The Spectator
@thespectator1828.bsky.social
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Politics, culture, cartoons and more.
The aim is not simply to manipulate the publicâs view of Churchill, but through his denigration to create the intellectual space for their other pernicious ideas to flourish. âď¸ Andrew Roberts
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The sinister attempts to tarnish Churchillâs legacy
Winston Churchill is one of Britainâs enduring symbols. His relentless drive, deep conviction and steadfast leadership means that he remains admired by millions around the globe. Yet for years, the...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-sinister-attempts-to-tarnish-churchills-legacy
about 8 hours ago
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Reeves hints she will break income tax pledge. âď¸ Steerpike
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Reeves hints she will break income tax pledge
There are just sixteen days to go until the Budget â and the pitch is being well and truly rolled. Having conducted her âI canât talk about thatâ press conference last week, the Chancellor has...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/reeves-hints-she-will-break-income-tax-pledge
about 10 hours ago
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On today's Coffee House Shots: The BBC is setting the news agenda via tales of its own incompetence, and the resignations of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness. Will two scalps be enough? @JAHeale @soniasodha
www.spectator.co.uk/podcast/what...
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What now for the BBC?
It seems that the BBC is once again setting the news agenda â via tales of its own incompetence. The Corporation has spent days battling accusations that it aired a doctored clip of a speech byâŚ
https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast/what-now-for-the-bbc/
about 10 hours ago
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The deployment of the aircraft will do nothing to stop the small boats. It may actually encourage the people smugglers. âď¸ Gavin Mortimer
www.spectator.co.uk/article/nigh...
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Night-time air patrols won't stop small boat crossings
Britain held an enquiry into the disaster earlier, which heard how the migrants had set out to sea in a boat that was âwholly unsuitableâ.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/night-time-air-patrols-wont-stop-small-boat-crossings/
about 11 hours ago
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New Yorkers who donât like the sound of Mamdaniâs taxes will like Londonâs even less. âď¸ Matthew Lynn
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Will London tempt the New Yorkers fleeing Mamdani?
The new mayor has promised an extra 2 per cent tax on incomes above $1 million (ÂŁ758,000) as well as higher corporate taxes.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/will-london-tempt-the-new-yorkers-fleeing-mamdani
about 13 hours ago
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There has been no âcoupâ at the BBC. âď¸ Joanna Williams
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There has been no âcoupâ at the BBC
Readers who woke to Radio 4âs Today programme at around 6:30 a.m. can be forgiven for leaping out of bed in alarm.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-bbc-needs-to-get-real
about 13 hours ago
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This scandal exposes a great truth of our time â that the elites are often more susceptible to fallacy and hysteria than the rest of us. âď¸ Brendan OâNeill
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The BBC's fake news blindspot
This scandal exposes a great truth of our time â that the elites are often more susceptible to fallacy and hysteria than the rest of us are
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-bbcs-fake-news-blindspot
about 13 hours ago
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The BBC has repeatedly blurred moral lines on Israel and antisemitism. âď¸ Jonathan Sacerdoti
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The rot at the BBC runs far deeper than Tim Davie
The resignations at the top of the BBC mark a critical juncture for an institution long seen as a pillar of British public life
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-rot-at-the-bbc-runs-far-deeper-than-tim-davie
about 14 hours ago
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This BBC morning editorial meeting is group think in institutionalised form. âď¸ Anthony Browne
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Why the BBC keeps getting it wrong
The double-decapitating explosion over BBC bias is a gift for commentators, but much of the commentary misses a key central point
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-the-bbc-keeps-getting-it-wrong
about 15 hours ago
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That dark prophecy is alive in al-Sharaaâs Syria. âď¸ Theo Padnos
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The jihadist I knew: my life as a prisoner of Syria's president
An al-Qaeda in Syria official I remember lecturing prisoners he was about to execute on charges of apostasy, is now a senior minister
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-jihadist-i-knew-my-life-as-a-prisoner-of-syrias-president
about 18 hours ago
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Defenders of the BBC regard this as a confected row, a political hit job, and affect outrage that it cost the top man his job. Iâm afraid I donât think it is. âď¸ Sam Leith
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I'm a fan of the BBC â but even I'm struggling to defend it
Defenders of the BBC regard this as a confected row, a political hit job, and affect outrage that it cost the top man his job. It's not
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/im-a-fan-of-the-bbc-but-even-im-struggling-to-defend-it
about 18 hours ago
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If the BBC wants to secure its future and regain trust, it should make Trevor Phillips director-general. âď¸ Stephen Pollard
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Is this the man who can save the BBC?
I can think of no more brilliant choice for the BBC top job than Trevor Phillips, who presents by far the best Sunday morning political show
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/is-this-the-man-who-can-save-the-bbc
about 18 hours ago
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After the parade of go-getting arch-narcissists Aniston has been left high and dry by, it might be refreshing to look into the limpid eyes of some smooth-talking guru who only wants to talk about The Wonder Of You. âď¸ Julie Burchill
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Jennifer Aniston and the allure of woo-woo
'Woo-woo' â extreme silliness masquerading as spirituality â is especially attractive to disappointed women of a certain age. Just look at Jennifer Aniston's new 'wellness coach' boyfriend, Jim Curtis.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/jennifer-aniston-and-the-allure-of-woo-woo
about 18 hours ago
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The final pages of this novel are astonishing and shocking, but also deeply satisfying. âď¸ Jim Lawley
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Give Andrew Miller the Booker
The winner of the Booker will be announced on Monday. Of the six shortlisted novels, Andrew Millerâs The Land in Winter looks like a good bet.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/give-andrew-miller-the-booker
about 19 hours ago
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Itâs the kind of pub which, at one time, every village, town, urban neighbourhood or estate would have had on their doorstep. âď¸ Mark Solomons
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How we saved our local pub from closure
You wonât find it in any of the âbest pubâ guides that seem to appear every other week, but our local is the best pub simply because itâs, well, our local. And that is why our village has come...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-we-saved-our-local-pub-from-closure
about 19 hours ago
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Learning to read, write and speak a foreign language is not only a âskillâ. Itâs about learning how to think differently and think better. âď¸ Patrick West
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Learning French taught me to love English
One of the greatest dangers posed by the governmentâs curriculum review is that it will result in children abandoning more demanding subjects
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/learning-french-taught-me-to-love-english
about 19 hours ago
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We should not need the court's permission to criticise Islam âď¸ Patrick West
www.spectator.co.uk/article/we-s...
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We should not need the court's permission to criticise Islam
Those who believe in free speech, and those who are particularly concerned by plans to have âIslamophobiaâ codified, ought to be delighted. A judge has ruled that criticising Islam, or viewing theâŚ
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/we-should-not-need-the-courts-permission-to-criticise-islam/
1 day ago
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What will Trump do in Venezuela? âď¸ Michael Evans
www.spectator.co.uk/article/what...
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What will Trump do in Venezuela?
Venezuela has been on tenterhooks for weeks, waiting as the United States gathers an armada of warships. The worldâs largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, looks likely to arrive in theâŚ
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/what-will-trump-do-in-venezuela/
1 day ago
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David Bowie was no starman âď¸ James Innes-Smith
www.spectator.co.uk/article/davi...
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David Bowie was no starman
Almost ten years after his death, the cloying adulation for David Jones â could he have had a less cool name? â shows no sign of abating
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/david-bowie-was-no-starman/
1 day ago
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www.spectator.co.uk/article/reme...
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Remembrance Sunday is about more than just the two world wars
Back in Portsmouth, Mary Fowlerâs family would watch the news on TV as the conflict unfolded and ships were sunk.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/remembrance-sunday-is-about-more-than-just-the-two-world-wars/
1 day ago
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âď¸ Maxwell Marlow
www.spectator.co.uk/article/what...
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Whatâs the point in a Generational Smoking Ban?
With the Tobacco and Vapes Bill travelling through the House of Lords, I think itâs high time we looked at the data justifying this almost unprecedented assault on liberty. Public health lobbyistsâŚ
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/whats-the-point-in-a-generational-smoking-ban/
1 day ago
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âIt is particularly annoying, I know, to have an Aga in Notting Hill.â âď¸ Rachel Johnson says enough with the Aga-shaming!
www.spectator.co.uk/article/enou...
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Enough with the Aga-shaming
So what if my cooker has âTory energyâ, asks Rachel Johnson â the proud owner of not one but two Agas.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/enough-with-the-aga-shaming/
2 days ago
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âJames Watson, the Nobel Prize-winning biologist, was in fact one of the earliest victims of cancel culture.â
www.spectator.co.uk/article/jame...
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James Watson deserved better
James Watson has died at the great age of 97. Obituaries of the American scientist, who, with his late British collaborator Francis Crick, first proposed the double helix structure of the DNAâŚ
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/james-watson-deserved-better/
2 days ago
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âI wish to suggest a compromise â narcotics licences. If you want to take marijuana, or cocaine, ecstasy, amphetamines or even heroin for that matter, you apply for a licence in the way you might for a gun.â âď¸ Ed West
www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-...
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The case for narcotics licences
Iâve just been in New York for the first time in two decades. Itâs a young personâs city, it has to be said, but my view was slightly darkened by being far out in Brooklyn and having to spend a lotâŚ
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-case-for-narcotics-licences/
2 days ago
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âYou donât need to be the Witchsmeller Pursuivant to catch the whiff of incoherence emanating from No. 11 and the Treasury.â âď¸ Tim Shipman
www.spectator.co.uk/article/what...
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What the heck is Rachel Reeves up to?
Welcome to my first Evening Blend. Unless there are earth-shattering events each Friday, my intention is to try to cut through the events of the week and say what really mattered over the past fiveâŚ
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/what-the-heck-is-rachel-reeves-up-to/
3 days ago
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âUnless the government steps in and forces the BBCâs top tier to quit and ride off into the sunset on their Brompton bikes, the corporation is finished.â âď¸ Charlie Walsham
www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-...
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The leaked BBC memo is no surprise
As a BBC News journalist who has been driven to distraction by the corporationâs repeated displays of apparent bias, I didnât think I was capable of being shocked anymore. It turns out I was wrong.âŚ
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-leaked-bbc-memo-is-no-surprise/
3 days ago
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âNorthern Irelandâs lesson is stark: entrench extremes, and moderation dies; let sectarianism fester, and democracy becomes zero-sum.â âď¸ Rory Hanrahan
3 days ago
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Reeves has generated the maximum volume of hissing while obtaining hardly any feathers at all. âď¸ Hamish McRae
www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-...
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The October Budget was Reevesâs original sin
With hindsight, Rachel Reevesâs first Budget in October last year looks even worse than it did at the time.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-october-budget-was-reevess-original-sin/
3 days ago
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Britain ultimately prevailed in 1945 not because we were hobbits, nor in spite of being hobbits, but because we were nothing like them at all. âď¸ Alan Allport
www.spectator.co.uk/article/no-e...
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No, Elon Musk: we Brits aren't hobbits
'When Tolkien wrote about hobbits, he was referring to the gentlefolk of the English shires,' Elon Musk said
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/no-elon-musk-we-brits-arent-hobbits/
3 days ago
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In a sense, Pelosi has had more than a small measure of vengeance against her detractors. âď¸ Jacob Heilbrunn
www.spectator.co.uk/article/nanc...
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Nancy Pelosi was a ruthless operator
Nancy Pelosiâs career ends as it began. She entered Congress in 1986 during the Reagan administration and is ending it under the most influential Republican president since the Gipper. On ThursdayâŚ
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/nancy-pelosi-was-a-ruthless-operator/
3 days ago
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On today's Coffee House Shots: With three weeks until the Budget, the main political parties have been setting out their economic thinking.
www.spectator.co.uk/podcast/why-...
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Why energy is the new political battleground
With three weeks until the Budget, the main political parties have been setting out their economic thinking. Each faces the same bind: anaemic growth, fiscal constraints and uncomfortable exposure toâŚ
https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast/why-energy-is-the-new-political-battleground/
3 days ago
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Books of the Year II â further recommendations from our regular reviewers. âď¸ The Spectator
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Books of the Year II â further recommendations from our regular reviewers
Philip Hensher I have a theory that Mick Herronâs Slow Horses novels are an ingenious variation on Shakespeareâs Henry IV plays. If, in a future episode, River Cartwright ascends to his kingdom renouncing...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/books-of-the-year-ii-further-recommendations-from-our-regular-reviewers
3 days ago
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Hopkins has long been in demand to play devils, killers, bullies, werewolves, ancient gods and ruthless kings. âď¸ Roger Lewis
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âI could turn very nasty â I was an egotistical bruteâ, says Anthony Hopkins
Itâs a good job Anthony Hopkins is only an actor, as think what heâd be like as a dictator or grand inquisitor. âI could turn very nasty,â he tells us in his memoir. Doing National Service: âI...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/i-could-turn-very-nasty-i-was-an-egotistical-brute-says-anthony-hopkins
3 days ago
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âSnow imposes the skyâs thoughts on the earth,â says Tesson, revelling in the French fondness for the abstract. âď¸ Sara Wheeler
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Faith â and why mountains move us
Sylvain Tessonâs White unfolds the story of a gruelling ski journey across the Alps during which the author aims to fulfil âa long-held dream of transforming travel into prayerâ. Born in Paris in...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/faith-and-why-mountains-move-us
3 days ago
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Thereâs a theory that the landscape at Blenheim was based on the Duke of Marlboroughâs battle plan. âď¸ Ambra Edwards
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Serenity and splendour: a choice of gardening books
This year marks the centenary of Britainâs National Pinetum at Bedgebury in Kent, originally founded to rescue the smog-ravaged collection of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and now part of a global...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/serenity-and-splendour-a-choice-of-gardening-books
3 days ago
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The room showing his work in Derby is one of the most sublime experiences on offer in any European gallery. âď¸ Richard Bratby
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The melancholy genius of Joseph Wright of Derby
If you lived in the 1760s and were affluent enough â and curious enough â science could be a family affair. The instrument maker Benjamin Martin actually marketed scientific equipment for amateurs,...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-melancholy-genius-of-joseph-wright-of-derby
3 days ago
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El Greco volunteered to repaint the Sistine Chapel because he didnât think Michelangelo was much good. âď¸ Marcus Berkmann
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A feast for quiz-lovers: Christmas gift books
The Christmas gift book market is a fascinating thing. Things come into fashion, other things drop out, although the desire to amuse and/or make the mind boggle is pretty much constant. This yearâs...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/a-feast-for-quiz-lovers-christmas-gift-books
3 days ago
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These intimate objects reveal a life more collective, communal and precarious than ours. âď¸ Tiffany Jenkins
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Lice combs, vaginal syringes and cesspits: at home in 17th century Holland
The room is dark, the lighting deliberately low. At its centre stands a solitary object: a yellow and green earthenware vessel decorated with biblical symbolism. Itâs a fireguard â or âcurfewâ...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/lice-combs-vaginal-syringes-and-cesspits-at-home-in-17th-century-holland
3 days ago
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The reluctant spy: The Predicament, by William Boyd, reviewed. âď¸ Charlotte Stroud
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The reluctant spy: The Predicament, by William Boyd, reviewed
According to the literary critic Harold Bloom, male writers have daddy issues. So keenly do they feel the oppressive influence of their forefathers that when they take up the pen it is to use it as a...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-reluctant-spy-the-predicament-by-william-boyd-reviewed
3 days ago
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The Mamdani years will be frustrating for Republicans and centrist Democrats. âď¸ Stephen Daisley
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Zohran Mamdani will not be a radical mayor
Zohran Mamdaniâs election as mayor of New York City has prompted triumphalism in his supporters and despondency among his detractors. Depending on your political proclivities, the Big Apple is about...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/zohran-mamdani-will-not-govern-as-a-radical
3 days ago
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Whether or not Zitouni is an immigrant isnât clear â and nor does it matter. âď¸ Andrew Tettenborn
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Who cares if the Huntingdon train hero is an immigrant?
Whether or not Samir Zitouni, the Huntington train hero, is an immigrant isn't clear â and nor does it matter
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/who-cares-if-the-huntingdon-train-hero-is-an-immigrant
3 days ago
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Reform shouldnât be a party of loud statements, here-today-gone-tomorrow policies and U-turns. âď¸ Joanna Marchong
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Does Farage know the difference between populism and a plan?
Reform UK has long hinted that it would scrap the two-child benefit cap. This week, Farage clarified his position. The problem is in the detail - or the lack of it.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/does-farage-know-the-difference-between-populism-and-a-plan
3 days ago
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What steps has the Prisons Minister, Lord Timpson, taken following this most recent incident? âď¸ David Spencer
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When will the prisons minister face up to the jail crisis?
The latest episode in the rolling farce that is His Majestyâs Prison Service was revealed to be another foreign sex offender released in error
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/when-will-the-prisons-minister-face-up-to-the-jail-crisis
3 days ago
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The Bank of England blames Rachel Reeves for pushing up prices. âď¸ Michael Simmons
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The Bank of England blames Rachel Reeves for pushing up prices
The Bank of England has held interest rates at four per cent
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-bank-of-england-blames-rachel-reeves-for-pushing-up-prices
3 days ago
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The idea of bringing back military service is proving very unpopular with Germanyâs youth. âď¸ Lisa Haseldine
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Is Germany ready for military service?
Boris Pistorius has grand plans to grow the German army to 260,000 active troops and 200,000 reservists by 2035.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/is-germany-ready-for-military-service
3 days ago
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Can Ukraine afford Zelenskyâs winter giveaway? âď¸ Svitlana Morenets
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Can Ukraine afford Zelenskyâs winter giveaway?
Since taking office in 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyâs decisions have often been a mix of blatant populism and good intentions.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/can-ukraine-afford-zelenskys-winter-giveaway
3 days ago
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Even after the Cass Review and the Supreme Court judgment, the language police have not yet gone away. âď¸ Debbie Hayton
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Why has Martine Croxall been censured by the BBC?
Martine Croxallâs eyes spoke louder than her words when she corrected the clumsy and unnatural use of âpregnant peopleâ on her autocue earlier this year. As a result, the newsreader found herself...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-has-martine-croxall-been-censured-by-the-bbc
3 days ago
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The programme is looking at behaviours that are âviolence-orientedâ, which risks blurring our understanding of the real terror threat in the UK. âď¸ Ghaffar Hussain
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Prevent's purpose is drifting from terrorism
When I was a Prevent counter terror officer a decade ago our case load was largely focused on Islamist terrorism â clear, defined ideological extremism. Today the picture looks very different. The majority...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/prevents-purpose-is-drifting-from-terrorism
3 days ago
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The problem is that the bigger the sport the more it likes to signal its virtue. âď¸ Robert Taylor
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Sports are finally giving up on virtue-signalling
Thank heavens for that. English football clubs will no longer have a minuteâs silence for tragedies like floods, earthquakes and volcanoes across the other side of the world. Of course, itâs lovely...
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/sports-are-finally-giving-up-on-virtue-signalling
3 days ago
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That Villa Park was overrun by frothing keffiyeh-wearers wishing death on the army of the Jewish state and damning peaceful Jews as âbaby killersâ is a scandal. âď¸ Brendan OâNeill
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When the oldest hatred came to Villa Park
âScumâ barked at a Jewish man for the crime of taking a small Israel flag from his bag. âGet the f**k out of my cityâ hollered at Jews. Masked men hanging signs saying âZionists not welcomeâ....
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/when-the-oldest-hatred-came-to-villa-park
3 days ago
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