Contents Contents Contents Contents the week Leading article

5

Portrait of the Week

9

Diary Miriam Gross

11

The Spectator’s Notes 13 Dave Michael Heath 15 Letters 29 Shared opinion Hugo Rifkind 30 You know it makes sense James Delingpole 33 Mind your language 78

Osborne’s vision for Britain James Forsyth The Chancellor is bursting with ideas and strategies

14

The oracle speaks Fraser Nelson An interview with Robert Chote of the IFS

17

A social pariah in the shires Mark Palmer The tricky business of being a newcomer in an old village 18

Fowler’s match: 100 years on J.R.H. McEwen 19

Meet the real Diane Abbott Rod Liddle She is a perfect representative of the white middle class

20

investment At home or abroad? Jonathan Davis

34

Cadbury Rules Richard Northedge

35

High yields are still attractive Alex Brummer 36 Small is beautiful Edie Lush 38 Any other business Martin Vander Weyer 41

Belgium meets its Waterloo William Cook Sooner or later the country will split down the middle

22

Death of a dandy Ed Howker Sebastian Horsley’s last interview

24

The real villain of BP Tom Bower Lord Browne transformed the company, but at a terrible cost 26

Books Philip Hensher: Why Mahler?, by Norman Lebrecht 43 Gilbert Adair: Noir, by Robert Coover 44 Raymond Carr: Inheritance, by Robert Sackville-West 46 Charlotte Moore: The Constant Liberal, by Pam Hirsch 47 Patrick Skene Catling: Thelonius Monk, by Robin D.G. Kelly 47 Leo McKinstry on the Battle of Britain 51 Justin Marozzi: Drinking Araq off an Ayatollah’s Beard, by Nicholas Jubber 52 Eva Salzman: ‘Pub Sonnet I — The Tradition’: a poem 52 John de Falbe: The Hare with Amber Eyes, by Edmund de Waal 53

‘Two pairs of sandals? Must be one of those

Lib Dems having a torrid affair.’

Cover by Carla Millar. Drawings by Michael Heath, Castro, Mazurke, Colin Wheeler, Meyrick Jones, Len, Kipper Williams, Nick Newman, Holland and RGJ.

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Vol 313; no 9487 © 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

Arts

Marianne Gray talks to Oscar nominee Brenda Blethyn about her latest film 55 Exhibitions: The Summer Exhibition Andrew Lambirth 56 Opera: Idomeneo; Lohengrin Michael Tanner 58 Theatre Through a Glass Darkly; After the Dance Lloyd Evans 61 Morte d’Arthur Patrick Carnegy 62 Cinema: Good Hair; Get Him to the Greek Deborah Ross 63 Television James Delingpole 64 Radio Kate Chisholm 66

Life

The turf

Robin Oakley

High life

Taki

Low life Jeremy Clarke

Real life Melissa Kite

Bridge Susanna Gross

66

67

69

71

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And finALLy . . .

Chess Raymond Keene

72

Competition; Crossword 72, 73 Status anxiety Toby Young 78 Sport Roger Alton 79 Your problems solved Mary Killen 79

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THE SPECTATOR 26 June 2010 7