Contents Contents Contents Contents

the week

Leading article 5

Diary David Tang 9

Politics Fraser Nelson 10

The Spectator’s Notes 11

Diary of a Notting Hill Nobody 12

Flash Gordon 14

Standing room 18

Letters 22

Shared opinion Hugo Rifkind 24

And another thing Paul Johnson 26

Mind your language 54

Would the working class vote Labour now? Rod Liddle The party has forgotten the people it was set up to represent 14

Iran will not unclench its fist Con Coughlin Iran’s rulers are still devoted to Ayatollah Khomeini’s aims 16

Letters from Darwin Charlotte Moore The author’s great-grandfather was his doctor and friend 18

A monsoon of my own mortality Hardeep Singh Kohli Reflections on turning 40 20

Teach our children to think Lisa Hilton On the government’s latest proposals for history teaching 21

Arts Lloyd Evans

talks to the director and actor Steven Berkoff 36

Exhibitions: Palladio: His Life and Legacy Andrew Lambirth 37

Opera: Die tote Stadt; The Queen of Spades Michael Tanner 38

Theatre: Be Near Me; Complicit

Lloyd Evans 40

Dance: Triple Bill

Giannandrea Poesio 40

Cinema: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Deborah Ross 41

Television

Simon Hoggart 42

Radio

Kate Chisholm 43

Business Pipeline politics: the annual battle Neil Barnett 28

Books

Philip Hensher: Sweet Water and Bitter, by Siân Rees 30

Laura Fergusson: The Flying Troutmans, by Miriam Toews 31

Valerie Jack: ‘Everest’: a poem 31

Caroline Moorehead: The Last Supper, by Rachel Cusk 32

Charles Sprawson: Stowe, by Brian Rees 32

Rhian Edwards: ‘Petra’: a poem 33

Allan Massie: Life and letters 34

‘I’ve got a snowball fight at 9.30!’

Cover by Mick Brownfield. Drawings by Michael Heath, Castro, David Langdon, Hunter, Tony Husband, Mike Williams, RGJ, Bernie, Nick Newman, Holland, Adam Singleton and Kipper Williams.

Website: www.spectator.co.uk .

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Vol 309; no 9415 © The Spectator (1828) Ltd. ISSN 0038-6952

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The Spectator is published weekly by The Spectator (1828) Ltd at 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP

Editor: Matthew d’Ancona

Life Motoring

Alan Judd 44

High life

Taki 44

Low life Jeremy Clarke 45

Slow life Alex James 46

Bridge Janet de Botton 46

And finALLy . . . Chess Raymond Keene 48

Competition; Crossword 48, 49

Status anxiety Toby Young 54

Sport Roger Alton 55

Your problems solved Mary Killen 55

www.spectator.co.uk THE SPECTATOR 7 February 2009 7