Politics in a cold climate, p14

Your new favourite Muslim televangelist, p16

The threat to British trees (apart from these blokes), p23

5 Leading article 8 Portrait of the Year 11 Diary Ann Widdecombe 12 Prison Notebook

Francis Stephen 14 Politics James Forsyth 15 The Spectator’s Notes 24 A year in words

Dot Wordsworth 28 Matthew Parris 31 Winter in Poland

Neil Tennant 33 Ancient and modern 34 James Delingpole 38 Christmas on stage

Joan Collins 46 Barometer 48 Letters 51 Any other business Martin Vander Weyer

16 Al-Qa’eda’s new enemy The leading Islamic TV preacher takes a stand for peace Justin Marozzi 17 William Wootten ‘The Colde, Frosty Seson of

Decembre’: a poem 18 O come all ye faithless What the vicar would prefer to say in his Christmas sermon Quentin Letts 20 I told you so Being right about everything is most satisfying Rod Liddle 21 Dreaming of a Blitz Christmas My memories of 1940

Michael Heath 23 Leaves on the line The many dangers facing

British trees Oliver Rackham 26 George Osborne’s roving brief The Chancellor explains how far his writ runs Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth

32 Taking the world as it is Michael Oakeshott — my hero

Andrew Sullivan 36 Christmas survey What will happen in 2011? 40 Confessions of an atheist I respect Christianity,

but I can’t believe Bruce Anderson 44 The plum pudding trick Christmas with Charles Dickens

Paul Johnson 47 Classic mistakes Get Latin and Greek back on the national curriculum Peter Jones 53 Carcassonne A short story

Julian Barnes

TRAVEL

SPECIAL p91

Cover by Peter Brookes. Drawings by Michael Heath, Castro, Kyle T. Webster, Morten Morland, Ian Tovey, Simon Farr, Carolyn Gowdy, Bernie, Adam Singleton, Richard Jolley, Nick Newman, Geoff Thompson, Grizelda, Holland, Paul Wood, K.J. Lamb, Mike Williams, Colin Wheeler, Robert Thompson and Evans. www.spectator.co.uk To subscribe to The Spectator for £104 a year, turn to page 102 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 314; no 9512/9513 © 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

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the spectator | 18/25 December 2010 | www.spectator.co.uk