Specs & violence
The Spectator , Issue 1631

"ANDREW NEIL has rightly pointed out that hell really will freeze over before a Twitterstorm makes the Spectator turn on a star columnist," wrote editor Fraser Nelson in his staunch defence of the magazine's associate editor Douglas Murray on 12 August.

Oddly, given his brave stance in favour of free speech, Nelson failed to tell readers what his "star columnist" had actually said.

In the interview that caused the storm, which was conducted last year, Murray had encouraged either the army or the public to take "very, very brutal" action against protesters against the war in Gaza – a sentiment which looked even more incendiary when the clip was edited and republished by Murray's interviewer around the recent riots (see last Eye).

March madness
So much, then, for the free speech of protesters. But Murray was at least being consistent: he expressed the same opinion on Twitter when there were rumours of Gaza protests passing the Cenotaph on Remembrance weekend last year: "If such a march goes ahead then the people of Britain must come out and stop these barbarians."

In the event, the Gaza protests went a different route, while the Cenotaph saw Tommy Robinson and his far-right followers turn up to attempt their own brutal action, resulting in 145 arrests.

Thunder clap
According to Spectator publisher Andrew Neill, however, comments like this aren't his business.

Replying to economics professor Jonathan Portes on X, Neill thundered: "In your usual weasel way you fail to point out he [Murray] has not written this for the Spectator or said it on our TV or podcasts." So that's all right then!

This is at least consistent: the Spectator and Neill himself are intensely relaxed about what its contributors get up to out of hours. Last Christmas Nelson even welcomed long-standing columnist Taki Theodoracopulos back into the magazine's pages, despite his recent conviction for the attempted rape of a female guest at his Alpine chalet in 2009.

In that instance, the usually voluble Neill declined to make a public statement – even though he had been present as a guest at the chalet on the weekend of the assault, and Taki had attempted to call him as a witness at his trial.

More top stories in the latest issue:

REVISED STANDARD
Evening Standard bosses have revealed the plan for the "weekly newspaper" to replace the daily one – but are there enough staff left to produce it?

COLUMN CAPITAL
One or two MPs with Daily Telegraph columns might be eyeing one new fellow MP/columnist with envy, judging by his declaration of interests.

SPEECH BUBBLE
Culture warrior Frank Furedi has been railing against "Labour's war on free speech" in the papers – without mention of one authoritarian regime he backs.

MOB MENTALITY
Daily Mail editorials called for rioters to be banged up – but the Mail's US video team has a much more relaxed view of criminals.

DEEPEST SYMPATHIES
A Sun leader column took a sensitive approach to depression after news of ex-cricketer Graham Thorpe's death, but columnist Rod Liddle had other ideas.

PEDALLING LIES
In a rant about cyclists, the Telegraph remarkably claimed one had reached 52mph in London last year – ie much faster than Olympic track cyclists.

SLAPP & TRICKLE
A timely reminder from the high court of the threats to public-interest journalism posed by some private figures with deep pockets.