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The latest Spectator / Intelligence Squared event - a conversation with the great American novelist, essayist and playwright Gore Vidal - is under way. To listen to live audio of the event click here.
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Here are some of the posts made over the weekend... Andrew Neil wonders whether Gordon Brown will shed a tear for his old grammar school. Fraser Nelson reveals the unsettling truth about abortions at 24 weeks, and reports on a by-election poll boost for the Tories. James Forsyth highlights the tensions at No.10, and says that West Midlands Police owe us an explanation. And, over at Americano, James also suggests that McCain is picking the wrong fight with Obama over Iran.
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Transports of delight Sir: I would have taken Andrew Neil’s criticism of our transport system (‘Our transport system is a joke’, 10 May) more seriously had it not been so disingenuous. I understand the frustrations faced by rail passengers when events beyond their control conspire to delay or cancel planned journeys, but it is wrong to assume that a bad experience — particularly on a Sunday — is typical of the modern British railways. To make an objective judgment of the railways’ success, it is necessary to leave behind old assumptions that ignore how much the railways have improved. Performance is higher today than for the last seven years. We have one of the youngest train fleets in Europe.
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We at The Spectator are concerned about our occasional contributor, Frank Field. In last week’s magazine, the MP for Birkenhead declared that ‘the 10p revolt is unlike any other faced by the Labour leadership over the past 11 years… it has at a stroke placed clear red water between practically the whole of the Parliamentary Labour Party on the one hand and the government on the other.’ Over the weekend, he told the BBC that it was time for the Prime Minister to consult his loved ones with a view to resigning.
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Fraser Nelson outlines the high cost of living, and claims that James Purnell could be the next Labour leader. James Forsyth asks CoffeeHousers to suggest what the Tories would achieve if in power, and wonders whether Ken Livingstone's heading for Parliament. And Peter Hoskin says the bleak economic horizon spells trouble for Brown, and hopes that voters are seeing through Alistair Darling's 10p tax measures.
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Over on Americano, some thoughts on Hillary Clinton’s primary win in West Virginia, why John McCain should style himself as a Reform Republican and Obama’s tendency to blame his staff for his mistakes.
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Head over to Trading Floor for an update on consumer prospects. As Fraser reports, food inflation's getting worse, whilst Pete picks up on a similar story for energy prices. And - on a different note - what do Russians think they need for making a fortune? According to a new survey - highlighted by James - the answer's criminal and political connections.
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...here are some of the posts made over the weekend: Fraser Nelson is amazed at how quickly the public are turning against Gordon Brown, and highlights the Blairites' coordinated effort to undermine the Prime Minister. James Forsyth wonders how the Blairs will fit into the next general election campaign. And, over at Americano, James also discusses the battle to define Barack Obama.
Israel and Palestine Sir: Melanie Phillips (‘Happy 60th birthday, Israel’, 3 May) denies Israel one of its greatest successes over the last 60 years by deliberately ignoring its status as a regional military and economic superpower. The image of Israel as a David to an Arab Goliath is massively outdated. Arab states have long since given up any notion of trying to defeat a US-backed, nuclear-armed Israel, but have offered Israel a full withdrawal for full peace option. Another blind spot is Phillips’s routine denial of Palestinian identity. This is as idiotic as denying an Israeli identity. Even Israel’s leaders have begrudgingly accepted this.
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In September 2006, as Tony Blair was forced to bring forward his departure date by backbench rebellion, The Spectator predicted a Labour civil war. It was not clear when this conflict would erupt, only that its coming was inexorable. This week, battle commenced. In the wake of disastrous local election results and the loss of London to Boris Johnson, Gordon Brown faces revolt on many fronts. In Scotland, Labour’s leader, Wendy Alexander, has called for a referendum on the future of the United Kingdom.
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David Cameron answers your questions Matthew d'Ancona wonders whether Brown has broken the New Labour pact. Fraser Nelson serves up 'Brownie No.3 - Gordon Brown's "transitional" 10p tax rate', and gives the word from Scotland on Wendy Alexander's call for a referendum. James Forsyth suggests that Gordon Brown should embrace the fight over the Union, and points out that more than half of Labour voters want the Prime Minister to step down. And Peter Hoskin tracks Brown's charm offensive, and asks whether Cameron has started to tackle Brownies.
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The champagne was flowing freely at this week’s party in celebration of the The Spectator’s 180th anniversary. We've just put up exclusive footage of the bash on a special corner of the website - new.spectator.co.uk/party. Check it out for red carpet access, celebrity interviews and all the happenings from behind-the-scenes.
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We’ve just released the first issue of the monthly Spectator Business magazine. You can access all of its content online – just head over here to check it out.
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What was the massive - and politically fatal - mistake that Hillary Clinton made at the start of her campaign? Find out over at Americano.
Call that a crisis? Sir: Ian Hay Davison (‘How to rescue a bank’, 19 April) is right that the Northern Rock episode was far from unprecedented. But there is much more to say. The difficulties of a number of relatively minor institutions in the early 1990s, including National Mortgage Bank (to which he refers), were small beer compared with the crisis of the mid-1970s. The classic account was given by Margaret Reid in her 1982 book, The Secondary Banking Crisis, 1973–75. Using banking industry sources, she suggests that the total amount of finance exceptionally provided to support banks in trouble was three billion pounds. In the end all the loans were repaid and all depositors got their money back.
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Scroll down for full Coffee House coverage. Here are some selected highlights: Matthew d’Ancona congratulates Boris. Mary Wakefield reflects on how Boris and Ken came to like each other during the campaign. Can Brown change or is he doomed to go down to defeat asks James Forsyth. Pete Hoskin points to the moment that summed up Labour’s election nightmare. And Fraser Nelson reveals what Boris’s secret weapon is.
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In its 6 October 2007 edition, The Spectator reported on Israel’s air-strike on Syria exactly a month before. We noted that the 6 September raid ‘may have saved the world from a devastating threat’ and revealed that a senior British ministerial source had told us that: ‘If people had known how close we came to world war three that day there’d have been mass panic.’ The article provoked scepticism in certain quarters. In the New Yorker, Seymour Hersh, the veteran American journalist, sneered that our coverage was ‘overheated’.
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Peter Hoskin reports from Israel on life in the town of Sderot, and on efforts to forge peace with Syria. James Forsyth says Gordon Brown has spectacularly failed his first electoral test, and suggests that Cameron is walking into trouble over the 42-day detention plans. And Fraser Nelson keeps track of the Prime Minister's Brownies, and highlights Mervyn King's attempts to reveal the truth behind Treasury spin.
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We've just launched Apollo magazine's Muse blog. It's a new and exciting destination for news and topical comment on the latest debates, controversies and happenings in the art world. It will also feature a weekly competition, the first of which can be accessed here.
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Stay with Coffee House tonight for all the latest on the local elections. Expect frequent updates, as well as analysis from Matthew d’Ancona, Fraser Nelson, Mary Wakefield, James Forsyth and Peter Hoskin. In the meantime, you can always flick through the briefing that the Electoral Reform Society has put together. When are results coming in? Where are the key battles being fought? Find all the answers in its well-informed pages.