Coffee House The Spectator Blog
Set the people free
Amidst this Black Tuesday excitement, we’ve missed the real intellectual headway the Tories are making in education – as Iain Martin says in the Telegraph today. The Gove v Balls… Continue reading
1 CommentThis failure won’t obscure the government’s failure for long
The failure of Steve McClaren’s England team last night has knocked the HMRC debacle off some off the front pages but it is certain that this story will be back.… Continue reading
5 CommentsWhen will the guilty party be revealed to us?
So where is the "junior official" who sent all the 25m record on two computer discs? What news of the British civil service’s answer to Nick Leeson? Waiting for his… Continue reading
8 CommentsAt least we know about it
Britons today may not be inclined accentuate the positive about the way their government goes about its business but there is one consolation to be had from the lost data… Continue reading
9 CommentsToo much information
“It’s nonsense to think of Brown as a principled man who wants a new constitutional settlement,” snorted one Whitehall knight. Over a light Italian lunch he revealed that there are… Continue reading
1 CommentPlaying to a packed house
I have seldom seen the chamber so packed. Brown got his apology in early, thanks to a planted Labour question. In the Brown-Cameron clash, Brown scored a good hit, saying… Continue reading
5 CommentsWhy the government is in so much trouble
The most important political story on the internet is nothing written by a journalist, but the reaction being posted to on the lost data catastrophe. From the BBC to our… Continue reading
19 CommentsBrown survives PMQs
Gordon Brown came out of that exchange better than I thought he would. He stayed calm and was actually doing very well until he tried blame the Tories, arguing that… Continue reading
2 CommentsWhat should Gordon say at PMQs?
Gordon Brown must be sick to his stomach about going to have to face David Cameron at PMQs today. The Tory leader, who thrashes him every week, is bound to… Continue reading
1 CommentOh Gord, this is bad
Charlie Whelan takes to the Telegraph today to defend his old boss but only ends up emphasising how bad his current situation is. Whelan writes, “[Brown] also knows that there… Continue reading
9 CommentsThe government’s identity crisis
There were genuine gasps of amazement in the chamber when Darling unveiled the scale of this disaster. If you have a child, and receive child benefit, your bank details are… Continue reading
65 CommentsDoes Britain need Trident? Listen live tonight
From 6:45 PM Spectator.co.uk will be broadcasting the latest Spectator / Intelligence Squared debate on whether or not Britain needs its Trident nuclear weapons system. Speakers include Baroness Helena Kennedy,… Continue reading
2 CommentsNot another one, Darling
As Alistair Darling scurries off to the House to make a statement on the latest crisis to rock the Treasury, Martin Vander Weyer has some thoughts on the latest developments… Continue reading
7 CommentsHow Cameron can win a second term
Cameron’s proposal for Swedish style school reform may not win him the next election, but if he implements it properly it will win him a second term. His speech today… Continue reading
19 CommentsCameron needs to modernise his world view
As James has noted, there is a yawning gulf of ideas opening up between the Tories and Brown on foreign policy. Read this piece by David Aaronovitch in The Times… Continue reading
8 CommentsThe Brown retreat
Rachel Sylvester’s column today details how Gordon Brown is both retreating from the public service reform agenda and further into the bunker. In lots of technical ways that don’t make… Continue reading
1 CommentA victory for press freedom that leaves West Midlands Police in the dock
The decision by Ofcom to clear Channel 4 completely over the programme Undercover Mosque is welcome news. To recap, the documentary featured various preachers spouting hateful rhetoric about women, gays… Continue reading
11 CommentsHow deep in the bunker are the Brownites?
When Gordon Brown was riding high in the polls, the Brownites were a ubiquitous present. Now, they have gone to ground. Last night’s, Blair documentary was a reminder of just… Continue reading
11 CommentsThe case for 56 days
Following my Sunday Telegraph column yesterday, I debated the Government’s plans to extend the pre-charge detention period from 28 days with Henry Porter at the end of the Today programme… Continue reading
18 CommentsThere is nothing like a pair of Dames
A pair of dames made last night’s new television adaptation of Mrs Gaskell’s Cranford. Dame Judi and Dame Eileen played the two sisters Matty and Deborah Jenkyns in this terrific… Continue reading
28 Comments