Peace before goodwill This particular season of peace on earth, goodwill to all men, can hardly be said to be firing on all cylinders. There is no peace in Afghanistan, and a...

A review of the year On the eve of 1980, 40,000 Russian troops entered Afghanistan. In Teheran, the staff of the American embassv were in their seventh week of captivity, and...

Political commentary Our legislators Ferdinand Mount At this season, it is our custom, well, we haven't done it before but it is going to be Our custom, whether you like it...

Notebook The newly created National Heritage Memorial Fund is understandably a little confused about its role. Its purpose is 'to give financial assistance towards acquiring....

Another voice Lies, damned lies ... Auberon Waugh Something is not true, thank God, just because it appears as the front page lead news story in the Sunday Times. Last week,...

An Indian encounter Shiva Naipaul I knew she was extremely rich, I knew she was held in awe by those whose lives she controlled, and I knew she was approaching a vigorous,...

Germany and Japan: forging a new axle Murray Sayle Tok vwo If you're ever casting about for a good German, don't overlook Toni Schimucker. the dapper and dynamic chairman of...

The virtues of being boring Geoffrey Sampson Geneva There is a convention by which commentators on international politics leave out Switzerland: it is supposed to be too...

Murder of a nation Bohdan Nahaylo Ayshe Seytmuratova is a remarkable woman. At 42. she is a former political prisoner, long-standing campaigner for the rights of her small but...

The medical revolution Brian Inglis Six weeks ago I wrote an article, 'Medicine and the media', criticising the press. radio and TV for their chronic subservience to the...

Dog fighting -- I Sir: Auberon Waugh's intemperate ripumt: (6 December) to Conor Cruise O'Brien's strictures on the press brings to mind the immortal words of Mandy Rice...

Watts on medicine Sir: With reference to Brian Inglis's article 'Medicine and the media' (29 November, I cannot discern whether he is simply reluctant to sully opinion with...

Letters Aught for Polish comfort? Sir: I was astonished to read your leading article of 6 December, the more so as you Conclude that there is no need to be 'unduly...

Running up Sir: Referring to Alan Gibson's interesting article in your 6 December issue, Kenneth Farnes took eleven paces in his run-up to the wicket. I have counted them more...

Sir: it you will forgive me saying so, your editorial on Poland does seem to contain an uncommon number of false assumptions. Press reports assert that the Polish government...

Men and machines Sir: It was, I suggest, a pity that Henry Fairlie ('America in space', 6 December) did not really go into orbit. Had he done so, he might have been less...

Small voices Sir: The Waugh-Ingrams diatribe against Dallas brings to mind Bernard Shaw's handling of the minority opinion on one of his plays. Responding to enthusiastic calls...

Schoenberg: another view Sir: Every single word about Schoenberg, his music and his words in Daniel Johnson's letter (6 December) is factually wrong. His crucial year is 1945 -...

Benn's move Sir: In Alexander Chancellor's Notebook (13 December) his points about the demotion of Merlyn Rees are valid except of course that it was not Mr Callaghan who...

Mugging it up Richard Ingrams Malcolm Muggeridge Ian Hunter (Collins £6.95) The contrast between a man's biography and his autobiography is often revealing. In the case of...

About language Anthony Storr Language and Learning: The Debate between Jean Piaqet and Noam Choms- ky Ed. Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini (Rout- ledge £9.75) Piaget and...

December crime Harriet Waugh Out of the jumble of recent crime books A Killing Kindness by Reginald Hill (Collins £5.50) stands out for its good plotting, characterisation and...

p1i6EV Kayav Colin Haycraft Lines on the trial of Lord Kagan of Elland (with apologies to Martial 2.57 and 5.26) o qui vocaris alpha paenulatorum latoque clavo fis come...

L.R.D.G. Fitzroy Maclean Providence their Guide David Lloyd Owen (Harrap £9.50) 'The British way in war', writes General Sir John Hackett in a thought-provoking foreword to...

Future tense Francis King The Last Crime John Domatilla (Heine- mann £5.95) The theme of this novel is not markedly original. Way back in 1909, E.M. Forster wrote a story,...

Ballet Power and glory Bryan Robertson The moment we start talking about the hypothetical spirit or the particular aspects of a work of art which may be thought of as...

Theatre Small-time Peter Jenkins Television Times (RSC, Warehouse) More Out Than In (Bush) Peter Prince's talents as a television writer include a sensitive ear and a...

Television -Pontifical Richard Ingrams The National Union of Television Critics has lodged a formal protest with the BBC about the new programme Did You See? (BBC2) which...

High life C'est tout Taki ANewii, York Ironic.lly. I spent aill evcunins with RiMno Starr one week betore the so cailled thinkieL, man's favourite Beatle cot shot. I sea\...

Low life Totting up Jeffrey Bernard The confused jottings in the little diary I carry around with me tell a fairly sordid story of the past year. There were four car crashes,...