3 OCTOBER 1998, Page 37

Sir: A couple of years ago, when I moved abroad,

I pondered awhile as to which British magazines I should subscribe to, to keep me in touch with the old country. Being a fairly serious sort of chap, but with an anarchic streak, I settled for the Economist, the Guardian Weekly, Private Eye and The Spectator. As I contemplate subscription renewal, it is only Private Eye and The Spectator that automatically get my vote. The Economist is so irritatingly sure of itself, its anonymous writers so porten- tous, that it serves more to irritate than to inform. The Guardian Weekly, like most of its stable, seems vindictive and rather dull. Private Eye is wonderfully funny and seems to have lost the mean streak that sullied it in the past. The Spectator is a thumping good read. Although, as a New Labour sup- porter, I disagree with virtually everything you publish about politics (Sion Simon apart), I love the way your contributors write. And on non-political issues they (notably the elegant Paul Johnson and the hilarious Mark Steyn) are unrivalled.

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