Coffee House The Spectator Blog
School choice is not a scandal: Gove nails Twigg’s rum brand of localism
Michael Gove is naturally having some fun with Stephen Twigg’s schools speech. The Education Secretary has responded to Twigg’s plan for ‘parent academies’ by saying: ‘Labour’s policy on free schools… Continue reading
65 Comments
How central government could slim down – and why it probably won’t
The Treasury is entering its last minute negotiations with recalcitrant departments ahead of next week’s spending review announcement. But for all the talk of ‘difficult decisions’, the settlement doesn’t look… Continue reading
15 Comments
Labour is after the Tories’ localism crown
Stephen Twigg is, as he probably expected, coming in for a bit of flak on his U-turn on free schools this morning. Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary has launched his own… Continue reading
28 Comments
William Hague: There are ‘no palatable options’ in Syria
While the G8 begins today with splits already clear on Syria, David Cameron will be aware, as he sits down for talks with world leaders, that the splits in his… Continue reading
76 Comments
Cameron wants to change the military balance in Syria, but how do you do that without arming the Islamists?
David Cameron and Vladimir Putin have just concluded their pre G8 talks, the main topic of which was Syria. Cameron wants to use the next few days to try and… Continue reading
64 Comments
Opposing gay marriage now is as brave as being openly gay was in 1970
Since one’s attitude to homosexual acts is now considered the main way of judging whether a person is civilised, one must salute those in public life who defy this. To… Continue reading
226 Comments
Will Parliament get a vote on Syria? PM says ‘basically yes’
David Cameron is far more optimistic than Nick Clegg about arming the Syrian rebels: that much has been clear for a while. He explained why he’s optimistic on Sky’s Murnaghan… Continue reading
36 Comments
What on earth went right? Iranians come to terms with a landslide election
The victory of Hassan Rouhani has stunned pundits, and it seems even Iranians can’t quite believe it. He is a moderate (if not, quite, a reformer) who defeated five conservatives. He… Continue reading
66 Comments
Someone has got to win the next election
It is easy to make a case for why all three main parties should do badly at the next election. After five years of austerity, who will vote for the… Continue reading
50 Comments
Tony Blair is pessimistic about the chances that Europe will change
Tony Blair has plenty to say on the crisis in Syria in his interview in today’s Times, as you might expect. But he also makes a few points on other… Continue reading
53 Comments
The truth about Finland’s education miracle
Does Finland have the best schools system in the world? There are many who think so, pointing to its place atop the PISA league tables and explaining this success by… Continue reading
36 Comments
Made in Glasgow: the new Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani
It’s official – Hassan Rouhani has been declared the new President of Iran with 51pc of the vote. He’s a cleric, a moderate and a polyglot (speaking English, German, French,… Continue reading
118 Comments
UK finds ‘credible evidence’ for chemical weapons in Syria. But is there a credible case for arming the rebels?
David Cameron was pressed on Barack Obama’s decision to give assistance to the Syrian rebels when he spoke to journalists in the Downing Street garden this afternoon. He gave a… Continue reading
45 Comments
Spectator Play: The highs and the lows of what’s going on in arts this week
Sir Alfred Munnings lived his life in true bohemian style, ‘carousing with gypsies and horse-trainers, living rough and constantly on the road’. Summer in February is based on his early… Continue reading
1 Comment
Obama’s decision to arm the Syrian rebels will do little to address the Hezbollah threat
Two years too late and with less than full conviction President Obama has finally announced that his administration will aid the Syrian rebels with lethal force. This follows confirmation by… Continue reading
19 Comments
The Pope, Welby, and the new evangelical swagger
There’s excitement in Christian circles today about the first meeting of Pope Francis and Archbishop Welby. The two men have important things in common. Both reached their positions of power… Continue reading
28 Comments
Syria: Assad’s axis of evil
A few days ago in northern Aleppo, 14-year-old Mohammad Qataa was shot dead by armed fighters who accused him of blasphemy. The Free Syria Army denied any connection to the… Continue reading
16 Comments
After Obama’s intervention, will level playing fields in Syria become level killing fields?
Now that Barack Obama has decided to arm the ‘good’ rebels in Syria, it’s more likely than ever that Britain will follow suit. The G8 summit next week in Northern… Continue reading
23 Comments
Where the teaching unions have a good point
The teaching unions have spent a lot of this week getting angry about one thing or another, but one of their number, the National Association of Head Teachers, did make… Continue reading
24 Comments
Why Defence Secretaries go native
When Philip Hammond was sent to the Ministry of Defence, his skills as a bean counter were much lauded. Colleagues hoped that he wouldn’t, like other Defence Secretaries, go native.… Continue reading
24 Comments