Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Fraser Nelson has spent the last couple of weeks defending Paul Marshall and claiming that he would not interfere in editorial matters. I would say that sacking the editor does very much constitute interfering in editorial matters.

Aye, and with the chairman being afforded far more time to spend with his violinist, it seems that Marshall like to roll up his sleeves.

Philip Marlow wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2024 4:56 pm Fraser Nelson is stepping down. Praise be! I wonder who they’ll get in to replace…

Oh fuck.

Not exactly helping Gove's rehabilitation as one of the sane ones either. He really is very odd indeed, as he has been (relatively) that at various times. Now he's fully onboard with Paul Marshall?!

Joe Orton would have had a field day with this melodrama.

It could be amusing if a proxy war between Gove’s rag and the Mail (home of the former Mrs Gove) breaks out.

Tate is a target like Charlie Kirk ? So it’s not all bad news then …

Gove’s work I’m guessing.

It’s my pet history topic to be fair….

I can hazard a guess it’s incredibly wrong…..

Tate is so macho he shouldn't need to worry about... Being a target of some alt right loon... Umm... Sir, what's the right story please?

Do any of this mob stop for one second and think to themselves 'boy, this really is a smorgasbord of shit, isn't it?'

Famously, only Russians are allowed to write about Lenin, Stalin etc. Great work by the publication edited by intellectual Titan, Michael Gove.

The xenophobia is now openly expressed...

I've heard Bregman talk about the importance of moral reformers of Victorian Britain to the advancement of the Enlightenment. Most of whom are from an evangelical Christian or a conservative reformist patrician background rather than socialist ones. If it was Steve Bannon or Viktor Orban's Reith Lecture, would the Spectator be moaning about foreigners delivering it?

Of the 84 Reith Lecturers to have graced the airwaves, 32% have been forrins, 14% of dual British/other nationality, and 55% were plucky Brits.

100% of what the Speccy prints is bone-idle bollocks.

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Tue Dec 16, 2025 2:21 pm Famously, only Russians are allowed to write about Lenin, Stalin etc.

About half the history section of my local Waterstones is taken up by WW2, whilst their countries are discussed at length none of these books are written by German, Japanese or Italian authors.

I've no doubt that my colleagues will be raging about this year's Reith lectures when I see them later. It'll be the talk of the land today.

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Tue Dec 16, 2025 2:21 pm Famously, only Russians are allowed to write about Lenin, Stalin etc. Great work by the publication edited by intellectual Titan, Michael Gove.

Oh goodness imagine if a foreigner was capable of analysis and insight about a country's history that could even lead to new understandings no sir can't imagine that

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Paxton

As ever, for stout no-nonsense types these conservatives are deeply, deeply fragile and fucking weird about it, to boot. The actual article itself is more thoughtful, though still couched in some dubious framings. I take similar issues with the Webbs. But the framing is half the battle, as everyone knows... It's perfectly possible to make these points without recourse to this bullshit around the edges.