Coping with the weather, p16

Lowry without matchsticks, p35

Interior thoughts, p33

THE WEEK

3 Leading article 7 Portrait of the Week 9 Diary P. J. O’Rourke 10 Politics James Forsyth 11 The Spectator’s Notes 14 Barometer 16 Mind your language 19 Rod Liddle 21 Ancient and modern 22 Matthew Parris 25 Letters 27 Any other business Martin Vander Weyer

12 Hacking the world China is already engaged in online warfare. How can we fight back? Fraser Nelson 14 To catch an oligarch

New laws in America and elsewhere could ruffle the cool of Russia’s elite Owen Matthews 16 Boris’s winter of discontent How London’s Mayor can defeat his great enemies: snow and tube strikes Andrew Gimson 20 Maternity ward sadists Women should not endure needless pain in the cause of ‘natural’ birth Carol Sarler

BOOKS & ARTS

Boks 30 Sam Leith Working the Room,

by Geoff Dyer 32 Robert Cooper The Sounds of Crime,

edited by Maxim Jakubowski 33 Elfreda Pownall on interior design 35 Andrew Lambirth L.S. Lowry, by T.G. Rosenthal 37 Ian Birrell 22 Days in May, by David Laws;

5 Days to Power, by Rob Wilson Bookends Lewis Jones 38 Juliet Townsend on children’s books

Cover by Kyle T. Webster. Drawings by Michael Heath, Castro, Kipper Williams, Holland, Nick Newman, Geoff Thompson, Bernie, Adam Singleton, Nick Downes, Mike Williams, Paul Wood and K.J. Lamb. www.spectator.co.uk To subscribe to The Spectator for £104 a year, turn to page 48 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 Spectator Scoff If you are an overseas reader and would like a copy of Spectator Scoff, please email spectator@servicehelpline.co.uk with your name and address and subscriber reference if appropriate. 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 9510 © 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 | 4 December 2010 | www.spectator.co.uk