29 OCTOBER 1994, Page 25

I like political spice in my soup, but this is

ridiculous. The fogeyism of middle age has Porter by his vitals. Like many an aging commentator, he finds the London of his youth no longer an exhilarating place of novelty, entertainment and intellectual stimulus. Canals are no longer to be walked arm-in-arm, markets no longer visited, nightlife no longer sampled. To Porter,