Contents Contents Contents ContentsThe weekLeading article 3 Diary Brian Sewell 7 Portrait of the Week 9 Politics James Forsyth 10 The Spectator’s Notes 11 Mind your language 16 Diary of a Notting Hill Nobody 19 Letters 22 Shared opinion Hugo Rifkind 23 Any other business Martin Vander Weyer 24 Ancient & modern 62

Cameron should honour his vow Ferdinand Mount He was right to commit to the institution of marriage 12 Ed Balls and the illusion of action Lloyd Evans 13 Real terrorists don’t tweet Rod Liddle Pity the twit whose silly message was taken seriously 14 China’s new political model Ross Clark Its prosperity is linked to increasing authoritarianism 16 America the miserable Patrick Allitt What happened to the country’s sunny outlook? 18 Haiti: a week after the earthquake Richard Villar 19 Why kowtow to the MCB? Stephen Pollard The Muslim body has been welcomed back into Whitehall 20 Meet the fantastic Mr Fox Jacob Heilbrunn Roger Ailes of Fox News is reviving the Republican party 21

Books Jane Ridley: Pitt the Elder, by Edward Pearce 26 James Walton: The Blasphemer, by Nigel Farndale 27 Robin Robertson: ‘Wonderland’: a poem 27 Nicholas Haslam: City Boy, by Edmund White 27 Michael Laskey: ‘Left Standing’: a poem 28 Tom Holland: On the Spartacus Road, by Peter Stothard 29 M.R.D. Foot: Operation Mincemeat, by Ben Macintyre 30 Justin Cartwright: Homer and Langley, by E.L. Doctorow 30 Patrick Skene Catling: The Knights of Glin, edited by Tom Donovan 31 Andrew McKie: Collected Stories, by William Trevor 32 Wendy Cope: ‘The Widow’: a poem 33

Arts Mary Wakefield talks to Stephen Deuchar, the new director of the Art Fund 34 Exhibitions: On the Move: Visualising Action Andrew Lambirth 36

Cover by Christopher Sharrock. Drawings by Michael Heath, Paul Wood, Sally Artz, Nick Downes, Len, Robert Thompson, NAF, Holland, Bernie, Geoff Thompson, Adam Singleton, Nick Newman.

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The Spectator is published weekly by The Spectator (1828) Ltd at 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP Editor: Fraser Nelson

Cinema: A Prophet Deborah Ross

38

Theatre: Greta Garbo Came to Donegal; Every Good Boy Deserves Favour Lloyd Evans 38 Opera: Elektra; La bohème Michael Tanner 39 Radio Kate Chisholm 41 Television James Delingpole 42

Life The turf Robin Oakley

42

Gardens Ursula Buchan

43

High life Taki

43

Low life Jeremy Clarke

45

Real life Melissa Kite

46

Bridge Susanna Gross

47Travel specialRelaxation central Jonathan Ray 48 Sins and the flesh Bill Hamilton 49 An interview with . . . Sir Derek Jacobi 51 Truly inspired Tina Walsh 53 Pleasure before pain Charlotte Metcalf 54

And finaly . . . Chess Raymond Keene 56 Competition; Crossword 56, 57 Status anxiety Toby Young 62 Sport Roger Alton 63 Your problems solved Mary Killen 63

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THE SPECTATOR 23 January 2010 5