Spin
‘Or this is the election model — it features both a spin cycle and a counter-spin cycle.’
The Spectator
Thursday
Maths
‘Oh no — he’s being difficult again.’
Obesity 5
‘When did you last see your feet?’
Letters | 9 April 2015
In defence of Catholicism Sir: Michael Gove gives an excellent defence of Christianity (4 April), but his embarrassment about the Roman Catholic part of the story is unnecessary. He writes of his discomfort as, declaring oneself to be a Christian, ‘You stand in the tradition of the Inquisition, the Counter-Reformation, the Jesuits who made South
Barometer | 9 April 2015
The Scottish way of death Nicola Sturgeon said the SNP would block a rise in the state pension age on the grounds that it would be unfair to Scots, who don’t live as long as the English. — The idea that the Scots die early was fuelled by a study by the Glasgow Centre for
Swing time
The age of two-party politics is over: we know that because everyone keeps saying so. We are entering an era of coalitions, apparently, where compromise is king and a wider variety of views will be represented in parliament. These barely comprehensible seven-way television debates are the future, we are assured, and decisive general election results
Portrait of the week | 9 April 2015
Home Tony Blair, the former prime minister, opposed a referendum on membership of the EU. In a speech at Sedgefield he said that, following the Scottish referendum, David Cameron, the Prime Minister, knew ‘the perilous fragility of public support for the sensible choice’. Opinion polls following a television debate by seven party leaders, which drew
Books and arts – 9 April 2015
Before Dad’s Army
From ‘Our Home Guards’, The Spectator, 10 April 1915: There is nothing of the national picnic; or of playing at soldiers about the Home Guards. Those who enter the corps mean business, and not a good time in the open air under a series of military aliases. Some of the special features of the movement are
Wednesday
The Spectator at war: Righting wrong
From ‘News of the Week’, The Spectator, 10 April 1915: With much satisfaction we record that Mrs. Johnson, formerly of Redhill and now of Old Town, Croydon, has been awarded by the Home Office £500 compensation for eighteen months’ wrongful imprisonment. This unhappy woman was wrongly convicted in October, 1912, and July, 1913, of writing
Tuesday
As it happened: Scottish leaders’ debate
Welcome to The Spectator’s live coverage of the Scottish leaders’ debate on STV. We’ll be providing the latest developments and analysis on the programme, starting at 8pm this evening. This page will automatically reloadd
The Spectator at war: Three month suspension
From ‘A Possible Compromise’, The Spectator, 10 April 1915: If the Government have not the courage to adopt total prohibition, then we reluctantly suggest the following plan. Let the Cabinet adopt the policy of the suspension of the sale of all intoxicants for three months—say from April 20th till July 20th. Such suspension would cover
Thursday
Serene
‘Kids today don’t know the meaning of the word “serene”.’
Phone 8
‘It’s the latest must-nick phone.’
Bunter
‘It’s about this normally sized boy at a school full of weirdly thin people.’
Spider Letter
‘In the old days he used to talk to me.’
Easter Egg
‘I unwrapped the packaging and it was empty.’
Children 2
‘I’ve left the children to their own devices.’