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Is the horse weak or strong?
The SpectatorI t is now all but orthodox to say that Britain must get out of Iraq sooner rather than later. Irrespective of its constitutional propriety, the declaration by General Sir...
Page 9
F inally the big week begins. In four days we open
The Spectatorour new Institute a 35,000 sq. ft former coachworks in Olaf Street, W11 â the home of our foundation. For the opening we have planned an exhibition of the extraordinary light...
Page 10
New Labourâs greatest U-turn of all is its sudden attack on multiculturalism
The SpectatorT he idea of cultural wars is as alien to the British nation as the word Kulturkampf is to the English language. In America, of course, such conflict is routine, as parties...
Page 11
T hese notes are being written on 17 October, the day
The Spectatorwhen, at the invitation of the History Matters campaign, we are all supposed to keep a diary for a day. Like Tom Lehrer on National Brotherhood Week, âBe grateful that it...
Page 13
DIARY OF A NOTTING HILL NOBODY
The SpectatorMONDAY DD is on a major âguns ânâ ammoâ high. It was manageable while it was just General Dannatt stuff, but now itâs spread â badly. No one could make sense of his...
Page 14
The issue that could tear the Tories to pieces is Iran
The SpectatorIf Gordon Brown wants to keep David Cameron out of No. 10, he should adopt a hawkish stance towards Tehran, writes James Forsyth . That would split the Cameroons, who are...
Page 15
Cameron is the heir to Heath
The SpectatorDenis MacShane As David Cameron enjoys his Oedipal role in killing off any remnant of Thatcherism in todayâs Conservative party, is he slowly revealing himself as the...
Page 16
The Hungarian who could have started World War III
The SpectatorFifty years after the Hungarian uprising, David Rennie talks to Bela Kiraly, now 94, who was urged to call for Western help â a call that could all too easily have sparked...
Page 18
Why would a priest want to read about murder?
The SpectatorTwo great crime writers of our time â Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall Smith â talk about the terrible allure of bad deeds and the dark side of Edinburgh AMS : Letâs talk...
Page 20
How would you have felt, Madonna?
The SpectatorThe superstarâs adoption case has shown the powerlessness of an entire African people faced with the might of a single American woman, says Melissa Kite I magine the scene....
Page 22
Why are we frightened to fund English music?
The SpectatorRod Liddle hails the English Music Festival, but laments the craven lack of sponsorship â driven by a politically correct fear of financing anything remotely ânationalâ T...
Page 26
Green realism
The SpectatorFrom George Monbiot Sir: I realised long ago that we environmentalists cannot win. When we draw attention to the problem, we are told we are doommongers who refuse to accept...
Freedom vs equality
The SpectatorFrom Helen Johns Sir: If David Milibandâs observation that we humans are âinterdependentâ and co-operate with others to achieve our ends is the ne plus ultra of British...
Who is the real snob?
The SpectatorFrom H.O. Mounce Sir: According to Charles Moore, it is snobbish to criticise the existence of cheap flights (The Spectatorâs Notes, 14 October). For it is these flights,...
Art and the God-feeling
The SpectatorFrom Denis Vaughan Paul Johnsonâs wise demonstration that âno great artist leaves God outâ (And another thing, 14 October) opens the way for a widespread acceptance of...
Encore, M. Lévy!
The SpectatorFrom John Jolliffe Sir: Congratulations on the splendid article on Bernard-Henri Lévy (âAnti-Americanism is a form of fascismâ, 14 October). Fancy such excellent ideas from...
Gothic is best
The SpectatorFrom Anthony Jennings Sir: Quinlan Terry (Letters, 30 September) is right to observe that, despite the widespread loss of conviction in the Church, there are pockets of...
Page 30
Iâm sorry, but the Tory party policy on Iraq is too clever by half
The SpectatorH oo-ha was the term used by General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff, to describe the furore provoked by his recent public dissent from the governmentâs...
Page 32
Making jokes is hard, and is certainly no laughing matter
The SpectatorT he most valuable people on earth are those who can make you laugh. Laughter is the great restorative and rejuvenator. Iâm surprised more philosophers have not written about...
Page 34
The day the City entered the modern world
The SpectatorMartin Jacomb recalls Big Bang â the 1986 reforms which killed off Londonâs traditional ways of dealing in stocks and shares â and judges it a resounding success I t was...
Page 36
Before and after the Bang
The SpectatorChristopher Fildes 25 October 1986 M y friend the stockjobber closed his book, turned his back on his pitch, and walked with me off the Stock Exchange floor, down Throgmorton...
Page 38
How the London Stock Exchange was saved
The SpectatorRichard Northedge says the LSE is an attractive catch today thanks to the transformation that began in 1986 I f it had not been for Big Bang, there would almost certainly not be...
Page 40
Great headline, Gordon,
The Spectatorbut no way to make policy Neil Collins condemns the Chancellorâs sudden decision to give tax breaks to soldiers serving in war zones D enis Healey was the last Labour...
Page 41
Monetary genius? I beg to differ
The SpectatorRoss Clark A mid the growing mutterings over his suitability to be prime minister, Gordon Brown has managed to preserve his reputation in at least one quarter. It has become...
Page 42
The gateway to African economic revival in a place once famous only for a hijacking
The SpectatorâW e men donât want to wear condoms, we want the West to find a cure.â This dilemma, faced by HIV counsellors at the Mildmay Centre near Entebbe, mirrors that experienced...
Page 45
Adjustment and reappraisal
The SpectatorVernon Bogdanor H AVING I T S O G OOD : B RITAIN IN THE F IFTIES by Peter Hennessy Penguin, £30, pp. 717, ISBN 0713995718 â £24 (plus £2.45 p&p) 0870 429 6655 H aving It...
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From West Dorset to Westminster
The SpectatorRaymond Carr T HOMAS H ARDY , T HE T IME -T ORN M AN by Claire Tomalin Viking, £25, pp. 544, ISBN 0670916242 â £20 (plus £2.45 p&p) 0870 429 6655 C laire Tomalin is an...
Page 48
Getting to know the General
The SpectatorJustin Marozzi I N THE L INE OF F IRE by Pervez Musharraf Simon & Schuster, £18.99, pp. 335, ISBN 074329582X â £15.19 (plus £2.45 p&p) 0870 429 6655 I t is a tribute to...
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Fighting free of Father
The SpectatorAnne Chisholm T IME A T W AR by Nicholas Mosley Weidenfeld, £14.99, pp. 180, ISBN 10029785240X â £11.99 (plus £2.45 p&p) 0870 429 6655 W hen the second world war began,...
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Radium and the nature of love
The SpectatorJohn de Falbe T HE S TORY OF B LANCHE AND M ARIE by Per Olov Enquist Harvill Secker, £16.99, pp. 218, ISBN 1843432331 â £13.59 (plus £2.45 p&p) 0870 429 6655 F or 16...
Little and Large
The SpectatorRoger Lewis T OM C RUISE : A LL THE W ORLD â S A S TAGE by Iain Johnstone Hodder, £18.99, pp. 344, ISBN 0340899204 â £15.19 (plus £2.45 p&p) 0870 429 6655 N ICOLE K...
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John Betjeman: A Centenary Tribute
The SpectatorHe was the Peopleâs Laureate, of course, Observing things that others disregard: Post-Toasties, Craven A and HP sauce â Unworthy subjects for a royal bard? He wrote of...
Page 53
The meeting of the twain
The SpectatorJonathan Mirsky S EIZE THE H OUR by Margaret MacMillan John Murray, £25, pp. 400, ISBN 0719562227 â £20 (plus £2.45 p&p) 0870 429 6655 S eize the Hour is an admirable...
Page 54
Nevertheless, the real thing
The SpectatorJane Rye T RACEY E MIN : W ORKS , 1963-2006 by Carl Freedman Rizzoli, £40, pp. 413, ISBN 0 847828778 â £32 (plus £2.45 p&p) 0870 429 6655 I tâs difficult not to warm to...
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Finding an exceptional voice
The SpectatorCarole Angier A USCHWITZ R EPORT by Primo Levi, with Leonardo De Benedetti, edited by Robert S.C. Gordon, translated by Judith Woolf Verso, £9.99, pp. 97, ISBN 1844670929 â...
Page 56
A master carpenter
The SpectatorW ho did Evelyn Waugh call âthe only living studio-master under whom one can study with profitâ? Answer: Somerset Maugham. Surprising answer? Perhaps. Others judged him more...
Page 59
âThere are no barriersâ
The SpectatorT here are many who might consider it an absolute crime that someone who would look so entirely delectable in a dirndl is instead about to hit the stage of the London Palladium...
Page 60
The witching hour
The SpectatorAriane Bankes Twilight: Photography in the Magic Hour V&A, to 17 December T wilight, the witching hour â that tantalising moment on the cusp of day and night when...
Page 61
Common touch
The SpectatorAndrew Lambirth David Hockney Portraits National Portrait Gallery, until 21 January 2007 Sponsored by Burberry David Hockney: A Year in Yorkshire Annely Juda Fine Art, 23...
Page 62
Ignoring fossil fuels
The SpectatorAlan Powers E arlier this year, a book appeared celebrating the first ten years of the Stirling Prize for architecture. Back in 1996, recession was only just ending and the...
Page 63
Keep out of politics
The SpectatorTiffany Jenkins âM useums are the new United Nations.â So says Jack Loman, the director of the Museum of London. He is one of many professionals, and increasingly...
Page 64
Golden Gilda
The SpectatorMichael Tanner Rigoletto Opera North Simon Boccanegra; Merry Widow Opera UK O pera Northâs home at the Grand Theatre Leeds now boasts a resplendent auditorium, with lacquered...
Page 65
Lost in translation
The SpectatorLloyd Evans King Lear Barbican Waiting For Godot New Ambassadors A heavy week in the theatre. Seriously heav-eeee. Lear in Russian at the Barbican, then Godot by Peter Hall....
Over the top
The SpectatorDeborah Ross Marie Antoinette 12a, nationwide F rom its very opening scene this film is exquisitely, lavishly gorgeous and on and on it goes, being exquisitely and lavishly...
Page 66
Armchair travels
The SpectatorKate Chisholm I t was a clever ruse by John Dryden, the director of Sundayâs Classic Serial (Radio Four), to record The Cairo Trilogy on location in Egypt with an Egyptian...
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Altered images
The SpectatorSimon Hoggart A t the Cheltenham Festival last week, Professor John Sutherland was on a panel discussing Jean Rhysâs Wide Sargasso Sea â which on this occasion won the...
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Under the hammer
The SpectatorAlan Judd H ad I a mistress she would be Dorsetshire, that lush, chalk streamed, motorway-free county. Childhood holidays with an aunt near the Frome in Dorchester eventually...
Day to savour
The SpectatorRobin Oakley R equired by the day job to be in St Andrews on Friday night, reporting the latest example of governmental hope over experience in the Northern Ireland...
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Masters of defence
The SpectatorTaki New York S ometimes I wonder about Americans in general and Noo Yawkers in particular. Especially while watching war films. In Saving Private Ryan , GIs seem as cool...
Page 70
Punching pink
The SpectatorJeremy Clarke M y boy has got this extraordinary idea into his head that if a man wears something pink he must be gay. He voiced this strange prejudice again the other day, in...
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Honest sweat
The SpectatorRoy Hattersley W e celebrated harvest home last Sunday â late in the season by conventional standards, but postponed from the early days of autumn for the best of reasons. In...
Page 72
M y son and I are out for a night in
The Spectatorthe West End. This is unusual as he is a teenager and, usually, he wouldnât be seen dead with me, not even after Iâve given him my word not to do funny dances in front of...
Page 74
Thereâs no place like home
The SpectatorW hen we said we were thinking of moving to Urbino, our friends ooh-ed and aah-ed with envy. Urbino is a perfectly preserved mediaeval and Renaissance fortified town which sits...
Page 76
A place to plot
The SpectatorRachel Johnson S ome people dream of Palladian mansions in Wiltshire, of third homes in undiscovered parts of Puglia, of ozone pools in the basement. Others dream less...
Page 78
Demolition crazy
The SpectatorRoss Clark W hile Tony Blair was making his valedictory speech to the Labour party conference in Manchester on 27 September, 60-year-old Elizabeth Pascoe was ecstatic. Not...
Page 80
The renting makeover
The SpectatorMira Bar-Hillel P olicy without principle is like a house without foundationsâ, David Cameron said in his âBring me sunshineâ conference speech in Bournemouth. Well, he...
Page 81
How to get the best exchange rate
The SpectatorWhen transferring money overseas, donât think you will get the best exchange rate from your high street bank. There is an alternative and it will save you money. Changing and...
Rental Portfolio in Germany
The SpectatorLow prices are attracting UK buyers to Berlin Terry Meakin, an accountant from Bath, wanted to broaden his portfolio of investments and decided to invest in residential property...
Plain sailing when exchanging currency
The SpectatorOne experienced mariner found a better way to exchange and transfer funds overseas. Keen Sailor, Graham Coleman, found his particular choice of yacht, a Beneteau Clipper, at a...
Page 83
Girls behaving badly
The SpectatorRachel Johnson looks to Debrettâs for tips on modern etiquette I hate to ask such a question of Spectator readers, but we must all move with the times. What, I ask, does a...
Page 84
What not to wear
The SpectatorDylan Jones says itâs vital that men dress their age I t was April 1994, my first proper date with the woman who later would become my wife and, judging by the number of times...
Page 85
Dutch treats
The SpectatorSimon Heffer gives Amsterdam the green light I t is sad for Amsterdam that it should have acquired a reputation first and foremost for the sort of tourism that revolves around...
Page 95
Munstrous carnival
The SpectatorFRANK KEATING N o nde of hot air already surrounds next monthâs rugby internationals in which each of the âhomeâ countries look to repel boarders from the southern...
YOUR PROBLEMS SOLVED
The SpectatorQ. I have received an email from a long-term dear acquaintance who lacks certain social graces because of long hours spent alone in his studio â he is a glass sculptor. It is...
Q. We have a holiday house in France â we
The Spectatoroften have guests to stay and they all, with one exception, offer to take us out to a restaurant at least once during their visit. This offer is gratefully received by the cook...
Q. Moths have attacked my wardrobe and every cashmere jumper
The SpectatorI own seems to have only the one hole â at navel level. Are moths malicious? If they are going to eat only one bite out of a jumper, why canât it be in the armpit or...