The Staggers

"The she-camel has been impregnated" goes the old Arabic saying, suggesting a looming (usually disastrous) outcome which is all but inevitable. For the past 12 months, Bahrain's ruling monarchy has tried to abort a pregnancy which began in the frenzy of the Arab Spring - but the foetus has proved too mature. The country's mass uprising which began a year ago, on 14 February 2011, ... read more

1. It's coming: the NHS you deserve (Sunday Times) (£)

The government's reforms respect the service's basic values and will improve care, insists David Cameron.

2. David Cameron should stand by his courageous health minister (Sunday Telegraph)

Andrew Lansley is convinced that without his controversial reforms the NHS will atrophy and fail, writes Peter Oborne.

3. David Cameron will ... read more

It may still be early February but the March Budget has already kicked off. This morning's Telegraph splashes with Danny Alexander's first attacking move, with the Chief Secretary saying he strongly supports a reduction in higher rate pension tax relief to fund further increases in the personal allowance. For all the Lib Dem's previous talk of mansion taxes and crackdowns on tax evasion, this is ... read more

Nicolas Sarkozy is due to announce officially that he will run for the French presidency again next week. But in an interview today with the right-leaning newspaper Le Figaro he sets out the main themes of his campaign. As Alexandre Lemarié argues in Le Monde, those themes are designed to appeal to voters tempted by the Front National's Marine Le ... read more

Deep within a filling cabinet I keep a copy of the 1998 Marxism Today special that just said "Wrong" on a cover adorned by Tony Blair. I thought of it while reading David Miliband in last week's New Statesman. In it David proclaimed that Labour should say "loud and clear where wemade mistakes, but we should also insist that ... read more

1. Syria is not Iraq. And it is not always wrong to intervene (Guardian)

The 2003 invasion has tainted the idea of liberal interventionism, writes Jonathan Freedland. But the people of Homs should not suffer because of that.

2. There's no place for dreaming spires in Professor Les Ebdon's world (Daily Telegraph)

Should this epitome of educational mediocrity be gatekeeper to our finest ... read more

Mehdi Hasan reminds Boris Johnson that not all Irish people are members of Sinn Fein, and reports on the threat from far-right terrorism.

Jonathan Derbyshire reports on the inaugural Hatchet Job of the Year Award.

George Eaton sees Cameron's health problems get worse, and explains why Bob Diamond's bonus is a legitimate target.

Samira Shackle argues that we should not deport Abu Qatada, and asks why  read more

It is cheap to reform, could help bring down inflation, increase household income and it's a vote winner. So reforming the energy market should be a no-brainer for the government, right? Wrong.

Energy bills are the number one financial concern for the public, ahead of the cost of food and housing. The average dual fuel energy bill has increased by 75 per cent since 2004, energy ... read more

Here's Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney participating in a "toddler throwing contest" on the campaign trail. But what is he saying? Answers in the comment box below, please.

Last week's caption competition, which featured Nick Clegg greeting Chris Huhne's successor Ed Davey, is here.

Winner: Mikey

"It's 70 on motorways and 30 in built up ... read more

1. Can you spend money to make money? Some things to know about fiscal stimulus

We need a world wide economic stimulus, led by the countries which can afford it, says the Telegraph's Daniel Knowles.

2. Market Analysts: The Chancellor isn't responsible for low gilt yields

Duncan Weldon explains why Osborne can't take credit for Britain's record low market interest-rates.

3. read more

In one of his memorable fusillades against the NHS, Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan observed that the service was the biggest employer in the world after the Chinese Red Army and the Indian State Railway. He was wrong, but not by much.

As the graph below shows, the NHS employs 1.4m people, making it the seventh largest employer in the world. It's one reason why Andrew Lansley would have been wise ... read more

It's payday for the man Peter Mandelson once described as the "unacceptable face of banking". Barclays chief Bob Diamond won't comment on the size of his bonus but it's thought to be in the region of £3m.

It was Diamond who famously told MPs last year that the time for "remorse and apology" was over but, as you may have noticed, ... read more