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Outstanding as standard. C-Class Edition 125, with satellite navigation. With COMAND Online navigation and multimedia system, front and rear parking sensors, class leading safety systems and Agility Control suspension for a sporty drive, the standard set for the C-Class is now even higher. Visit mercedes-benz.co.uk/offers

O cial government fuel consumption figures in mpg (litres per 100km) for the C-Class Saloon range: urban 15.6 (18.1)-50.4 (5.6), extra urban 33.2 (8.5) -76.3 (3.7), combined 23.5 (12.0 ) -64.2 (4.4). CO2 emissions: 280 -117 g/km. Model featured is a Mercedes-Benz C180 BlueEFFICIENCY Sport Edition 125 Saloon at £29,765.00 on-the-road including optional metallic paint at £645.00 (on-the-road price includes VAT, delivery, 12 months’ Road Fund Licence, number plates, first registration fee and fuel). C-Class Edition 125 models are available for orders between 1 October 2011 and 31 December 2011 and registrations by 31 March 2012. Terms and conditions apply. Offer is subject to availability. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other published offer from the retailer. Prices correct at time of going to press (10/11). Looking after Liam, p12

Climb (almost) every mountain, p47

When bad art hits the street, p52

3 Leading article 7 Portrait of the Week 9 Diary Ozzy Osbourne 11 The Spectator’s Notes 17 Rod Liddle 21 Ancient and modern 27 Matthew Parris 28 James Delingpole 29 Letters 39 Any other business Martin Vander Weyer

LIFE 69 High life Taki Low life Jeremy Clarke 71 Real life Melissa Kite 72 The turf Robin Oakley 73 Bridge Susanna Gross 74 Chess Raymond Keene 75 Competition;Crossword 76 Status anxiety Toby Young Dave Michael Heath 77 Sport Roger Alton Your problems solved Mary Killen 78 Food Tanya Gold

Mind your language

12 To catch a minister How lobbyists do it

James Forsyth 13 Connie Bensley ‘Getting it right’: a poem 14 Private Eye at 50 The magazine’s first editor looks back

Christopher Booker 16 Textbook error

Outdated trendiness in French teaching Ysenda Maxtone Graham 18 Top gear Am I famous enough for a free car?

Tom Hollander 20 Shale of the century Gas is the answer to all our power needs

Matt Ridley 22 Selling our birthright Heritage is losing out to wind farms

William Cash 31 Investment Special Boks 42 Sam Leith Ben Jonson, by Ian Donaldson 44 Bevis Hillier One on One, by Craig Brown 45 Barnaby Rogerson Can Intervention

Work? by Rory Stewart and Gerald Knaus 46 Melissa Kite Our Lady of Alice Bhatti,

by Mohammed Hanif 47 Thomas Hodgkinson Into the Silence,

by Wade Davis 48 Vernon Bogdanor

Empire, by Jeremy Paxman Tony Gould Lifeblood, by Alex Perry

49 John Julius Norwich

The British Ambassador’s Residence in Paris, by Tim Knox 50 Richard Shone

Virginia Woolf, by Alexandra Harris 51 James Booth Philip Larkin: Poems,

selected by Martin Amis Bookends Cressida Connolly Arts 52 Richard Dorment Public art: a festival of expensive tat 54 Opera The Marriage of Figaro;

La Traviata Michael Tanner 56 Dance Cédric Andrieux; Jerome Bel;

Merce Cunningham Dance Company; Desh; Akram Khan Company Giannandrea Poesio Exhibitions John Atkinson Grimshaw

Andrew Lambirth 58 Music Peter Phillips 59 Cinema Three Musketeers

Deborah Ross 61 Theatre The Killing of Sister George;

Cool Hand Luke Lloyd Evans 62 Radio Kate Chisholm Collecting Liz Anderson 63 Television Simon Hoggart Culture notes George Hull

Cover by Morten Morland. Drawings by Michael Heath, Castro, Morten Morland, Holland, Nick Newman, RGJ, Bernie, Geoff Thompson, Grizelda, Adam Singleton, Mazurke and Robert Thompson. www.spectator.co.uk To subscribe to The Spectator for £104 a year, turn to page 45 Editorial and advertising The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP, Tel: 020 7961 0200, Fax: 020 7961 0250, Email: editor@spectator.co.uk (editorial); letters@spectator.co.uk (for publication); advertising@spectator.co.uk (advertising); Advertising enquiries: 020 7961 0219 Advertising fax: 020 7961 0020 Subscription and delivery queries Spectator Subscriptions Dept., 800 Guillat Avenue, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne ME9 8GU; Tel: 01795 592886 Fax: 0870 220 0290; Email: spectator@servicehelpline.co.uk Newsagent queries Spectator Circulation Dept, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP, Tel: 020 7961 0200, Fax: 020 7961 0057, Email: dstam@spectator.co.uk Distributor COMAG Specialist, Tavistock Works, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QX Vol 317; no 9555 © The Spectator (1828) Ltd. ISSN 0038-6952 The Spectator is published weekly by The Spectator (1828) Ltd at 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP Editor: Fraser Nelson the spectator | 15 October 2011 | www.spectator.co.uk

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