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 – 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.

Selective facts Sir: Matt Ridley’s article on Darwin’s vision (‘Natural selection explains everything’, 10 January) omits one simple but very important fact, namely that Darwin did not originate natural selection. How do we know? Simple — both he and Alfred Russel Wallace gave the credit to Patrick Matthew and Charles Wells. Darwin even described Matthew’s version of natural selection as ‘precisely’ the same as his own, which appeared some 20 years later. These facts will doubtless be conveniently lost in this year’s Darwinfest of hype.

Here are some of the posts made over the past week on Spectator.co.uk: Matthew d'Ancona recommends Frost/Nixon and offers CoffeeHousers a chance to see it for free. Fraser Nelson says that Heathrow should be improved before it's expanded, and applauds the Tories for making debt a human issue. James Forsyth finds no wealth of talent in the Cabinet, and outlines the Ken Clarke conundrum. Peter Hoskin asks whether Mandy's latest scheme will kickstart the car industry, and laments the Government's equality overdrive. Melanie Phillips observes the astounding shallowness of Britain's Foreign Secretary. Clive Davis asks: was Bush right after all? Trading Floor writes on what not to do about climate change. And Americano outlines the cost of the US deficit.

We've just uploaded some culture picks from The Spectator's arts editor, Liz Anderson.  You can read them by clicking here, or by following the link on the left-hand side of the page.

A coherent story Sir: Douglas Murray says (‘Studying Islam made me an atheist’, 3 January) that what killed the Bible was not Darwin but ‘German biblical criticism... the scholarship on lost texts, discoveries of added-to texts and edited texts’. It’s a pity he didn’t pursue his investigation further and discover that those dated theories proposed by the ‘higher critics’ now have no scholarly standing. Over the second half of the 20th century they were steadily demolished. Historical and textual research has changed the picture completely.

Here are some of the posts made over the past week on Spectator.co.uk: Fraser Nelson highlights the topicality of Atlas Shrugged, and asks what options remain after rate cuts. James Forsyth remarks on the idiocy of the ECB, and outlines the politics of printing money. Peter Hoskin wonders how low we can go, and reports on what Peter Mandelson thinks of Ken Clarke's possible return. Lisa Hilton ushers in a fat-fighting New Year. Garvan Walshe says that Gazprom's actions reveal Russia's weakness, and Daniel Korski spells out how to put the freeze on Russia's energetic aggression. Melanie Phillips picks up on depravity and double standards. Clive Davis writes on the economy & the crime rate. Trading Floor gives details of a wise investment.

Labour’s carrot and stick Sir: The Spectator is right (Leading article, 13 December) to call not just for ‘benefit claimants actually to do something for their handouts’, but for a significant increase in the income tax threshold. There is little sense — or fairness — in trying to push people off benefits and into work if they are worse off in work than on benefits. In any case, there is something absurd in telling a man (or a single mother) that they are simultaneously poor enough to need benefits and rich enough to pay income tax. The government’s proposed measures to alleviate the economic mess they have helped to create will have a significant future cost in the burden of debt they will incur.

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.