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Raye’s hopes, p40 Power play, p20 Northern light, p38 THE WEEK 3 Leading article 6 Portrait of the Week 9 Diary Kamala Harris’s flimsy lead Andrew Sullivan 10 Politics The joy of opposition Katy Balls 11 The Spectator’s Notes The Tories’ Greek tragedy has reached its catharsis Charles Moore 17 Rod Liddle In defence of Rosie Duffield 19 Ancient and modern Golden opportunity 21 Douglas Murray Israel was right to ignore the West 25 Mary Wakefield The dark truth about the Pelicot case 27 Letters Swedish models, Milton’s apple and civil service hours 28 Any other business Coal is dead but clean energy still doesn’t add up Martin Vander Weyer 12 Broken axis Iran is trapped between martyrdom and humiliation Paul Wood 13 Maitreyabandhu ‘Brook End Close and Swancroft’: a poem 14 Nelson’s last column It’s goodbye from me Fraser Nelson 16 Actor’s notebook Everyone I know is tired of London Nigel Havers 18 The Iron Prime Minister How will history judge Netanyahu? Niall Ferguson and Jay Mens 20 Power crazy Ed Miliband’s magical energy plan Matt Ridley 22 Fear and loathing China’s hostility to the Japanese Cindy Yu 24 Language barrier Should you have to speak Welsh to live in Wales? Lloyd Evans BOOKS & ARTS BOOKS 30 Owen Matthews Augustus the Strong, by Tim Blanning 32 Isabel Hardman The Story of a Heart, by Rachel Clarke Tessa Dunlop Dancing with Diana, by Anne Allan 33 Francesca Peacock Small Rain, by Garth Greenwell 34 Helen Carr The Eagle and the Hart, by Helen Castor Salley Vickers Home is Where We Start, by Susanna Crossman 35 Nicholas Lezard Revenge of the Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell 36 Damian Thompson Undercover, by Tony Scotland Anthony Sattin Daybreak in Gaza, edited by Mahmoud Muna and Matthew Teller Cover by Morten Morland. Drawings by Michael Heath, Natasha Lawson, Robert Thompson, Tim Bales, Nick Newman, Matt Percival, Mark Wood, K.J. Lamb, Mike Stokoe, Bernie, Royston.www.spectator.co.uk Editorial and advertising The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP, Tel: 020 7961 0200, Email: letters@spectator.co.uk (for publication); advertising@spectator.co.uk (advertising); Advertising enquiries: 020 7961 0128 Subscription and delivery queries The Spectator customer services, Tower House, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough LE16 9EF; Tel: 01858 438 781; Email: subscriptions@the.spectator. co.uk; Rates for a basic annual subscription in the UK: £119; Europe: £195; and £205 in all other countries. To order, go to www.spectator.co.uk/basic-rate or call 01858 438 781 and quote BAR; Newsagent queries Spectator Circulation Dept, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP, Tel: 020 7961 0200, Fax: 020 7681 3773, Email: dbrown@spectator.co.uk; Distributor Marketforce, 161 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9AP. Tel. 0203 787 9001. www.marketforce.co.uk Vol 356; no 10,232 © 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 4 the spectator | 5 october 2024 | www.spectator.co.uk
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Right moves, p32 ARTS 38 Damian Thompson interviews the Icelandic pianist Vikingur Olafsson 40 Pop Raye; The The Michael Hann 42 Exhibitions Hard Graft: Work, Health and Rights Ross Clark Television Ludwig; Joan James Walton 43 Classical music Eugene Onegin; Hallé, Wong Richard Bratby 44 Theatre Coriolanus; Ostan Lloyd Evans 46 Cinema A Different Man Deborah Ross The Gamer Black Myth: Wukong Sam Leith Saxon violence, p30 LIFE LIFE 53 Still life Catriona Olding 54 Real life Melissa Kite 55 The turf Robin Oakley 56 The Vintage Chef Olivia Potts 57 Wine club Jonathan Ray AND FINALLY . . . 49 Notes on… Invitations Philip Womack 58 Chess Luke McShane Competition Victoria Lane 59 Crossword Lavatch 60 No sacred cows Toby Young Battle for Britain Michael Heath 61 Sport Roger Alton Your problems solved Mary Killen 62 Food Tanya Gold Mind your language Dot Wordsworth Veep veneer, p9 There are sources in the Jewish tradition that warn against exultation at the downfall of one´s enemies. But I am not Jewish. Douglas Murray, p21 I felt a pang of anxiet y as I boarded the bus from Pwllheli and asked for a ticket to ‘Botnog’. Lloyd Evans, p24 I meet Olafsson and ask him where he places his second and third fingers in the rollercoaster opening bars. The poor man thought he was giving an inter view, not a free piano lesson. Damian Thompson, p39 CONTRIBUTORS Nigel Havers is an actor who has starred in Chariots of Fire, A Passage to India and Empire of the Sun. On p16 he shares his memories of Dame Maggie Smith. Niall Ferguson, who compares Netanyahu with Bismarck on p18, is the author of Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe and Civilization: The West and the Rest. the spectator | 5 october 2024 | www.spectator.co.uk Francesca Peacock is the author of Pure Wit: The Revolutionary Life of Margaret Cavendish. She reviews Garth Greenwell’s new novel on p33. Salley Vickers, who writes about the horrors of a childhood in a cult on p34, is a novelist, teacher and psychoanalyst whose books include The Gardener. Helen Carr is a historian whose first book was The Red Prince: The Life of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. She writes about Richard II and Henry IV on p34. 5

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Raye’s hopes, p40

Power play, p20

Northern light, p38

THE WEEK

3 Leading article 6 Portrait of the Week 9 Diary Kamala Harris’s flimsy lead

Andrew Sullivan 10 Politics The joy of opposition

Katy Balls 11 The Spectator’s Notes

The Tories’ Greek tragedy has reached its catharsis Charles Moore 17 Rod Liddle

In defence of Rosie Duffield 19 Ancient and modern

Golden opportunity 21 Douglas Murray

Israel was right to ignore the West 25 Mary Wakefield The dark truth about the Pelicot case 27 Letters Swedish models, Milton’s apple and civil service hours 28 Any other business Coal is dead but clean energy still doesn’t add up Martin Vander Weyer

12 Broken axis

Iran is trapped between martyrdom and humiliation Paul Wood 13 Maitreyabandhu

‘Brook End Close and Swancroft’: a poem 14 Nelson’s last column

It’s goodbye from me Fraser Nelson 16 Actor’s notebook

Everyone I know is tired of London Nigel Havers 18 The Iron Prime Minister

How will history judge Netanyahu? Niall Ferguson and Jay Mens 20 Power crazy

Ed Miliband’s magical energy plan Matt Ridley 22 Fear and loathing

China’s hostility to the Japanese Cindy Yu 24 Language barrier

Should you have to speak Welsh to live in Wales? Lloyd Evans

BOOKS & ARTS

BOOKS 30 Owen Matthews

Augustus the Strong, by Tim Blanning 32 Isabel Hardman

The Story of a Heart, by Rachel Clarke Tessa Dunlop Dancing with Diana, by Anne Allan 33 Francesca Peacock

Small Rain, by Garth Greenwell 34 Helen Carr

The Eagle and the Hart, by Helen Castor Salley Vickers Home is Where We Start, by Susanna Crossman 35 Nicholas Lezard

Revenge of the Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell 36 Damian Thompson

Undercover, by Tony Scotland Anthony Sattin Daybreak in Gaza, edited by Mahmoud Muna and Matthew Teller

Cover by Morten Morland. Drawings by Michael Heath, Natasha Lawson, Robert Thompson, Tim Bales, Nick Newman, Matt Percival, Mark Wood, K.J. Lamb, Mike Stokoe, Bernie, Royston.www.spectator.co.uk Editorial and advertising The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP, Tel: 020 7961 0200, Email: letters@spectator.co.uk (for publication); advertising@spectator.co.uk (advertising); Advertising enquiries: 020 7961 0128 Subscription and delivery queries The Spectator customer services, Tower House, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough LE16 9EF; Tel: 01858 438 781; Email: subscriptions@the.spectator. co.uk; Rates for a basic annual subscription in the UK: £119; Europe: £195; and £205 in all other countries. To order, go to www.spectator.co.uk/basic-rate or call 01858 438 781 and quote BAR; Newsagent queries Spectator Circulation Dept, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP, Tel: 020 7961 0200, Fax: 020 7681 3773, Email: dbrown@spectator.co.uk; Distributor Marketforce, 161 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9AP. Tel. 0203 787 9001. www.marketforce.co.uk Vol 356; no 10,232 © 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

4

the spectator | 5 october 2024 | www.spectator.co.uk

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