Wrangling over the UK Election: New generation of Spiral: EU budget reflective Capitalism vs protestors lacks French cop drama of deeper malaise Socialism practical solutions with universal appeal Next year’s budget will harm the EU’s strategic When the United Kingdom goes to the polls next Iraq, Lebanon and Haiti are not crippled by any Now in its eighth season on Canal+ in France Spiral priorities unless the whole system gets a month it will be the most important democratic one institution, but by corrupt behaviours which merits the acclaim it has won in 70 countries across radical overhaul exercise in the country’s modern political history have become endemic the globe, including the United States Pieter Cleppe p.4-5 Madeline Grant p.10 Jack Dickens p.12 Walter Ellis p.18

Issue #13 | November 2019

A fortnightly Newspaper by the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Party | theconservative.online

Macron declares NATO brain dead. Von der Leyen wants a Euro army. The British are leaving. Europe needs to wake up.

p.2 / p.10

Macron MISFIRES 2 FEATURE theconservative.online theconservative.online FEATURE 3

Russia’s Putin. She pointed out that The former Norwegian prime min- Europe - France and Germany - must ister knows that NATO is having a stand up and defend itself. dodgy moment but will attempt to At first, AKK’s comments were per- walk tall by addressing these issues NATO under friendly fire The EU must stop making up the ceived to be at odds with Macron but head-on. He will have hoped to have - Maggie Pagano - p.2 rules as it goes along - Daniel Hannan MEP, p.13 most commentators now realise they Trump on side after meeting him in Wrangling over the EU budget were in the same vein: Europe must Washington last week. reflective of deeper malaise - Louis de Bonald: The musketeer stand up for itself. She also said that He knows the score. On the day Pieter Cleppe - p.4 who invented sociology - Gerald Germany would not meet its NATO before Macron’s comments, the NATO

Warner, p.14 Images - Getty Radwanski Wojtek Photo: Conservatives connect traditional 2% spending target until the 2030s. chief made an important and powerful values with new policies - p.6 Old spymaster Le Carré hasn’t lost “We intend to strengthen European speech to the Korber Global Leaders his touch - David Waywell, p.15 ECR Party’s first ever Liberty Prize cooperation in the field of defence. Dialogue in Berlin, in which he said: goes to Crimean Tatar leader - p.6 The Order of the Day by Eric We have ambitious plans that we “Any attempt to distance Europe Vuillard - John Freeman, p.15 Croatian presidential hopeful want to implement with the other from North America will not only visits Strasbourg - p.6 Don’t look back in anger - Gerald EU members.” she argued, although weaken the transatlantic Alliance, Malone, p.16 Nord Stream 2 network comes she acknowledged the role of NATO it is also risking dividing Europe under fire at ECR Party’s Liberty Music journalism hasn’t died – too. “The European Defence Union is itself. European unity cannot replace Conference, Kyiv - p.7 it’s just changed channel - John always oriented towards cooperation transatlantic unity. I strongly wel- McKie, p.17 Ukraine must stamp down on with NATO, which remains the anchor come efforts to strengthen European corruption to earn EU trust - p.7 Jesus saves and Kanye misses the of security in Europe. We want com- defence … which can enhance capa- rebound - Joseph Rachman, p.17 plementarity, not competition.” bilities and burden sharing within Instead of demonising fossil fuel companies, we should work with Spiral: French cop drama with This was a critical about turn by NATO. But the European Union can- them - Bill Wirtz, p.8 universal appeal - Walter Ellis, p.18 AKK as for decades Germans have been not defend Europe.” taught - and have accepted the view - “This is partly about mili- Spanish election dominated by Doctor Sleep: Worthy sequel to Catalan question gives boost to The Shining lacks the genius of that Germany’s interests as a geopoliti- tary might,” he said. “After Vox - Gerald Warner, p.9 Kubrick’s masterpiece - Alexander cal force are not to be pursued. That no Brexit, 80% of NATO’s Larman, p.19 The military alliance formed after the Second World War longer seems to be the case. defence expenditure British general election turning into a two-horse race - Jack Scorsese and Ford Coppola are to protect Europe is at a crossroads, with some in the EU Like Macron, AKK fears the threat will come from Dickens, p.9 right – Marvel films aren’t real of a rising China and that the EU non-EU Allies. cinema - Alastair Benn, p.19 wanting it strengthened and others pushing for a European And Germany Leader column: Reform and will become marginalised. While rebuild NATO - p.10 The Charterhouse of Parma by army and a dangerous accommodation with Russia. both accept the role of the US within will be the only Stendhal - Gerald Warner, p.20 NATO, they also fear America’s EU member Capitalism vs Socialism - Madeline Europe needs a proper debate about its defence needs leading one Grant, p.10 Beirut: The Paris of the Middle resolve to be part of a broader alliance East has reinvented itself - Mattie is diminishing. of NATO’s New generation of protestors Brignal, p.21 ast week, NATO chief, Jens isolationist, and wants to prepare for Timothy Less from the University battlegroups discovers you can’t always get by Maggie Pagano what you want - Jack Dickens, p.12 Vercelli: The rice capital of Europe Stoltenberg, was crowned the potential collapse of the alliance of Cambridge’s Centre for Geopolitics in the east of - Bruce Palling, p.22 “Diplomat of the Year” by bolstering Europe’s capabilities. and Grand Strategy, says: “Without the Alliance. Inside Lebanon’s protest by Foreign Policy, one of Macron’s timing could not have More pertinently, he shed doubts on political unity, there are no common It is also movement - Mattie Brignal, p.12 Speaking the language of wine - the security guarantees enshrined in about geog- Guy Chatfield, p.22 LWashington’s most influential global been worse. His remarks about NATO interests to defend - hence Macron’s A new generation of refugee cities affairs magazines. On accepting the came just days before the 30th anni- Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, comments that NATO is brain dead.” raphy. From can help prevent another migrant Culture Digest: The best of honour on his visit to Washington versary of the Berlin Wall coming claiming: “I don’t know what Article Paradoxically, at the same time that Norway in the crisis - Pieter Cleppe, p.13 Europe’s art and culture - p.23 earlier this month the secretary gen- down and went down across Europe 5 will mean tomorrow.” His eyes are tensions are rising within the NATO North, to Turkey in eral hailed NATO as a “unique diplo- like an old lead Zeppelin. As well as perhaps on Turkey. family, so have relations between the South, and the US, members not mirror what Russia is doing. We do guarantee will be conditional, and real matic force multiplier,” making the being ungrateful, his remarks were Macron is not the only one to ques- Russia and NATO become more Canada and the UK in along with not want a new arms race. We do not security will derive from ad hoc alli- case that “when 29 nations speak with simply rude considering how much tion the integrity of the alliance. tense. Some specialists say that they the West. All are key to keep- him. Indeed, want another Cold War. And we have ances among NATO members with one voice, their voice is more powerful NATO has done to keep Western President Trump himself has been are at their worst since the end of the ing Europe safe.” the chances of get- no intention of deploying new land- common interests.” The Conservative is a fortnightly newspaper available in print and online than any other in the world”. Europe safe during the Cold War even ruder about NATO’s existence, Cold War, as witnessed by the recent Those are strong words from ting a unified European Army which based nuclear missiles in Europe.” These alliances will operate at published and owned by the ECR Party, formerly known as Alliance of But has Stoltenberg spoken too years. arguing only a few years ago that it strengthening of NATO “battle- Stoltenberg. But will they be enough to would have anything like the clout of More positively, he added: “NATO the regional level, with the Nordics the Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE). soon? Not all NATO was obsolete. He has groups” along the Baltic States. stop France and Germany from beef- Article V off the ground are remote, if allies remain committed to effec- and the central Europeans tighten- members are speaking also criticised states The four NATO battlegroups sta- ing up the European Defence Union not delusional. Don’t forget that 22 of tive arms control, disarmament and ing their collective security arrange- The Conservative can be read online at: with one voice. Some such as Germany for tioned in the Baltic have recently been to replace NATO? One of the prob- the 27 EU countries are also members non-proliferation. And to open and ments, he says, and that small states in theconservative.online are speaking with many With Chancellor Angela Merkel on her freeloading off US strengthened in the biggest reinforce- lems with a more meaty European of NATO. meaningful dialogue with Russia.” eastern Europe will try to enlist large REPRODUCTION RIGHTS tongues: President dollars which have ment of NATO’s collective defence in military capability is that defence Stoltenberg knows this, and will That’s the key question. Is there states, such as the US and the UK, as All content and materials of The Conservative are copyrighted, unless Emmanuel Macron in way out and Britain exiting the EU, the provided the country a generation. These moves have been goes deep into the psyche of national play to Europe’s sensibilities at the room for dialogue? This is the chal- allies. otherwise stated. For permission to republish articles appearing in particular, with his lat- ambitious Macron is itching to carve a with their security. prompted by Russia’s annexation of sovereignty. Few EU countries want Grove Hotel next month. In his Korber lenge for Stoltenberg and his allies to And what of Britain, NATO’s sec- The Conservative, please contact the Managing Editor: est comments that we The US president Crimea and heightened political espi- to give up that sovereignty lightly, and speech, he also acknowledged conflicts resolve if he wants to keep NATO alive. ond biggest military spender? Who [email protected]. are currently experi- grander role for himself, and for France, on also appears to agree onage and cyber security risks from many will be wary of allowing the EU between the allies over “trade, energy, And what changes will we see to knows. But once the UK sits outside encing the brain death the continent and the wider world. It’s why with Macron that Russia. climate change, Iran … Europe defending itself over the next the European Union again, maybe of NATO, and that the Russia might be bet- Yet despite NATO and northeast Syria.” decade? Timothy Less predicts that it will decide to become again what alliance is on the “verge he is cosying up to President Putin and has ter brought inside a strengthening its But he also pointed NATO will continue with its existing historian Professor Brendan Simms of redundancy.” suggested bringing Russia in from the cold, new coalition, rather forces, and EU sanc- out that NATO has framework but that there will be new calls “the principle ordering power in However much Macron may desire a Even allowing for believing that cooperation is preferable to then left on the out- tions, it’s pretty clear faced - and overcome - twists to its shape. “NATO’s Article V Europe.” ■ linguistic confusions, side brooding. He that Russia is never bigger EU defence force, he is unlikely to many challenges in the confrontation and that sanctions against the French president sees his real enemies going to return Crimea be able to bring all 27 EU members along past such as those over knew exactly what he Russia have had their day. as China and Iran, and is unlikely to Suez in 1956 and Iraq DISCLAIMER was saying. He is well- and that Russia could give up occupation with him. Indeed, the chances of getting a in 2003. And will do so ECR Party, formerly known as Alliance of Conservatives & Reformists known for harbouring grand ideas Yet Macron may have a point when be part of a broader American coali- of eastern Ukraine. unified European Army which would have once again. in Europe (ACRE) is a Belgian EUPP No: 0820.208.739, recognised and for a new order in European defence it comes to the fragility of the NATO tion rather than ganged up with his NATO also knows that By far the biggest partially funded by the European Parliament. The views and opinions anything like the clout of Article V off the expressed in the publication are solely those of individual authors and arrangements, and has privately told alliance. This is what he also said in enemies in an alternative alliance led attempts by Ukraine to area of controversy is should not be regarded as reflecting any official opinion or position his closest circle that NATO will be the Economist interview: “Just look by China. The Poles and others, with join will be resisted by ground are remote, if not delusional. Don’t NATO’s relationship of the ECR Party, formerly known as Alliance of Conservatives and gone in five years time. at what’s happening. You have part- experience of Russian aggression, Russia. with Russia, the hot Reformists in Europe (ACRE), its leadership, members or staff, With Chancellor Angela Merkel on ners together in the same part of the point out that forging an alliance with So Stoltenberg forget that 22 of the 27 EU countries are spot where there is or of the European Parliament. her way out and Britain exiting the world, and you have no coordination Putin is a dangerous idea. will need his leg- also members of NATO. most friction between EU, the ambitious Macron is itching whatsoever of strategic decision-mak- There are other political alliances endary charm when Macron and NATO’s MANAGING EDITOR Richard Milsom to carve a grander role for himself, and ing between the United States and its underpinning NATO which are fray- leaders from NATO’s 29 members to order troops into battle in pursuit other members. Macron also argued for France, on the continent and the NATO allies. None.” ing. Turkey is straying further from meet on December 3rd and 4th for of a cause which that state may not be in his recent interview that NATO still PRODUCTION wider world. It’s why he is cosying up He went on: “NATO is only as strong the West as tensions along the Syrian their meeting at the Grove Hotel in in agreement with. has the containment of Russia as its Reaction Publishing (reaction.life) to President Putin and has suggested as its member states, so it only works if border have shown, and there are Hertfordshire on the outskirts of There are also many EU members primary strategic objective and that bringing Russia in from the cold, the guarantor of last resort functions growing divisions over trade between London. It’s the former home of the that are neutral: the constitutions of NATO’s expansion - up to Russia’s DESIGN believing that cooperation is prefera- as such… I’d argue that we should reas- the US and Germany. Earls of Clarendon, the first of whom Sweden, Finland, Ireland and Austria borders - left the country without a VIDEOR o.d. (videor.ba) ble to confrontation and that sanctions sess the reality of what NATO is in the Germany itself is attempting to was Britain’s ambassador to France. stop them from joining an EU defence security zone. CONTACT against Russia have had their day. light of the commitment of the United take a fresh approach to defence, as Here’s hoping some diplomatic skills force. What’s more, the Baltic States, De facto, Macron was backing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Party With the UK heading out of the States.” demonstrated by comments by its will have rubbed off on the brickwork. Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, which Putin’s view that Russia has the right Rue du Trone 4, B-1000, Brussels, Belgium EU, France becomes Europe’s big- But Macron is not naive or stu- defence minister and heir appar- After a dinner at Buckingham are on the front-line with Russia, to veto actions of the West in the old theconservative.online gest military spender, giving Macron pid enough to knock down either the ent to Merkel, Annegret Kramp- Palace the night before to cele- still primarily trust the US with their Soviet states, such as Ukraine, a view [email protected] the chance to build a Gaullist vision Trumpian tower or US might. He did Karrenbauer, known as AKK. brate NATO’s 70th anniversary, security and are unlikely to commit which sets him apart from most of his INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS with him as the leader of a beefed up also say that the United States remains In a recent speech to a German Stoltenberg and heads of state includ- to an EU force which excludes US EU neighbours. Please address submissions and letters to the Managing Editor: our “major ally, we need them, we defence college, AKK warned of the ing President Trump, Chancellor commitment. For his part, Stoltenberg is clear European Defence Union. His veto th th [email protected] of Albania and North Macedonia for are close and we share the same val- threats to the transatlantic relation- Merkel and President Macron, meet However much Macron may about NATO’s role but also its ambi- 13 - 15 December 2019 • GRANADA • SPAIN accession shows he wants to stay in ues”. However, what he does believe ship from within the Trump admin- on the Wednesday to thrash out some desire a bigger EU defence force, he tions: “We will do whatever is needed ECRPARTY.EU • @ECRPARTY control. is that a Trumpian America is more istration and from outside, mainly of these more sensitive issues. is unlikely to be able to bring all 27 to keep our citizens safe. But we will 4 FEATURE theconservative.online theconservative.online FEATURE 5

WRANGLING OVER THE EU BUDGET REFLECTIVE OF DEEPER

MALAISENext year’s budget will harm the EU’s strategic priorities unless it gets a radical overhaul

y the summer of next year, There are conditions linked to the claims of more powerful neigh- year, stating that when it comes to portfolio for aid spending, with the EU dealt with, especially in case of a no recent years, only the UK, Sweden and To plug the holes, the EU now wants not require a full bailout. In October EU member states aim to receiving the money, like keeping by Pieter Cleppe bours. Hence, the EU’s “regional pol- dealing with misuse of EU expendi- being the world’s second biggest aid deal Brexit, there will be insufficient the Netherlands refused to approve to increase the maximum that it is able 2019, Eurozone finance ministers agree upon a new long-term land in good agricultural condition icy” – between 2014 and 2020, the EU ture, “OLAF’s results are truly, very donor. The latter has run into some means to fulfil all its various spending EU budget discharge because of to raise from member states, from 1.2 agreed that Eurozone countries will EU budget, or “Multiannual and complying with some environ- Kingdom from the EU. According allocated 366 billion euro intended to surprisingly weak.” The ECA itself difficulty. The European Court of commitments. this, with Swedish Finance Minister percent to 1.29 per cent of GNI annu- be required to pay capped contribu- Bfinancial framework” (MFF), to be mental requirements, but many com- to think tank Bruegel, freezing agri- promote “economic, social and terri- sees EU cohesion funds as vulnera- Auditors complained last year that the There is not enough accountabil- Magdalena Andersson stating last ally. This is meant to underwrite a new tions into the fund, whose actual size spent from 2021 until 2027. Over mentators question why a subsidy culture and cohesion spending in torial cohesion”. ble to fraud, having pointed out that EU “was not sufficiently transparent ity either. The European Commission year: “I welcome the reduction in “stabilisation instrument for the euro and scope has yet to be determined. seven years, EU spending amounts to system which patently creates sig- nominal terms, which would mean a In Portugal and Croatia, these funds “cohesion policy represents one third regarding the implementation of EU resists making its “spending reviews” error rate for EU payments, but errors area” or an embryonic “Eurozone Cash-strapped member states could around 1 Trillion euro. Much wran- nificant market distortion has to be real-terms cut, would already fill the are good for about 80 percent of all of EU budget but accounts for nearly funds by NGOs” and “does not have public so we cannot test its claims have still not come down to acceptable budget”. Ostensibly, the EU is shift- be allowed to only contribute half. gling over the shape of the budget will replaced with another subsidy system. Brexit-related hole in the EU budget public investment. That percentage is 40% of all reported fraud cases and comprehensive information on all properly that it has “looked at the effi- levels.” ing to a more continent-wide debt Plans for next year’s budget are take place before it is finalised. At the Precedents outside of Europe, for and would also generate enough to close to zero for Germany, France, the almost three-quarters of the total NGOs supported” by taxpayer funds. ciency of every current programme.” In May 2018, the EU Commission financing machine but the move could symptomatic of the EU’s malaise and moment, spending priorities seem example in New Zealand, have demon- cover most “new priorities” including UK, Ireland, Benelux, Austria and the financial amounts involved in these There have been the occasional Every year the European Court of came up with its proposal for the new well lead to a more unstable eco- its failure to coordinate its own prior- geared towards inflaming the deep strated how cutting subsidies to farm- border control. Scandinavian countries. cases.” high-profile scandals, like spending Auditors gives the Commission a lash- Multiannual Financial Framework nomic picture. The plan is for the bud- ities. Unless the budget is given a rad- divisions in the European body politic ers can actually make them a lot more A lot of uncertainty remains. In theory, poorer regions should The central apparatus of the EU used to install broken toilets in Haiti ing. Although this EU body has been (MFF), to be spent between 2021 get to be used to issue cheap loans to ical overhaul, European governance – does that have to be the case? competitive. Troublingly, environ- An internal EU Commission note be given a boost to catch up with sucks in resources that could be bet- or providing computer and 2027, suggesting Eurozone governments that would will remain a mess. ■ At the moment, the EU’s biggest mentalists have claimed that because revealed in May 2018 that in the next richer areas, but the evidence for ter deployed elsewhere. Almost 2 bil- systems for empty that the 7 years bud- spending area is agriculture, amount- there are requirements for the land budget period, agricultural funds that is mixed at best. In 2016, a study lion euro are spent per year to sustain offices in Jamaica. get would amount to ing to 420 billion euro, estimated to appear agricultural, by German econo- 751 MEPs and 7,000 civil servants. A more fundamen- 1.11% or 1.14%, when at 41% of its budget in 2017, down some owners have mists for the reputed Members of the European Parliament tal criticism of the 32,000 officials work for the EU certain off-budget from 71% in 1985. For 2021-2027, the been destroying wild- Centre for Economic relocate from Brussels to Strasbourg EU’s coordination on Commission but in effect, the figure is items are included, European Commission has proposed life habitats in order to Policy Research even each month for a plenary session, aid is that it is insuf- which would be 1.279 that this drops to less than 30%, which be eligible. Agricultural spending seems to have been concluded that “EU costing up to 180 million euro every ficiently focused on much higher for, over the years, more than billion euro. In effect, would mean it falls to 365 billion euro. The direct pay- oriented around the interests of large structural funds [are] year. real needs, with a large 50 EU agencies distinct from the main EU this means that the That’s a five percent cut in current ments don’t end up in negatively correlated Among the most controversial share still not going to EU long term bud- prices – or a 12 percent cut at 2018 the right hands – a lot producers, while it is ostensibly designed with regional growth” arrangements are the lifelong “expat the poorest countries institutions have emerged. Many of these get would remain fixed prices. of the funding is going to protect “the little guy”. and “[do] not seem to allowance”, whereby EU officials and resources some- agencies duplicate the work of each other, more or less as big A part of that spending, around 300 to a handful of receiv- contribute effectively enjoy a 16 percent tax-free bonus on times used for non- of the core EU institutions, as well as of as it was, despite the billion euro, goes to “market related ers, with one estimate finding that in won’t be reduced by 4%, as previously to foster income convergence across their normal salary for the rest of their aid related projects, fact that the UK, the expenditure and direct payments”, 2015, 2 percent of beneficiaries, or announced in the EU Commission’s regions.” careers. like supporting the member states’ organisations and civil second biggest net whereby the link between subsidies 121,000 farms, received 30 percent of proposal for the 2021-2017 MFF, but In 2018, three scholars of the Italian 32,000 officials work for the EU police in Senegal to society. payer, is leaving the and production of specific crops has all direct payments. by 15%, while regional funds would Central Bank, looked at the effects of Commission but in effect, the figure is crack down on migrant organisation. largely been removed. The President of the European not face a 7% but instead a 16% hit. EU cohesion funds on the south of much higher for, over the years, more smuggling. Savings would be Originally, EU agricultural funds Parliament, Antonio Tajani, has The most controversial spending area Italy, concluding that “EU funds’ dis- than 50 EU agencies distinct from the Europe must sort out its debt giving the EU budget a “clean bill of made on agricultural and regional were tied to production, which led to proposed drastic cuts to farmers, – direct payments – would be reduced bursements significantly increased main EU institutions have emerged. financing. Even if the EU is not legally health” since 2007, it has continued spending, while spending would overproduction, with surplus produce instead deploying the funds more to 265 billion euro, which would still the number of white collar crimes”, Many of these agencies duplicate the allowed to go into debt, it has built to criticise an unacceptably high error be shifted towards new priorities then being dumped on the markets of towards migration policy and border amount to around 25% of the total EU even provide a precise estimate of the work of each other, of the core EU up a mountain of “unpaid bills,” now rate in spending. such as defence, border control and developing countries, distorting their protection. Soon after, however, Tajani budget. increase, putting it at “about 4% on institutions, as well as of member amounting to a record 281 billion In 2018, 2.6% of EU spending the digital economy. Also, spend- internal markets. withdrew his proposals, reportedly fol- Agricultural spending seems to average per year”. states’ organisations and civil society. euro, which is almost twice the EU’s was affected by errors, meaning the ing would be made more conditional As a result of these “direct pay- lowing pressure from the Italian farm- have been oriented around the inter- OLAF, the EU’s anti-fraud body, Europe has made a play in recent annual budget. threshold of 2% whereby there is a on implementing economic reforms ments”, farmers receive EU funds ing lobby Coldiretti and the “European ests of large producers, while it is has stated that “the structural funds years of being the newest power bloc Since 2011, this has increased by 36 “material level of error” was reached. and respecting the rule of law. The per hectare of agricultural land, with Landowners’ Organisation” as well as ostensibly designed to protect “the sector remains at the core of OLAF’s on the world stage. The EU does percent and the European Commission This 2.6%, or 4 billion, should not Commission also wants to phase out beneficiaries including the Queen of from Irish and Polish MEPs. little guy”. Similarly, EU institutions investigative activity”. Another EU indeed have a strategy for EU enlarge- expects it to rise further, to 313 billion have been paid out from the EU’s 2018 “rebates” over five years. These are England and industrial concerns, like A further challenge is how to deal are viewed by many as the protector body, the European Court of Auditors ment and a “Foreign Ministry”, or euro in 2023. The European Court of budget, for example, when public pro- to be framed as “corrections” for big Nestle. with the departure of the United of the rights of smaller nations over (ECA), openly criticised OLAF this “External Action Service”, as well as Auditors has warned that if this is not curement rules were not followed. In contributors. 6 ECR NEWS theconservative.online theconservative.online ECR NEWS 7

New Direction Academy, Dubrovnik, 8th-9th November 2019 ECR Party’s first ever Conservatives connect LIBERTY PRIZE Nord Stream 2 network comes under fire goes to Crimean Tatar leader at ECR Party’s Liberty Conference, Kyiv traditional values with he first ECR Party Liberty Prize was awarded to Mustafa Dzhemilev in Kyiv last week new policies Tby the Polish MEP, Anna Fotyga, and vice-president of the ECR, at a gala dinner to mark the group’s Liberty Summit. Ms Fotyga described Dzhemilev, who is the exiled leader of the Crimean Tatars living in Kyiv, as a great fighter for freedom who has spent his lifetime opposing the enemies of liberty. As a child, he was deported with his family from Crimea by the Stalinists in the Communist Empire of the USSR. As a teenager, Dzhemilev founded the Union of Young Crimean Tatars urope will be hit by surging But Dr Riley is not optimistic that February, there could be severe short- and had since then dedicated his Crimean Tatars back from exile gas prices and serious energy Gazprom and Naftogaz, Ukraine’s ages across the EU. life to fighting oppression in his in Russia to Crimea and another shortages unless Russia and state-run oil and gas conglomerate, Yet there is some positive news homeland. 250,000 Tatars eventually followed EUkraine renegotiate their gas transit will be able to tie up a deal covering from across the Channel. Dr Riley UKRAINE MUST Arrested on many occasions by the them. He has since been a member contract which runs out at the end of new tariffs, volumes and fees by the added that both the UK and the US Soviets for his anti-Soviet activities of the Ukrainian Parliament and the year. deadline. have enough LNG spare capacity to including protests and publishing in chaired the Crimean Majlis. Dr Alan Riley, Senior Fellow at The signs are not good: the two ‘come to the rescue of EU countries if STAMP DOWN ON dissident newspapers, he is famous In honour of his suffering and life- Atlantic Council’s Global Energy countries have been talking since July there are shortages.” Dr Riley added: for going on the longest hunger strike time’s work, he has been awarded Center, warns that EU countries 2018 and, despite mediation by the EU “There is spare natural gas capacity in history. His hunger strike lasted the Nansen Medal by the UNHCR face their third gas crisis since 2006 Energy Commission Maros Sefcovic, at UK LNG terminals such as Milford CORRUPTION TO for 303 days and only ended because and was the first to receive Poland’s unless the Russians and Ukrainians negotiations have so far been incon- Haven, with the UK overall having Russians guards forced him to eat. Solidarity Prize. He has been nomi- break the deadlock over talks to renew clusive. Brussels is hoping to secure 51bcm LNG capacity, which is mostly At the end of the Cold War, nated for the Nobel Peace Prize and the gas contract. “At 10am Moscow an agreement that would allow at least under-used. As a result the UK could EARN EU TRUST Dzhemilev led a small group of the Sakharov Prize. ■ time on January 1st next year, the 60 bcm of flows a year, equal to about dispatch approximately 20bcm across kraine must crack down Daniel Dalton, former British multi-billion pound gas transit con- three quarters of what Russia sent the cross-channel interconnecter to on smuggling, domes- Conservative MEP and chair of tract between Ukraine and Russia will through last year. the continent.” U tic corruption and intro- the session, asked whether there expire.” On a more political note, Dr Riley The US is also said to be on standby, duce customs and border controls were lessons to be learnt from the “It rather looks as though the described President Putin’s atti- ready to ship LNG across the Atlantic if it is to be fully accepted into the past experience of many eastern CROATIAN PRESIDENTIAL Russians are dragging their feet as tude towards negotiations with the to European countries. “Even if there European fold of nations, claims European countries which had seen they want leverage over gas prices. If Ukraine on gas flows as “deeply were a no deal Brexit, I can’t see that one of Europe’s top academics. indigenous companies being swal- hopeful visits Strasbourg they hold off until mid-winter, and the flawed,” and one that would result this would stop gas flows into the Professor Hannes Gissurarson lowed up by foreign rivals, like the weather is bad, there is real danger of in pushing other countries such as UK from the US and then across the said that if Ukraine is serious about big German supermarkets. “Is there n June, Miroslav Škoro posted a serious energy crisis. But there is an Poland towards even greater self-suf- channel.” applying to become a member of a danger that Ukraine would suffer a video message on Facebook upside for the Russians – higher gas ficiency in energy supplies. Russia is close to completing the the European Union – or its affil- like this?” he New Direction Academy imparted by Harris was that values international level and adopting I announcing his decision to prices.” Dr Thomas O’Donnell, energy Nord Stream 2 pipelines – with the iated associations – then the gov- But Gissurarson said the only took place in Dubrovnik on must be reflected in policy, and he was new campaigning methods. He urges run for the Croatian Presidency in Speaking at the ECR Group’s political strategist at the Hertie School help of German companies – being ernment must first tackle internal way to introduce more flexible mar- T 8th-11th November. It brought clear that successful campaigning “is Conservatives to form new think the upcoming elections, due by 20 Liberty conference in Kyiv last week of Governance in Berlin, who was also built under the Baltic Sea, and which reforms. He added that there are kets is to increase competition, together conservatives from across not just about ideas – it is about ideas, tanks, civil society initiatives, and January 2020. on energy security in Ukraine and taking part in the ECR panel debate, they hope should be running by the three big areas which Ukraine must and remove all hindrances to com- Europe in a convivial and cooperative policy, and polemic”. He said that cultural movements to challenge Škoro is targeting the duopoly of Europe, Dr Riley said: “If no new con- went further, arguing that: “Russia’s end of next year. Gazprom’s plan take seriously if the EU is to trust petition. “We have seen that with atmosphere, and everyone at the con- Conservatives must learn to re-con- globalist liberals on their own ter- power enjoyed by Croatia’s two main tract is agreed by January 1st, gas decision to build Nord Stream 2 – with with Nord Stream 2 is to diminish the country: these are introducing the fishing industry in Iceland. ference was eager to learn about how nect “seriousness” in campaigning rain. He believes that “politics is parties: the centre-right Croatian prices will surge across European the collusion of Germany – is driving its dependency on Ukraine. It is also laws that make corruption illegal, The transfer from public to private conservatism can meet the challenges with their sincere convictions. downwind from culture”, and that Democratic Union (HDZ) and cen- gas hubs in the early days of January deeper division about energy secu- building TurkStream 2, which will taking more drastic action to crack should provide enough for every- of modern politics. Ruža Tomašić The next speaker, Afzal Amin, a for- conservatives need to work together tre-left Social Democratic Party 2020.“ rity across Europe. Russia is behaving also circumvent Ukraine and deliver down on cigarette smuggling which one. There is so much gain and MEP, the Vice President of New mer British Army Officer and inter- to catch up with the left when it (SDP), who have alternated in gov- The network of pipelines running fecklessly.” gas to Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary was one of the inevitable conse- enough to compensate the losers.” Direction, said this event was about national businessman, discussed how comes to communicating their val- ernment since the country declared through Russia and across Ukraine “Gas has become the new power to the south. quences of war and new proposals James Wharton, former UK learning and sharing. In particular Conservatives can provide effective ues in the cultural sphere. He is independence in 1991. to many EU countries including game in Russia which is behaving like But the Nord Stream 2 network has to improve customs authorities and international development minis- she expressed that it was an opportu- leadership in the EU and in the world launching Sweden’s first conserva- Already one of Croatia’s most pop- in the republic. Škoro believes that Germany, Hungary and Bulgaria is the old Soviet Union. The problem for angered many EU countries which border controls. ter, agreed: “Of course you have to nity for the European Union’s young- more broadly. He urged that the ECR tive think tank, Hereditas (meaning ular musicians, Škoro is no stranger this direct relationship – and the critical to European energy security, Putin is that he has failed to re-indus- fear an even greater Russian domi- The Icelandic professor made be mindful about how you open up est member, Croatia, to learn from should seek not only to lead Europe “heritage”), in February 2020. to politics. He was elected to the legitimacy it confers upon the office carrying about 80 billion cubic metres, trialise the country as he had hoped.” nation of the continent’s energy sup- his comments at the ECR Group’s markets. But free trade in itself is older member states. It was a chance on questions of economic statecraft The Academy was then rounded Sabor – the country’s parliament – – should be translated into politi- equivalent to Germany’s annual gas Dr O’Donnell added: “That’s why plies. Dr Riley added that Russia could panel debate on Ukraine’s Trade the best driver to drive out losers for ECR members to work together to but also provide moral leadership off with two fascinating insights into in 2007 on the lists of the HDZ. He cal power, allowing the president to consumption. Putin is still relying on gas as a lever- find itself at odds with the EU rules with Europe at its Liberty Summit and to force out corruption.” strengthen European conservatism. in the international scene. Mr Amin developments taking place in the resigned his seat after less than a unite a nation fragmented by parti- Failure to reach agreement would age. Unfortunately, you can make which demand greater competition. in Kyiv last week. Professor At present, the EU and Ukraine The Academy was opened by the provided many interesting exam- host country, Croatia. Ivan Barać, year, disillusioned by the unwilling- san divisions. also be a big blow for Ukraine which money but you can’t influence with Ukraine itself has not bought Gissurarson went on to say that if have operated a provisional Deep Executive Director of New Direction, ples from his experience in Iraq and who runs a volunteer, not-for-profit, ness of the main political forces to Out of seventeen candidates run- makes about $3 billion a year from actions like these.” Russian gas directly since 2015, a year he were asked whether there is a and Comprehensive Free Trade Naweed Khan, followed by a lecture Afghanistan with NATO which have Mountain Rescue Service shared an bring about meaningful change. ning, Škoro consistently ranks in gas transit fees. Negotiations over the So far a mild autumn has helped after Moscow sent the military into solution to Ukraine’s present prob- Agreement since 2016 which is part delivered by Robin Harris, a policy shaped his thinking on how organi- inspiring success story – a public ser- Škoro is unequivocal in his belief the top three in the polls, together gas contract is the latest controversy Naftogaz store 21.6 billion cubic the country’s Crimean Peninsula, and lems, he would reply: “Yes, there is a of a wider Association Agreement adviser in Margaret Thatcher’s gov- sations can successfully lead a broad vice which is both effective at saving that that it is now or never: according with the HDZ and SDP nominees. between the two countries which are metres of natural gas ahead of the its occupation of the two easternmost solution. It is freedom.” struck in 2014 but there are growing ernment between 1979-1990. He is civic-minded coalition which unites lives and independent from the state. to him, the elite’s mismanagement Should he manage to enter the sec- already at loggerheads over Russia’s winter. But if the contract expires at regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in a In order to achieve this freedom, hopes that the country can apply also a distinguished historian of the people from diverse national and cul- After Barać’s talk, Draženka Buntak of Croatia’s prospects has reached ond round, he might well change annexation of Crimea and Russia’s the end of the year, and the mid-win- war in which more than 13,000 people he added, Ukraine must open up its eventually for full membership. UK’s Conservative party and the city tural backgrounds. presented on the ways in which being a tipping point. If no action is taken Croatia’s politics forever. occupied forces in eastern Ukraine. ter weather worsens in January and have died. ■ markets, liberalise its businesses and The EU is by far Ukraine’s biggest of Dubrovnik itself. The theme of Matthias Karlsson, the leader of a member of the EU has changed now, Croatia will be on an irrevers- The Croatian Conservative promote free trade wherever it can. trading partner, accounting for more his discussion was “Understanding the Swedish Democrats, expanded the Croatian legal system since the ible path of stagnation, if not failure. Party (HKS), an ECR member, has He also suggested that the best than 40% of its trade in 2016 although policy making and thinking like upon this theme of moral leader- Croats joined in 2013. His agenda focuses on expand- thrown its weight behind Škoro, route for Ukraine to become more Ukraine accounts for 0.9% of the EU’s Conservatives”, during which he ship. In his talk, he spoke candidly of After much discussion and debate, ing the constitutional powers of the who attended the ECR conference in fully entrenched into the European trade. Figures for 2016 show that shared his thoughts on the philo- the difficulties faced by his party in the Academy was then rounded off office of the president: he wants to Strasbourg on 21-24 October to pres- markets would be for the gov- Ukrainian exports to the EU – mainly sophical origins of Conservatism a country where social democracy is on Saturday 9th November with the confer upon the head of the state ent his vision. He met with MEPs and ernment to consider joining the raw materials such as iron and steel, and reflected upon the policy-mak- deeply-rooted. It is, he admits, “a tough Margaret Thatcher annual dinner in the power to call referenda, convene addressed the ECR Group Meeting European Economic Area – the EEA chemical products and machinery – ing successes and failures of the environment” for conservatives. He the Old Town of Dubrovnik. Robin government sessions and appoint on Tuesday 22 October, calling for – and then to look at joining an organ- totalled 13 billion euro. Thatcher government. urged conservatives to take inspiration Harris concluded affairs with another Constitutional Court judges. He better solutions to the migration isation such as EFTA, the European Since then, total trade and Robin Harris confessed at the from local and national perspectives, insightful speech about the strengths wishes to restore an effective system crisis. Free Trade Association, whose exports both ways have been rising beginning of his speech that he felt and find new ways of seizing the initia- of the Thatcher Premiership. At a of checks and balances and a separa- Škoro described himself as members include Iceland, Norway, sharply. Trade between the EU and “like a voice from the past”, but his tive on sensible immigration policies, time when Britain and Europe were tion of powers, which he believes has pro-European with a strong reform- Switzerland and Liechtenstein as a Ukraine rose nearly a third in the wealth of practical experience from defending a patriotic nation state, and in crisis, he said, she won the argu- been undermined by the current par- ist agenda, one who will champion way into opening up its markets. first half of 2016, and by a similar one of the most successful govern- environmental issues. ments against socialism and commu- liamentary system. national sovereignty, Christian val- “Joining the EEA and Efta is an amount vice versa. The EU is also ments of the last half century was wel- Karlsson also argued that con- nism both at home and abroad. This The President – elected by univer- ues and free trade if elected. The interesting option. It brings eco- the biggest investor in Ukraine with comed by the attendees in Dubrovnik. servatives have a lot to learn when lesson was a thought-provoking final sal suffrage every five years – has the entire ECR family is here to support nomic integration but not politi- investments worth around 16 bil- One key lesson for Conservatives it comes to cooperating on an note for all those present. ■ largest direct mandate of any official him. ■ cal,” he added. lion euro and rising. ■ 8 ENVIRONMENT theconservative.online theconservative.online ELECTIONS 9 INSTEAD OF DEMONISING Spanish election dominated by Catalan FOSSIL FUEL COMPANIES, question gives boost to Vox seats he won in April to 35, Iglesias describing itself as “post-national- Ideologically, however, that does confrontation and Spanish unemploy- Left coalition of can no longer indulge in playing hard ist”. That may partly explain its down- not compute. Ciudadanos is a lib- ment stands at 13.9 per cent, compared PSOE and Unidas to get. Between them the PSOE and fall. “Post-nationalist” is not a concept eral party: disillusioned voters would with an EU average of 6.3 per cent. WE SHOULD WORK WITH THEM Podemos command 155 seats and they congenial to patriotic Spaniards, par- surely transfer their support to the The very evident elephant in the Podemos may can rely on a further three from Más ticularly at a time when Catalan sepa- centre-right PP rather than to Vox. It room at this election was the Catalan struggle to contain País, a Podemos breakaway group, ratism is menacing the integrity of the may be that Cs deserters were enter- crisis. So far from going away, that can Barring fossil fuel companies from having anti-separatist taking them to 158; but a minimum of nation. ing the PP camp from the left even as only escalate. Within minutes of the access to public officials shows a deep 176 seats is needed for a parliamen- When 2.5 million voters desert some previous supporters, inflamed election result, Spanish television sta- feeling tary majority, so the horse trading will Ciudadanos it is a further blow, fol- by the Catalan crisis, were exiting from tions were producing theoretical coa- misunderstanding of how research and continue. lowing upon the recent Polish elec- the right to lend their support to Vox. litions that would give the PSOE and The mainstream conservative tion, to those who harbour ambitions Rioting in Catalonia following the jail- partners an overall majority. That com- business development works by Gerald Warner party, Pablo Casado’s Partido Popular for fast-track EU integration – mean- ing of separatist leaders undoubtedly puter number-crunching ignored the (PP), which only months ago feared it ing, principally, Emmanuel Macron. helped Vox, which won votes from fact that the PSOE would have to ally by Bill Wirtz he spectacle of Pedro Sánchez, might suffer the fate that in this elec- An identifiable pattern has emerged at anti-separatist Catalans too. with separatists – a move that would Spain’s caretaker prime min- tion overtook its rival Ciudadanos, every recent election be seen as toxic by the ister and leader of the social- healthily improved its parliamentary in EU states: despite mainstream elector- T ate. Imagine a situation ist PSOE, embracing Pablo Iglesias, representation from 66 seats to 88, differing preoccupa- leader of the far-left Unidas Podemos, not sufficient for a return to govern- tions, the one consis- where some left-wing on concluding a preliminary coali- ment but a clear indication it is back in tent verdict recorded The collapse of Ciudadanos is the aspect legislation such as tion agreement just 48 hours after the business. It will be forced to continue in the ballot boxes is of the election that will be viewed with Podemos will demand recent Spanish general election, must its move rightwards now that Vox, the rejection of further EU was imposed on Spain have provoked a sceptical question in third largest party in Spain, is chal- integration. If Brussels the greatest concern in Brussels. Cs was with the help of sep- the minds of Spanish voters: how were lenging so strongly. cannot accept that the most Europhile party in Spain; it was aratist deputies: Vox the two leaders able to conclude so But much more occurred at this message it will con- fervently pro-Brussels, to the extent of would have a field day. quickly an agreement that had eluded significant election than the small demn itself to unnec- The right cannot them during months of fruitless nego- slippage in the votes of the two main essary confrontation describing itself as “post-nationalist”. That take power, since the tiations and subjected Spain to the leftist parties and the adequate PP with member states, may partly explain its downfall. “Post- combination of the disruptive experience of two general revival would suggest. There were provoking the oppo- PP, Vox, Cs and two elections within seven months? developments that saw a consider- site outcome to its nationalist” is not a concept congenial to Navarrese deputies The answer is political despera- able upheaval in the Spanish political declared objective of patriotic Spaniards, particularly at a time would amount to just tion. Between them, the two parties landscape. These included the implo- greater unity. when Catalan separatism is menacing the 152 seats, far short of emerged from the second election sion of Ciudadanos (Cs), the centrist The other seismic the necessary 176. But with 10 fewer seats, making the con- liberal party of Albert Rivera, which event at this election integrity of the nation. with 10 small, broadly struction of a parliamentary majority plummeted from 57 seats to 10, a was the spectacular left groupings hold- even more difficult, so they embraced near-extinction event. For Rivera per- rise of Vox, the right-wing party which It also profited from an unforced ing a total of 40 seats – 21 of them with the fervour of politicians who sonally it was an extinction event: he increased its representation from 24 error by the government: exhuming occupied by Catalan nationalists realise that they must hang together resigned as leader and has quit politics seats to 52, harvesting 3.6 million votes, the body of General Franco just 17 days and 12 by Basques – it seems inevita- or they will hang separately. Prior to after presiding over his party’s loss of after just eight months’ participation before polling. That provocation not ble that Sánchez, who has made clear the election Sánchez had made gen- 2.5 million votes. in national politics. Where did Vox’s only angered pro-Franco sympathis- his determination to remain in office erous offers to Iglesias, including the The collapse of Ciudadanos is extra million votes come from? On a ers (who were probably already Vox for four years, will commit himself to deputy prime ministership and con- the aspect of the election that will cursory inspection of the arithmetic on voters) but also neutral citizens dis- pacts that could massively rebound on trol of three ministries, which had be viewed with the greatest con- the right of centre it would be tempting approving of the left’s self-indulgence his party in the future. And, along with been rebuffed. cern in Brussels. Cs was the most to conclude that one million of the 2.5 in reviving the antagonisms of the the power-hungry PP, waiting in the Now, with his parliamentary rep- Europhile party in Spain; it was fer- million who abandoned Ciudadanos 1930s at a time when Catalan separat- wings to profit from PSOE mistakes is resentation reduced from the 42 vently pro-Brussels, to the extent of simply crossed over to Vox. ism is creating violent constitutional the even hungrier Vox. ■

concerted effort is being Oxfam has 8, Transport & Environment less kerosene consumption per pas- neither democratic, nor politically their motorcycles on their weekend launched by 189 NGOs to has 22. Fifty lobbyists in just 6 out of senger than the previous genera- reasonable. Policy makers cannot be off. They are grandmothers, cleaners, lobby against all advocacy the 189 NGOs complaining about fos- tion of planes, while adding 30% expected to know the ins and outs of students, carpenters, or firefighters. of fossil fuel companies in sil fuel actors – while adding the over- more range than the currently used modern refineries by heart, and it is Behind the façade of these big compa- EUA institutions. “We demand fossil whelming public perception in favour A321neo. only by talking to industry represen- nies are real workers, scientists, driv- free politics,” reads the mission state- of stigmatising these tatives that they can ers, and cashiers, serving consumers ment of the environmentalist alliance, companies – is rather get a clearer picture like you and me. that was probably supposed to read a David versus Goliath of the situation. We These consumers aren’t attempt- down candidates in 317 seats won by election before the 2016 referendum in Scotland is very different, where “fossil FUEL free politics”. This coali- scenario. would be foolish to ing to bring down our ecosystem, and the Tories in 2017 for fear of risking a (and even in 2017). the SNP have had a strong pres- tion proposes barring oil, coal, and gas It is more than just Ending the presence of industry believe that terminat- are in fact open to more efficient fuel, hung parliament, but also because his For instance, the opening two ence and hope to win even more companies from access to politicians, the numbers of public consultants who craft expert position ing fossil fuel lobby- and alternative modes of transport. divisive core messages on questions party have been struggling to regain weeks of November have centred seats and hold the balance of power by banning all lobby meetings, exclud- affairs experts. While ing would be the end However, what certain European A traditional battle such as Brexit, democracy, and the their giddy heights of May 2019 in the not only upon Brexit but also upon if there is a hung parliament. They ing the industry from climate negoti- environmentalists papers, and replacing them with activists goal – soon car makers countries have shown us, is that con- between Labour and status of the United Kingdom entered polls thus far in the campaign. issues of public spending. Where the will push for a referendum on ations and international delegations, make a constant case screaming “end ALL fossil fuels” at the or even farmers asso- sumers are not willing to be made the Conservatives into the fray. Meanwhile, the early signs were Labour party have promised ambi- Scottish independence. In Scotland and precluding politicians from for reducing consumer top of their lungs, is neither democratic, ciations could become scapegoats for the self-aggrandising Yet, for all the vaunted principles that the Liberal Democrats were also tious investment programmes into the Conservatives will seek to hold attending fossil fuel sponsored public choice, free trade, and the victims of “climate pleasure of those who’d rather have us over spending and being discussed in the build-up, this being squeezed. As the unambigu- public infrastructure combined as many of their thirteen seats as events, or any other partnerships. incentives to inno- nor politically reasonable. Policy makers action” apostles. return to the stone age than use a sin- leadership has so election has in practice - so far, and ous party of Remain possible against chal- The group believes that fossil fuel vation, the fossil fuel cannot be expected to know the ins I have my own gle additional litre of petrol. We have there is some distance to go - returned and Revoke Article lenges from the companies have been instrumental in industry is an essential biases on the matter. experienced that they will put on their far dominated the to quite traditional terrain. Both 50 (cancelling Brexit) SNP and the Liberal destroying the current ecosystem, and partner in implement- and outs of modern refineries by heart, My father worked for yellow vests if they have to. the polls and the opening salvoes of they had been hop- Democrats. should therefore be banned – for life ing climate change and it is only by talking to industry an oil company for a The challenges of a changing envi- campaign the election have made this election ing that to challenge Not only have the Conservatives been In general, however, – from all engagement with our polit- policies, and helping representatives that they can get a clearer full 16 years, and I’ve ronment are real and serious, but they look more and more like a two-horse Labour in national squeezing the Brexit party in the polls in the early phases ical system. These activists assume find the solutions of had the opportunity to cannot be addressed by waving a flag, by Jack Dickens race between the two major parties – terms, but their figures of this election it has responsibility for dusting off a spider tomorrow. Be it car- picture of the situation. We would be observe the reality of whistling at the gates of parliament, Labour and the Conservatives. slipped in the early ever since the aftermath of the European begun to look like a web of dark money haunting the cor- bon capture or alter- foolish to believe that terminating fossil managing petrol sta- or taxing low-income consumers out s soon as it was announced in On the Conservative side, there has part of the campaign in elections in May, but Farage has also made traditional two and ridors of Council, Commission, and native fuels: the fossil tions, its customers, of their existence. Quick fixes do not late October 2019, the forth- been a potentially significant boost to the face of the Labour a bit party contest. Parliament. fuel industry is one of fuel lobbying would be the end goal – soon and its supply chain. exist, and they do not provide energy coming UK general election Boris Johnson’s party over the insur- leadership’s promise overtures to Johnson’s party. That could change. stability and price security for those A They are, however, fundamentally the important innova- car makers or even farmers associations As a result, I can only was billed as one for the ages. It has gent challengers of Nigel Farage’s to hold a second refer- But Britain has a first misled. tors and researchers in could become the victims of “climate see headlines claiming who need it the most. been framed as the most important Brexit party, which campaigns for endum on Britain’s EU membership. with punitive taxes for higher earn- past the post voting system, and elec- Environmentalist lobbyists far out- the effort of reducing that fossil fuel com- All actors need their seat at the election for a generation, a battle- a no deal Brexit. Not only have the Brexit undoubtedly looms over the ers, the Conservative Chancellor of tions often become a straight fight number fossil fuel advocates. These carbon emissions. action” apostles. panies are “respon- table, and that includes engineers and field in Europe and America’s ongoing Conservatives been squeezing the election, but it is also the case that this the Exchequer (Johnson’s man at between the leaders of the two main 189 NGOs are bemoaning 200 fossil Other industry sible” for most CO2 professionals who work with essential “culture wars”, and as a contest for the Brexit party in the polls ever since the election is simultaneously being fought the head of the treasury’s finances), parties. In this case that is Brexiteer fuel lobbyists, but Greenpeace alone players, such as airplane manufac- Ending the presence of industry emissions with great scepticism. forms of energy. ■ very soul of the British constitution. aftermath of the European elections on very traditional issues. Economic has hit back with allegations that the Boris Johnson for the Tories and the has 12 accredited Parliament insiders. turers and automobile constructors, consultants who craft expert posi- Consumers are purchasing petrol This competition was also expected in May, but Farage has also made over- management has already emerged as Labour party’s reckless tax and spend far left Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour Friends of the Earth Europe has 11 lob- are reducing the amount of fossil tion papers, and replacing them with themselves – no company makes them to cast a judgment upon Britain’s sup- tures to Johnson’s party. a crucial fault line between Labour and policies cannot be trusted. party. Only one of them can be Prime byists, Corporate Europe Observatory fuels needed for transport. Airbus’ activists screaming “end ALL fos- do it. They drive their car to work, use Bill Wirtz is a senior policy analyst posedly “outdated” two party system. Earlier this month Farage the Conservatives, much as this was Of course, there are complications Minister on Friday December 13th, has 4, Food&Water Europe has 3, new A321XLR, for example, has 30% sil fuels” at the top of their lungs, is a plane to visit their relatives, or drive for the Consumer Choice Center. Several parties, each with distinct and announced that he was standing one of the key battlegrounds in every to any neat picture – the situation the day after the election. ■ 10 COMMENT theconservative.online theconservative.online COMMENT 11

The Conservatives are in a Photo: Charles McQuillan - Getty Images Charles McQuillan - Getty Photo:

Photo: Christopher Furlong - Getty Images - Getty Furlong Christopher Photo: precarious position. If they fail, Britain will be on the road to socialism, with all the horrors that entails. hat we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO.” That is the type of soundbite at W which President Emmanuel Macron excels and “which guarantees him media attention. Unfortunately, it also puts a spring in the step of aspiring hegemons in the Kremlin and other hubs of chauvinist ambition. President Macron himself is hardly innocent of chauvinist impulses: his provocative claim made earlier this month is being seen by many as an attempt to promote the conversion of the European Union into a military power, with France in the leading role. An Emmanuel Macron interview is now as unpredictable and potentially combustible as a Donald Trump tweet. The two lead- ers even have a community of interest in their disparagement of NATO. President Trump, before he had been formally inau- gurated, described NATO as “obsolete”. He makes no secret of his desire to rehabilitate Vladimir Putin, an aim in which he is now supported by Emmanuel Macron, whom Putin visited in September. President Macron is keen to flex some military muscle since, as he is fond of pointing out, with Brexit the EU will lose its WHEN VOTERS IN BRITAIN GO TO THE POLLS NEXT MONTH THE ELECTION WILL BE other nuclear power with a permanent seat on the UN Security ABOUT MUCH MORE THAN BREXIT. THEIR COUNTRY FACES A HISTORIC CHOICE. IT IS… Council, leaving France in pole position. However, since Britain’s departure will also eventually mean the loss of 16 per cent of the EU’s budget, the coming years might be an inauspicious time for the EU to embark on the large-scale expenditure that any kind of truly independent defence posture would demand. But while President Macron’s language is to be deplored, he was right in by Madeline Grant asserting that all is not well with NATO. CAPITALISM vs SOCIALISM The United States’ recent withdrawal from Syria and replace- ment by Turkish forces, without consultation with other NATO or weeks, pundits and politi- ill-equipped for a multi-party age. distinctive third way between the two spelt correctly. Some have argued for rejecting the EU as scathingly as Nigel It is deeply depressing that 30 years independence referendum before the on the personal draw of a politician - members, conflicted with the whole spirit and purpose of the cians in Britain have framed And since this will be no straightfor- main parties, have become a single-is- the over-65s, who voted largely for Farage, though for different reasons, on from the fall of the Berlin Wall, election, and it could take an indepen- Boris Johnson - who tends to divide Alliance. Turkey, though a NATO member, is acting in complic- this as the most tumultu- ward two-horse race, it is far more dif- sue protest group committed only Brexit, to be removed from the fran- decrying the Common Market as a socialist ideas continue to proliferate. dent Scotland a decade or more to be and their success hinges on winning a ity with Russia. That situation reflects the incoherence of NATO ous and difficult to predict ficult to predict the outcome. Joining to blocking Brexit. As if to underline chise. There is even a website track- “neoliberal project”. It will sound extraordinary to a Polish invited to join the EU, the Scots will clutch of seats in the North of England policy. The solution is to make concerted and vigorous efforts FGeneral Election for decades, involv- the two main parties in the running are their new-found radicalism, earlier ing how many Leave-voters have died The mission of the Corbynites or Hungarian audience, for example, arguably be less likely to choose inde- and Midlands that have never turned to consolidate, modernise and re-energise the Alliance. That is ing a population as wearied by the the resurgent Liberal Democrats, led this month they selected Steve Bray, since the referendum. domestically is to make Britain a far- that anyone would even try to imple- pendence once Brexit has happened. blue before. In order to win these tradi- a perfectly achievable objective and it makes much more sense, third national poll in four years as by Jo Swinson with their signature pol- a well-known activist who spends his Only by seeing Brexit through left economy, returning it to state own- ment these failed concepts again Should the Tories fail to secure an out- tional Labour voters, the Tories appear strategically and financially, than trying to convert the EU, they are by political clichés. icy of revoking Article 50 and return- days outside Parliament yelling “Stop can Britain begin to extract some of ership and going much further than when history shows it leads to tyr- right majority, however, then all bets to have abandoned the remaining ves- already fraught with the serious challenges, into a military super- Voters should be under no illusion, ing Britain to the EU fold, in contrast Brexit!” through a megaphone, to run the poison from this toxic national any previous Labour government. anny, oppression and stagnation. are off. Corbyn would certainly offer tiges of Thatcherism in their party power, which it was never designed to be. though. When the United Kingdom to Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party, which as a candidate next month. It is a vivid debate. A Conservative victory next Internationally, Corbyn and his aides But it is still conceivable that British the SNP a referendum on Scottish (while paying lip service to the idea of EU member states should ask themselves which is more likely goes to the polls next month it will be favours a clean break from Europe. Both indictment of the madness currently month might not destroy the so-called are pro-Russia and anti-Western. voters, particularly younger ones who independence in exchange for their free markets) in order to mount a series to be effective and affordable: beefing up their defence budgets the most important democratic exer- threaten to squeeze the two main par- infecting British politics. “People’s Vote” campaign altogether, If elected Corbyn would take key have suffered especially from the UK’s support in a coalition. At a time of of ambitious electoral giveaways. to the 2 per cent of GDP required by NATO, but met by only six cise in the country’s modern political ties in marginal seats. For the minority of UK citizens who but it would certainly take the wind industries into public ownership housing crisis and lack first-hand such bitter division, this would prob- So far, their plan appears to be European members, including Poland, or shovelling unlim- history. Many traditional party loyalties are committed europhiles, Brexit has out of its sails. It is far trickier to make including water supplies, the national experience of life under socialism, ably yield an Out vote. working, buoyed by a successful rene- ited amounts of cash into a Macron-inspired vanity project to Why? Next month’s election will have been swept away. The EU refer- been an extraordinarily painful pro- the public case for rejoining the EU grid and even repeat Britain’s disas- could choose a policy platform rooted One common misunderstand- gotiation of Theresa May’s deal which turn the EU into a putative superpower capable of confront- be a stark choice between capitalism endum and its bitter fallout have has- cess, forcing them to confront their after the British have left. Britain trous experiment with ing about democ- few in Westminster anticipated, cou- ing China or eventually even the United States, as the more - via Boris Johnson’s fellow citizens’ stub- would then be on a sensible path nationalising British racy is that it exists pled with the welcome announce- extravagant euro-militarists postulate? There is already mili- brand of globalist con- born commitment towards EU exit, led by a PM who, telecoms. Broadband to discover the “right ment for Conservative strategists tary mission creep among EU institutions. Under the system of servatism - and the to borders and the despite his well-documented faults, would be “free”, mean- answer” to political earlier this month that Nigel Farage It is deeply depressing that 30 years on issues. On the con- will not be fielding Brexit Party candi- Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and financed by toxic mixture of social- The mission of the Corbynites nation state. Yet this is no Little England tub-thumper but ing private investors the European Defence Fund (EDF), 13 new defence projects have ism and anti-Western act of defiance against a cultivated cosmopolitan and clas- would have their assets from the fall of the Berlin Wall, socialist trary, rarely, if ever, dates in Tory-held seats. Early polling been approved this month, making a total of 47 joint initiatives extremism peddled domestically is to make Britain a far- the European proj- sical scholar. Although he has been stolen (purchased at can we be sure what showed that the Conservative Party ideas continue to proliferate. It will be since 2017. by the leader of the left economy, returning it to state ect has also unlocked sceptical of the EU since working as a knock-down price) the “right” answer is. now enjoys more support among In the top echelons of EU governance Emmanuel Macron is Labour party Jeremy previously dormant Brussels correspondent in his twen- and the state would extraordinary to a Polish audience, for Democracy is a sys- working-class voters than the upper ownership and going much further knocking on an open door. Donald Tusk’s successor, incoming Corbyn. On Brexit, the feelings of European ties, the PM - the son of a Conservative run technology infra- example, that anyone would even try to tem for fostering con- classes. Even their disastrous cam- Council President Charles Michel, said recently: “It’s important outcome could propel than any previous Labour government. affinity. MEP and an alumnus of European structure, with pre- sent and solidarity by paign launch, accompanied by a slew implement these failed concepts again affording everyone an of gaffes and resignations, seems not for us to have our own capacities in order to have more weight.” As Britain into the next Internationally, Corbyn and his aides are Before 2016 it School in Brussels - is also a European dictable results. Belgian premier he presided over defence spending of less than 1 stage of trade talks with would have been and internationalist who speaks six Corbyn and his when history shows it leads to tyranny, equal vote and an equal to have cut through to the general per cent of GDP. Josep Borrell, the new High Representative for the EU or sentence the pro-Russia and anti-Western. considered eccen- languages. Unlike his predecessor team have discussed right to participate in public. External Affairs, supporting Macron, spoke of “the urgent need British to years of fur- tric to own an EU Theresa May, Johnson is an instinc- the abolition of private oppression and stagnation. national decisions. But Since the start of the campaign, for Europe to move forward with determination in the develop- ther political paralysis. But the choice tened the party shake up underway in flag and now, in London at least, they tive economic and social liberal, keen schools and a state sei- next month’s General most UK pollsters have predicted ment of its defence capabilities...” And President Ursula von der for the British is not just between Britain as in much of Europe, creating adorn walls, windows, and prolifer- to maintain close and friendly links zure of their property, and of reviv- in the ideas which drove Britain’s ter- Election is slightly different because a Conservative majority of varying Leyen contributed to the sabre-rattling: “Soft power alone won’t Brexit or no Brexit. The decision rep- previously unthinkable alliances. MPs ate on social media in emoji form. with Europe, without compromising ing capital controls to prevent the minal decline in the latter half of the of the scale of what is at stake. degrees - but the curse of 2017, when suffice today if we Europeans want to assert ourselves in the resents a more fundamental choice have crossed the floor and defected to Many Remainers now describe them- Britain’s ability to think globally. wealthy from transferring their assets 20th century. Given the risks, the Tories are tak- the Tories fell short, is never far from world.” The condition in which she left the German armed forces between having a functioning mar- other parties; battling for the Liberal selves as “proud Europeans” and “cit- If the Tories - or at least Brexit- overseas. Corbyn’s tenure would The integrity of the United ing an enormous risk holding this anyone’s mind. does not suggest she is well qualified for the role of Supreme ket-based democracy or opting for a Democrats are former Conservative izens of the world” in ways that would supporting parties - fail to win an out- also destroy conventional forms of Kingdom also hangs in the balance. election. But they had little alterna- Psephologists and Tory strategists Warlord. grim Socialist future. and Labour ministers. Once-loyal have been dismissed as kitsch just a right majority, however, then a second international cooperation. Whereas Many believe that Brexit has made tive given the state of total paralysis will recall in tortuous detail how for- Rather than the creation of an EU army, what is urgently The backdrop to this contest is tur- Labour stalwarts are publicly backing few years ago. But along with these referendum will become inevitable. Johnson favours multilateral action Scottish independence more likely, in Parliament. Having inherited May’s mer Prime Minister Theresa May’s needed is a focused reform of NATO, particularly clarification moil, class-driven dispute and party Boris Johnson, disgusted by Jeremy commendable feelings of solidarity, Worse than that though is the pros- on military matters, Corbyn’s foreign since 60% of its electorate voted minority government, Johnson soon campaign unravelled within weeks of regarding the terms of Article 5, requiring all signatories to assist realignment, of course. Even though the Corbyn’s refusal to tackle the endemic ugly and unpleasant prejudices have pect of the country falling into the policy seems largely determined by to Remain in the EU back in 2016. found that optimism alone wasn’t suf- scoring some of the highest opinion any member state that is attacked. The opportunity will present Brexit vote in 2016 represented a break anti-Semitism in party ranks. stirred. Brexit has unleashed a viru- hands of an unreformed Marxist anti-American feeling, coupled with Brexit (and the premiership of Boris ficient to see Brexit through. poll ratings in electoral history. One itself at NATO’s seventieth anniversary meeting next month in from mainland Europe, it has para- Margaret Thatcher’s enemy Arthur lent strain of class snobbery and age- who would not only be the most eco- conspiracy theorist opinions and a Johnson, who is deeply unpopular But their plan is audacious. Inspired persuasive offer from Labour, one London. There is no evidence that President Trump seriously doxically made British politics more Scargill, of the 1980s Miners’ Strike ism; attend a pro-EU “People’s Vote” nomically left-wing Prime Minister deep distrust of international agree- north of the border) have certainly by Johnson’s Machiavellian Special rogue policy announcement from the desires the dissolution of NATO: he will cooperate in rebooting European and fragmented, exposing the and the leader of the Communist Party march in London and you will see the in British history, but far and away ments like NATO. Key allies have boosted the Scottish Nationalist Party Adviser Dominic Cummings, the Tories, could change everything. the Alliance, provided all members pull their weight. Therein lies limitations of the “First Past the Post” of Great Britain, recently wrote to the well-educated middle classes pour- the least patriotic. Although he has already intimated that they would no in the short term. However, given Conservatives hope to reunite the Leave The Conservatives are in a precar- the best guarantee of European security. ■ electoral system. This was once sup- conservative newspaper the Daily ing scorn on the supposedly “unedu- recently performed a politically expe- longer share intelligence and work that much of the Scottish case for vote, see off the Brexit Party and win an ious position. If they fail, Britain will posed to guarantee political stability but Telegraph, praising Johnson. The cated” Brexiteers by bragging about dient volte face on Europe, Jeremy strategically with Britain with PM independence hinges on staying in election against a divided Remain fac- be on the road to socialism, with all the voting system now looks alarmingly Liberal Democrats, once a moderate, how the slogans on their placards are Corbyn has spent his political career Corbyn at the helm. the EU, there is no time for another tion. But they are staking everything the horrors that entails. ■ 12 WORLD ANALYSIS theconservative.online theconservative.online COMMENT 13 New generation of protestors A new generation of refugee cities can discovers you can’t always get INSIDE help prevent another migrant crisis by Jack Dickens LEBANON’S what you want etween 2015-2017, 2.5 million relatively modest in Europe, given This comes amid reports that at least Maoist regime in China. Israel, also, people entered Europe in an that many without a chance to get 100,000 of them fled their homes as a can be seen in this light. Iraq, Lebanon PROTEST irregular manner. This cha- asylum have simply stopped trying to result of Turkey’s offensive. This has In all three of these success stories, B locals already lived in the area before, otic situation led to the exploitation make it into the EU. now halted, following a ceasefire. It and Haiti are not of refugees and vulnerable economic Things look very different in should be noted that Kurdish forces which gave rise to serious challenges. crippled by any one MOVEMENT migrants, as well as terrorism. Turkey, which currently hosts more do not seem completely innocent In general, however, the creation of EU politicians have argued that the than 3.6 million Syrian refugees. either. In 2015, Amnesty International “refugee cities” was a success. We institution which by Mattie Brignal situation was stabilised in March 2016 Partly due to the deteriorated Turkish accused them of having forcibly evict- must now find a suitable site for their can be eradicated thanks to the EU-Turkey deal, but that economy, public opinion has become ing Arabs and Turkmens from areas modern equivalent, but somewhere overnight, but by is only half the truth. First and fore- more hostile to their presence there. where they took control after driving where nobody lives. That shouldn’t most, the Greek government decided In response, Turkish President by Pieter Cleppe out ISIS. be too difficult, given that only three corrupt behaviours to no longer allow those that had ille- Erdogan once again threatened in The Turkish proposal to resettle percent of the world’s land surface gally travelled from Turkey to leave October 2019 to flood Europe with ref- its own Syrian refugees in the strip is urbanised. The rise of cities such which have become their islands. Under the EU-Turkey ugees if the EU dared looks like a complete as Dubai and Shenzhen illustrates endemic deal, fewer than 3,000 people were to describe Turkey’s mess. It would end how it is practically possible for eco- returned back to Turkey, in three military offensive in up with people being nomic centres to emerge from virtu- wave of protests has spread motivated by an entrenched religious straight away. The leader of the years, so this could not have had much northeastern Syria as resettled to areas they ally nothing. across the world this year. identity politics. pro-government Lebanese Christian of an effect. The real reason why peo- an “occupation”. He The cost of helping to integrate the one are not from, and it In other words, it is possible to For most, this has been epit- The protests which have gripped party, Michel Aoun, has acknowl- ple no longer risked their lives trying stated: “If you try to million refugees Germany welcomed is would make it nigh-on offer good economic prospects to omisedA by the traumatic scenes from Beirut are a part of a rage against the edged: “The people have revolted to make the dangerous journey from label our current oper- already 23 billion euro per year. That impossible for those those that can’t be welcomed else- Hong Kong, showing student demon- failings of a power-sharing govern- because their rights are missing” and Turkey was that they knew that they ation as an occupation, that have fled to return where, provided the rule of law is safe- strators in gas masks as they take on ment established after a bitter sectar- because “people have lost confidence would end up stuck in Greece. our job becomes eas- doesn’t reflect the divisions disorderly to their homes. guarded. If the British were able to the Beijing behemoth. Beyond this ian war tore the country apart from in the state”. Yet he also cautioned As a result, the numbers of undocu- ier, we will open the migration flows can create in the social At the heart of all provide the rule of law to millions of rather exceptional context, however, 1975-1990. Instead of passing much that “corruption will not end easily mented migrants who drowned in the doors and send the this is the fact that Chinese refugees back in the 1950s, we are also witnessing a more general needed economic reforms, sectarian because it has been deeply rooted for Aegean Sea plummeted by 85 percent in 3.6 million refugees to fabric. It should, of course, be fully there simply is not the surely the industrial nations of today crisis of democratic politics. Protests leaders within the government have decades.” 2017 when compared to 2016. A similar you.” voluntary for any refugee or economic sufficient democratic can work together to replicate some- are occurring in places where there abused their power, parcelling out In the end, this is the chief prob- policy implemented in 2013 in Australia Erdogan’s idea is migrant to go to a “refugee city” and support in either thing similar. is a fatal synergy of socio-economic funds and state contracts amongst lem that the world’s protestors face resulted in close to zero drownings, to rehouse up to 1 Europe or Turkey to The cost of helping to integrate the inequalities, high levels of corruption, their own supporters. Meanwhile, – many of them are animated by a after at least a thousand people had died million of these ref- it does not mean that the West should welcome all refugees, one million refugees Germany wel- and the threat of religious sectarian- jobs for the general population are in sense of urgency and imminence, a was in Tripoli, Lebanon’s second city, when the country decided at sea in the 13 years before. ugees in a 30 kilome- close its doors to refugees or economic let alone all economic comed is already 23 billion euro per ism. Such forces have precluded the short supply and state infrastructure desire to do away with the system it had had enough. Telling those arriving illegally to tre-wide buffer zone migrants. Most peo- year. That doesn’t reflect the divisions transparent operation of institutions falls into disrepair. and rebuild from a tabula rasa. Yet On the night the protests began, men in balaclavas set fire to await the answer to their asylum in Syria, where Turkey migrants. ple would agree a solu- disorderly migration flows can cre- I tion should be found ate in the social fabric. It should, of to redress popular grievances. Yet, the protests risk being too it is one thing for a protest move- tyres on the city’s main roads. In Abdul Hamid Karami Square, mopeds request before continuing their jour- has tried to push out Chile is an exception: not only is vague to achieve anything. In ment to call for the overthrow of a weaved through billowing smoke as crowds chanted “thawra!” – rev- ney has proven to be the key for devel- Kurdish-led forces. for them, but even course, be fully voluntary for any refu- it a shining example of a successful Iraq, the protests have led to calls regime or political establishment, olution. Flick knives poked out from the jeans of wiry 10-year-olds oped economies seeking to prevent The Turkish govern- the most welcom- gee or economic migrant to go to a “ref- transition to democracy and the rule for a total overhaul of the estab- and it is another to have a coherent who prowled around looking menacing. Soldiers looked on with M16s disorderly mass migration. However, ment regards these ing would admit that ugee city” and it does not mean that the of law, but the country has enjoyed lished government. One woman at idea of what should be created in its clamped to their chests. it does not solve everything. For a Kurdish forces as allowing everyone in is West should close its doors to refugees strong economic growth since 1990. the mass protest in Tahrir Square stead. What do you replace a democ- As the only obvious foreigner in attendance I attracted a lot of start, there is the major question mark terrorists. not sustainable. or economic migrants. New centres Yet it remains one of the most unequal which took place on 29th October, racy with when a democracy does not attention. Many gave me an ironically cheery “welcome to Lebanon!” over what we should do about those The UN’s refu- In history, there are for resettlement only offer a solution countries in the world – the UN esti- told Le Monde that “We don’t want function? as dustbins blazed and men scaled statues. One young boy just stared that have been denied asylum. gee agency, UNHCR, precedents for more to those denied residency elsewhere. mates that the wealthiest one per cent this government any more. We The protesters in the Middle East at me in disbelief. “Why are you here?” he asked. This remains a major problem both has stressed that any radical action. The Desperate military actions like the one earn one-third of the national wealth. want a transitional government and and Haiti are also hamstrung by the I asked one man, Hassan Nassif, why he was protesting. “Our elec- on the Greek islands, where tens of return of Syrian refu- United States is proba- undertaken by the Turkish govern- This state of affairs is exacerbated constitutional change”. Meanwhile, failure of democracy to function. tricity is going off all the time” said Hassan, who had brought his thousands of migrants are stuck in ter- gees to Syria should be bly the most ambitious ment illustrate that, in the future, what by a low minimum wage, slow wage in Lebanon, there have been calls This leaves their political movement young daughter to the demonstration. “We cannot drink the water. rible conditions and remain subject to done voluntarily, while and most successful appears to be unrealistic at first sight growth, and a lack in a kind of stasis, call- Food and housing are very expensive”. lengthy asylum procedures and on the the International “refugee haven” ever may actually be very practical in light of affordable hous- ing for meaningful On the edge of the crowd I spoke to Nazih Fino, a quiet, thoughtful islands outside Australia where illegal Rescue Committee, created. On a smaller of the dire alternatives. ■ ing and healthcare. In change, but unable to teacher. “I don’t like chaos” he said. “If it’s not really organised it’s not immigrants are housed in depots that an NGO, has warned scale, the was British these circumstances, identify the precise worth it.” A street vendor sold me a spinach-filled flatbread. “I know resemble prisons. against evicting civil- Hong Kong provided a the rise in subway The surface of… society is covered with a source of all political there will be a change of government soon” he said. Despite a recent rise in arrivals ians currently living safe haven for millions Pieter Cleppe represents independent fares announced by layer of democratic paint, but from time evils beyond a vague I watched a group of teenagers feed a banner showing a minister’s from Turkey, the numbers are still in northeast Syria. fleeing the murderous think tank Open Europe in Brussels President Piñera to time one can see the old aristocratic opposition to an elite. grinning face to the flames. was merely the straw Iraq, Lebanon and “People don’t have jobs. I don’t have anything to do in the day” said which broke a belea- colours breaking through. Haiti are not crippled Fareed, who had helped to carry the banner. He lit a cigarette and guered camel’s back. by any one institution climbed onto his moped. “I’m going home now. My mother will be Where Chile ranks highly in inter- for the formation of a non-sectarian, which can be eradicated overnight, worried.” national reviews of freedom and technocratic government to but by corrupt behaviours which Simmering resentment at the government’s corruption and inept- transparency, however, the story in spearhead radical reforms. have become endemic. They are offi- itude had finally erupted. But there was a sense of excitement and The EU must stop making up Haiti is different. The precise target The abstract ideals of the protes- cially governed by the rule of law, but cathartic release as well as anger. for the Haitians is President Juvenel tors clearly strike a chord, but their the law is systematically subverted. Fundamental change is being demanded - an overhaul of the entire Moïse, who promised to invest in endeavours may simply become, in Their governments are nominally ruling class. This is an intoxicating prospect for people whose griev- the rules as it goes along infrastructure and fight decay using the memorable phrase of A.J.P. Taylor, representative, but they are neither ances have been ignored for so long. But despite the Prime Minister’s the loans from a Petrocaribe deal a turning point at which history fails meritocratic nor transparent. They resignation, the system that has bred the bloated and self-serving ho said this? “Playing one’s the Czech Republic for, in essence, against the law – not just in the Politicians are expected to be partial, struck with Venezuela in 2006, only to to turn. In Iraq, it is hard to see calls have free elections, but they are often elite remains in place, at least for the time being. proper part in solidar- failing to accept as many immigrants sense that they lacked any basis in but judges are not. That is why it is so have been found with his own hands for constitutional shock therapy sur- not a fair contest. When I got back to Beirut the mood had changed. The demonstra- ity with fellow Europeans as Brussels told them to. the treaties, but in the sense that alarming to watch the ECJ repeatedly by Daniel Hannan MEP in the till by Haiti’s corruption watch- viving the hardening resolve of the Together, these states offer stark tion outside the majestic Al-Hussein Mosque on Martyr Square had cannotW be based on a penny-pinching The aspect of the EU I have always they were expressly prohibited. setting aside what the law says in favour dog. Adding fuel to the flame of revolt established regime. Combatting warnings of what happens when the calmed into a peaceful gathering that felt more like a party than the cost-benefit analysis along the lines disliked the most – worse than its “We violated all the rules because of what it wants the law to say. The doc- The EU’s judicial activism infects is the country’s broken education sys- endemic cabalism and cronyism in conditions for a successfully func- spark of a revolution. (familiar, alas, from Brexiteer rheto- remoteness, its cor- trine that EU law has the courts in its constituent states – tem – social barriers set up by an edu- Haiti will not transform centuries of tioning democratic system are placed No sectarian flags were flying, only Lebanese – a forest of green ric) of ‘what precisely does the EU cost ruption, its contempt primacy over national including, of course, our own bench. cation system which is dominated by neglect and state failure overnight. In under severe strain by unequal oppor- cedars. me per week and what exactly do I per- for public opinion law, the very thing As we discovered six weeks ago, teaching in French, a language spoken Lebanon and Iraq there has been lit- tunities, a loss of faith in institutions, Anas, a middle-aged volunteer at the Mosque, offered to take me for sonally get out of it?’ Such self-cen- – is its tendency to British Eurosceptics Britain’s supreme court, taking its cue fluently by only 5-10% of Haitians. tle consideration of how a new consti- identity politics, and a lack of basic a spin on his motorbike around the square. tredness is a betrayal of the founding make up the rules as it Politicians are expected to be partial, have campaigned from the ECJ, was quite prepared to Socio-economic disparities and cul- tution woulc actually tackle practical accountability. They reflect Alexis “The Syrian war is a big problem for us” he yelled over his shoulder. fathers’ vision for a peaceful and pros- goes along. Again and but judges are not. That is why it is so against since the days invent new legal principles in order to tural stratification work hand-in- challenges such as the ongoing, per- de Tocqueville’s shrewd observa- “So many have come. We want to help them but it is too much. It is perous continent.” Go on, have a guess. again, it has been pre- of Hugh Gaitskell and advance the European cause. hand in Haiti. sistent issue of deeply-rooted sectari- tion about the 19th century United hard with just Lebanese.” Who would engage in such simplistic pared to set aside its alarming to watch the ECJ repeatedly Enoch Powell, was not The past few months have been Elsewhere, in Lebanon and Iraq, anism beyond secular urban circles in States: “The surface of… society is cov- He dropped me off and I sat on the outskirts of the festivities with a Europhile sloganizing? Anna Soubry? own laws in pursuit setting aside what the law says in favour laid down in any treaty. so scrappy and ill-tempered that it is democratic governments have Baghdad and Beirut. ered with a layer of democratic paint, group of men and women in their early twenties, coiling shisha clouds Roland Rudd? Guy Verhofstadt? of closer integration. of what it wants the law to say. It was simply invented easy to lose sight of what Brexit was tried to paper over the cracks of Conciliatory overtures by the gov- but from time to time one can see into the air and talking politics. The answer, disgracefully, is It often does so quite by the ECJ in a series all about. We should, perhaps, thank civil societies torn apart by the ernments of Lebanon and Chile indi- the old aristocratic colours breaking “The country has come together, but I wish it was for happier rea- Eleanor Sharpston, Britain’s flagrantly, cheerfully of power grabs in 1963 Dr Sharpston for reminding us of pre- legacy of sectarian conflict and a cate that the protestors’ message will through.” sons” said Reina Abboud, who was struggling to find work. What Advocate-General at the European admitting that the goal of a federal we wanted to close ranks and and 1964. Lord Neill of Bladon, one of cisely why the UK voted to leave the kleptocratic political culture. Socio- stimulate reforms. Yet successful The democratic paint in these next? I asked her. She gave me a sardonic look, then grinned. “Make Court of Justice (ECJ). She was not Europe matters more than the dots really rescue the euro zone,” said the most distinguished jurists of his European Union. Her attitude is pre- economic degradation and a sense measures to tackle socio-economic countries is wearing thin, but there is Lebanon great again!” ■ speaking extra-judicially. Those and commas of the treaties. Christine Lagarde at the time. “The age, put it well. “A court with a mission cisely what Brexit campaigners had in of relative economic deprivation are disparities and corrupt politi- no indication yet of what will replace words came in a formal ruling which To pluck an almost random exam- Treaty of Lisbon was very straight- is a menace. A supreme court with a mind when they spoke of Britain “liv- blamed upon governments who are cal practices will not be achieved it. ■ found against Poland, Hungary and ple, the euro bailouts were plainly forward: no bailout.” mission is a tyranny”. ing under its own laws”. ■ 14 CULTURE theconservative.online theconservative.online CULTURE 15

Carré explored how his protagonists beliefs that are constantly felt, thought, believed, lived, and often challenged. “Nobody Old spymaster died according to their many illusions. knows who they are just Even his pen name (he is really called now, do they? Whole Le Carré hasn’t lost David Cornwell) suggested self-rec- fucking country in disar- ognition wasn’t so easy in the covert ray,” says one of the more world. firmly anchored figures his touch Le Carré brought a clerical solem- towards the end. nity to the business of spying. This That dislocation is felt Louis de Bonald John Le Carré’s latest novel is an was James Bond going to confes- wherever le Carré fixates THE MUSKETEER WHO INVENTED SOCIOLOGY angry, funny, and readable take on the sional, where the author could strip his anxieties. Old Cold away the machismo. His spooks inter- War insecurities did, usu- politics of Trump and Brexit nalised the Cold War hostilities which ally, end with a resolution In the third of a series of essays on conservative philosophers, were then manifested in personal that implied there was Gerald Warner reflects on the legacy of Louis de Bonald, who had by David Waywell drama. He created books infused with a nominally better side. moral dread; where it was usually Our Brexit crisis leaves us a lasting and profound impact on Europe’s sociological tradition impossible to distinguish right from with no such assurances. hen an author has written projecting old themes. Le Carré is wrong. Good people did bad things Britain in the book is oday, mention of the sci- government that he believed was the how greatly they differed. In religion before Descartes, but before lan- twenty-four novels, one angrier than he has perhaps ever been for even worse reasons; bad people caught between America ence of sociology conjures curse of France. by Gerald Warner Maistre was an Ultramontane, Bonald guage there was absolutely nothing should expect (and per- on the page. That lends the book a succeeded sometimes by playing the and her old European a Gallican; Maistre loathed science, but bodies and their images, because W an image of “progressive” Bonald’s first enemy was not haps even hope) that they tread famil- sense of urgency that may well lessen system well. George Smiley was some- allies. The result is schizo- academics whose intel- Robespierre but Richelieu, whose leg- Bonald, like Burke, embraced empir- Bonald regarded it as a crucial intel- language is the necessary instrument iar ground with their twenty-fifth. over time and diminish with political where between the two. Even when phrenic. Le Carré, popu- Tlectual assumptions are far removed acy of central control by the monarchy icism. His method of thought was sci- lectual discipline; Maistre reacted of every intellectual operation – nay, Authors of this kind are rare enough distance. In the right moment, how- the Cold War ended (albeit briefly), lates the pages with real from any sympathies with conserva- had reduced the role of the nobility. entific, unlike Maistre who detested violently against reason, associating it the means of every moral existence.” to be special; special le Carré found his figures and, one suspects, tism. It is startling, therefore, to real- Bonald was no friend of Bourbon abso- science. Auguste Comte and Emile with the charlatan philosophes of the Thus Bonald proclaimed his belief enough to maintain universal truths else- real feelings. Buried in the ise that the father of that discipline lutism despite his later encomium Durkheim both acknowledged their Pseudo-Enlightenment, Bonald (like that language was evidence of a divine a dialogue with their where. Good, bad, text are acid passages that – or at least the grandfather – was an on the dynasty: “When God wished discipline’s debt to Bonald’s early anal- Aquinas) employed reason in defend- creation, God’s gift to man and the reader across multiple Le Carré brought a clerical solemnity to and the realms in crackle with splenetic 18th-century French nobleman whose to punish France, He took away the ysis of “social facts”, a system of pre-so- ing tradition; Maistre saw the French origin of articulate intelligence. He millions of words. As between, were there fizz. They usually cen- first career was in the elite regiment of Bourbons from her governance.” ciology. Commentators have suggested Revolution as a divine chastisement, reversed the Cartesian “Cogito ergo much as there’s some- the business of spying. This was James in the emergence of tre around the figure of the King’s Musketeers and who sub- Bonald, like Burke and Maistre, was that the elements of positivism in Bonald regarded it in more scientific sum” in a new formulation: “Man thing to say about Bond going to confessional, where the mega-corporations, Donald Trump. “[T]he man is a total the way to read the novel. It is provoc- sequently became celebrated as the not only sympathetic to the early Bonald’s philosophy effectively divorce terms as an empirical experiment – thinks his word before he speaks his authors exploring rad- the destruction of the nothing,” writes le Carré in the voice ative in ways that are at times glar- most reactionary native-born writer stages of the Revolution but remained him from true traditionalism, but that an example of history-as-truth – a thought, or, in other words, man can- ically new ground, author could strip away the machismo. environment, and of his protagonist. “A mob orator. But ingly comic. If his last novel, A Legacy in France to denounce the Revolution so for much longer, only going into notion is contradicted by his constant “crucible” in which the ideas of the not speak his thought without think- readers often don’t His spooks internalised the Cold War even the international as a symptom of what’s out there in of Spies, ended with Smiley offering and celebrate the virtues of the Ancien opposition in 1791 in reaction to the invocation of the divine in his observa- Enlightenment “melted away like a ing his word.” want that newness to hostilities which were then manifested in movement of money. the world’s undergrowth, waiting to a hymn to the European project, this Régime. Civil Constitution of the Clergy. tions on society. light fog”. This postulation reached back into be at the expense of Much of that is still be stirred up, he’s the devil incarnate.” book is a riot of liberal sentiment set For society, to Bonald, was the essen- Some claim that Bonald is largely the roots of knowledge and philos- their strengths. personal drama. true of his latest novel. Yet in the next breath, he recognises free. tial environment of man. The first sen- ignored today while Maistre is still ophy. Bonald did not confine him- And so it is with MI6’s “The Circus” his own prejudices. “A simplistic view, Agent Running in the Field is as tence of his seminal work On Divorce, read, because his literary style was so self to theorizing on basic speech; he John le Carré, whose latest novel, ever, it slams its points home with is now “The Office” but archetypes you might say, not everyone’s by any angry, funny, and readable as le Carré written in 1801, declares: “It is a fertile inferior to that of the Savoyard. Yet it took into consideration syntax and Agent Running in the Field, was pub- a force one might not expect from a are the same: the jaded handlers, the means. But deeply felt all the same. has been in a very long time but source of error, when treating a ques- is unjust to dismiss Bonald’s style as all forms of communication. He thus lished last week. To describe it briefly writer in his 88th year. betrayed friendships, the mendacious Particularly if you’re by way of being whether you rate it as one of his best tion relative to society, to consider it plodding. Some of his aphorisms are anticipated a problem with which as “typical” le Carré fare is to mis- Le Carré’s great books, specifi- grifters climbing the service ranks. an obsessive pro-European.” might depend on how sympathetic by itself, with no relationship to other characterise it. It is certainly a spy cally the Karla trilogy, written in the Like most of le Carré’s protagonists, And that is the point. Le Carré is you are to his conclusions. As serious Photo: Photo 12 - Getty Images 12 - Getty Photo Photo: questions, because society itself is story but, through the prism of Brexit, 1970s, were set in the Cold War but Nat – the middle-aged MI6 handler something of an obsessive pro-Euro- as it is at times playful, it is, through- only a group of relationships.” He goes the author has found new ways of the themes were never narrow. Le given one last job – is anchored to pean himself. And that bias is perhaps out, delightfully pointed. ■ on to ask: “How, indeed, can one treat Bonald is so traditionally linked with Maistre – divorce, which disunites the father, mother, and child, without speaking in the style of Marx and Engels – it is necessary of society, which unites them?” Such to emphasise how greatly they differed. In The Order of the Day is quite different our way, carry us over the ideas interested Napoleon, recently and, in its own way, quite devastating. world’s highways…” come to power, who amnestied Bonald religion Maistre was an Ultramontane, Bonald The Order of the Day Newly translated from the original And they and their for his émigré past in 1802 (he had been a Gallican; Maistre loathed science, Bonald French (by Mark Polizzotti) its only antecedents’ decisions in in hiding in Paris since 1797) and tight- regarded it as a crucial intellectual discipline; by Eric Vuillard characters are the actors of the time 1933 are core to Vuillard’s ened up the permissive divorce legisla- and the fictional element is merely theme: Hitler was a bluffer tion passed in 1792. Maistre reacted violently against reason, An unsettling new fiction illustrates the interpretative commentary. Of course and one by one his antago- Bonald lived quietly in Napoleonic associating it with the charlatan philosophes extent to which the appeasement of Hitler the usual suspects are on parade in nists and his interlocutors France, avoiding trouble with the of the Pseudo-Enlightenment, Bonald (like London (and Lord Halifax among oth- at home and abroad fell for authorities, and by 1806 was collabo- was a Europe-wide phenomenon ers is treated with utter disdain) but it. Vuillard is a filmmaker rating with Chateaubriand in editing Aquinas) employed reason in defending the cast in the drama of appeasement as well as a writer (he won the Mercure de France, a collabora- is enlarged and includes Germany too. the Prix Goncourt for The tradition; Maistre saw the French Revolution by John Freeman tion that would be repeated a decade For Vuillard begins and ends his Order of the Day) and his later on a rather different publication. as a divine chastisement, Bonald regarded account with the industrial magnets cinematic skills help the In 1808 he accepted a counsellorship it in more scientific terms as an empirical an any more be said about with its consequences. But our palettes who accepted the mix of blandish- reader to see the familiar at the Imperial University, but he was experiment – an example of history-as- “appeasement”, a word so are perhaps jaded by a continuing pre- ment and threat which Hitler and Co afresh, partly by recalling never an enthusiastic “rallié” of the C scarred by association with occupation with the Nazi period and, extended to the men who owned and newsreel images we know Bonapartist regime. After the publi- truth – a “crucible” in which the ideas of the the 1930s that it has lost any general to use the modish cliché, many of us ran the companies (Bayer, Siemens, all too well and then forc- cation of Primitive Legislation in 1802 Enlightenment “melted away like a light fog”. utility? In truth appeasing an enemy want “to move on”. That too would be Farben, Allianz and the others) that ing us to look more closely. Bonald produced no further import- may at any time be a perfectly sensible a mistake. As so often, fiction has come in turn formed the industrial-military The Anschluss is a case ant work until after the Bourbon option when faced by the prospective to the rescue and resuscitated the trau- complex that nearly conquered all of in point. Vuillard shows Restoration when he finally came into truly memorable: “All that is to last is Darwin would wrestle, the relation- use of overwhelming Europe. In a mere sev- us not only the crowds his own. slow to grow”; “The deist is a man who ship between language and power, military force; but enteen initial pages who welcomed Hitler into In 1815 he became a deputy in the in his short existence has not had time the semantic obsessions of Marxists the notorious efforts the secret meeting Austria but dwells on the famously ultra-royalist “chambre to become an atheist”; and, as an advo- and modern issues of semiotics. Of to contain the rise of attended by the king- excruciating encounter at introuvable” which came into con- cate of limited censorship, “Absolute all the Counter-Revolutionary writ- Hitler and the Nazis “We know them very well. They are here pins of German indus- Berchtesgaden between flict with Louis XVIII because its pro- liberty of the press is a tax upon those ers, of whom it might be thought the through demeaning beside us, among us. They are our cars, try at the Villa Godi the Führer and Austrian Louis Gabriel Ambroise, Vicomte Bonald emigrated and joined the gramme was more conservative than who read. It is demanded only by last word has been written, Bonald and counter-produc- Malinverni in February Chancellor Schuschnigg. Schuschnigg sarcastic sentences he touches on de Bonald was born in 1754 near royalist army of the Prince de Condé. his. Part of that programme was to those who write.” deserves further academic research tive acts of accommo- our washing machines, our household 1933 is coldly described never managed to say “no”, to his Alfred Krupp: “[who] would…become Millau in the south of France. He After the victory of the revolution- abolish divorce and Bonald made an God, family (a microcosm of soci- today because of the startling moder- dation has sullied the appliances, our clock radios, our in all its banality. Here great discredit. The author’s pen is one of the powerful figures in the was educated by the Oratorians, after ary forces he settled in Heidelberg impassioned speech in the chamber ety), a scientific approach to all nity of many of his preoccupations. word and deprived it homeowner’s insurance… Our daily life is was perhaps the orig- equally withering as he recalls the Common Market, the king of coal and which he entered the army, serving where he wrote his first major work in arguing in favour of this reform, draw- observable social phenomena (a prin- Bonald’s public life ended with the of any justifiable moral inal appeasement, the farewell lunch at 10 Downing Street steel, a pillar of the Pax Europaea”. He from 1773 to 1776 in the Musketeers, 1796, Theory of Political and Religious ing inspiration from his previous writ- ciple he put into practice as a govern- Revolution of 1830 when he left the basis. theirs. They care for us, clothe us, light our original failure to call given by Neville Chamberlain in 1938 also glosses the reluctantly conceded that most romantic military corps Power in Civil Society Demonstrated by ings. He was commissioned to write a ment minister from 1822, confirming Chamber of Peers rather than swear For Britons born in way, carry us over the world’s highways…” Hitler’s bluff. As the for the departing Nazi Ambassador and minimally funded reparations celebrated, thanks to Dumas père, in Reason and History. That title incor- report on the subject for the govern- his claim to have cultivated pre-so- allegiance to the usurping Orleanist the long shadow of the names of the German von Ribbentrop. All the courtesies paid to those who had worked as slave hundreds of feature films, its mem- porates two of Bonald’s chief preoc- ment and, under his guidance, divorce ciology), and a view of all existence as regime. He died in 1840, having com- Second World War, companies who sat were extended by the Prime Minister labourers for his family’s company. bers sporting the red heels on their cupations: the importance of reason was abolished in France in 1816. From based on a triad of cause, means and posed a telling epitaph on the French the appeasing men (and they were all mas of the 1930s and coloured and around the Villa table are recalled, to a man who knew that the invasion In a final Delphic phrase Vuillard boots that denoted nobility and the (an issue on which he took a radically 1818 to 1820 he renewed his collabora- effect – these were significant ele- Revolution: “The cry ‘Liberty, equal- men) of the 1930s are forever guilty, framed them in new ways. Vuillard comments: “We know them of Austria was imminent and who remarks: “we never fall twice into the iconic white Cross of Armagnac on different approach to Maistre) and his tion with Chateaubriand on the journal ments of Bonald’s system of thought. ity, fraternity or death!’ was much in forever condemned; so much so that There have of course been a num- very well. They are here beside us, deliberately kept him at the table like same abyss” but states that the abyss their breasts. After the regiment was concept of history as a slow process Le Conservateur – the first formal use There was, however, one towering vogue during the Revolution. Liberty we may think nothing more can use- ber of relatively recent thrillers which among us. They are our cars, our a cat dallying with a compliant mouse. when it comes “is bordered by high disbanded in 1776 Bonald returned to of establishing the truth of principles of the term “conservative” in politics. preoccupation that dwarfed all others: ended by covering France with pris- fully be said about them. But we would have used the events of 1938 as their washing machines, our household And as Vuillard draws his “fic- mansions”. his estate at Millau where he became that are of divine origin but empiri- Bonald is so traditionally linked the importance of language. ons, equality by multiplying titles and be wrong to draw that conclusion. focus, notably Robert Harris’s Munich appliances, our clock radios, our home- tion” to a close he returns to the Do read the book, which is more the mayor and devoted himself to cally demonstrated by the experience with Maistre – in the style of Marx and “There was geometry in the world decorations, and fraternity by divid- Appeasement was a Europe-wide phe- and George-Marc Benamou’s The owner’s insurance… Our daily life is original participants in the drama, unsettling in 129 pages than many campaigning against the centralised of successive generations. Engels – it is necessary to emphasise before Newton, and philosophy ing us. Death alone prevailed.” ■ nomenon and the continent still lives Ghost of Munich. But Eric Vuillard’s theirs. They care for us, clothe us, light the industrialists. In a few heavily much longer fictions and treatises. ■ 16 CULTURE theconservative.online theconservative.online CULTURE 17

glacial. See Van Morrison’s 18 minute Photo: Michael Ochs Archives - Getty Images encounter with The Guardian’s Laura Music journalism Barton as the latest example. You could conclude that music hasn’t died – it’s just journalism is in the same shape as Elvis’s television set after it became acquainted with Elvis’s .357 magnum, changed channel or even Elvis himself. But what’s actu- ally happened is that music journal- Biography has replaced the interview ism didn’t die, it just changed channel. as the best way to understand great The interesting books of recent years, from Hepworth’s riffs on the musicians limited shelf-life of the Rock Star (Uncommon People) and the year 1971 by John McKie (Never A Dull Moment), Brooklyn writer Rob Sheffield’s idiosyncratic takes On Bowie and Dreaming The rank Zappa’s comment on story on Kendrick Lamar where the Beatles, Sylvia Patterson’s on-off rela- the music press is evergreen: rapper mentions a videographer pres- tionship with the celebrity interview, F “Most rock journalism is peo- ent, putting paid to any pretence of 2016’s I’m Not With The Band, or Saint ple who can’t write interviewing peo- intimacy. The September 2018 edi- Etienne member Bob Stanley’s sprawl- We can end up learning more about British writer Ian Penman’s It Gets ple who can’t talk for people who can’t tion of Vogue was graced by Beyoncé ing tome on British pop music Yeah current and past artists not by the Me Home This Curving Track is, at first read.” on the cover (good) but the feature Yeah Yeah are all wildly different. confessional interview, shunned by glance, less personal – a collection of What’s remarkable What each has in com- almost all the big stars but longer form book reviews about artists including about the comment is mon is the author’s music books. Charlie Parker, James Brown, John not whether it’s true strong personality Two examples from 2019 would Fahey, Frank Sinatra, Prince and Steely Gluck’s Orfeo at the Teatro Nacional de Säo Carlos, Lisbon or not (your opinion writ large over every grace the stocking of anyone still Dan’s Donald Fagen. On closer inspec- is as valid as mine) You could conclude that music page. brave enough to profess an interest in tion, the conceit is an excuse for the but that when Zappa journalism is in the same shape as Elvis’s One of my favou- rock journalism. writer to dig into the id of various icons. spoke to the Toronto television set after it became acquainted rite music books of In Why Karen Carpenter Matters, Penman offers his theory that Prince’s Star reporter in 1977, this decade was Alan cultural critic Karen Tongson refer- Lovesexy was “a gospel album” as well he had no idea how with Elvis’s .357 magnum, or even Elvis Light’s 2012 The ences the band’s huge popularity in as his last great one, he breaks down much worse things himself. But what’s actually happened is Holy or the Broken. the place of her birth, the Philippines. the concept of “straight hip” in Steely Don’t look back in anger were going to get. Light took more than Tongson was named after Karen by Dan records, why Lalo Schifrin worked This was ten years that music journalism didn’t die, it just 250 pages on one her mother, a singer who was said with Clint Eastwood more than any isbon’s Teatro Nacional de for Mr. Dickie. dies again – but, just as all seems lost, soprano, Renata Pokupić, much in after the estab- album track from a to sound like her. A return to Manila other actor and pays tribute to the by changed channel. Säo Carlos, the country’s Doubts about plunging an inter- Gerald Malone their intense love for each other is international demand on the con- lishment of Jann 1984 Leonard Cohen provides a revelation into just how “subtly evolutionary” recording tech- foremost opera house, is an nationally renowned soprano with acknowledged by Amore, who unites cert platform. Her broad mezzo range Wenner’s Rolling Stone, nine ahead inside was a first-person piece, clearly record which his US record company omnipresent the Carpenters’ music niques employed by Bing Crosby. understated gem – on my no experience of management console Orfeo, morphed into raunchy them for ever. Cue cute heart emoji. had her growling through Orfeo’s of the founding of David Hepworth dictated and edited to within an inch wouldn’t even release. This sounds remains in her mother country. In short, by getting inside Penman’s Lbucket list for years. It was built in and direction into this demanding Can-Can dancers. The work’s role in the development depths and soaring when ecstasy was and Mark Ellen’s Q magazine and it of its life by Team Beyoncé (less good). unpromising, but the song Hallelujah Throughout, Tongson sketches out and Tongson’s heads, you are forced 1792, after the Tejo Opera House was Götterdämmerung of Portuguese Now, perhaps, we are at a of opera is more complicated than required. She sang with visible con- was around thirty years before record Where once the minibar and life would become a staple of reality her personal perspective on why the to think anew about great artist. This destroyed in the earthquake of 1755. opera are rife in Lisbon. Watch this fourth crossroads. Cue Harrison the simple plot implies. Monteverdi viction, pulling off difficult passages companies started offering media secrets were shared, when a journal- shows and glossy dramas, beloved by Southern Californian siblings’ music is rock journalism for people who It boasts an elegantly understated space. Birtwhistle’s The Mask of Orpheus, tipped the balance from dance to and high notes with sharp clarity. Her training for fledgling pop stars. Now ist now braves some alone time with everyone from Simon Cowell to Bob retains its universal appeal, as well as can read – even if the artists are often classical façade, featuring a portico of On to Grecian legend - and the con- currently presented by English music in his score of 1609. The Gluck voice had just enough vibrato to add we have Rolling Stone’s 2017 cover a living legend, the results can be Dylan. its influence on her own life. decidedly unavailable for interview. ■ three elegant arches, and a third-floor cert performance of Gluck’s Orfeo. National Opera (ENO) at London’s version incorporated dance, recitative colour, and a few well-chosen grace loggia with a garlanded clock. The Some back history. The Orfeo and Coliseum. That is a four-hour delight and aria for the first time, laying the notes – not too showy – added to a 1,150 seat auditorium has the famil- Euridice legend has been latched onto in store. Should I survive, I shall groundwork for opera as the artform sparkling performance. iar, intimate feel of houses of that era by composers for centuries. First out review it next week. we recognise today. Concert versions Now, the litmus test of Orfeo for all usual self-conscious references to from racism and the legacies of slav- also famously accused Indians of being spattered across Europe. of the traps was Germi. Who? Sorry, I can’t quite decide whether Mr. focus on the music, the theatrical plot mezzos, the Che Faro Senza Euridice? his reputation and creative process ery. In God Is Kanye proclaims: complicit in their own colonisation The Portuguese Royal Family liked no first name or biography extant. Birtwhistle is the true prophet of a and curtail the dance passages. aria in Act 3. This is one of the great Jesus saves and before becoming more like a preacher “Jesus brought a revolution/All cap- by the British in their failure to resist, it so much that, when Napoleon forced Difficult to corroborate his contribu- new iteration of transformative mood Proceedings in Lisbon got under- moments in opera. I was introduced firing off Biblical references. Notably tives are forgiven”. This ties to refer- and proclaimed that Indians must first them to flee to Brazil in the early 19th tion, or even speculate – as not a note music – or a vacuous charlatan. Having way under the baton of a Maestrina (I to Gluck and Che Faro by Janet Baker, Kanye misses the it’s here that the song’s urgency ences to the 13th Amendment, which become mentally independent before century, they had a replica built in Rio of his music survives. am hooked after dis- who sang Orfeo in a Scottish Opera grows. War drums set in and continue famously abolished slavery but is also they became politically independent. de Janeiro – as one does when en con- But there are records covering that elegant production in the 1970s. It was a light- through a chorus of rapidly spiralling seen as paving the way for a new form This echoes Kanye’s own wildly con- gés forcés. of a play by Politani, Portuguese descrip- bulb moment. This is what opera was rebound Hallelujahs. Kanye’s usual self-con- of slavery via mass incarceration of troversial comments that four hun- But let me get my hands on the with Germi’s music, The Orfeo and Euridice legend has been tor of a female con- for – the stripping of character and scious self-obsession is present, but black Americans. Kanye has publicly dred years of slavery “sounded like a Kanye West’s latest album feels like a missed th renovator with the fixation for choc- performed at the court latched onto by composers for centuries. ductor), Jane Glover, emotion into their essential compo- for the first time he doesn’t necessar- attacked the 13 Amendment on these choice” by black Americans. olate coloured paint. The interior – of Duke Ludivico the British doyenne nents, using sheer beauty of phrase, opportunity for the wayward rap star ily seem to be playing the (anti-)hero. grounds in the past. Just as Kanye In creating Jesus is King Kanye where it isn’t originally gilded – has Gonzaga, Mantua on First out of the traps was Germi. Who? of Baroque music. She and simple melodic line. The problem is that this new feels Jesus has washed away his sins, seems to accept that he cannot be been confected into a drab version of 18th July 1472. This debuted in Wexford Ms. Pokupić is not Janet Baker. approach doesn’t seem to work. When he hopes Jesus can wash away the leg- the saviour he hoped to be and has Sorry, no first name or biography extant. by Joseph Rachman a Cadbury’s Milk Tray selection. Dark version is not on in 1975 in Cavalli’s No-one is. But she held the audience Kanye turns to religion in his raps, acies of slavery. turned instead to what he sees as a chocolate pillars; milk chocolate bal- Spotify. Difficult to corroborate his contribution, L’Eritrea and has been in the palm of her hand with a piano, too often he seems content with the The album was originally called higher power to save himself and oth- ustrades; cocoa butter curtains; a Three times since or even speculate – as not a note of his Music of the Baroque’s heartfelt, rendering, rising to a full- anye’s turn to deeply felt reli- urgently dancing piano keys the lyr- occasional Biblical quotation. This is Yandhi before it was reconceptual- ers. Kanye misses the opportunity swirling, mixed praline ceiling; and has the Orfeo story music survives. But there are records of director since 2002. blown climax at the tragic conclusion. gious faith in his latest album ics implore listeners: “Sing ’til the even more disappointing considering ised and retitled. Kanye had originally to develop this more fully. He shows ruby chocolate velvet seats. The cel- stood at the cross- Her career contri- Euridice was Eduarda Melo, a K Jesus is King may seem incon- power of the Lord comes down”, a line the truly affecting emotional rawness planned to cast himself as Gandhi who flashes of genius but the album seems ebrated chef, Barry Callebaut, might roads of musical his- a play by Politani, with Germi’s music, bution to the Baroque Portuguese soprano and recent grad- gruous for a man who once called repeated over and over with frenzied Kanye displayed in his previous album led India on the road to freedom, and defined by a sense of wasted poten- think he was smart, inventing his tory. First, at the movement has been uate from Porto’s Superior School of himself Yeezus. While he has written melodic urgency. It seems that Kanye ye. Take the third track Follow God inspired Martin Luther King. Gandhi tial. ■ th performed at the court of Duke Ludivico Ruby Chocolate confection in 2017, beginning of the 17 th to breathe life into Music. She sang beautifully and acted music about Christianity through- who reportedly considered giving up which trots along to a crisp constant but Säo Carlos got there first. century, when the mis- Gonzaga, Mantua on 18 July 1472. This scores, which, in the pertly. There are several ways of play- out his career, most notably in Jesus rap considering it “the devil’s music” drum beat and flowing lyrics. The bars And the lighting is horrible. Who erable lover wept tears version is not on Spotify. hands of less insight- ing Euridice. One is to present her as Walks, many have received this new has decided his work must now be in themselves are messily opaque with bought that job lot of energy efficient over his dead Euridice ful conductors, can Mrs. Resentful, who from the moment phase of his life with extreme scepti- service of the divine. little of the clever wordplay or star- bulbs that glare intrusively? The in many musical dramas scored by listened to him in conversation earlier be dull, dusty, pedestrian, a bit plink- of being restored to human form, nags cism. His new Sunday tling self-revelation effect, combined with the chocolate, many composers - most famously, this year with Julian Anderson – a fel- ity-plonk. Under her direction, if Orfeo mercilessly for his reticence. Service can eas- that used to define was nauseous. A revamp is long over- Monteverdi in 1609. low ground-breaking opera composer Baroque “ain’t got that swing” she That’s how this version was interpreted. ily be interpreted as Kanye at his best. Only due, but cash is short. These were productions for select, – the needle is heading towards the feels she is missing her point. This is Amore was played by Sandra just another form of Kanye has not so much moved away the backing repeat- In the last two years the house has courtly, audiences, mostly passing charlatan end of my dial. I approach music that lived in its time and it is her Medeiros, also a Portuguese self-promotion, build- ing “Father, I stretch/ trodden a rocky road of turbulent into oblivion after one outing. Then, the upcoming Coliseum visit with an mission to make it live afresh. soprano, who studied at the Ponta ing hype and giving from himself as a subject as expanded it Stretch my hands to industrial relations. On 1st October in the mid 18th century Christoff open mind. Well, sort of. An advantage of a concert version is Delgada Regional Conservatory. The him a new slate to per- to breaking point. In this album Kanye’s You” gives a sense of soprano Elisabete Matos took over as Willibald Gluck, a German composer, A difficulty in presenting Gluck’s that Maestrina Glover can be observed, role is comedic. Her deus ex machina form on. emotional depth. It Artistic Director from the battered and Ranieri de’ Calzabigi, his Italian version of Orfeo is to decide whether it in full control, centre stage, not plying interventions are required twice, to While there may sense of personal salvation is paired with seems Kanye can no Brit, Patrick Dickie, a quixotic choice. librettist, revived the Greek trouba- is serious, comedic, or a bit of both. On her arts in pit obscurity. It was quite sort those pesky mortals out. She be some reasons for a belief that Jesus can redeem others, longer confidently rely He resigned in despair, after only dour and soon had Orfeo strumming the face of it, it’s a simple Grecian trag- a sight. How she sculpted this per- was dressed in an extravagantly this scepticism there and even save African-Americans from on his own resources, three years in post, in late spring, hav- his lute afresh for a wider opera going edy, but with a happy ending. Orfeo formance, turning a beady eye on the cerise evening gown, topped with is no denying that this in more ways than one. ing failed in his ambition to schedule public. Gluck’s version is the most loses beloved wife, Euridice, and is soloists at every entry. She looked a an incongruous, homely Portuguese seems to be Kanye’s racism and the legacies of slavery. My instinct is that ten main stage performances per sea- revived of the present day. given a chance by the goddess Amore, bit like Margaret Thatcher oversee- white lace shawl - and sporting spar- most self-effacing Kanye has not so son. This year the company is manag- Spool on to the late 19th century. to follow her down to Haedes and ing an impertinent bunch of journal- kly earrings. The lady who serves album to date. It is notable that on the This is not to say Kanye absents much moved away from himself as ing only seven, and one of those is the Offenbach incongruously turned the bring her back, provided he restrains ists. Often ensembles “know it all” behind the counter of the National album’s first track Every Hour Kanye himself from the album. The second a subject as expanded it to breaking concert version of Gluck’s Orfeo. The lute playing swain firmly towards herself from looking at her. and barely lift their heads from their Confeitaria (national sweetie and is nowhere in sight. Instead, you are track Selah starts by abruptly tran- point. In this album Kanye’s sense local gossip has it that the strikes and the burlesque, locating Orfeo in a Inevitably, she, mistaking his reserve scores. Conductors seem redundant. cake shop) in Dom Pedro IV Square plunged into the middle of a Sunday sitioning to slow organ tones and we of personal salvation is paired with increasingly desperate budgeting crisis high-kicking underworld. The con- for indifference, persuades him to take All eyes were fixed on this Maestrina. is her spitting image. As are some of Service Choir in full chorus – you hear Kanye’s voice for the first time. a belief that Jesus can redeem oth- afflicting the house were the last straw ventional, placid, Blessed Spirits, who a keek at her. Euridice immediately Orfeo was sung by Croatian mezzo the cakes. ■ can’t help but jump. To the sound of Taking centre stage Kanye makes the ers, and even save African-Americans 18 CULTURE theconservative.online theconservative.online CULTURE 19

FRENCH COP DRAMA SCORSESE AND FORD COPPOLA ARE RIGHT WITH UNIVERSAL DOCTOR SLEEP Marvel films aren’t APPEAL Worthy sequel to The Shining lacks real cinema SPIRAL the genius of Kubrick’s masterpiece by Alastair Benn enerable Hollywood filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola both used interviews recently to criticise the V Marvel franchise. They were “theme park, amusement park, comic book films,” Scorsese said, and “not cinema”. Ford Coppola fol- lowed suit: “I don’t know that anyone gets anything out of seeing the same movie over and over again. Martin was kind when he said it’s not cinema. He didn’t say it’s despicable, which I just say it is”. On a transatlantic flight earlier this month, I sat next to a fellow passenger who was, like me, looking through the United Airlines film selection – I opted for They shall not grow old directed by Peter Jackson. Admittedly, at first, I wondered whether I had made the right choice. The carnage of the First World War daubed in the essen- tial colours of conflict – ghastly browns and reds. Perhaps, my neigh- bour was queasy, or might find it an odd choice to “chill out to” as we sailed over the Atlantic, I reflected. But no, about half an hour into the film, I noted that my neighbour was absolutely engrossed with his screen – he was watching the final battle scene of Avengers: Endgame (the highest grossing film of all-time). Simultaneously an adaptation of Stephen King’s 2013 novel, After about fifteen minutes, my neighbour rewound the film a bit so he could watch it through again. Nothing wrong with that I sup- a sequel to the original 1977 book, and a follow-up to Stanley pose. Then he did it again. And again. And again. A couple of hours in, I Kubrick’s 1980 film, Doctor Sleep fails to convince realised that he must have watched it about a dozen times. It was then Now in its eighth season on Canal + in France Spiral merits that I counted five other passengers all watching the same Avengers: n keeping with the current too little; and that’s why, for all its vir- Endgame battle sequence. the acclaim it has won in 70 countries across the globe, vogue for massively delayed by Alexander Larman tuoso effects, it never gets you by the Why are superhero films so popular? There is an element of spectacle including the United States I sequels (see also: Blade throat and hangs on the way real hor- – it’s good sport after all. At the cinema where I saw Avengers: Endgame, Runner 2049 and Mary Poppins who played the difficult role of Jack ror should.” King even wrote and pro- the whole audience clapped and cheered at the end of the film’s climactic he French word engrenages up a rapist but might not choose to work done, but – merde! – they don’t been a piece called something like The Returns), Doctor Sleep has arrived. Torrance, took it in his stride, although duced his own made for TV adaptation scene, a truly “epic” piling up of flesh and exploded matter until (spoiler meaning gears, or gearing, leave alone with your wife. He never by Walter Ellis have to like each other. Honest Hypocrite. It is a follow-up to The Shining and he wryly commented: “Stanley’s of his book, which was not a success alert) as usual the good guy manages to whack the bad guy and it’s all over. hints at the possibility of seems to change his clothes. Either Josephine – who despises Roban All fictional detectives cut corners. concentrates on the now grown-up demanding. He’ll do a scene fifty times, and failed to supplant Kubrick’s film Pier Paolo Pasolini once called cinema “the sacred language of real- sudden changes of speed that or he keeps a number of iden- the end of season six, he flounces off, – serves both as a superbly equipped Tension between the pencil-pushers Danny Torrance, as played by Ewan and you have to be good to do that.” in the popular imagination. ity”. Well, Marvel surely ain’t that. Tor direction. But as the title of a cop tical ensembles. Nor does he spend affronted by the discovery that Gilou (in every sense) defence lawyer and of the executive corridor and the hard McGregor, now an alcoholic due to Kubrick’s perfectionism only grew. Today, The Shining is widely Marvel films, in their repetitive story lines and formulaic visual show, it was never going to work out- much time with his razor, yet never has briefly pocketed some stolen gold as an old-fashioned object of desire, nuts who do the actual work is one of the pain he suffered at his father’s At one point, Wendy Torrance, wife regarded as the greatest horror film language, tap into a rich vein of so-called “commercial” cinema. The side of France, which is why some- quite grows a beard. If this was 1972, and that Laure, as his lover, has helped moving from one set of chambers to the best-worked clichés of the genre. hands. However, he must gird his of Jack, played by Shelley Duvall, to ever made despite originally being crit- industrialist Henry Ford founded a Motion Picture Department in one came up with the more workaday he would be played, with a cigarette, him cover it up. But he comes back in the next, cutting a swathe through The difference in Spiral is that the cor- loins to fight the powers of darkness, her horror, finds that her husband’s ically panned with Kubrick nominated 1913, which had a then considerable $600,000 annual budget, and alternative, Spiral. by Jean-Paul Belmondo. season seven in order, I suspect, to tie a legal Establishment that thinks it ners come pre-cut. Going by the book as played, deliciously, by Rebecca much-worried-over novel simply con- for a Golden Razzie for Worst Director. churned out films at roughly a rate of once a week. The films were But what’s in a name? The series, In season six, Laure and Gilou up loose ends. knows what she’s up to and plans to and due process is just the unavoid- Ferguson as the ageless, telekinetic sists of the phrase “All work and no The reasons for its success are sim- widely distributed across the Americas and they were among the most now in its eighth season on Canal + in finally get it together, which we have You might think that all this would bring her down, but still ends up, to able precursor to getting on with the nemesis Rose the Hat, who sustains play makes Jack a dull boy” written ple; unlike most ghost stories, which watched silent films of the day. They championed “Fordist” working France and half-way through season been expecting since at least season be quite enough to keep the show a man, staring down her décolletage. serious business. What really matters her beauty by draining her psychic over and over again. Kubrick had a set explain why the spirits exist and what practices – the rhythms of the assembly line, forging an ever more 7 on BBC 4, is one of the finest, and three. They can’t keep their hands off moving along at a brisk pace. Crucially, She gets her come-uppance in season is putting the frighteners on the bad victims’ “steam”. assistant write the phrase thousands they want, Kubrick leaves much of this seamless relationship between man and machine. Classics include grittiest, detective shows on televi- each other. But it is not to be, or at any however, Spiral is not all about the seven when she is had up for trying to guys until they finally crack and spill The film is both enjoyable and frus- of times, even though it could only be to the audience’s imagination. the 1914 film How Henry Ford Makes 1,000 Cars a Day. sion, fully meriting the acclaim it has rate wasn’t as far as murder her boss after their guts – a case not so much of Good trating. On its own terms, it It is never entirely clear Scorsese and Coppola are of course engaging in their own commer- won in 70 countries across the globe, episode two of season she discovers that Cop/Bad Cop as Bad and Badder. works well as a nerve-jan- what is going on, why the cially savvy gambit. By selling their own vision of cinema as cinema as including the United States. seven, which is as far he was the one who I read somewhere that the produc- gling psychic thriller, with apparitions are appearing opposed to “the other lot” they are making quite a crass claim about Its leading characters, making up a as I’ve got. Laure went drugged and raped ers and writers of Spiral, particularly a good mixture of scares Today, The Shining is widely or what Danny Torrance’s the intrinsic truth value of their own art – the other guy might be All fictional detectives cut corners. in its later guise, are proud of the fact plainclothes detective squad in one of through a breakdown, her. But I’m guessing and tension. Ferguson is regarded as the greatest horror film psychic gift – “the shining” interested in the big bucks; I, however, seek out truth, enlightenment the less salubrious quartiers of Paris, you see, after she real- Tension between the pencil-pushers that after four purga- that their characters – whatever their an unusual, chilling vil- – actually is. This sense of etc – but that doesn’t mean they aren’t right about Marvel. are entirely believable, wholly gallic ised (correctly – she of the executive corridor and the hard torial months spent personal inclinations – are obliged lain. But its larger problem ever made despite originally being unease and uncertainty But Marvel is not alone in adopting Fordist aesthetics. The televi- (with a garlic aftertaste) and 100 per only had to ask me) in one of France’s to stick to the rules. If so, it is hard is that it is simultaneously critically panned with Kubrick permeates the film’s every sion series Game of Thrones, the most watched HBO show ever, does cent universal. that she was not cut nuts who do the actual work is one of the notorious prisons, to imagine what they would be like if an adaptation of Stephen frame. It is aided immea- away with the traditional vectors for storytelling (dialogue, acting, First up we have Laure (Caroline out to be the mother best-worked clichés of the genre. The she gets off, chalk- let off the leash. But then, in real life, King’s 2013 novel, a sequel nominated for a Golden Razzie for surably by its soundtrack, and directorial craft) in favour of mashed-up visual cues – big battle Proust), the capitaine, or chief inspec- of the child she bore ing the whole thing French Police are not best known for to the original 1977 book, Worst Director. The reasons for a mixture of Wendy Carlos scenes, wooden performances from an ensemble cast, and writing of difference in Spiral is that the corners wearing kid gloves. They go in hard, tor, in her forties, sexually wayward, following a disastrous down to experience. and a follow-up to Stanley its success are simple; unlike most and Rachel Elkind’s original little to no craft. and vulnerable, who never leaves the affair with a mar- come pre-cut. Going by the book and If she doesn’t, I, for especially in the banlieues of Paris Kubrick’s 1980 film. This electronic music and mod- Game of Thrones affects to be more epic than cinema itself – a bat- office without her trusty SP 2022 ried man. Poor Gilou, due process is just the unavoidable one, shall be extremely and other big cities, where there are leads to a tonal uncertainty ghost stories, which explain why ernist classical compos- tle scene in its last season took up a whole episode of an hour and pistol and sky-blue evidence gloves. who was left holding disappointed. large immigrant communities and that is only partially ame- the spirits exist and what they want, ers, including Penderecki, twenty minutes and was popularly billed as the longest ever shot in Laure dresses like the 1960s rock- a stuffed panda rather precursor to getting on with the serious Roban, meanwhile, a backdrop of lawlessness. I suspect liorated by its extended Ligeti and Bartók. It is screen history. It was shown in pubs – and footage emerged after- star Julie Driscoll – leather jerkin than the baby (which business. What really matters is putting like a Catholic bishop the show is watched avidly by actual climax: a return to the Kubrick leaves much of this to the impossible to watch the film wards of crowds celebrating its climax, cheering, screaming, even over jeans and a revealing t-shirt. She he had rather opti- tortured by doubt, police officers and lawyers, who see Overlook Hotel. audience’s imagination. and not feel unsettled, even hugging each other in relief. likes nothing more than a good car mistically undertaken the frighteners on the bad guys until they does his utmost to in it a true reflection of the challenges King’s original novel, as nothing more sinister The joy of real story-telling, married to wit and a delight in moving chase or the opportunity to scramble to raise with her), finally crack and spill their guts – a case assist Laure, with they face. as published in 1977, is justifiably seen briefly on screen. Zealous atten- happens than a small boy driving his pictures is submerged into a vision of pure spectacle, so perfect is its over a backyard wall. But she is also a despairs and throws whom he maintains Spiral is grimy and morally ambig- regarded as one of his greatest books, a tion to detail or near-autistic obses- tricycle through the corridors. What adherence to repetitive formulae. Like the Marvel franchise, it is the thinker, usually one step ahead of her himself back into the not so much of Good Cop/Bad Cop as Bad a respectful relation- uous, set in a Paris in which the Eiffel terrifying and white-knuckle journey siveness? The jury is still out. lies around the corner is at the heart of ultimate Fordist fantasy. ■ team, whom she defends to the high- job with a vengeance, and Badder. ship, but can’t stop Tower and the Seine are never seen into a supernatural hell set in a malev- One man for whom it was the lat- all primal fear – the sense of a malevo- er-ups in the manner of a she-bear at which point watch himself from obstruct- and lunch is a sandwich eaten while olent and sentient hotel. It was inevi- ter, or worse, was King. He was hor- lent, unstoppable unknown. protecting her cubs. out, low-lifes. cops. Adding another rich dollop ing her every time she and her team scrolling through the latest CCTV tably ripe for adaptation, but nobody rified by what he saw as the butchery Doctor Sleep does not have the sheer By her side is the trusty Gilou The third wheel in this dam- of spice to the proceedings are the fail to share his pious interpreta- footage. Justice is usually done in quite expected the attention of the of his novel, saying “a visceral scep- giddy fear of its predecessor. Barring a (Thierry Godard), a long-time lieu- aged police vehicle is “Tintin” (Fred ornately-gowned lawyers – especially tion of the evidence as it unfolds. He the end, but the suspicion is that for already legendary auteur Kubrick. He tic such as Kubrick just couldn’t truly horrific torture scene midway tenant, who provides both the empa- Bianconi), another long-serving lieu- the flame-haired temptress, “Maitre” has learned from long experience every bad guy taken off the streets had not directed a film since the bril- grasp the sheer inhuman evil of The through, it is short on really night- thetic insight that Laure lacks and tenant, whose marriage is falling Josephine (Audrey Fleurot) – and the that corruption runs from top to bot- there will be another, even more vio- liant Barry Lyndon (1975), which had Overlook Hotel. So he looked, instead, marish stuff. Even its predecessor’s the muscle required to beat the crap apart, leading to mood-swings that his extravagantly ascetic juge d’instruc- tom in the system and that most of lent and more rapacious, ready to take underperformed at the box office com- for evil in the characters and made famous “elevators of blood” scene out of a villain or, back at the station, chers colleagues, while sympathetic, tion, or examining magistrate, Roban his judicial colleagues are self-serv- his place. It is not so much that there pared to A Clockwork Orange (1971) the film into a domestic tragedy with is reprised almost for a throwaway to encourage a reluctant confession. find more than a little irritating. (Philippe Duclos). ing mountebanks. He likes to think are eight million stories in the naked and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). He only vaguely supernatural overtones. joke. While well above the usual norm Gilou has been known to help him- Tintin is the procedures and paper- In the long-running US series Law of himself as the only honest man in city as the same story repeated, with wanted a hit. It was an unlikely match, That was the basic flaw: because he for contemporary horror it seems self from time to time when recover- work man, without whom, as we dis- and Order, the division between the Paris. Deep-down, though, he knows twists, time and time again. but the deal was made. couldn’t believe, he couldn’t make unlikely to displace The Shining from ing stolen goods. Well, he’s got bills to cover, the work of the team is fatally police investigation and the inevita- that he, too, is capable of bending the Enjoy! ■ The filming of The Shining is the the film believable to others.” He audience’s affections as a legendary pay, and on the money he makes, who undermined. But he is also impul- ble court case that follows is clear-cut. truth. If Molière had written the part stuff of legends. Kubrick spent over a concluded, damningly, “What’s basi- example of what happens when one of could blame him? But he is otherwise sive and brave, intervening more than One starts when the other stops. In of Roban – and I doubt he would have year making it, and filmed takes over cally wrong with Kubrick’s version cinema’s greatest directors turned his generous and good-hearted – the sort once to keep his more reckless col- Spiral, the two interweave through- done it any better than the actual Spiral, season 7, is available on BBC and over again, sometimes more than of The Shining is that it’s a film by a interest to the horror genre, to indeli- of man you would depend on to beat leagues from being beaten to a pulp. At out. Each needs the other to get the scriptwriters – the result would have iPlayer for the next month a hundred times. Jack Nicholson, man who thinks too much and feels bly frightening effect. ■ 20 CULTURE theconservative.online theconservative.online CULTURE 21 LOST CLASSIC The Paris of the Middle East has The Charterhouse reinvented itself by Stendhal by Mattie Brignal Lost Classic is the series in which we highlight great BEIRUT Despite its troubled past Beirut works that are under-appreciated or forgotten remains a romantic city full of of Parma cultural jewels arie-Henri Beyle, the He eventually contracted syphilis and praise, saying; “One sees perfection in experience, in Napoleon’s army. He French author who died, not of the disease, but more likely by Gerald Warner everything”. took part in the fateful 1812 Moscow lived from 1783 to 1842, overapplication of the toxic cure. Sixty years later Andre Gide campaign and was lucky to sur- was a “romantic real- The Charterhouse of Parma, pub- translator. It was like the return of an ranked Charterhouse as “the great- vive, shunning a conventional river Mist”. So, clearly of an oxymoronic lished in 1839, three years before his old, familiar friend – as if I had never est of all French novels”. In 1874 crossing outside Moscow during the bent and with an overactive sense death, holds me in the grip of nostalgia. left Stendhal’s romantic Parma. This Henry James found it to be “among retreat and fording the Berezina River of humour. He adopted the nom de I first acquired a copy in 1968 – an edi- classic, revisited after 50 years, did the dozen finest novels we possess”. instead. Those on the bridge were plume M. de Stendhal, officier de cava- tion in the original French (pretentious not disappoint. This was recognition on an unusual shot to pieces. Stendhal was an author liere from 1817 onwards, having fallen from the start) – bought to impress a The book has epic sweep, yet is global scale. forged in the frontline of battle. in love with a blonde, Wilhelmine, potential girlfriend. Result? The book founded on intimate, absorb- Why? The novel combines a Fabrice is a compelling character in Stendal – a town in the heart of impressed, but I did not. When she ing detail. At one level it sweeping narrative pace, study because his idealism is silhou- Germany, Saxony-Anhalt, 125 km to moved on, I consoled myself by actu- reads like a soap opera fascinating character- etted against the often-farcical reali- the west of Berlin. He added the “h” to ally reading the thing. – the hero escapes a isation and a sense ties of life. Arriving on the battlefield make correct German pronunciation Instantly, I was distracted from my tall tower, using a of “what the hell?” of Waterloo with a bad hangover, he more likely. temporary grief by Stendhal’s world long rope; a lover freshness. The falls asleep, misses most of the battle Prior to that he had assumed – diz- of military campaigns, chivalric deeds is wooed from words poured and wakes up unsure of who has won zyingly – up to 200 nom de plumes, and political intrigue. Latterly I also his cell window, out of Stendhal or lost. “Had I ever seen a battle? … publishing only one work under his read The Red and the Black, published using a complex in a torrent. He Had this battle been Waterloo?” own name, The History of Painting in in 1830, chronicling the attempts of system of sema- closeted himself The evil protector of a girlfriend is 1817. Wilhelmine, or Minette, his term a provincial youth to overcome his phore on sheets of away for 50 days murdered, so Fabrice finds himself fter the Second World War, en route to the seafront. But for high- role as a father, son and husband, runs worth skipping on any walking tour. of endearment for Miss W., was clearly humble background and rise above his paper. At another, in the autumn of locked up in the Farnese Tower. The Beirut was described as end dining, Liza is the best bet. It has until January. Downtown Beirut is comprised of cob- something special. She was his “star roots through a combination of talent, political intrigue, 1838 to emerge tri- obvious thing to do is fall in love with “the Paris of the Middle a quietly sophisticated Parisienne feel The National Museum of Beirut bled boulevards flanked by porticoed, WHAT TO DO of the north”. From then on Stendhal hard work, deception and hypocrisy. every bit as complex umphantly on Boxing the gaoler’s daughter, Clelia. Never East”. This golden age but despite its glamour it doesn’t try epitomises Lebanon’s identity as a cul- high-end boutiques and restaurants. TAWLET never adopted another nom de plume. Do I feel a blubbing political autobiog- as current European she- Day with a volume of 500 able to master the art of living as a free endedA with the outbreak of Lebanon’s too hard. The atmosphere is relaxed tural crossroads. Byzantine mosaics But the district is strangely empty and An all-you can eat However, he did, notoriously, adopt raphy coming on? nanigans, is played out in the pages. His characters are man, Fabrice paradoxically finds true devastating civil conflict in 1975. But and the food is excellent. sit next to human-faced Phoenician devoid of the élan of Beirut’s southern buffet cooked by a other stars of the opposite sex, reach- I did not return to my favour- fictitious court of Parma. Villains are vivid, sardonically human and politi- happiness in the tower, from which he Beirut is a city that has reinvented Beirut is a city to explore and get lost sarcophagi and a Roman-era marble districts. rotating cast of Syrian ing out to whole constellations – in the ite, Charterhouse, until last sum- ruthless, heroes are undaunted, maid- cally manipulative, a none too subtle can never quite stir himself to escape. itself while staying true to its historic in. Dotted in between modern apart- head of Bacchus. The story of the col- Instead, visit Beirut’s religious land- and Palestinian chefs. south, west and east and most other mer, when I happened across a 1999 ens – not many of those, mind you – combination of Italian passion and Stendhal is astonishingly easy to roots. With a wealth of cultural trea- ment blocks are reminders of the city’s lection itself, rescued during the civil marks. Lebanon has 18 recognised COOP D’ÉTAT points of the compass in between. translation by Richard Howard, are in distress. French worldliness. The freewheel- read in the original French. His lan- sures, culinary delights and a thriving violent past. Crumbling ochre Rococo war and then painstakingly restored, religious groups and a corresponding A rooftop terrace Stendhal was a notorious womaniser. an American poet, academic and Stendhal’s hero, Fabrice del Dongo, ing, driving plot makes for breathless guage flows naturally and his gram- nightlife Beirut is a supremely under- and Art Decco residences lie abandoned makes viewing the treasures all the abundance of distinctive mosques and with a pub-garden a headstrong, young, Italian aristocrat, reading. It is a book almost impossible with trees twisting through their win- more enjoyable. All these institutions churches. The Al-Hussain mosque feel. The stairs are matic constructions are concise. If rated travel destination. Its faded worth it for the view has – to put it mildly – a comprehen- to put down. the original French does not float colonial grandeur is more reminis- dows. Bombed beyond repair during the are cheap to enter, well-curated and on Martyr Square is the pick of the of the Beirut skyline. sive CV. Here is a barebones version Contemporary readers will be your boat, I recommend Mr. Howard’s cent of Havana than of Paris. And, like civil war, restoration isn’t financially refreshingly free of phone-wielding bunch. Its domed interior has the feel of the plot. Fabrice is an admirer of familiar with this restless, impetuous translation from the many avail- Havana, it is also a chaotic and beguil- viable. But the historical value of the crowds. of an 18th century ballroom, with a six- THE AMERICAN Napoleon, unusual for an Italian of style and the unruly emotions that able, including the definitive C.K. ing city of contrasts. ton crystal chandelier taking centre UNIVERSITY th OF BEIRUT the era, when France and Italy were at drive the characters. Stendhal is a 19 Scott Moncrieff’s 1925 version. The Beirut more than deserves its rep- stage. The St. George Greek Orthodox Wander through the war. He joins Napoleon’s army and sees century precursor of the WhatsApp Moncrieff is still perfectly readable, utation as the food capital of the Cathedral boasts stunning frescoes scenic grounds of action ranging across Europe. and Twitter generation. It may seem but not so idiomatically up to date. Levant. The perfect starting point is and is the oldest in the city. You’ll often Berkeley Campus Tourists are still considered somewhat with an Arab twist. The wayward Fabrice leaves an outdated classic, but Charterhouse Charterhouse’s reputation endured Armenia Street, the centre of Beirut’s stumble across churches by accident, th Napoleon’s service, then, inco- is written in a style today’s generation well into the 20 century. Improbably, vibrant bar scene. The area has a of a novelty in the city. The Lebanese are nestled in shabby side-streets. RAOUCHÉ ROCKS herently, becomes a prelate in the of reader – demanding instant gratifi- in a 1926 novel, Bella by Jean Giraudoux, southern European feel and an abun- inquisitive about where you’ve come from Beirut’s hotels cater to all tastes. Have a drink nearby Catholic Church. A prelate with no cation and pace of plot – will immedi- at a memorial service for schoolmates dance of quirky eateries and drink- The glamorous Le Bristol Hotel is Beirut’s iconic rock interest in religion, but plenty in and why you’re in Beirut. Hit the locals with a formation which is ately warm to. who fell in the Second World War, the ing holes. But if you want to escape centrally located and costs £104 a worth a good stare. women. His beautiful narrator hears the the maddening crowds, tuck yourself smattering of Arabic and you’ll be friends for night for a double room. The Villa Aunt Gina, Duchess voice of a young man away in Vyvyan’s, a smart cocktail bar life. I tried to buy an apple and two bananas Clara Boutique Hotel, an authen- CORNICHE BEIRUT of Sanseverina, and tormented by the perfect for a few tumblers of arak. tic Lebanese villa with beautiful 20s Stroll along the her lover, the devi- thought he had never One of the street’s lesser known from a tiny fruit shop. I was waved away – I décor comes in at £159 a night, expen- promenade and Charterhouse’s reputation endured well watch the sun ous, married, Prime read Charterhouse and gems is a restaurant called Enab. Its could just have them. This sums up Beirut: sive by Beirut’s standards but worth it set over the Minister of Parma, into the 20th century. Improbably, in pleading for a precis of pastel-coloured walls and glittering if you’re looking for somewhere off the Mediterranean. Watch Count Mosca, then try the book, “in a word,” chandeliers make it feel like you’re kind and casual. You won’t regret going. beaten track to retire to after a hard out for the jagal a 1926 novel, Bella by Jean Giraudoux, (wealthy posers). to establish the for- at a memorial service for schoolmates because “with the dead dining in an ornate doll’s house. day of exploring. But there are plenty mer soldier/prelate/ there are no sentences”. Mountainous plates of kibbeh, fat- houses has awarded them protected sta- Despite an abundance of tranquil of cheaper, homely hotels and guest BEIRUT OLD philanderer at court, who fell in the Second World War, the In mid war period liter- toush and tablouleh flow out from tus and the land cannot be used to build cultural attractions, Beirut is nei- houses to pick from. CITY WALK but a repellent Prince ary circles Stendhal’s the kitchen in an unending stream. lucrative high rises. So the buildings sit ther relaxing nor a city for the faint- Despite its culinary delights and Great for history Ranuce-Erneste IV, narrator hears the voice of a young man there in sad decadence, too beautiful to hearted. The Lebanese have a unique, gluttons who masterpiece was reg- Le Chef, an unpretentious establish- cultural wealth, it’s the people that want to cram in all who lusts after Gina, tormented by the thought he had never ularly evoked, even by ment serving traditional Lebanese destroy and too impractical to revive. It muscular driving style which adds will keep you coming back to Beirut. of the city’s key has Fabrice impris- read Charterhouse and pleading for a dying First World War and French cuisine, is a locals’ spot of is these gems that make walking Beirut’s spice to taxi rides and demands an In a country that has taken to the sites in a day. oned in the notorious soldiers. It was sim- choice and also well worth a visit. streets constantly exciting. equally confident road-crossing tech- streets in protest about a lack of jobs, Farnese Tower. precis of the book, “in a word,” because ply assumed that an South of Armenia Street is Nowhere is the echo of conflict more nique. Traffic lights are thought of as high poverty rates and mismanaged ST ELIAS AND ST GREGORY THE Being locked up in “with the dead there are no sentences”. obscure illusion to Al-Falamanki. Hidden behind an starkly apparent than in Beit Beirut, a suggestions and road markings as an public services, the generosity and ILLUMINATOR the tower does not Charterhouse would be understated, shuttered façade, the formerly grand residence turned snip- inconvenience but the city’s taxi driv- warmth of the city’s inhabitants is all ARMENIAN deter Fabrice, who embarks on his From the start, Fabrice is an impas- instantly recognised by readers. restaurant spills out into an atmo- ers’ lair straddling what was once the ers are veterans of this chaotic game. the more touching and genuine. CATHOLIC star-crossed love affair with the gaol- dividing line between East and West The horn is used with incredible ver- CATHEDRAL sioned rebel. As a teenager he defies At the end of the book Stendhal ded- spherically lit terrace overflowing Refreshingly, tourists are still con- A jewel of a church er’s daughter, Clelia, who boasts the his father and sneaks off to fight for his icates Charterhouse to “The Happy with vegetation. It is an oasis of calm Beirut during the civil war. The bul- satility and honking provides the sidered somewhat of a novelty in the with a stunning twin virtues of being beautiful – and hero, Napoleon. The episodes of this Few”. He knew his Shakespeare and it in a frantic city. The menu is a four- let-riddled building is well worth a sonic backdrop to Beirut’s loud and city. The Lebanese are inquisitive interior that’s dull. soldier’s life are detailed and reflect would seem discourteous to resist the page cornucopia of mezze dishes and visit for its own sake but also houses lively streets. The bustle of the Hamra about where you’ve come from and usually deserted. Charterhouse was hailed as a clas- the sheer day to day drudgery of mili- author’s overt invitation that read- the food is served against a backdrop a renovated gallery exhibiting art and Al Kantari districts in the north of why you’re in Beirut. Hit the locals DAY TRIPS sic on publication. Honoré de Balzac tary campaigns, artillery bogged down ers join his “band of brothers”. This is of clacking backgammon dice and installations which focus on the city’s the city is exhilarating and exhausting with a smattering of Arabic and you’ll OUTSIDE BEIRUT – Stendhal’s constant competitor in mud, the struggle for food, bitter teamwork. You, dear reader, are in the coils of shisha smoke. relationship with its turbulent past. If in equal measure. be friends for life. I tried to buy an Lebanon is tiny. for recognition by the French lit- weather, contradictory orders and the book. So, dust down that edition lan- Tasty street food is ubiquitous in you’re after more culture, the Sursock But the parts of Beirut to avoid are apple and two bananas from a tiny Take advantage erary establishment – in a lengthy Beirut, but Barbar in the city’s Hamra Museum houses an impressive collec- those that betray the city’s sense of and venture inland. necessary force of a will to live. War is guishing on the shelf and settle down fruit shop. I was waved away – I could Bcharre, Baalbek review which must stand as one of the detail, not glory. for a journey into your present day, district is a cut above the rest. It’s a tion of modern and contemporary art. commotion. The city’s souks are aspi- just have them. and Byblos are the bitchy literary world’s greatest acts Stendhal based this phase of courtesy of an author who was a mas- quality restaurant pretending to be a Picasso et la famille, an exhibition of rational, modern shopping centres This sums up Beirut: kind and star attractions. of disinterested generosity, lavished Fabrice’s life on his own military ter of the intrigues of his own. ■ fast-food outlet and worth frequenting his work which explores the artist’s without much charm and probably casual. You won’t regret going. ■ 22 CULTURE theconservative.online theconservative.online CULTURE 23

Our food critic visits the only Michelin-starred VERCELLI restaurant that SPEAKING CULTURE The rice capital of Europe specialises in risotto LANGUAGE DIGEST OF WINE The best of Europe’s art and culture by Guy Chatfield Art on Display. Formas de expor 1949-69 nd ne of the most attractive aspects of wine is that it has devel- Chineke! Orchestra Until 2 March 2020, Calouste th oped into a drink that can be enjoyed on a multitude of occa- Until 18 November, Gulbenkian Museum, Portugal Belzhazzar th O sions. For many wine-lovers it means a shared bottle of Eurogress, Aachen A half-centenary special: this Until 6 December, Opera Zurich Sauvignon Blanc with their Friday night family supper. Or a casual Britain’s orchestra dedicated exhibition takes the display of Written during George Frederick glass of Chilean Merlot in the pub or bar with friends. For others it is Black Nights Film Festival to “championing change and the museum’s opening in 1969 as Handel’s most productive st a cerebral exercise, the fun being in the analysis of how this particular Until 1 December, celebrating diversity in classical its inspiration. years in London, it draws on wine stands up to their own exacting criteria. various locations, Tallinn music” closes out a successful Charles Jennens’s libretto Throughout the couple of decades that I have been involved in this Returning for its 23rd edition, European tour in Aachen, with telling of the fall of Babylon. wonderful part of the drinks trade my enduring message has been and boasting over 400 film and music by Weber, Brahms, and Laurence Cummings conducts that wine should be convivial. It is there to be enjoyed with friends, animation screenings, and 50 a violin concerto by Samuel crack period band Orchestra La ideally with food, but always with people you want to share your pre- premieres, Tallinn’s annual film Dvořák 7 Coleridge-Taylor, an English Scintilla, and keep an eye out for st nd cious down-time with. If it takes your fancy to discuss it, then bash on festival is arguably the greatest 21 November & 22 November, composer who achieved such the vocal (and possibly physical) and do it. If it floats your boat to analyse the flavours that are making in Northern Europe, and never Brussels Philharmonic, Belgium success during his life he became acrobatics of countertenor and you salivate, go nuts. My reservation is that I’m not a huge fan of the fails to uncover the brightest in Brussels Philharmonic hosts known to New York musicians as occasional breakdancer Jakub navel gazing and the verbosity that sometimes slips into the conversa- the region. two pieces from the oeuvre of the “African Mahler”. Józef Orliński. tion about wine. In short, I have a real issue with much of the language Antonín Dvořák performed by that is used, particularly in the trade, for describing the flavour prop- cellist, and first Queen Elizabeth erties of this wonderful drink. Competition winner, Victor iedmont’s fame in the culinary di grana padano, grasso di grana Now, I am under no illusions: the creation of wine is just that, a Julien-Laferrière and Czech world is effortlessly estab- by Bruce Palling padano e ghee – a sublimely simple creative process; wine is a wonderful union of the environment the conductor Jiří Rožeň. P lished by its white truffles dish of plain risotto with a jus of grana grapes are grown in and the palatable skills of the winemaker. I sup- from Alba and red wines of Barolo and natural flavours remain the dish’s padano cheese and clarified butter. pose that in every facet of the creative world there will be colourful Barbaresco. What tends to be over- foundation. Their most unconven- The peperoni and anchovy were ways of describing the end product, it is just that in my time I have looked though is that it is also home tional dish is served in what looks like beautifully integrated into the dish, definitely heard some pretentious horrors. to the finest rice in all of Europe. Over an Andy Warhol Campbell’s soup tin giving the risotto a touch of crunch- It is obviously essential to differentiate the wine in the bottle from half of all rice produced in Europe but is labelled Costardi’s condensed iness. The rabbit and foie gras com- those in its peer group and although we are blessed with an incredibly originates in Piedmont and it comes tomato rice. The base is of basil pesto bination slightly overwhelmed the rich lexicon of language, the general state of affairs when it comes to almost entirely from the monoto- and tomato infused risotto with an risotto element but overall was irre- wine descriptions is pretty poor. On ninety percent of the high street nously flat fields surrounding Vercelli, extra dollop of pesto on the top. Thanks sistible. Strangely, the most accom- wine lists across Europe you will encounter the most prosaic repeti- just an hour northeast of Turin. to their first-rate ingredients and their plished dish of the evening was the tion while in many white-tablecloth restaurants, you can find descrip- Appropriately, Vercelli is also home careful cooking process, there is a wel- simplest – the plate of perfectly cooked tions that are flowery nonsense. Pierre Henry Jean-François Millet: Greco th th th to the only Michelin-starred restau- come intensity of flavours. cream coloured risotto with a spoon- For many years I have trained front of house staff to provide One of the Last Nights Richard Gerstl: From 20 to 24 November, Sowing the Seeds Until 10 February 2020, rant that specialises in risotto – Cinzia Although it is possible to only eat ful of semi-transparent jus in the cen- descriptions of wine under pressure. One of my key messages is that of Carnival Inspiration – Legacy Philharmonie de Paris of Modern Art Grand Palais, France th th th da Christian e Manuel – better known the risotto dishes, it is so filling that tre, a combination of clarified butter an over the top style of presentation will get you nowhere. The cus- Until 29 November, Until 20 January 2020, A long-overdue tribute to a Until 12 January 2020, This is the first of its kind as the Costardi Brothers. mixed with liquid extracted tomer will think those who attempt this are from a different planet Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris Leopold Museum, Austria pioneer of musique concrète, Van Gogh Museum, Netherlands in France: a retrospective With beards that birds from boiled Grana Padano and switch off immediately. A rare opportunity to witness Considered the first Austrian which will include a rare This is the first exhibition that dedicated entirely to the work could happily nest in and cheese. Its impact came My advice to staff in these situations is – when you want to describe one of Carlo Goldoni’s most Expressionist painter, Gerstl performance of La Dixième explores how the French painter of the iconographer, El Greco. an encyclopaedic display of Over half of all rice produced in from the simplicity of its wine – do your homework, i.e. taste the wine whenever possible adventurous, but infrequently receives the first monographic Symphonie; not his tenth influenced major artists such as Largely forgotten after his tattoos, they look like they creaminess with the mild- before service, then express its deliciousness in three or four words performed plays. Presented in exhibition in Austria for symphony, rather a tribute to Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet death, El Greco is now being would be more at home in Europe originates in Piedmont est taste of the cheese along only. This is not about pandering to the small attention spans of mil- period dress with popular music 25 years. His gestural Beethoven nine. There will also and Edvard Munch. Millet’s remembered at one of the last Shoreditch than a non-de- and it comes almost entirely with a sensation of hazel- lennials, or to the immediacy that we’re told so often people now of the time, expect a mischievous brush strokes and stylistic be an array of objects on display, radical painting technique great Renaissance artists, and script hotel near a traffic nuts from the clarified want. An honest and direct description of the fruit notes and addi- and scurrilous night in Venice, heterogeneity set a precedent including instruments and and depictions of peasant life one of the first of the Golden Age; junction in northern Italy. from the monotonously flat fields butter. tional flavours is all the modern consumer wants. brought to you courtesy of for artists to follow in the 19th devices he used in his Paris studio undoubtedly influenced modern the exhibition will feature many However, they are deadly surrounding Vercelli, just an hour It is possible to eat Most wine-lovers don’t want ordering wine to become a trial or a director Clément Hervieu-Léger. century. until his death two years ago. art as we know it. of his masterpieces. serious in their approach northeast of Turin. Appropriately, risotto with any number competition. Keep it simple and enjoy it. ■ to risotto, offering tasting of wines but we were for- menus plus nearly 20 dif- Vercelli is also home to the only tunate enough to have ferent risotto dishes all for Michelin-starred restaurant that some of a stunning Gaja £20 each. Barbaresco 2009 and an Christian explains that it specialises in risotto – Cinzia da even more serious vin- didn’t take much reflection Christian e Manuel – better known tage Barolo Triumviratum ACROSS 45. E. Afr. nation 12. Extreme dryness to choose this path: “It’s as the Costardi Brothers. 2001 from Michele Chiarlo. 1. Hussy 46. Zilch 13. Nickname Both of them are from the 6. Banana split ingredient 47. Eulogies 16. Yards’ kin very simple - we were born 14. ___ Gay, W.W.II plane 49. “...like ____ on a hot tin 20. Viperlike and brought up in the land of rice, so after three you will feel like burst- Nebbiolo grape, which has the neces- 15. Department store giant shack” (The Cult lyrics) 23. Not effective we have a responsibility to focus on ing. There are a number of other sary tannic backbone to cleanse the pal- 17. “___ be done” 50. Two-event events 24. Bird-feeder block it in our restaurant. Unlike in most ambitious dishes, such as a fillet of ate after each mouthful. Nervi, a local (optimist’s opinion) 52. Causing harm 27. Untagged, in a game restaurants, we also make a point raw red mullet with miso and grated Gattinara vineyard, recently acquired 18. Polish application 55. Authors Ferber and 31. Take out a sword of not demanding that it is not just liver on top or veal sweetbreads in by renowned Barolo producer Giacomo 19. Some offsprings’ O’Brien 33. Small bird offspring 56. Royal Scottish Museum 34. Change the title of served in portions for two people.” Marsala sauce. All excellent but Conterno provided a relatively cheaper 21. Do magazine work location 35. Veggie sandwich item Their approach is different to con- the point is to explore their risotto option that was almost as good. 22. Feminine pronoun 57. Emblem 36. Hyperactivity ventional methods – they don’t cook options. Visually, the region is not exactly 23. “A pretty girl ____ 58. Living it up medication it on a base of fried onions or other There were three on offer on my exciting, consisting of endless sau- a melody...” 59. Letters before tees 38. ‘70s family pop group products such as carrots, celery or first night – Carnaroli peperoni, acci- cer-like fields. There is however, a 25. Typewriter key 39. Neologism 26. Chinese lake DOWN 40. Accumulates even wine before the rice is actually uga e maggiorana (risotto with pep- superb rice museum located within 28. Summon up, as courage 1. Gym items 42. Rosie Perez or cooked. Christian believes that “it is eroni, anchovy and marjoram); Riso Buono, the Guidobono Cavalchini 29. Rds. 2. Implore Jennifer Lopez difficult when you add cold white wine carnaroli, bocconcini di coniglio, foie family estate. Directly opposite, there 30. Traveling group of 3. Food package claim 44. Nigerian novelist to the dish as it creates a temperature gras, crema di formaggi piemontesi is a world-class sculpture museum actors 4. Common interest groups Chinua ___ drop, which stops the rice from cook- e riduzione di vino (risotto with rab- called Materima, founded by Turin- 32. 52-wk. units 5. Single or red follower 48. As ____ the hills 33. Stuff like that 6. To the extent that 50. Epstein–____ virus ing, so the grains crystallise and the bit, foie gras and cream of Piedmont based gallery owner, Nicola Loi. When 34. .ZIP alternative 7. Natalie portrayer Mindy 51. “Picnic” playwright inside is not properly cooked.” cheese) and Nuove Memorie - brodo you have had your risotto experience, 37. Fight back 8. Love deity 53. “Pygmalion” author’s They also only use veg- you can always drive a bit 38. Goose, in Spain 9. B-F connection monogram etable stock in the cook- further and visit the vine- 41. More diabolical 10. Feed format for blogs 54. Pre-___ (marriage Christian and Manuel Ristorante plus Hotel Cinzia 43. “Take ____ Train” 11. Merman and Mertz document) ing process and add further christianemanuel.it Menus from: yards or experience Alba ingredients at the end to €70 - €130. Rooms (quite basic) €85 - €140 truffles if they are in sea- ensure that the risotto’s son. ■ & sudoku crossword LEADING EUROPE’S CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT

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