If you should harbour any shred of doubt that the great moral and intellectual spine of Britain has been all but destroyed, watch the latest edition of BBC TV’s Question Time. Granted, it was a special ‘young persons’ edition; but even so, a more appalling demonstration of mass ignorance, irrationality and ugly intolerance could scarcely be imagined. Douglas Murray, representing the beleaguered forces of sanity, was all but booed off the stage. Look out in particular, about 26 minutes in, for the audience take on Hamas —and how Murray confronted such murderous imbecility. And look also at how Sayeeda Warsi, the Tories new communities spokesman, refused to condemn the killing of British troops in Iraq.

A Conservative front bench spokesman refusing to condemn the killing of British troops!