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Andy Gray and Richard Keys

Sexism On and Off the Field

On January 22, Sky Sports announcers Andy Gray and Richard Keys were overheard joking about female assistant referee Sian Massey. Keys said: "€œSomebody better get down there and explain offside to her."€ Gray replied: "€œWomen don"€™t know the offside rule."€ Keys agreed. "€œThe ...

Nick Boles: England’s Arch-Modernizer

Boles, Nick. Which Way's Up?: The Future for Coalition Britain and How to Get There. London, Biteback, 2010, 133 pages, £8.99. Nick Boles not only belongs to the new generation of British Conservative MPs, he's arguably their epitome. Boles has long been an arch-modernizer"€”the nemesis of the ...

Lauren Booth Turns Toward Mecca

Last month, Tony Blair's half-sister-in-law Lauren Booth announced that she had converted to Islam following "€œa holy experience"€ in Iran. It was the latest attention-seeking stunt from an attention-seeking clan whose members always contrive to be spectacularly wrong. Lauren's dramatic ...

Rupert Murdoch: the “Populist” Plutocrat

Few causes could get the heads of the BBC, Channel 4, the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Guardian and Mirror to co-sign a letter to the government. What unites these disparate interests are a dislike of Rupert Murdoch and a disapprobation of “The Dirty Digger's” plans to take full control ...

Bono, Geldof, and Hibernian Humanity-Huggers

The guests were singing maudlin folksongs trying to drown out the TV's noxious noises. Live Aid had been going on apparently forever and would go on for weary hours more, and even at a whiskey-sodden wedding reception it seemed no one would be allowed to hide from the hurricane of ...

Associationitis

The UK Treasury is considering replacing the copper in some coins with nickel steel as an economic measure. The scheme has been met with protests, but not from monometallists "€“ rather in the impressive shape of the Automatic Vending Machine Association. The Association worries it will cost ...

Demos”€™”€˜The Power of Unreason”€™, and Other Ridiculous Conspiracies

On August 29, the London think-tank Demos released a report called The Power of Unreason, which is "€œthe first ever analysis of conspiracy theories in the ideology and propaganda of fifty extremist groups."€ These theories, say the authors, create and perpetuate demonologies, delegitimize ...

William Hague: The Right-Winger Who Wasn”€™t

Tories perturbed by the party's lackluster election and shacking up with the Ludicrous Democrats were mollified by the inclusion in the Cabinet of William Hague as Foreign Secretary. Since those delicious Brown-defenestrating days, the straight-talking Yorkshire darling of the grassroots has been ...

Awkward Truths About the Awkward Squad

As the cooling winds of austerity move in across superheated Britain, one gallant group is arming for war. The large trade unions, headed up by the so-called "€œAwkward Squad"€ of leftist leaders, are on the move. It is time, the Awkward ones believe, for another Hunger March, another ...

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