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The Spectator
Saturday
Letters | 26 May 2012
Private passions Sir: I was a pupil at St Paul’s School from 1952 to 1957. I remember seeing the bill for a term: £30 tuition, plus £15 ‘extras’ (lunches, books…). I was a scholar, so the £30 was deleted. It was no great distinction to be a scholar, as there were 153 scholars among the
Letters | 26 May 2012
Private passions Sir: I was a pupil at St Paul’s School from 1952 to 1957. I remember seeing the bill for a term: £30 tuition, plus £15 ‘extras’ (lunches, books…). I was a scholar, so the £30 was deleted. It was no great distinction to be a scholar, as there were 153 scholars among the
Barometer: Ministers for fun
Ministers for fun David Cameron was reported to be an expert in ‘chillaxing’ through tennis and karaoke. How have other prime ministers been reported to relax? William Gladstone Chopping down trees on his estate Winston Churchill Painting Edward Heath Sailing, conducting Harold Wilson Cooking Jim Callaghan Farming Margaret Thatcher Sorting out piles of towels John
Portrait of the week | 26 May 2012
Home The International Monetary Fund suggested Britain should undertake more quantitative easing or even cut interest rates. But Christine Lagarde, the IMF’s managing director, said ‘I shiver’ at the thought of Britain’s deficit in 2010 having been left without plans for fiscal consolidation. Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, made a noise for his side of
What’s stopping us?
The Climate Change Secretary, Ed Davey, promised this week to ‘reduce the volatility of energy bills’. Unfortunately, his proposal to eliminate the peaks and troughs in the electricity market involves elevating bills to a much higher level and leaving them there. Besides the pain this will inflict on already stretched households, the result of the
Friday
From the archives: Coventry Cathedral
This was our cover piece 50 years ago today, celebrating the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral built following the bombing of the previous Cathedral during the Second World War. The great barn, Kenneth J Robinson, 25 May 1962 As I stood just inside the glazed ‘west’ wall of Coventry Cathedral, beneath John Hutton’s gaily
The week that was | 25 May 2012
Here is a selection of articles and discussions from this week on Spectator.co.uk… James Forsyth says the Beecroft report is — to many Tory MPs — symbolic of how the Lib Dems are holding the government back on growth, and explains what Nigel Farage’s offer means for David Cameron. Peter Hoskin asks where our politicians’
Interview: Paul Durcan on poetry and art
Before we begin, Paul Durcan produces a piece of paper. Just ten minutes previously, he felt a sudden urge, he says, to remember the last verse from W.H Auden’s ‘Fall of Rome’. He raises the note, which he’s scribbled on with black biro, projecting each word with a careful steady cadence: ‘All together elsewhere, vast/
Spectator debate: It’s time to let Scotland go
The campaign for an independent Scotland launches today — but the date to really keep in mind is the 27th June, when The Spectator will hold its own debate on Scotland’s future. The motion is ‘It’s time to let Scotland go’. The venue is the Royal Geographic Society in London. The chair is Andrew Neil.
Wednesday
Shelf Life: Mary Killen
The journalist and author Mary Killen is in the limelight this week. In addition to writing the Dear Mary column in the Spectator every week, she has written a self-help book about the loving Queen. How the Queen Can Make You Happy will be published on 1 June. 1) As a child, what did you
Monday
Just in case you missed them… | 21 May 2012
…here are some of the posts made on Spectator.co.uk over the weekend: Fraser Nelson says Cameron’s Fruit Ninja obsession is real, explains why reason doesn’t apply to the eurozone and flies in to Gatwick to find a chaotic disgrace. James Forsyth reports on the strains on the Cameron-Hilton relationship and says the coalition partners need to
