Religion
Why Belfast is ablaze
I live three miles away from where the rioting was happening in East Belfast last night, and heard the helicopters whirring overhead. It was the kind of sound that anyone… Continue reading
41 CommentsThe turbulent priest
“Nowadays politicians want to talk about moral issues, and bishops want to talk politics,” said Sir Humphrey. This week’s New Statesman has been guest edited by the Archbishop of Canterbury.… Continue reading
77 CommentsConservative support to collapse at 6pm
This evening, an event will occur that will make all the controversies and scandals of the last week seem somewhat irrelevant — at least according to American evangelical Harold Camping.… Continue reading
30 CommentsThe End of the World is Nigh
The Rapture is almost upon us. According to Harold Camping, the 89 year-old Family Radio network in Florida. The righteous, he has calculated, will ascend to heaven at 6pm EST… Continue reading
7 CommentsAgainst vulgarity
Where once the British set out for new fields to conquer, they now set out for new cultural nadirs to reach. And it must be admitted that, in the latter… Continue reading
52 CommentsPray for Huckabee? God Help Us All.
Yes, this is a site soliciting commitments (and email addresses) from those prepared to pray for Mike Huckabee to assist him make the anguished decision to run for the Presidency… Continue reading
7 CommentsWouter Weylandt, 1984-2011
I was all set to write a post complaining that, as usual, the Anglophone press never pays enough attention* to the Giro d’Italia but for the saddest of all possible… Continue reading
2 CommentsSectarianism breathes again in Ulster
Can Tom Elliott lead the Ulster Unionists? That’s the question commentators in Northern Ireland are asking, after the party suffered yet another reverse at the polls. Elliott was elected leader… Continue reading
30 CommentsThe threat to Christianity
Is secularism now a greater threat to Christianity than Islam? This is the title of our next Spectator debate, to be held at 29 June, and it grows more topical… Continue reading
70 CommentsCairo Diary: The Brotherhood
Back in Cairo, I try to find answers to what everyone wants to know. Who are the Muslim Brotherhood? What role will the Muslim Brotherhood play in the future? Even… Continue reading
5 CommentsCoffee House Exclusive: McBride joins CAFOD
The penance of Damian McBride continues. After being ejected from No10, and disowned by his mentor Ed Balls, I can reveal that… Continue reading
37 CommentsEastern promises
Events in Bahrain are yet another reminder of why the supposed choice between stability and democracy is a false one. The idea that in the medium to long term backing… Continue reading
10 CommentsFrom the archives: Ratzinger’s vision
A propos of nothing – except perhaps the religious time of year – here’s The Spectator‘s report on one Cardinal Ratzinger setting out his "cautious and conservative" vision for Catholicism… Continue reading
4 CommentsChristmas cheer, Spectator style
It was the Spectator’s Carol Concert last night, in the Fleet St church of St Bride’s – and one of my favourite nights of the year. The choir is amazing:… Continue reading
4 CommentsThe strange case of Turkey, Islamic history and V.S. Naipaul
Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul has pulled out of the European Writers’ Parliament in Istanbul, following pressure from Turkish writers who felt ‘uneasy’ about comments he had made about Islam in… Continue reading
32 CommentsWhen the Pope met Boris
A good scoop from The Catholic Herald. Stuart Reid reveals what Mayor Boris Johnson said to the Pontiff last night: ‘I’d like to tell you what went on in the… Continue reading
8 CommentsFrom the archives: John Paul II’s visit to Britain
No need to explain why we’ve disinterred this piece by Peter Ackroyd, on the last papal visit to Britain, from the Spectator archives. And, to the left, the cover image… Continue reading
0 CommentsOn the Pope’s visit
The Pope, as I’m sure you know, has touched down in Britain. Here, for CoffeeHousers, is the editorial on his visit from this week’s new-look issue of the magazine: Benedict… Continue reading
38 CommentsLet’s move on from Stephen Fry’s Pope bashing
Stephen Fry is good at taking himself seriously while pretending not to take himself seriously. But slowly, as he gets older and grander, his self-effacing mask is slipping. He’s becoming… Continue reading
95 CommentsThe Hollobone dimension
As Paul Goodman notes, it is entirely possible that Philip Hollobone’s statements about the burka were taken out of context. As far as I can gather Hollobone has not yet… Continue reading
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