Simon Jenkins's Blog, page 99

The moral of the gay wedding cake row: the law can’t create tolerance | Simon Jenkins

This tale of patisserie and prejudice is a grim comment on Britain’s long and incompetent custodianship of Northern Ireland

A Christian walks into a Muslim sign writer’s shop and orders a placard. He says it should carry a cartoon of the prophet and the slogan Muslims Go Home. The sign writer is deeply offended and says he cannot execute the order. The customer is outraged at the discrimination, is supported by the equality commission, sues, and the sign writer is fined £500 plus costs.

I...

Excessive banking salaries will only be curbed by more competition | Simon Jenkins

The government can’t restrict bank staff’s pay, as Steve Hilton suggests. But it can enforce true competition and refuse to do business with banks that think they are too big to fail

There is no feasible way the banking industry will – or probably should – be legally curbed in how much it pays its staff. During the financial crash, politicians and the press universally condemned million-pound salaries and multimillion bonuses. The banks took not a shred of notice, even when pocketing billions...

The “black spider” memos: a royal sigh of woe at a world gone to the dogs |

The publication of Prince Charles’s letters is a victory. But he’s small fry compared with the lobbying industry sharks

If the Prince of Wales had been plain Charles Windsor, he would probably be a green columnist for the Guardian. The “black spider” letters to ministers, published today, are so anodyne as to suggest a Private Eye spoof. We have his various views on hill farms, bovine TB, military helicopters, herbal medicine, Smithfield market, Antarctic huts and the fate of the albatross. Th...

Talent is talent – England needs Kevin Pietersen | Simon Jenkins

The cricketer’s 326 for Surrey marks him out as one of the greats of his age. But, unlike Nigel Farage, it seems he won’t be allowed to rise from the ashes

Kevin Pietersen is the Nigel Farage of cricket. How many runs/votes do you need for a seat in the national team? The difference is that Farage can stage a comeback in 24 hours. Pietersen has fallen to the antique gods of cricket. His latest performance, 326 for Surrey against Leicestershire, may prove him a master batsman. But cricket’s old...

Let David Cameron have his moment of glory. The plotters await | Simon Jenkins

In spite of this triumph, the PM will find it harder to keep his own party in order than he did with Nick Clegg

Coalition is dead. Britain has chosen a majority Tory government for the first time in almost a quarter century. From the moment Labour chose Ed Miliband as its leader, David Cameron banked on this. But so enslaved are politicians to the mystic magic of the polls that by Thursday the Tories had all but admitted defeat. Today’s roseate glow of victory was the more exquisite for b...

We feel for the Libyans and Nepalese, but British charity stops at Calais | Simon Jenkins

Our sympathy for those hit by disaster is limited. Refugees heading to our shores won’t be welcomed

I once asked a newly married friend when she expected to start a family. She looked shocked, waved a newspaper at me and asked: “How could I possibly bring a child into such a cruel, awful world, threatened with global warming and overpopulation?” To have a child, she said, would be selfish. I protested that she was taking the humanitarian gene too seriously.

The same might be said of a British g...

This election may prove the death of the union – so be it | Simon Jenkins

There’s no issue of legitimacy for the next government, whether it relies on the SNP or not. But whoever wins will almost certainly have to let Scotland go

There is no legitimacy question in Thursday’s election. A government that wins a confidence vote in the House of Commons is legitimate, period. There may be questions of party loyalty, longevity and popular consent, but they are subsidiary. Britain is not a direct democracy but a parliamentary one. Voters surrender their sovereignty to MPs...

For Nepal’s sake, don’t bulldoze the ruins. Rebuild these exquisite shrines | Simon Jenkins

Ancient sites like Kathmandu matter. The cult of authenticity should not get in the way of restoration

Two disasters hit Nepal at noon last Saturday. The first wiped out whole towns and villages, and has killed as many as 10,000 people. With the world’s help, that disaster can be and will be rectified. The other disaster was to one of the world’s most exquisite cultural survivals, the ancient settlements of the Kathmandu valley and their Hindu and Buddhist shrines. That disaster, labelled “irr...

Who’s in control of law and order in Baltimore – police or politicians? | Simon Jenkins

Police in the US and UK have become over-armed security agencies forming a lobby powerful enough to scare politicians into giving them whatever they want

Now it is Baltimore’s turn. On the fiftieth anniversary of the Watts riots in Los Angeles, one of America’s most historic cities has reverted to violent disorder. The police are overwhelmed, emergency is declared and troops are summoned. The cause is all too familiar, what appears to be the fatal mistreatment by police officers of a black per...

Three-minute election: Is this the end of David Cameron? – video

Guardian columnists Hugh Muir and Simon Jenkins discuss David Cameron's chances of staying in Number 10. The prime minister now has critics to the left and to the right, but will he bow out with dignity? And who are the sharks circling to replace him? Although Boris Johnson may be electable and is firm favourite, would he make a good prime minister? Continue reading...