Society

Monday

Andrew Tettenborn

Don’t fine drivers for doing 31mph in a 30mph zone

Drivers could soon be prosecuted for travelling 1 mph over the speed limit, at least if some MPs get their way. The all-party parliamentary group on walking and cycling (APPGWC) also proposes stiffer penalties for drivers of heavy cars like SUVs involved in accidents, and an invariable requirement for a fresh driving test for anyone disqualified. However well they may go down among a certain class of activist, it’s not difficult to see that these are all fairly terrible ideas.  First, speed limits. Current informal guidance from police chiefs, pretty widely observed in England (though not in Scotland) is ’10 per cent plus 2′: in other words, ignore speeds up

Sunday

Philip Patrick Philip Patrick

Does Japan not care about Kitagawa’s abuse?

The niece of Jonny Kitagawa, founder of the Japanese talent agency Jonny & Associates, stepped down this week from her role as president, acknowledging the decades long sexual abuse of the company’s young clients by its founder (who died in 1999). In a typically Japanese scene of corporate self-abasement, Julie Keiko Fujishima apologised to the victims and pledged to dedicate the rest of her life to addressing the issue. It was a bravura performance but one that has been met with deep cynicism, at least from some in Japan. Jonny Kitagawa was the godfather of J-Pop, an immensely powerful figure exercising dominion over the lives of his stable of young, often very young, male starlets (known in Japan as ‘talents’ or ‘idols’). Kitagawa would

Saturday

Eliot Wilson

Britain’s shrinking army faces an uncertain future

Old soldiers never die, the song goes, they just fade away. Next year, General Sir Patrick Sanders, Chief of the General Staff and the professional head of the British Army, will step down after less than two years in post. He is 57, and will have served for 40 years. But he is not fading away; rather he leaves under a muted storm, having clashed with the Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, and after vainly resisting cuts to the size of the Army. Under current plans, our land forces will shrink to 73,500 by 2025. We have not fielded so few soldiers since 1799. It is

Nicholas Farrell

The tragedy of Italy’s dead bear – and the folly of rewilding

A butcher who has killed the most famous wild bear in Italy is now unable to leave his house for fear of being killed himself. The tragedy calls into question, once again, the wisdom of the ever more fashionable quest by people in cities to rewild the countryside with dangerous animals such as bears and wolves. There are no two ways about it: these animals wreak havoc. If those in the city whose closest encounter with a wild animal is a feral pigeon, sewer rat, or urban fox, want such animals back in the countryside then they must accept that those who actually live in the countryside have the right

Friday

Oliver Rhodes

Who killed free speech at Harvard?

Harvard, consistently ranked as one of the world’s best universities, has just been rated the worst for free speech in the United States. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (Fire), which compiled the rankings, described the state of free speech at Harvard as ‘abysmal’. This news is surprising, since in April over fifty Harvard academics formed a Council on Academic Freedom dedicated, in its words, ‘to promoting free enquiry, intellectual diversity and civil discourse’ on campus. The Council’s formation marked a milestone in official recognition of the problem of free speech, mainly for conservative professors. The psychologist Steven Pinker and Lawrence H. Summers, former advisor to President Clinton, are both members. So why does

Brendan O’Neill Brendan O’Neill

The Guardian’s shameful Roisin Murphy review

Of all the smug, bitter things the Guardian has published over the years, its review of Róisín Murphy’s new album has got to be one of the worst. Ms Murphy is a musical genius but a wicked woman, the review essentially says. Why? Because she committed the blasphemy of criticising puberty blockers. Switch off her music, ready the stake! Murphy’s album Hit Parade is released today. It is being adorned with praise. Some are calling it the album of the year. Even the Guardian’s reviewer, through teeth so gritted I’m sure they got chipped, calls it ‘masterful’ and gives it five stars. That such a perfectly normal and good moral

Jawad Iqbal

The Premier League is in denial about Saudi Arabia

Not all fans of Newcastle United are prepared to turn a blind eye to the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s takeover of the club. The campaign group, NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing (NUFCFAS), plans to stage a protest outside St James’ Park in Newcastle ahead of Saudi Arabia’s friendly against Costa Rica tonight. It wants to prick the consciences of fellow fans but, if past protests are anything to go by, only a handful of Newcastle’s huge fan base will turn up. It is a lonely battle at the best of times when football supporters of any team take a stand based on morality in a money-obsessed sport. Money is the only thing that

Lee Cohen

Why Americans loved the Queen

Queen Elizabeth II, who died a year ago today, has left an unfillable void – not least for the many Americans like myself who so deeply admired Her Majesty. Though the United States rejected monarchy in 1776, Queen Elizabeth was to many of us a living reminder of the noble, just, and humane principles central to our inheritance from our mother country. Throughout her reign, the Queen played a significant role in enhancing the US-UK relationship. She maintained close relations between the two countries and was a robust ally to the United States. The Queen met every sitting US president during her reign, except Lyndon Johnson. Her capacity to charm

Alexander Larman

When will Elizabeth II get the memorial she deserves?

After the public grief that greeted the death of our longest-serving monarch Elizabeth II a year ago today, it might be expected that there would be a similar display of commemoration to mark the first anniversary of her passing. Instead, the Royal Family have let it be known that there will be no public event to remember her. The King and Queen will hold a private family ceremony at Balmoral Castle, to which all the senior members of ‘the Firm’ will be invited – save, perhaps inevitably, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The Prince and Princess of Wales will make an appearance in public, but are not expected to issue

Thursday

Damian Thompson Damian Thompson

Genghis Khan and the Pope’s summer of madness

21 min listen

Earlier this week, the Rome correspondent of the Times found himself mugging up on the history of Genghis Khan’s Mongol Empire, and this is what he reported:  While the empire brought stability, it was created through the large-scale massacre of anyone who refused to submit to Mongol rule, leading to the death of millions. Mongol troops triggered famine in Iran by destroying ancient irrigation systems and catapulted diseased corpses into towns they besieged, a technique which reportedly introduced the Black Death into Europe. Why were the media suddenly writing about blood-crazed 13th-century warriors? Because, incredibly, Pope Francis – on a strange visit to Mongolia’s minuscule Catholic community – had just been rhapsodising about

Steerpike Steerpike

Carol Vorderman suffers a blow in her scrap with the Tories

Carol Vorderman’s campaign against the Tories suffered a setback today after the ex-Countdown host climbed down from a row with the party’s chairman Greg Hands. Vorderman sent a number of tweets earlier this year over Hands’ alleged involvement in the awarding of a £25 million PPE contract. But Vorderman has now issued a statement appearing to back down from her earlier claims. She wrote on Twitter: ‘I’m happy to accept Mr Hands’ assurance that his role in the process was simply to refer the approach to the JACT, and that there was no impropriety on his part.’ Hands told Mr S he is ‘delighted’ the tweets were removed but called

Tom Slater Tom Slater

Why eco zealots love to hate Ryanair

There are many reasons why someone might want to throw a cream pie at Michael O’Leary, the motormouth boss of budget airline Ryanair. Usually, the only satisfying thing about a Ryanair flight is the price. (And even then prices have been going up.) Then there’s his one-note Remoanerism, his contemptuous comments over the years about Brexit-voting Brits. And his contempt for some of his own workers. But that’s not why O’Leary was pied by some activists in Brussels today, as he handed in a petition to the European Commission, calling for flights over Europe to be better protected from air-traffic-control strikes. No, they’re angry – apparently – that his firm exists at all.  ‘Stop the

Madeleine Teahan

Why are so many Catholic schools affected by the Raac crisis?

We now know the names of the 156 schools across the country with crumbling reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) inside their buildings, resulting in partial or full closure for 104 of those listed. What struck me as I glanced down the list of schools is the frequency of the word ‘Saint’ which, more often than not, means that the school in question is Catholic. A quick count showed that 30 Catholic schools are listed in total — which amounts to about a fifth of schools affected. Given that only 9 per cent of state funded schools and academies in the UK are Catholic, that seems alarmingly high and begs the

Debbie Hayton

When will the Tories clear up the transgender confusion?

Schools are back but teachers are still waiting for the government’s guidance on transgender pupils. Back in March, Rishi Sunak promised that it would be in our hands ‘for the summer term’. Well it’s now autumn and another round of teacher training days – and the summer holidays – have come and gone, and still we are no nearer to any answers. In the mean time, teachers and trans pupils remain in limbo. They are not alone: doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital have reportedly been advised to ‘stop using gendered language’ such as boy or girl. Without any clear line from the government on this issue, it’s no wonder

David Shipley

A Wandsworth prison jailbreak was waiting to happen

As a former inmate of HMP Wandsworth, I can’t say I’m surprised that a prisoner, Daniel Khalife, has escaped. When I was jailed there in 2020, I saw for myself that Wandsworth is understaffed, poorly-managed and often so badly organised that it loses track of prisoners for extended periods of time. Last year’s report by HM Inspector of Prisons shows that the situation has only deteriorated since.  ​The inspectors describe a prison with ‘not enough staff to make sure prisoners received even the most basic regime’. When this inspection took place, Wandsworth’s population was 1,364. The report warned against increasing the prison’s population but according to the Ministry of Justice’s last published figures, Wandsworth’s

Philip Hensher

Click bait: confessions of a Lego addict

The empire of Lego has many dominions and protectorates, with every year, it seems, new territories to conquer. There are theme parks; there are films of excruciatingly ironic sophistication; there are competitions to make bizarre tableaux that grip nations; there are highly controlled TV documentaries about life at the heart of Lego in Denmark. I don’t feel my life will be complete until I’ve spent a week constructing Hagia Sophia out of plastic bricks It is an astonishingly powerful brand and its growth has been extraordinary to watch. Many years ago, it was just one building toy among many, like Meccano or Fischer Technik. Now, it is supreme. Some tremors

Sean Thomas

Is your pet killing the planet?

As a travel writer, I used to joke about the so-called ‘downsides of the job’. The stupidly complex shower-fixture in the five-star Maldivian Paradise. The unexpected commission to go to Denmark in winter. The vague but real sting of disappointment upon realising that the free hotel pillow-chocolate is actually a mint. But in recent years a genuine and troubling downside has arisen. When I meet someone and tell them what I do, the listener often winces, perhaps with a hint of moral superiority, and says something like: ‘Don’t you feel guilty about your carbon footprint? You’re killing the planet!’ This query pains me because, while I may question a few

Max Pemberton

TikTok is giving our children Tourette’s

Shortly after the first Covid lockdown ended, doctors began to notice something so strange that at first they struggled to explain it. There appeared to be a sudden rise in the number of children being referred with Tourette’s syndrome. Tourette’s is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by repetitive, involuntary movements or sounds called ‘tics’. While mild tics are relatively common in children, specialists suddenly started seeing large numbers of children displaying complex and debilitating symptoms. Dr Alasdair Parker, president of the British Paediatric Neurology Association, said in 2021: ‘The most severe tics disorders I have seen over the past 20 years have all presented in the last five months to

Bruce Anderson

A perfect slice of Calabria 

The Romans wrote the history, or at least the myths. But long before Romulus murdered Remus, the Mediterranean – the Great Sea – was the principal conduit of civilisation. The Greeks spread their wings across the wine-dark seas, to the extent that even later Romans accepted that much of southern Italy was actually Magna Graecia. The Greek settlements included the city of Sybaris. Although it was destroyed around 2,500 years ago, it has passed into the language. Sybaritic – the very word is expressive – denotes ease and pleasure, the beauties of nature amid the adornments of art and architecture: champagne and dancing girls. Sybaris is in Calabria, the toe

Wednesday

Steerpike Steerpike

Watch: Nicola Sturgeon makes her Scottish parliament comeback

Nicola Sturgeon is back. The former SNP leader, who stood down as First Minister in March, popped up in the Scottish parliament today to issue a warning on the state of ‘political discourse’. It was Sturgeon’s first appearance in the chamber since she was arrested as part of a probe into SNP finances. Sturgeon, who was released without charge and denies any wrongdoing, called for politicians to engage in a more ‘mature debate’. She also insisted that ‘things look(ed) a bit clearer’ from the backbenches. She told MSPs: ‘Let me say that I accept my share of responsibility for the state of our political discourse. But if anything that makes