The Anglo-Israeli row Never since British withdrawal from Palestine and the foundation of the Jewish State in 1948 have Anglo-Israeli relations been at such a low ebb. Israeli...

Political commentary Got up by the Prime Minister Ferdinand Mount At around this stage in the summer term, we -at the Machiavelli Memorial College of Political Science ('Old...

Notebook I wrote last week about my visit to nAmerica, but not of my return to these shores. One should not, of course, attach too much importance to one's own dreary...

Another voice Lord Gowrie's future Auberon Waugh Reviewing Raymond Asquith's Life and Letters (edited by John Joiliffe, Collins £10.95) fora Sunday newspaperlast week, I was...

A ham for all seasons Henry Fairlie 14"ashington 'Samson slew the Philistines'. The words are Clear enough in his text. But Mr Reagan reads them out as 'Simpson slew the...

Thatcherism in Detroit George Gale Detroit Neat blue-blazered New Yorkers, breakfasting on vitamin pills and muesli, knock Up against brash Californians in flowered trousers...

From Berlin to Moscow Edward Marston East Berlin Peace was the leitmotif of the 1936 Olympic Games. In London, the President of the German Organising Committee described them...

The Daradoxes of John Paul Peter Hebblethwaite Rome So, ignoring diplomatic advice and trusting his own strategic judgment, Pope John Paul WI went to Brazil for a 12-day...

An insubstantial pageant MMMIM Alistair Horne Quem oy The ancient DC-4 skips in at 50 feet above the waves all two hundred miles from Taipei. Apart from myself and a couple...

The unkindest cut Geraldine Norman Hardly anybody has asked why the National Gallery thought fit to spend £2.3 million of taxpayers' money on buying a vast Rubens oil Painting...

The golden city Richard West Winchester The average visitor to one of our ancient cathedrals is moved to exclaim in wonder on how such building was done without the...

New wine in the chalice Jillian Robertson Few people would dare to offer a sweet and sticky wine to their friends. But such wines are among the most frequently sipped and...

Cock and hen story Sir: Nobody else seems to have commented upon it, so may 1, for amateurs of the migrating joke, point out that the original of the charming story told by...

The Resident Consultant Sir: Benny Green's prose style is so dazzling one has to shade one's eyes a bit, but so far as I can make out he claims (5 July) that the first Sherlock...

Letters His Last Bow Sir: In calling his article about the 50th anniversary of Arthur Conan Dovle's death 'The final problem' (5 July) Benny Green has been more apt than he...

Sir: In accusing Mr Booker of tarnishing hbs reputation, isn't Diana Bazalgette (Letters 1 2 July) falling into the error of suppOS1i'g that a journalists's proper function is...

Sir: The language of some of your co"' trib~utors to this important discusSi° (Christopher Booker, 21 June, Gordofl Wilson, 28 June, Monica Furlong and others, including David...

The new liturgy Sir: Monica Furlong is bcing unusually coy in writing (Letters, 12 July) that she has been 'a moderately faithful Anglican for 3() years', for this draws a...

Diarists Sir: I am preparing a study of Victorian diarists, and would be grateful for any information, letters, memorabilia, photographs or other material relating to the Revd...

Temps perdu Sir; In his nostalgic piece 'Temps perdu' (28 June), Taki evoked his own memories, and those of Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe, that Paris is an unchanging...

Poisoned eggs Sir: In the article by Mr Patrick Marnham in your issue of 5 July it is stated that beef cattle are fed antibiotics to promote growth and that this is...

the claims of E.P. Thompson Sir: What was Paul Barker's long review of the Marxist E.P. Thompson doing in my SPectator (5 July)? I spend my working day surrounded by people who...

Waldorf and Princess Marie Sir: Mr Christopher Sykes (Letters, 5 July) is quite right to rebuke me for not having more searchingly refreshed my recollection of his...

Law books A genuine legal smell John Mortimer The Oxford Companion to Law David M. Walker (Oxford £17.50) How should vou use this new Oxford Comnpanion to Law? The...

Fine fellow Alan Watkins Constitutional Fundamentals H.W.R. Wade (Stevens £6.35, £3.35) 'Miss Hamlyn was a spinster. Her father Wvas a solicitor. He practised in Torquay,...

Doing justice Geoffrey Marshall On Justice J.R. Lucass (Oxford £1 0) Justice has, at one time and another. been scepticallv treated by both reformers and reactionaries....

Fiction Fairly excellent woman Francis King A Few Green Leaves Barbara Pym (Mac- tillan 5.95) Novelists who have the panicky sensation that they are being buried alive, as...

Hitler a la Dr Steiner Hans Keller The Portage to San Christabal A.H. George Steiner (in Granta Cambridge, Vol. 1, No. 2 £1.50) 'Granta has been the arts magazine of...

Liberal? Magtig! l Richard West A Mercenary Calling Martin Walker (Gra- nada £5.95) Some of the most enlightening books about Africa have been works of fiction, in which are...

Arts Film as literature Peter Ackroyd Being There (AA' Odeon, St Martin's Lane) Being There, Hal Ashbv's latest film, would not pass the Middle Test, although 'Getting To...

Art Poet John McEwen TO celebrate the publication of Andrew Causey's catalogue raisonni of the works of Paul Nash, Blond Fine Art Ltd are showing Paintings and prints by the...

Theatre Puzzling Peter Jenkins Sweeney Todd (Drury Lane) The Strongest Man in the World (Round House) One of the Sitwells, it must have been Osbert, said that the reason why...

Television Old scores Richard Ingrams 'The Proms flourish again', says the cover of this week's Radio Times, 'full coverage on BBC TV and Radio', and inside the magazine Mr...

Cricket Four fast men Alan Gibson Except for the unfortunate batsmen. Test cricket can be a confoundedly dull game when you have four fast bowlers pounding away at 1 5 overs...

High life Exploited Taki Copenhagen The greatest event in the history of mankind is taking place here this week. Well, perhaps the most important since Jimmy Carter changed...

Postscript Touched Patrick Marnham The lack of a phrase meaning the opposite of the Midas-touch, which is a considerable lack, need be felt no longer now that Sir Harold...

Low life Grass Jeffrey Bernard There are some things you don't expect to find in the country and a copper's nark is one of them. Trust my luck though, I've unearthed one. The...