Secrets of guillemot satnav, p45

Taking a break from poshness, p53

Soldier girl, p54

THE WEEK

5 Leading articles 9 Portrait of the Week 11 Diary Roger Mosey 12 Politics David Owen 13 The Spectator’s Notes 17 Rod Liddle 26 Barometer 29 Matthew Parris 30 James Delingpole 32 Letters 35 Any other business Martin Vander Weyer

Deborah Ross returns next week.

BOOKS & ARTS

14 They can’t go on like this The beginning of the end of the coalition James Forsyth 15 John Greening

‘Essex Farm’, Yser Canal: a poem 18 An Israeli spring?

The Jewish state should embrace democracy elsewhere in its region Avi Shlaim 20 Rupe swoops The launch of the Sun on Sunday is a classic Murdoch coup William Shawcross 22 Three men and a vote Republican primary season is stuck

Britain as bitterly divided as ever Ferdinand Mount Boks 40 Sam Leith New Ways to Kill Your Mother, by Colm Tóibín 42 Matt Ridley Watermelons, by James Delingpole Connie Bensley ‘Stations’: a poem 43 Byron Rogers The Origins of Sex, by Faramerz Dabhoiwala 44 Marcus Berkmann The Train in the Night, by Nick Coleman Andrew Gimson Keeping Up with the Germans, by Philip Oltermann 45 John McEwen Bird Sense, by Tim Birkhead 46 Ferdinand Mount Ashoka, by Charles Allen Alistair Elliot ‘In the Outer Hebrides’: a poem 48 Eric Weinberger The Real Romney, by Michael Kranish and Scott Helman at the rogues’ gallery stage Florence King 25 Class is back Years of public spending have left

49 Charles Cumming Waiting for Sunrise, by William Boyd Bookends Marcus Berkmann

Cover by Morten Morland. Drawings by Michael Heath, Castro, Ian Tovey, Mazurke, Nick Newman, Adam Singleton, Geoff Thompson, Grizelda, Bernie, Robert Thompson, RGJ, Tony Husband, K.J. Lamb, Ed McLachlan, and Mike Williams. www.spectator.co.uk To subscribe to The Spectator for £104 a year, turn to page 32 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 318; no 9574 © 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 | 25 february 2012 | www.spectator.co.uk