Cricket's governing body has pledged to stamp out corruption in the sport - as the three Pakistan cricketers caught in an alleged betting scam were quizzed by police. […]
1.15pm: WATCH The show goes for Blair after egg-hurling protesters turn out for him in Dublin Pressure mounts on Andy Coulson 11.45am: In the first of a series of letters from Zimbabwe, Julia Manning writes on CentreRight: From Mpilo Hospital:... […]
6.45pm Local Government: Which companies might want to sponsor a town? 5.15pm WATCH: The BBC's Carolyn Quinn looks back on the life of ex-Liberal MP Sir Cyril Smith, who died today 3.45pm ToryDiary: I shall be sleeping with a Cabinet... […]
7.45pm WATCH: Hillary Clinton opens the new talks between Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas... ...which are welcomed by William Hague 6.30pm Local Government: Labour-run Glasgow under fire over £128,000 "golden goodbyes" for senior executives 5.30pm LeftWatch: What Gordon Brown did... […]
9pm LeftWatch: Mission accomplished by Ed Balls in Channel 4's Labour leadership debate 8pm LeftWatch: Highlights of Andrew Marr's interview with Tony Blair 5.30pm ToryDiary: Statement from William Hague revealing that his special adviser, Christopher Myers, has quit 4.30pm Local... […]
Curious times, getting curiouser, for Nick Clegg. The Lib Dem leader might have thought that bringing his party into government would ensure him a triumphant reception at their conference in two weeks. But, instead, he faces a number of stories that could unsettle proceedings. Today, we hear that more Liberal Democrat councillors have resigned in what they c […]
Tomorrow’s Guardian front page says Michael Gove dealt fresh blow as only 20 'free schools' approved. But this is actually not a bad rate of progress. The 20 refers only to the new schools that will open in September 2011, more will open in 2012 and 2013 and so on. One would expect the numbers to increase as momentum behind the programme builds. As […]
As we drift into the weekend, Labour are stepping up their attacks on Andy Coulson. Already today, Tom Watson, Alan Johnson, John Prescott and Chris Bryant have all drawn noisy attention to the allegations made in that New York Times Magazine article about phone tapping and the News of the World – and their efforts have already pushed the story to the top of […]
Here are some of the posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the past week: Fraser Nelson says that Tony Blair is aiming to become a freelance statesman. James Forsyth highlights the biggest threat to the coalition, and reports on cricket's dilemma. Peter Hoskin says that Blair wants Labour to be more like the coalition, and argues that Labour needs a Byrne […]
When I say that I doubt that I will take a Gap Year, many adults are surprised. “Why”, they say, wide-eyed, “it's such a wonderful growing experience / important rite of passage / chance to save the world.” Hm. All this may be so, but I am by no means alone in dismissing a year spent abroad. I can see many reasons for this. The first comes from the infa […]
The screw is tightening in the ongoing row over phone hacking at News of the World, with Alan Johnson suggesting an inspection of the original police investigation may be necessary. […]
The internet has become too important for governments to ignoreGOVERNMENTS are increasingly finding ways to enforce their laws in the digital realm. The most prominent is China’s “great firewall”. But China is by no means the only country erecting borders in cyberspace. The OpenNet Initiative, an advocacy group, lists more than a dozen countries that block i […]
Galloping inflation in American college feesFOR decades, college fees have risen faster than Americans’ ability to pay them. Median household income has grown by a factor of 6.5 in the past 40 years, but the cost of attending a state college has increased by a factor of 15 for in-state students and 24 for out-of-state students. The cost of attending a privat […]
China now has more warships than America, according to the IISSTHE International Institute for Strategic Studies (better known as the IISS), reckons China now has more warships than America, which long possessed the biggest fleet. As it can be hard to distinguish a warship from other boats, the IISS uses its own definition of what counts and what does not. T […]
The best-selling political memoirs in BritainTONY BLAIR, Britain's former prime minister, published his memoirs on Wednesday September 1st. The few people who have already read them cover to cover report that, in addition to the familiar stuff about how awful his relationship with Gordon Brown was, Mr Blair admits to being manipulative and to having a d […]
How America's opinion of the Iraq war has changedOVER seven years after the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, America's direct military involvement is now coming to an end. President Barack Obama will set out his new policy in a speech from the Oval Office on Monday August 31st. American public opinion on the war has changed enormously during that ti […]
China's traffic jam was inevitableCHINA tends to do everything a bit bigger than the rest of the world, including traffic jams. One snarl up this month along a highway leading into Beijing was at one point over 100km long and left traffic gridlocked for eleven days until it mysteriously vanished on Thursday August 26th. Roadworks and booming demand for […]
Who has most freedom to travel?THE ability to visit a foreign country without the cost and hassle of obtaining a visa is a welcome bonus for any traveller. It is also a barometer of a country's international alliances and relations. A report released on August 25th by Henley & Partners, a consultancy, shows that Britons have the fewest visa restrict […]