Senator George McGovern's triumph in the New York State primary election appears to ensure that, with or without the assistance of Senator Edward Kennedy, the South Dakotan will...

PUZZLE REGRETS to report that Tory backbenchers are not enthusiastic about the performance, so far, of Mr Maurice Macmillan. Although there is a measure of justification for...

The enemy left behind Richard Chancellor It is now eight months since the defection of a responsible officer of the KGB, Oleg Lyalin, from the Soviet Delegation in High gate,...

Observations on the Observer Dennis Hackett The Observer, which always has my affection if not my continual admiration, has stirred thin g s up a little in the q uality field...

Auberon Waugh The Word Irving Wallace (Cassell £2.50) Close-Up Len Deighton (Cape £1.95) The Word of Mr Wallace's title is, of course, the second Person of the Holy Trinity....

Christopher Gill Horner C. M. Bowra (Duckworth E2.95) How good was Maurice Bowra? The personal qualities of wit and friendship, his value as a symbol of broad and humane...

Bookbuyer A temptation for any new publisher is to launch his imprint on the strength of one or two really good titles, and hope that these will attract similar books in the...

Black bastards Christopher Hudson The blacks, we are told, form the last reliable bloc of filmgoers in the United States — which no doubt accounts for the rash of all-black...

• The Cambridge University Footlights Revue for 1972, called Norman Ruins, comes to London for a week at the Round House, Chalk Farm, from Monday, June 26. • Trelawny, the...

Two to forget Kenneth Hurren Unless you take an unusually humane interest in other people's misfortunes, there is absolutely no reason in the world why you should care that...

Two to remember Evan Anthony It is unfortunate that you cannot now check the talents of David Pyke and John Abbott for yourselves, but I have little doubt that you will...

Sir: May I congratulate you on your splendid leader last week (June 17). It expresses more plainly and more forcefully than any-. thing else I have ever read the ease against...

The fact that Parliament in general, and the Government in particular, are adamant in refusing to go along with the wishes of the people (who should surely give their consent...

in carrying Clause 2 of the European Communities Bill by a mere eight votes prompts the thought: what are we, who oppose entry to the EEC on the terms negotiated, to do next,...

The total failure of the Prime Minister ' s policy of going into the Common Market is now becoming unbearably clear. Not only is the policy a disaster but it is apparent that...

Sir: Your " call for what the French call a ' cold • devaluation " (June 17) is not the first attempt of its kind to square the economic circle. Another devaluation may well be...

Sir: Three cheers for the railway men. A famous victory! Or was it? Walpole said " They are ringing the bells today. They will be ringing their hands tomorrow." When the rail...

Sir: I see from Isabel Quigly's review on Ivor Brown's biography of Conan Doyle (June 10) that Dr Watson is presumed to have been based on a real-life doctor of that name. There...

Sir: There must be a great many cricket spectators besides me who would like to know just why a bowler chooses his groin, of all places, as appropriate spot for aubbing-ii on...

From Mrs Isla M. Atherley Sir: I was interested to read the letters from Mr Puckle and Mr Bernard Morton (June 10), about the behaviour of local Tory officials to their Member...

Sir: It is on the occasions of royal funerals with their attendant mock mournings and associated ceremonious mumbo-jumbo, that the socalled free press is exposed as the hoax...

Sir: Commuters and other travel lers now face huge fare increases, Harold Wilson's Prices and Incomes Board seems to have been more efficient that Edward Heath's Industrial...

Sir; The high price of houses today 1S usually attributed to the shortage of building land. Surely a greater reason is the capital gains tax of 1965, which exempted the house...

Sir: I fail to see why, at a time when you are running a correspondence about Jews and Arabs, a sarcastic and unnecessary attack on the celebrated Arab poet and mystic Kahlil...

Sir: Bookbuyer is usually entertaining and sometimes surprising. He certainly surprised all of us here with his unofficial announcement about the 'Critical Heritage' Series...

Sir: Sculling may be done by scullers but rowing (Notebook, June 10) is done by oarsmen. Roderick Clayton 12 St Albans Avenue, Chiswick, London W4

Avuncular advice Nephew Wilde I find it intriguing — let alone disconcerting — that my losses on stock market dealing over recent weeks have amounted to £531. And I am tempted...

Poverty Abolishing the wage stop Ruth Lister The wage stop is a rule operated by the Supplementary Benefits Commission to ensure that the net income of an unemployed person...

ves to ,. Levenson Smith 2PP o pt It the end of 1969, the Ayes ittee published its report onthe tarY Worker in the Social Services. ' 0 1 : 1° . ° th, a committee of inquiry...

Rehabilitation and reports custos Sir Ronald Tunbridge's sub-committee of the Standing Medical Advisory Committee, set up to make proposals for the improvement of...

ti Rowan Wilson oi) 'lac li o th ade disciplines, medicine has least affected by changing fashions I II , s i. 1 . 13 n; aviour. While sociology students 'and riot, the medics...