ContentsContentsContentsContents the week Leading article

Portrait of the Week

Diary Henry Blofeld

Politics Tom Switzer

Letters

Any other business Martin Vander Weyer

Ancient & modern

3

6

9

10

25

26

54

Books

Philip Hensher: Under the Sun: The Letters of Bruce Chatwin, edited by Elizabeth Chatwin and Nicholas Shakespeare 28 Rhian Edwards: ‘The Wrong Season’: a poem 29 Patrick Marnham: Shades of Greene, by Jeremy Lewis 30 Allan Massie: Scott-land, by Stuart Kelly 33 Lewis Jones: Lights Out in Wonderland, by D.B.C. Pierre 34 Ian Thomson: Travels, by Paul Bowles 35 Philip Hancock: ‘The Great Concert Hall’: a poem 35 Jonathan Sumption: Spoilt Rotten, by Theodore Dalrymple 37

Arts

Tiffany Jenkins on America’s new monuments to the dead 38 Exhibitions: The Surreal House; Surreal Friends Andrew Lambirth 39

England’s school wars Fraser Nelson and Ed Howker The guerrilla tactics used by the enemies of reform 12

An answer to the A-level debacle John Witheridge 13

A mosque near Ground Zero? Rod Liddle The latest muddle in a tortuous decade-long debate

15

‘I see myself as a Cameron figure’ James Forsyth An interview with Ed Miliband, the ‘normal’ brother 16

Don’t police the beach Harry Mount Lifeguards are turning the Welsh coast into Baywatch

18

Waste not, want not Clarke Hayes

19

How to deal with hecklers Lloyd Evans A comedian in Edinburgh delivers the ultimate put-down 21

Edinburgh Theatre

Lloyd Evans

40

Opera: Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival Michael Tanner 41 Cinema: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Deborah Ross 42 Music Peter Phillips 43 Television Simon Hoggart 43 Radio Kate Chisholm 45

Sarah Palin is beyond a joke Alexander Chancellor The would-be politician is now just a greedy celebrity 22

‘Are we nearly there yet?’

Cover by Christian Adams. Drawings by Mazurke, Paul Wood, Wilbur, Rob Murray, Adam Singleton, Bernie, Kipper Williams, Phil Disley and Geoff Thompson.

Charles Moore, Matthew Parris and Michael Heath are away.

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Vol 313; no 9496 © 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

Life

High life

Taki

Low life Jeremy Clarke

Wild life Aidan Hartley

Real life Melissa Kite

Bridge Janet de Botton

46

46

47

48

48

And finALLy . . .

Chess Raymond Keene

50

Competition; Crossword 50, 51 Status anxiety Toby Young 54 The Wiki Man Rory Sutherland 55 Your problems solved Mary Killen 55

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THE SPECTATOR 28 August 2010 5