THE SPEGTIOR The Spectator, 56 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LL Telephone: 0171-405 1706; Fax 0171-242 0603 THE MESSINA MYTH Awhole convoy of transport metaphors are deployed...

POLI TICS There are hints that Mr Blair may be regretting his timidity BRUCE ANDERSON The most important conflict in modern British politics has now begun. The battle for the...

ONWARD, CHRISTIAN DINERS! Sion Simon learns of New Labour disciples who break bread together - and oysters 'CHRISTIAN socialism is but the holy water with which the priest...

HONOURING THE GLI Mary Kenny talks to, and celebrates, Conor Cruise O'Brien on his 80th birthday THEY have just elected a new President of Ireland. The doyen of Fleet...

AND ANOTHER THING When is God going to apologise for raining fire and brimstone on Sodom? PAUL JOHNSON On Friday my just-three grandson, Leo, rampaging through our computer...

Down the spiral OLD grumps like Alan Greenspan at the Federal Reserve have a ruder name for levitation. In their book it is called asset price inflation. (The stock market's...

CITY AND SUBURBAN B stands for Bear - when bears are seen approaching in the distance CHRISTOPHER FILDES or addctoDllsitwaatrumtiNew York E r addicts of Dallas, it was a...

Riding on air LEVITATION is a wonderful thing, while it lasts. Only last month it allowed WorldCom to make a $30 billion bid by offering its stratospherically priced shares....

Decisive action IN all the world's other markets, led by Wall Street, the bulls have had a marvellous run. Now the bears have begun to come over the mountain. Hilaire Belloc...

Destructive criticism Sir: As an ex-performer himself, Tom Sutcliffe knows for sure that whatever he says about dumbing down and consumerism in arts journalism, most musicians...

J Sir: In a slightly unfocused article, Peter Oborne concludes that Nicholas Soames IS not at home in the new Tory party. I suspect that there are many others who share his...

L E T T E R S A great asset Sir: I was surprised to see Nicholas Soames castigated as an MP ('Who does he think he is?, 1 November) since to those of us sitting on the...

Differences of opinion Sir: After reading the Sunday Times's review of his A History of the American Peopie, Paul Johnson accuses the books section of engaging in an...

Widmerpoolitis Sir: It always promised to be interesting to see who would be the first of your readers to 'out' the Widmerpools in our society, for it revealed far more about...

Sir: Just as we now have New Labour, New I Britain etc. we must now seek a new kind of Widmerpool. Chris Evans is New Widmerpool. Scoff now, but 20 years in the future do you...

The third W Sir: Hugh Massingberd's admirable article on the revival of the great houses of Scotland ('Scots homes with nobs on', 18 October) refers to a quote by Commander...

Much loved Sir: Robert Rhodes James may be entitled to his own opinions ('Not as nice as all that', 18 October) although Viscount Tonypandy's countless friends doubtless find...

Sir: The only serious mistake was to have I 2nd Lieutenant Nicholas Jenkins walking along the station platform with a kit-bag on his shoulder. Oh dear. Officers didn't have...

Sir: Alistair Cooke (no relation) writes that I Bruce Anderson 'is famous for being political columnist-in-residence to whosoever happens to be Conservative leader' (Letters 1...

Sir: Most of Anthony Powell's readers have I been playing 'Widmerpool' for years. What about a game of 'Pamela'? That would really cheer the libel lawyers up. Raleigh St...

Sir: Leo Cooper is unable to identify Wid- I merpool's two prewar medal ribbons. They are, of course, the 1935 Silver Jubilee medal and the 1937 Coronation medal. He would have...

AS I WAS SA YING The importance of exposing right-doing in high places PEREGRINE WORSTHORNE In the course of a very balanced contribution to a recent Guardian debate about a...

FOOD AND DRINK Winter drinks The glass ceiling Victoria Mather \W'inter drinking is a class issue. There is the whisky fraternity and then there are the rest of you,...

Dinner parties Foolproof cooking Minette Marrin The bright colours and sharp smells of autumn and memories of harvest festivals fill me with enthusiasm for inviting people to...

FOOD AND DRINK Restaurant wines A good whine David Fingleton Twenty years ago it was a relatively straightforward business to order wine with one's meal in a restaurant. The...

FOOD AND DRINK Festivities New Labour, new Christmas Derek Draper Now it is no longer the winter of our discontent, having been made glorious summer by this son of York (or...

Packaging at its best Timothy Mo LABELS by Louis de Bernieres One Horse Press, £4.99, pp. 40 Like the authors of Lord of the Flies and The Collector, Louis de Berni&res had...

I did it my way Rupert Christiansen SOLTI ON SOLTI by Sir Georg Solti Chatto & Windus, £20, pp. 276 Sir George Solti died suddenly at the ripe age of 85, the day before...

His time has come Norman Lebrecht THE REAL MAHLER by Jonathan Carr Constable, £19.95, pp. 254 There is a monumentalist tendency in modern musicology, and nowhere is it more...

Would you like to swing on a star? Kate Hubbard GRAVITY by Erica Wagner Granta, £9.99, pp. 231 A t first glance Grapity, Erica Wagner's first collection of stories, exhibits...

How the war was won M. R. D. Foot CHURCHILL AND SECRET SERVICE by David Stafford John Murray, f25, pp. 400 B alfour famously remarked of Churchills first long book, 'Winston...

The great ego trip Harry Eyres THE SHAMEFUL LIFE OF SALVADOR DALI by Ian Gibson Faber, £30, pp. 764 I n his wickedly amusing autobiography 1%y Last Breath, Luis Bufuel...

Asparagus and butterflies Sophia Watson THE END OF ALICE by A. M. Homes Anchor, f6.99, pp. 252 7Io review this book at all is to dignify it with more attention than it...

Theatre 1 Stepping Out (Albery) The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Any More (Lyric Hammersmith) Success for the misfits Sheridan Morley W hat I have always most loved about...

Theatre 2 La Dispute; Contention (The Peacock Theatre) Only death unites Douglas Johnson Those who thought that they were to see a short, classic drama by Marivaux, La...

Opera Aida (Opera North) The Merry Widow (Royal Opera) Duty called Michael Tanner O pera North's production of Aida, which I saw on tour in Manchester, is an odd hybrid,...

Dance Siobhan Davies Dance Company; Compagnie Maguy Marin Queen Elizabeth Hall Game of contrasts Giannandrea Poesio A n interesting feature of this year's Dance Umbrella is...

Cinema Face/Off (18, selected cinemas) Smilla's Feeling for Snow (15, selected cinemas) Fools Rush In (12, selected cinemas) Who's who? Mark Steyn J ohn Woo's Face/Off...

Radio Local vision Michael Vestey Remember the drunks, misfits and eccentrics that once were part of almost every office? Like gargoyles they encrusted the newspaper,...

Not motoring Vicarious travel Gavin Stamp As with many things in life, the anticipation of travel can often be more enjoyable than the reality. A particular pleasure used to...

The turf Stick to your guns Robin Oakley I may, accidentally, have discovered a way of making money at the races. Leave your wallet at home. Heading for Ascot in a hurry last...

High life Who lingers longest? Taki New York A friend of mine - I shall call him Guy Fawkes, after the only man who ever entered Parliament with sincere convictions -...

SPECTATOR WINE CLUB After fragrance, sweetness Auberon Waugh These wines in our grand Christmas offer come from four continents and six countries, although four of them are...

SPECTATOR SPORT Puffed up with pride Simon Barnes A FRIEND of mine married to a New Zealander from a large family finds his inlaws enervating and has hit back by inventing...