser Nelson notes George Osborne's milestone article, and watches Brown do the Time Warp again. James Forsyth thinks that Margaret Beckett would only just make a better Speaker than John Bercow, and comments on another Balls-up. Peter Hoskin picks up on a dividing line that's dividing government, and says that Alistair Darling's measured approach will drive Brown mad. Lloyd Evans reviews PMQs. Martin Bright says goodbye to the departing Treasury minister, Kitty Ussher. Clive Davis gives his take on the situation in Iran.

Back to Black Sir: Taki (High Life, 16 May) exaggerated the ineptitude of my counsel in Chicago, and in this I am happy to agree with Tom Bower (Letters, 23 May), but they were not my counsel of choice, whom I was prevented from retaining by an asset seizure that was subsequently judged by the jury to be improper. Nor is this a tough prison. It is low security, not divided into cells, and without violence, but Taki is correct that the judge and probation officer recommended minimal security, for which I am technically not eligible as a non-American. Bower is completely mistaken in everything else he wrote in his letter. There has never been any amount remotely approaching $50 million of mortgages on my Toronto and Palm Beach houses and certainly is not now.

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 – provided 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.

Racism isn’t right Sir: Reference is made in the headlines of Fraser Nelson’s article on the BNP (‘The rise of British racism may be horribly close’, 30 May) to ‘far Right politicians’. Surely Mr Nelson does not imagine that there is anything right-wing about the BNP? As its 2005 general election manifesto shows, it is a hard-left Old Labour-style party which supports nationalisation and trade union power, and opposes free trade. And surely he cannot think of racism as right-wing. As with nationalism, racism’s greatest supporters — Mao, Pol Pot, Stalin — were hard leftists, as is Mugabe today. And Hitler was the leader of the National Socialist German Workers party.

Matthew d'Ancona highlights Alan Johnson's act of self-preservation, and says that the end has come for Gordon Brown. Fraser Nelson reveals why James Purnell resigned, and gives his take on John Hutton's resignation. James Forsyth says that the left needs to come to the aid of Labour, and claims that David Miliband has lost the invisible primary. And Peter Hoskin wonders what Miliband and Johnson are thinking, and live-blogs Gordon Brown's press conference.

Time to talk it out Sir: The EU is certainly one important cause of parliament’s loss of self-respect, but you fail to mention (Leading article, 23 May) what is now the main cause of the malaise: in 1997 the Blair government introduced the routine timetabling of primary legislation, and did so with the connivance of a then supine official Conservative opposition. Several people, including myself — I was clerk of the bills between 1995 and 1999 — warned the shadow Cabinet that this spelt the end of effective parliamentary government, but we were ignored.

Here are some of the posts made over the past week on Spectator.co.uk: Fraser Nelson highlights the numbers which undermine the Budget deceit, and sets out the choice David Cameron faces now that we're over the cliff. James Forsyth outlines the grim international situation, and wonders whether Labour will dump Gordon Brown. Peter Hoskin gives his take on Julie Kirkbride and Margaret Moran standing down, and says that politicians must ensure that voters don't get left behind. The Skimmer raises a quizzical eyebrow at the Daily Mail's latest book serialisation. Clemency Burton-Hill reports from the Hay Festival. Clive Davis warns against an evening in Bath. Alex Massie picks up on more drug law madness. And Melanie Phillips reveals the fruits of appeasement.