The long-running weekly publication offers depth, broad perspective on a variety of issues, and doesn’t shy away from controversy
The Spectator is a United Kingdom weekly first published in 1828. This purportedly makes it the longest-running magazine of its kind in the English-speaking world. And while the primary focus is current affairs, the Spectator’s subject matter ranges further than that. There’s lively coverage of books, music, film, TV, food and travel. From time to…
When will politicians consider the safety of the people to be more important than avoiding criticism?
On Nov. 29, 2019, two people were fatally stabbed and three injured by convicted terrorist Usman Khan. The attacker was shot dead by the City of London Police, after members of the public restrained him. Khan was convicted in 2012 of planning a terrorist attack. He was released from prison in 2018 after serving six…
The former U.K. prime minister had a radical streak and a thirst for combat that the men she led didn’t share
Margaret Thatcher had her final prime ministerial audience with the Queen on Nov. 28, 1990. Despite having won three consecutive general elections and never losing a parliamentary vote of confidence, she was evicted from office against her will. The dramatic story is comprehensively told in Herself Alone, the third and final instalment of Charles Moore’s…
Once a subscription model is implemented, BBC will only survive if it produces content people actually want to watch
In February, Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault said the government had “no intention” of imposing licensing requirements on news organisations and will not “try to regulate new content.” The clarification came after Guilbeault told CTV’s Evan Solomon precisely the opposite. During an episode of Question Period, he explained how Canadian news media organisations should be…
On Easter Sunday, appropriately enough, the British PM spoke of his harrowing experience battling COVID-19
There are moments in our world that defy logic and understanding. Quirks of fate that make little to no sense. Positive and negative experiences that often seem out of place in societies based on relative order and precision. That’s why United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recovery from COVID-19 should be viewed as nothing short…
Politicians and commentators have an important role during COVID-19: deliver simple, effective messaging
During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical and health experts have provided us with important statistics, charts and analysis on a near-daily basis. At the same time, politicians and governments have introduced everything from wage subsidies to warnings about social distancing. Some information has been easy to understand. But most of it has been difficult for average…
Convicted terrorists might well spend a handful more years in prison, but tens of thousands of other radicals remain at large across the United Kingdom
Just days after Britain officially left the European Union, United Kingdom residents were reminded of the immediate terror threat right under our noses by a multiple stabbing in Streatham, south London. Last year, the number of homicides in the capital city rose to a 10-year high, largely as a result of surging knife crime. Many…
Why should we believe a man who showed disdain for Brexit and who incorporates his wife's political agenda into his work as a leading global economist?
Depending on the part of the world you’re in, the mention of economist Mark Carney can elicit different responses. In Canada, Carney is widely credited with steering the country through the rocky waters of the 2008 financial crisis. But in the United Kingdom, he’s often labelled a political activist disguised as an economist. Carney served…
Trudeau is failing Canadians if he doesn’t step up to save what could be a continued source of positive trade with the United Kingdom for Canada
Brexit uncertainty is no more, following the election of Boris Johnson as prime minister of the United Kingdom with the largest Conservative majority since 1987. The U.K.’s withdrawal agreement with the European Union will be official on midnight, Jan. 31. But that isn’t the end of the story. By December 2020, the end of the…
Prime ministers often come and go without making a material difference. For better or worse, Johnson looks like an exception
Boris Johnson has been called many uncomplimentary things, charlatan and clown being among the milder epithets. Even those sympathetic to his current agenda are liable to use terms like “unprincipled opportunist.” However, another descriptor is becoming increasingly apt. Johnson is shaping up to be a consequential politician, defined as one who makes a difference. A…