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6FEBRUARY2021 |ISSUE 1317 |£3.99 THE BESTOFTHE BRITIS Thevaccine wars An embarrassmentfor theEU?

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9771362 343166 ALL YOUNEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING THATMATTERS theweek.co.uk 2 NEWS The main stories…

What happened What the editorials said Vaccine wars The Commission’s vaccine programme has provided “the best possible advertisement for Brexit”, said DieZeit (Hamburg). Ursula von der Leyen,the European “It is acting slowly,bureaucraticallyandina Commission president, defended the slow roll- protectionist manner. And if something goes out of Covid-19 vaccines acrossthe EU this wrong, it’s everyone else’s fault.” Its blunders week, and suggested that nations which had are causing serious damage not just to the EU’s moved faster had compromised on “safety and citizens –bydelaying the vaccine roll-out –but efficacy”. The Commission, which negotiated also to its image in the world. The decision to the bloc’s vaccine purchases, has been greatly invoke Article 16 of theNorthernIreland criticised over delays to delivery. By midweek, protocol, overriding Brexitarrangements, the EU had administered just three doses per was a“serious misjudgement”, said The Irish 100 people, compared to ten in the US, and Times. It’s extraordinarythat von derLeyen 15 in the UK. Jens Spahn, the German health should have waded into this ultra-sensitive area minister, said it wouldbe“at least another ten without even consulting Dublin. tough weeks”before vaccine shortages eased. The vaccine programme has shown Britain Last week,the Commission became embroiled at its best(see page24), and the EU“at its in arow withAnglo-Swedish drug maker Von der Leyen: under pressure worst”, said TheObserver. “In order to AstraZeneca, which had announcedthat it demonstrate EU ‘solidarity’ and the power could supply only 31 million of the80million doses of the of thesingle market”, all 27 memberstates were involved in Oxford vaccineorderedbythe EU forthe first quarter. The the acquisitionprocess.Inevitably, this slowed it up:anEU EU imposed restrictions on vaccine exports to othernations, contract with AstraZeneca, ready in June, wasn’t signed until including the UK – adecisioncriticisedbythe WHO. The August (three months after the UK’s). Other orderswere held Commission also tried to impose controls at the Irish border, up amid haggling overpriceand liability issues – mere details by triggeringaclause in the Brexit agreement. Both Boris in a pandemic. Europe’s medicines regulator has also Johnsonandthe Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin expressed “dithered”, too: the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was only “deep unhappiness”, and the decision was abruptlyreversed. approved last week.The EU must “get its house in order”.

What happened What the editorials said

The coup in Myanmar This was “not a coupd’état in theconventional sense”, said The Times. Themilitary already pulled the strings in Myanmar’s armed forces stagedadramatic Myanmar.Its generals drafted the 2008 early morning coup this week, returning the constitution by which the country is governed; fledgling democracy to military rule. Min the army is guaranteed aquarter of seats in Aung Hlaing,anarmy general, assumed parliament and controlsthree of themost control of the country and declaredaone- powerful ministries. But the militaryhad failed year state of emergency on Monday,hours to grasp howunpopularithas become, in the after AungSan Suu Kyi and other members wakeofSuu Kyi’s triumph in the country’s of the ruling NationalLeague for first democratic election in 2015. And even Democracy (NLD)party she leads had been though observersdeemed November’s elections detained in pre-dawn raids. In November, fair, saidthe South ChinaMorning Post, the the NLD had trounced arival, army-backed generalscried foul. Alas, the depressing turn of party in ageneral election which military events that has followed“rolls back the clock” and opposition figures claimed was rigged. on yearsofhard-wonpolitical reforms. Suu Kyi: “trumped-up” charges The coup –inacountry which had been But much has changed since the army first took ruled by the military for50years until 2011 –was swiftly power in Myanmar in 1962, said the FT. The West is better condemned by foreign leaders, including Boris Johnson. able to putpressure on rogue regimes with targetedsanctions, Neither Suu Kyi nor her loyal ally, PresidentWin Myint, and the nation is now steeped in pro-democracy activism. have been seensince themilitary tookcontrol; theyboth “The flameofMyanmar’sdemocracy burnt in darkness for face criminalcharges widely condemned as trumped-up. years. Evennow,itmay nothave been entirely extinguished.”

It wasn’tall bad ASwedish nurse has been AJewish man has bequeathed selected to be the sole asizeablechunk of his fortune The number of people attendee at Scandinavia’s to the French village whose diagnosed with the flu has biggest film festival this residents hid him and his family plunged by 95% in England this year. The Gothenburg film during the Second World War, year, to levels not seen for 130 festival has chosen to go despite the risk to their own years. In the second week of ahead despite the lives. Eric Schwam, who died January –usually the season’s pandemic, and selected aged 90 on Christmas Day, is peak –GPs reported aflu rate of Lisa Enroth from 12,000 believed to have left s2m to 1.1 per 100,000, compared with applicants to spend a the remote mountain village of afive-year average of 27. In the week on the remote island Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, which same week, at atimewhen of Pater Noster watching gave shelter to 3,500 Jews there are usually thousands of every film. “In healthcare, during the war. Schwam and serious cases, zero flu patients Iseem to have spent ages listening, testing and consoling. Ifeel his family arrived in 1943 and were admitted to hospital. like I’m drained of energy,” she said. “The wind, the sea, the stayed until 1950. In his will, he Experts credited better hygiene, possibility of being part of atotally different kind of reality for a said the gift was an expression good flu jab uptake and social week –all this is really attractive.” She will keep adaily video diary of his gratitude, and suggested distancing for the drop. that will appear on the festival’s website. it be spent on youth services.

COVER CARTOON: NEIL DAVIES THE WEEK 6February 2021 …and how they were covered NEWS 3

What the commentators said What next? The EU’s target of vaccinating 70% of all adults across the bloc by the summer looks “remote”, AstraZeneca haspromisedto said Ido Vockinthe New Statesman. AstraZeneca, Pfizer andModerna are all reporting delays supply an extra nine million to Europe’s supply.One Frenchvaccine, from Sanofi,has been delayed; another has failed.So vaccine doses tothe EU by the continent’s hopesincreasingly rest on the one-jabvaccine produced by Johnson &Johnson, March, says BBC News –still which maybereadybyApril. But even so, Brussels “still has astrong argument in favour of its only abouthalf of the initial vaccineprocurement strategy”: without the EU’s joint scheme, the vaccine warfare playingout target. It says itwas only ever between the EU and UK might now be playing out between all 27member states.“Going it obligedtomake its “best alone” would have been a disaster,particularly for the smaller, poorer nations. reasonable efforts” tosupply the jab. That doesn’t excuseits behaviour, said Robert TaylorinThe DailyTelegraph. “The EUwas so disgusted that Britain was zooming along inthe vaccine fast lane” that it threatened the Both France and Germany NorthernIreland settlement it had “spent thelast four years preaching about”. European have said they won’t givethe leaders have also irresponsibly promoted baseless rumours about theefficacy of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine AstraZeneca jab,while simultaneously demanding more of it from British factories, said Tom to over-65s, citing a lack of Chivers on UnHerd. Nevertheless, it’s crucial that “we keep the EU sweet”, rather than starting data for the age group. areal war. “Vials, reagents, nucleotide bases and so on are all made in different places, and if Belgium has restricteditto countries stop cooperating, itsuddenly gets muchworse for everyone.”Hence, presumably, the under-55s, and Switzerland complete absence of “crowing” or angry rhetoric from the British Government,said Dominic has declined toapprove it Lawson in The Sunday Times. No oneissaying,“we told you so”, or“hands off our vaccine”. for now. However, new trial evidence published in The “The last year has shown that even in this globalised age,the nation state trumps the market,” Lancet suggests the vaccine said JamesForsythinThe Times. In the past,itwas often assumed that the location ofyour provides 76% protection manufacturing didn’t matter. Therecent scramble for vaccines and PPE has shownotherwise. after just one jab, and82% There are only afewdozen large-scalevaccine bioreactors in theworld. Six are based here, after asecond shot 12 weeks which is whyvaccinescanbemade at such pace. Around two-thirds of our PPE is now being later. The results alsoshow madeinthe UK. But in the long run, these new trends pose potential risks for Brexit Britain,a that it has a“substantial” nation stuck between the EU and theUS, “two largeeconomies with protectionist tendencies”. effect on transmission.

What the commentators said What next? “Few reputations in history havemoved between such extremes as thatofAung San SuuKyi,” Suu Kyi hasbeencharged said Richard Lloyd Parry in The Times. The 15 years of house arrest she endured under military with possessing illegally rule sawher celebrated as a“paragon of peacefulresistance”; her party’s landslideelection win imported walkie-talkies, in 2015 wascheered around theworld. Yet twoyears later, she was virtually apariah. The and could facetwoyears murderous ethnic cleansing of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim population –and her defence of in jail, while President Win the army responsible forit–appalled manyofher former admirers. But it shouldn’t have come Myinthas been charged as asurprise, said Salil Tripathi in ForeignPolicy.Suu Kyi, 75, alwaystried to keep themilitary with breachingcoronavirus on side: she even picked aBurmese martial song on DesertIsland Discs,reminding us that her laws by meeting people on father founded the Burmese army and that soldiers are “part of my family”.The generals, the campaign trail. Health though, saw it differently. Having seen their chosen party trounced in November’s election, they workers in 70 hospitals feared thebalance of power had tippeddecisively in Suu Kyi’s favour –and made theirmove. have warned they will not work under the military Suu Kyi’s appeasement of the military was afailurefromwhich her reputationmay never regime –asign of growing recover, said Adam Simpson in TheConversation. Yether arrest is nonetheless badnews for discontent over thecoup. hercountry, where poverty is entrenched and deepethnic andreligious divisions persist. “It is Military chiefs say elections the ordinary people of Myanmar who will suffer theconsequences,”agreed Mark Almond in will be held in ayear. But the Daily Mail. Andthe chances of neighbouring countries stepping in to help them look slim. that hasn’t satisfiedthe Cambodia and Thailand turned ablind eye to events, while Chinaisawilling guarantor of dic- international community: tatorships. Like it or not, hopes of restoring democracy now rest on adeal being struck between Britain hasthreatened to the army andSuu Kyi, said Vasuki Shastry in The Guardian. If thatdoesn’t happen, Myanmar withdrawaid, andthe US is likely to face prolonged unrest. After all, if November’s elections proved anything, it’sthat to impose sanctions on the “ordinary Burmese haveenjoyed the democraticdividend and are notabout to giveitup”. coup’s leaders.

Editor-in-chief: Caroline Law What was it about Tom Moore that so captivated the nation back Editor: Theo Tait THEWEEK in April? His cheerful resolve, as he walked 100 lengths of his Deputy editor: HarryNicolle Executive editor: LaurenceEarle City editor: JaneLewis Assistanteditor: Robin de Peyer garden before his 100th birthday to raise money for the NHS, was Contributing editors: Simon Wilson, RobMcLuhan, Catherine Heaney,DigbyWarde-Aldam, TomYarwood, admirable; but no one could have predicted the outpouring of affection for him that followed. Having WilliamSkidelsky Editorial staff: Anoushka Petit, Tigger Ridgwell,Sorcha Bradley, Aine O’Connor Editorial set himself atargetof£1,000, he raised £33m; he released aNo. 1single, and wrote amemoir. He assistant: Asya Likhtman Picture editor: Xandie Nutting Art director: NathalieFowler Sub-editor: TomCobbe was promoted, and he was knighted. For months, he was rarely out of the news: he even posed, Production editor: AlannaO’Connell elegantly, for the cover of GQ. That interview was conducted by Stuart McGurk, who this week Editorialchairman and co-founder: Jeremy O’Grady ProductionManager: Maaya Mistry Production Executive: tried to define the centenarian’s particular appeal. In person, Captain Tom was modest, funny and Sophie Griffin Newstrade Director: DavidBarker DirectMarketing Director: Abi Spooner thoughtful, he wrote, but “most of all, Iwas struck by the kind of indomitable sunny spirit that’s easy Account Manager/Inserts: JackReader Classified: Henry Haselock Account Directors: Jonathan Claxton, Joe Teal, to claim, but hard to fake”. It was not bravado, or astiff upperlip, but a“character trait, one he was Hattie White AdvertisingManager: Carly Activille GroupAdvertising Director: CarolineFenner blessed to be blessed with and one he blessed everyone else with too”. During the warm, sunny Founder: Jolyon Connell days of the first lockdown, we were encouraged by the sight of the slender, smartly dressed war ChiefExecutive, The Week: Kerin O’Connor ChiefExecutive: JamesTye veteran, hunched determinedly over his walking frame. His death with Covid, during the cold and DennisPublishingfounder: FelixDennis rain of the third lockdown, is likely to have an equivalently demoralising effect on aweary nation. Butthe spiritofthis good man, whose long life ended with atruly remarkable year, should continue THE WEEK Ltd,asubsidiary of Dennis, 31-32 Alfred to inspire. “I’ve always believed things will get better,” he said in December. “The Place, London WC1E 7DP. Tel: 020-3890 3890 Caroline Law Editorial: 020-3890 3787 Sun will shine again, the birds will sing and we’ll all have alovelyday tomorrow.” Email: [email protected]

Subscriptions:0330-333 9494; [email protected]©DennisPublishing Limited 2021. Allrights reserved. The Week is aregistered trademark. Neither the whole of this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval systemortransmittedinany form or by any means without the writtenpermission of the publishers 6February 2021 THE WEEK 4 NEWS Politics

Controversy of the week Testing for new variant Ministers have ordered door- Wild times on Wall Street to-door testing in eight postcode areas of England, The trading frenzy over shares in the ailing US video games where cases of the more retailer GameStop has to be the most sensational business infectious South African story of our age, saidRanaForoohar in theFT(see page 46). variant of the coronavirus It’s aDavid and Goliath tale in which the bigbeasts of Wall have been detected in people Street were humbledbya“flash mob” ofamateur day traders with no travel link to the – agroup of people who, rather likethe rioterswho stormed country. Residents of those the US capitol,feltpowerless in theface of “a system of areas have been urged to only leave their homes when American oligopoly” and sorose uptostrike a blow againstit. it is essential to do so. The GameStopwas acompany that lookedset to die, said Kenan “surge” testing, of 80,000 MalikinThe Observer.Ithashad to close 450 outlets because people, which also involves mobile clinics and home kits, its core business isselling games on disc, whereas gamersprefer is taking place in parts of increasinglytodownload them online.Andsensing blood,the Merseyside, three London bighedge funds have for some years been “shorting” the “Roaring Kitty”: not just idealism boroughs, Kent, Surrey, company – sellingGameStop shares thatthey’veborrowed but Hertfordshire and the West don’tactually own, waiting for the price to fall, then buying the same quantity of shares at far lower Midlands. Tests are also cost andreturning them to the lender.Asaresult,the company’s stock nosedivedfrom $56 ashare in being conducted in parts of 2013 to between$3and $10 ashare formuch of last year. But two weeks ago something extraordin- Bristol and Liverpool where ary happened, said Tom Leonard in the Daily Mail. The struggling video game seller’s stock price mutations have been found skyrocketed. By the end of January, it had hit a highof$483and thecompanywas valued atabout in the original and Kent strain of the virus. $10bn–morethan American Airlines. And astheprice soared various hedge fundsfound themselves in deep trouble:insteadofbuying back the shares they’d borrowed at a lower price, they nowhad to Visa scheme launches do so at a massively higher one. In total, short sellersare believed to have lost $19bn on GameStop. Ascheme that offers visas to So “a ragingmob ofangry small-time retail investors”brought down the “short-selling money live and work in the UK to the bags”,said Jeremy Warner in The DailyTelegraph.Andone should raise a cheerforthem: it is a five million residents of Hong Kong who hold aBritish victory for the small guy. These day traders do mostoftheir trades on a commission-freeonline National Overseas passport platform called Robinhood and compare notes on WallStreetBets, amessage board on Reddit. A (BNO) went live this week. band of them, led by a trader whose YouTube name is “Roaring Kitty”, hadbeen cooking up ways The scheme, which offers a of putting the squeeze on short sellers for months, said Derek Thompson in TheAtlantic.But their pathway to citizenship, was detailed plan to buy up GameStop’sstock and push up the price wasn’t just an act ofhigh-minded unveiled last year following revenge;they saw it as “a tasty investment”. Andfor some it certainly was, saidJack RivlininThe Beijing’s imposition of new Spectator:theuserwhofirst pitched GameStop on Reddit has seenhis investment of $50,000 peak national security laws on the at $50m.Solet’snot get too sentimental about the WallStreetBets crowd. They’re mostly bored territory. Last week, the Hong young men addicted to risky bets. As this one turned out to be, said JosephRachman on Reaction. Kong authorities retaliated by declaring that BNOs were life. This week the stock price crashed, after Robinhood, fearful it couldn’t meet its obligations, had no longer regarded as valid to put ahalt to trading in GameStop shares. Andsoweendup with thefamiliar story where thefew travel documents for whobuy early and sell early “make fortunesatthe expenseofthe laggards”, said Ross Clark in The entering or leaving the city. Spectator. What we’vehere is not anoblepopulist crusade, but “aPonzischeme in moral clothing”.

Good weekfor: Spirit of the age HMRC, with reports that five top music acts have contributed Poll watch Online giants such as more than £50m to the public finances in ayear. According to 17% of Britons believe the Amazon have so increased The Sunday Times TaxList, Ed Sheeran is the largestpop star country will be able to open their deliveries in the taxpayer: he paid£28.2m. Adele,Queen,Robbie Williams and up as normal by the spring. pandemic that small The Beatles were theother big contributors. 67% of men and 58% of retailers are struggling GeorgeOsborne, whoissimplifying hisprofessional life by women say they would like to buy enough cardboard givingupsomeofhis manypart-time jobs to become afull-time life to return to exactly how boxes. Jawbone Brewing, a it was before the pandemic. craft brewery in southwest banker.The ex-chancellor hasbeenmade apartneratboutique 23% of men and 31% of London, told the BBC that firm RobeyWarshaw. He will leavethe London Evening women say they would not. they’d had to ask customers Standard andthe US investment managerBlackRock next month. BritainThinks/Sunday Times to bring their own boxes. Contagion, the 2011 film about aglobal pandemic, withreports that it helped inspireMattHancock’s response to the current 40% of Britons say they are Ealing Council’s attempt crisis. Apparently, theHealth Secretary oftenreferencedthe film doing less exercise during to “decolonise” its streets in meetings, citing in particular asceneillustrating theimportance this lockdown than the has not proved simple. In first one, and only 13% are Southall, Havelock Avenue of havingnot just avaccine, butadequatesupplies of it. exercising more. 19% are –named for Sir Henry Jared Kushner, DonaldTrump’s son-in-law,who wasnomi- watching more TV; 13% are Havelock, who led the relief natedfor aNobel PeacePrize forhis work in the Middle East. watching less. Athird are of Lucknow –was recently His name was put forwardbyAlanDershowitz, in hiscapacity working more, but time renamed after Guru Nanak, as emeritusprofessor at Harvard Law School. Thousands of spent on volunteering and thefounder of Sikhism. peoplehave theright to submitnominations, andbeing nomi- hobbies has decreased. There hadbeen aconsul- nated does notimply theendorsementofthe Nobel Committee. UCL/BBC tation in the largely Punjabi community, but some Sikh If the coronavirus vaccine leaders accused the council Bad week for: became available to them of cultural appropriation, Foreign holidays, after DowningStreet insiders warned that for free, only 41% of for naming astreetafter a there was littleprospect of Britons being able to traveloverseas Americans said they’d get figure who is regarded as this summer. “Internally the view is that UK holidays may be it as soon as possible. a“manifestation of God”. KFF/Times possible, butgoing abroad is very unlikely,” said asource. OUTUBE ©Y

THE WEEK 6February 2021 The UK at aglance NEWS 5

Edinburgh Coventry Back to school: Nicola Sturgeon has announcedaphased Urban airport: The world’s first reopeningofschools for Scotland’s youngest schoolchildren. The urban airport specifically for First Minister told MSPs on Tuesday that nursery-age children, cargo drones and “flyingcars” and those in primary years 1-3 would return from 22 February (verticaltake-off andlanding –assumingcoronavirus rates continue to fall.She added that there vehicles) is to openinCoventry would also be averylimited return forseniorpupils to allow for later this year, as part of its UK the practical work necessary for some courses. But she warned City ofCulture celebrations. adultswould have to live with restrictionsfor longer: thecurrent The airport,known as Air lockdownwillremain in place atleast until the end of themonth, One, isonlytemporary: it will while travellers arriving from outside the UKwill be subject to a be used to demonstrate how air-taxisand thelikewould function “managed quarantine” systemtoprevent new strains of thevirus in built-upenvironments; but the firmbehind it hopeseventually from reaching Scotland. Sturgeon alsoconfirmed610,778 Scots to createapermanent facility in Coventry–and to roll out the had so far received their first dose ofaCovid vaccine, andthat the concepttocities worldwide.The projectwas awarded a £1.2m country was ontrack tovaccinate all over-70s by mid-February. government grant, andisalso being backed by Hyundai.

Whitehaven, Cumbria Mine objection: The Government hasbeen rebuked byits own climate change advisersforallowing the construction of theUK’s first deep coal minein30 years.The colliery, nearWhitehaven, is scheduled to extract 2.78 million tonnes of coking coal ayearfor useinsteel production. Its advocates pointout that itwillcreate 500 jobs directly, and 2,000 more in thesupply chain;and that the UK cannot produce steel without coking coal. Cumbria CountyCouncilapproved itlastyear, andCommunities Secretary Robert Jenrick declined to intervene. But last Saturday, Lord Deben, chairofthe Climate Change Committee, said that Jenrick’s failure tocallinthe plan for further scrutiny gave a “negative impressionofthe UK’s climate priorities”.

Manchester Racist abuse: Manchesterpolice have launched an investigation into theonline racist abuse that was levelled at several black footballers last week. Man United’s Marcus Rashford (right) described the abuse hehad received, following his match againstArsenalon30January,as “humanity and social media at its worst”, but declined to makeitpublic, saying “I have beautiful children of all colours following me andthey don’t need to read it”. Chelsea’s Reece James and West Brom’s RomaineSawyers were also targeted. CultureSecretary Oliver Dowden has vowed to do more to tackle the problem.

Belfast Post-Brexitthreats: Inspectionsofanimals and animal-based food products at Larne and Belfast portswere suspended onMonday amid concerns forthe safety of theofficials carrying out the post-Brexit checks. The PoliceService of Northern Irelandhad previouslywarned thatthe terms ofthe Northern Irelandprotocol –which keeps theprovince withinthe singlemarket–were causing discontent in loyalistcommunities in particular. It said the “signals” includedcommentsonsocial media,but alsothe appearance of new graffiti referring to the IrishSea border, and describing port staffas“targets”. Staff had also reportedseeing “suspiciousactivity” around theports,includingpeople apparentlytaking down their carnumber plates.

Stansted, Essex London “No case to answer”: Fifteen human rights activists whobroke Diggingin: The veteran eco-warrior Dan Hooper (akaSwampy) into Stansted Airport in 2017 to stop adeportationflight have and his16-year-old sonwereamong nine activistsholed up in a wonanappeal against their convictions. In anon-violent protest, tunnel outsideEuston Station this week, as partofacampaign to the “Stansted 15” locked themselves together on therunway to highlightthe numberofwoodlandsthat will be destroyedduring prevent therepatriation of 57 detaineestoGhana andNigeria. the construction of HS2. Activists hadbeencamped outinEuston They were convicted the followingyearofendangering the safety Square Gardens,nearthe planned terminus, for months, during of an aerodrome –aterror-relatedoffence that carriesamaximum which time they secretlydug a100ft tunnelnetwork. Agroup term of life in prison.However, in ajudgment handed down last occupied it last week, and said they were readytostay therefor Friday, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett of Maldon, said the the“long haul” –despite attempts by HS2’s bailiffs to evict protesters shouldnot have been chargedwith thatoffence, them.There have beenanumber of collapses, andtheyhave been because their conduct “did not satisfy” its various elements. warned they couldsuffocate or drown. Hooper said he’d tried to RBAN AIR PORT/SWNS “Intruth,”headded,they had“no case to answer.” dissuade hisson from joining him in thetunnel, to no avail. ©U

6February 2021 THE WEEK

Europe at aglance NEWS 7

Brussels Frankfurt, Warsaw Restive continent: Thousands of people Germany Abortionlaw: Poland’s right-wing took to the streets of cities across Europe Assassinjailed: government hasimplemented acourt last week, to vent their frustration at AGerman neo- ruling that imposes anear-total ban on ongoing lockdown restrictions. Police Nazi has been abortion, prompting renewed protests arrested hundreds ofpeople in Brussels, sentenced to life across thecountry. The rulingwasmade Vienna andBudapest; there werealso in prisonfor the in October, but the government held off protestsinAmsterdam –but norepeat assassinationof formalising it then, in theface of mass of the anti-curfew riots that spreadacross WalterLübcke, pro-choice demonstrations that morphed tencities in theNetherlands lastweek (see acentre-right into a broader anti-government protest.It page 16). In Budapest,ademonstration politician who hadsignalled awillingness to compromise, wasled by workers in thehospitality backed Angela but last week it went ahead with imple- sector,who areangry thatpubs, clubs and Merkel’s welcome menting the law,which bans abortion restaurants remain closed, although some to refugees. In aspeechin2015, Lübcke– except in casesofrape, incestorwhere shops have been allowedtoopen. Hungary the head of a regional council, and a the woman’s life is indanger. The mainly hasbeen subject to alockdown since 11 member of theCDU–hadsaid that giving Catholic nationalreadyhad someof November,and thegovernment says that refugetothe vulnerable was a German Europe’s strictest abortion laws. Only mass vaccination willbethe only route value, and that anyone who did notshare around 2,000 legal terminationsare out. Hospitality workers also protested in such values could leave.Hereceived carried out thereeachyear. Bulgaria. In Vienna,around 5,000 people severaldeath threats before being shot defiedlockdown rules to attend a “walk” dead at hishome near Kassel in June 2019. organised by the far-rightFreedomParty. His killer, Stephan Ernst, 47 (above), Austria’s lockdown has beenextended had a long history of racist violence, to 7 February. In Slovenia,protesters and of involvement with far-right demanded the reopening of schools. and neo-Nazi groups.

Paris Macron under pressure: President Macron resisted callstoimpose a new national lockdown last weekend, and instead further closedFrench borders. Non- essential travel from outside the EU is now prohibited, and travellers from withinthe EU mustpresentanegative PCR testtobe admitted. He also ordered the closure of large shopping centres;however, schools remain open. France is currentlyrecording around 447 Coviddeaths a day, far fewer than in the UKandGermany.However, only 36% of votershave confidencein Macron’s handling of the pandemic; and last week, apoll of voting intentions in the secondroundofpresidential elections due nextyearput him only fourpoints ahead ofMarineLePen,the leader of the far-right National Rally party. Thisweek, shesaid hisborder closures had come too late,saying she had been calling for a shutdown “since the beginning”.

Lisbon Covid surge: Portugal’s healthservice has been overwhelmed by adramatic surge in Moscow Covid-19 cases,blamedbythe country’s Navalnyjailed: TheRussiananti-corruption leaders on the rapid spread of themore campaigner Alexei Navalny wasjailed for contagious “British”variant andthe three-and-a-halfyears this week,for viola- relaxation of restrictions over the ting parole conditions by failing to reportto Christmas holiday. HospitalsinAustria the police last autumn. His lawyers saidthe have agreed to take somecritically ill charge was ridiculous: he couldnot have Portuguesepatients, andGermany is reported to the police because at that time, sending militarymedicsand equipment he wasinGermany beingtreatedfor nerve to help ease thecrisis. Portugal fared agent poisoning widelybelieved to have been relatively well in the first wave last spring, carried out by Russiansecurity services. Theparoleconditions relatedtohis conviction but the rates of infection,hospitalisation for fraud in 2014 on charges he insists were fabricated. In acombative address to the anddeath haverisendramaticallythis court,Navalnysaid that thePutin regime was putting “one person behind bars to year. Some 45% of all the deaths recorded scare millions”,and mockedthe president as “Vladimir the Poisoner of Underpants”. in Portugal since the pandemic began were More than 1,400 Navalnysupporters were arrested by security forcesinMoscow recorded in January. Andatthe start of and St Petersburg followingthe courtverdict, to addtothe 5,600orsodetained this week,the country, whichhas a during protests in cities acrossRussia at theweekend. Navalnywas arrested last populationoften million, hadthe highest month, on his arrival back in Russia. At thatpoint,hereleased avideo purporting number of cases anddeaths in theworld, to show Putin’s $1bn mansion on the Black Sea. This week,abillionaire friend of per capita. PM António Costa said the president came forwardtoclaim the sprawling property belongedtohim. Portugalhad entered a“terrible” stage.

Catch up with daily news at theweek.co.uk 6February 2021 THE WEEK 8 NEWS The world at aglance

BeaverCreek, Yukon New York Vaccinecheats: A multimillionaire Deaths “undercounted”: The death toll from Covid-19among couple who travelled from their home nursinghome residentsinthe state of New Yorkmayhavebeen in Vancouvertoan isolatedcommunity far more than theofficial countof8,700, according to anew in Yukon province,for the sole purpose report. Attorney General Letitia James re-examined data from of havingCovid jabsintended for homes,and found that officials had“severely undercounted” vulnerable and elderly indigenouslocals deaths, in part becausethey’d excludedresidentswhodiedafter have become hate figures in Canada. beingtransferred tohospitals. Separately,New York governor CasinobossRodney Baker and his Andrew Cuomo hasbeen coming under increasing pressure over actress wife Ekaterina charteredaplane the slow pace of the vaccine roll-out inthe state. This week, he to fly them to BeaverCreek, where they sought toblame it on the federal government. “We have 7.1 posedaslocal motel workers and got million people whoare eligible. We have 300,000 doses that we their shots at a mobile clinic. Swiftlyrumbled, they were fined get a week. Dothe math,” hesaid. “There’s nothing we can do C$2,300 – but critics said it was insufficient punishment forsuch about that.” However, he said the supplywas being increased, awealthycouple,and called for them to be jailed. which might enable restaurant workerstoget jabs.

Washington DC Green agenda: PresidentBiden has ordered the Pentagon to class climate changeasanational security issue, as part of anewwhole-government approach. “This is acase whereconscience andconvenience cross paths,” said Biden last week. “When I think of climate change andthe answers to it, I think of jobs.” Since taking office, Biden hasdirectedthe US to rejoin the ParisClimateAccord;scrapped thegiantKeystone XLoil pipeline; ordered aban onnew oil and gas leases on federal land; set agoal for a thirdofall federallands to be reserved for conservation; pledged to replace the government fleet of650,000vehicles withelectricmodels; and ordered federal agencies to fast-track new renewables projects.

Los Angeles, California Abuse claims: TheHollywoodactress Evan Rachel Wood has publicly accused her former fiancé, the rock star Marilyn Manson, ofyears of “horrific”abuse. Twoyears ago, Wood, 33, testifiedto Congress about her experience ofsexual and physical violence, but without identifyingaperpetrator.This week, however, she named Manson, 52, as the man who “started groomingmewhen I was a teenager”. Four other women have since madesimilarallegations, including ones of rape. Manson (real name Brian Warner), whose record label immediately droppedhim, has deniedwrongdoing.

Washington DC Lawyer walkout: Donald Trump’s legal teamresigned en masse on Sunday, followingadisagreement over tactics at his Senate trial nextweek, oncharges ofincitement ofinsurrection. According to US media,Trump wanted hiscase to bebuilt around his unevidenced claim that the 2020 election wasstolen from him. Buthis lawyers insisted they should focus on whether it is constitutional to convict apresident whohas already left office. Trump’s new legalteamisled by David Schoen, who represented the convicted “dirty trickster”Roger Stone, andBruce L. Castor, aformeracting attorney general of Pennsylvania. Thecase will beginonTuesday, unless they cansecureadelay.

Miami, Florida Bogotá FBI informer: Thehead of thefar-right “ProudBoys” militia was Farc accused: Aspecial court in once a“prolific” informer,for boththe FBIand local police in Colombia has charged eight former Miami, according to old courttranscripts uncovered by Reuters. Farc leaders with warcrimes and Theseshow that Enrique Tarrio was given areduced sentencein crimesagainsthumanitycommitted duringthe leftist guerilla afraud case in 2014, after an FBI agentand afederal prosecutor group’s decades-long insurgency.Theyare thefirstmajor charges testified that he hadsupplied them with information that hadled brought by the court, since it wasinstituted in 2016, as part of the to theprosecutionofmorethanadozen people in cases involving peacedealbetween Farc and theColombian state. Thosecharged drugs,gambling and people-trafficking.The ProudBoys were include Farc’s former top commander, Rodrigo Londoño(aka amongthe mob thatstormed theCapitol on 6January. However, Timochenko),and two others whoare now members of Congress. Tarriowas not present, havingbeenarrested two days earlieron According to the indictment, the groupabducted 21,396 people chargesincluding burning aBlack Lives Matterbanner that had between 1990 and2016, almost2,000 of whom were neverseen been stolen fromachurch.The FBI later said they’d arrestedhim again.Under the terms of the deal,the leaders can avoid jail in aneffort to prevent theWashingtonattack. sentencesiftheyacceptthe chargeswithin30days. ACEBOOK ©F

THE WEEK 6February 2021 The world at aglance NEWS 9

Jerusalem New Delhi Tianjin, Jab hopes: Israel’s rapid roll-outofthe Pandemic“contained”: India has China Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccinehas had “contained the pandemic” and “flattened Banker promising early results, boostinghopes its Covid-19 graph”, the country’s health executed: A that mass inoculation willcurb the ministerannounced last week. India has senior Chinese pandemic. By thisweek,almost onein hadthe second biggest Covid outbreak in banker was three people in Israelhad been vaccinated, the world (after the US) with 10.8 million executed last including 70% ofover-60s. Vaccinations cases. Butthe number ofnew infections week, are now being offered to everyone aged hasbeen trending downward since following his over 35, and students aged16to 18. Last September –falling from over 90,000 a conviction on week, the first data from the roll-out daytoaround 12,000. The number of corruption showedthat only 317 people outof daily deaths has alsofallen sharply from charges. Lai Xiaomin,58, a former head of 715,425 – fourinevery 10,000 –had apeak of 1,290 in September, to 125 this the state-controlled China Huarong Asset become infected withinaweek oftheir week (on a seven-day average). In total, Management,was sentenced to death in second dose. Separately, Israelsaid it around 155,000 people have died with January for accepting $280minbribes. would transfer5,000 doses to theoccupied Covid-19inIndia, out ofapopulation of He stashed thecash in a flat he called his West Bankand Gaza,sothat front-line 1.37 billion, giving it a relatively low per “supermarket”, but was apparently too health workers can start getting the jab. capitadeath rate. This week, someofthe scared to spend it. Theseverity ofthe Until then, Israelwas only offering itto last remaining Covid restrictions were sentence, and the rapidity of its Palestinians living in occupied East lifted: swimming pools, cinemas, theatres deployment, reflect Beijing’s increasingly Jerusalem,orworking in hospitals there. andexhibition hallsare all now fully open. toughstance on corporate corruption.

Taipei War threat: China has warned Taiwan that any attempttoseek independence“means war”, amid a sharp escalationintensions between Beijing and the island, which China regardsasarenegade territory. Taiwan, which hasgrowing strategic importanceasthe world’s main site for the manufacture of microchips, regardsitself as asovereign state.China hasramped up military drillsnear the island this year. Last month it twicesent15fighter jets into Taiwanese airspace.

Bangui Hanoi City besieged: Hardliner Around 200,000 re-elected: people have been Vietnam’s forced from their Communist homes by the Party has renewed fighting in re-elected Central African Republic, according to NguyenPhú the UN.Around92,000ofthese refugees Trong as its Perth, Australia have crossed theborderintoDRCongo. general Snap lockdown: The residentsofPerth Although rich in resources, including secretary, were sent into lockdown this week after diamonds anduranium,the CARisone after aweekofclosed-door talksatits the discovery of asinglecase of Covid-19. of Africa’s poorest andmostunstable once-every-five-years Congress. This gives Aman who works as asecurity guard at a countries.Fighting brokeout in December, the 76-year-old,who is the country’s de Covidquarantine hotel testedpositive on when arebel groupcalled the Coalitionof facto leader, an unprecedented thirdterm. Saturday, andthe tight, five-daylockdown Patriotsfor Change (CPC)launched an Underparty rules, general secretaries are was imposed 24 hours later.Before that, assault on thecapital,Bangui, in protest limited to two terms, andmustretireat therehadn’t been alocally acquired case in atthe exclusion of ex-president François 65. Trong, ahard-line Marxist-Leninist, Western Australia forten months.Under Bozizéfromelections. It now controls two- hasled an anti-corruption drive that has thelockdown,schools, restaurants, bars, thirds of the country, andislaying siege to been popularinVietnam; he has also cinemas andgyms were allordered to Bangui in an attempt to oust there-elected cracked down on dissent. Analysts sayhe close,and people wererequired to stay at president, Faustin-Archange Touadéra. may have beenreappointed becausethe homeexcept foressential work,shopping FP PHOTO/SECOND INTERMEDIATE PEOPLE’S COURTConditions OF TIANJIN in Bangui aresaidtobe“dire”. party could notagree on hissuccessor. and exercise. ©A

6February 2021 THE WEEK 10 NEWS People

My father the Nazi “They areold-fashioned names As a childinthe early 1940s, and they need to change them,” Niklas Frank spent summers at she toldPatricia Nicol in the hisfamily’s castleinsouthern London EveningStandard. Poland. “I knew Poland as our “[But]myargumentis,what private property,” he says. doesitlooklikeifwe don’t “This, Ithought, was quite acceptthem?Ifblack and normal.” As he grew older he Asian authors don’t, then they came to understand the long become white honours for shadow his father cast over white British people [which] Europe, said LukeMintz in goes right uptopeoplebecom- The SundayTelegraph:asNazi ing Dames andentering the Governor-General ofPoland, House of Lords. We continue Hans Frank – aka the Butcher our exclusion from certain of Poland – was responsiblefor levelsofparticipation in society, the murders ofthree million and I think thatwould be sad.” Jews. Tried at Nuremberg, he washanged in 1946. For years, Capturing criminals in2D Niklas kepthis familyhistory Tony Barnes is apolice officer a secret. Then, in 1987, he –but he doesn’t investigate wrote a book renouncing his crime. His job is to create father.Itshocked Germany, a computer-aided e-fit images of country that, he says, was still suspects’ faces to help his not fullyconfronting its past. colleagues inthe Met catch “Never in Germany camean criminals. In his 11 years on urge from the people to build thejob, he has made2,000 memorials for Holocaust such images–andhereckons victims. It was always from one in four of them have led politicians. The silent majority officers toasuspect. So what’s Dressed in aleather jump suit, and riffing on abass guitar, Suzi was never happy. I’m the only the secret to awinningimage? Quatro took the world by storm in the 1970s and, in so doing, paved descendant ofabig shot Nazi “In my experience, ladies are the way for anew generation of female rock stars. Yet the Detroit- whoopened up.” better e-fitwitnesses than born singer-songwriter, now 70, never meant to be apioneer. “All men,” he toldJohn Simpson in Iwanted to do was play,” she told Dave Simpson in The Guardian. Evaristo on her OBE The Times. “They seem to pay “I blew the door down but, to be honest, Ididn’tsee thedoor. Iwas Bernardine Evaristo is proud more attention to faces.”He just doing what Ido.” Having started performing at 14, she thought of her roots in a working-class, follows what the witnesstells of herself as amusician –not as afemale one; and any men who mixed-race family inLondon. him,whether the suspect has a took liberties with her paid the price. At one early gig, aman came Buttoday, the novelist – who “beard of bees”oraCheshire up to the front, and made a“rude gesture with his tongue, and I became in 2019 thefirst black Cat smile–which has just went –bang. With aFender Precision. That’s gonna hurt.” woman to win the Booker Prize sometimesled to his images Sometimes, though, she had no choice but to let it go. In 1982, – thinksofherself, sometimes being ridiculed onsocial media. during an appearance on his ITV chat show, Russell Harty slapped amusedly, as part ofthe estab- But Barnes isn’t fazed by that. her hard on the bottom. “He picked his moment,” she says. “If you lishment: she’s afellow atSt “Some of the weirdest ones I’ve watch [the clip], Islowlyturn round and in that moment I’m Anne’s College,Oxford; a vice- done over the years are the thinking: do Ihit him? Do Ikickhim in theballs? No, I’m on live president ofthe Royal Society onesthathave gotaresult,” television. Isat down, but if he had done that backstage, he’d have of Literature; and, last year, she he says.“There was one that been singing soprano for the rest of his life.” People sometimes wasawarded an OBE.Did she looked like acat,and they excuse such behaviour on the grounds that things were different feel conflicted about accepting actually found someone that then –but Quatro disagrees. “It never was acceptable. You don’t an award linkedtoempire? looked like him.” touch somebody you’re not invited to touch. You just don’t do it.”

Castaway of the week Viewpoint: Farewell This week’s edition of Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs featured Aknockout jab chef and restaurateur Monica Galetti Rémy Julienne, stunt “The next problem we’llhave is vaccine driver who worked 1* ThreeLittleBirds by BobMarley,performed by BobMarley snobbery. Somepeople willholdout for on The Italian Job &The Wailers the Oxford/AstraZeneca version. ‘Not and many James 2 Samoa Matalasi(My BeautifulSamoa),written and performed saying there’s anythingwrong with the Bond films, died by The Five Stars others. Just, youknow,Oxford is 21 January,aged 90. 3 You Oughta Be in Love by Dave Dobbyn,performed by Dave Oxford,ifyou get my meaning. Igot Cloris Leachman, Dobbyn(ft.Ardijah) a2:1 in classics from Magdalen and Oscar- and 4 HotelCalifornia by Don Felder,Don Henley andGlenn Frey, Ican tell you they’re bloody rigorous.’ Emmy-winning performed by TheEagles The remoaners,meanwhile, will be actress, died 5 La Vie en rose by Édith Piaf, Louiguyand MargueriteMonnot, 27 January, aged 94. performed by Louis Armstrong hankering after thePfizer jab: ‘I trust Germantechnology.’Me? Iwant CaptainSir Tom 6 My Girl by Smokey Robinsonand RonaldWhite, performed Novavax. Made in Stockton-on-Tees. Moore, war veteran by TheTemptations and charity 7 Purple Rain,written and performed by Prince Isuspect it willpackmoreofapunch. fundraiser, died 2 Abloke Imet in apub on Teesside told 8 Feeling Good by Anthony Newley andLeslie Bricusse, February, aged 100. performed by Nina Simone me that if the viruscameanywherenear him,he’d‘flatten the bastard’. That’s Hilton Valentine, guitarist with The Book: The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde the sortofno-nonsenseapproach we Animals,died29 need in thesedifficulttimes.” Luxury: scubadivinggear *Choiceifallowed only one record January, aged 77. Rod Liddle in The SundayTimes ARAH LEE:GUARDIAN:EYEVINE ©S

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Briefing NEWS 13 Our disappearing soil The earth beneath our feet is the source of agreat deal of the life on this planet –but it’s under threat

How was the Earth’s soil formed? problem; it’s the quality of the soil Although our planet is 4.54 billion years that remains.“Many types of soil old, what we think of as soil today didn’t degradation are invisible,”saysRonald form untilabout 450 million years ago, Vargas,ofthe UN Food andAgricultural thanks to the combinedaction of Organisation. “You just don’tsee the percolating waterand living organisms. loss of organiccarbon from soilsor Essentially, soil consists of amixof pollutionbuilding up in it untilyou materials thathave been broken upfrom try to plantcrops there.”The ability rocks and minerals, combined with more of soil to support plant life is being or less decomposed organicmatter and reduced by erosion, compaction, water. It’s also filled with living things: nutrient imbalances, acidification and tiny micro-organisms such as bacteria, water-loggingaroundthe world. archaeaandfungi; larger fauna such as insectsand earthworms; and the Why is that happening? mammals and reptiles that make their Several of themost significant causes homesinit. One gram ofsoilisestimated are climate-related. Some 29 million to holdanything between 4,000 and acres of land arelost every year to 50,000 species of micro-organisms, while desertification,the loss of vegetation the ground beneath our feetishome to a Home to aquarter of all animal species on Earth often broughtabout by shiftsinclimate quarterofall animal species on Earth. and by over-grazing.Risingtemperatures also increase thefrequency of droughts and wildfires, which Why is it so important? degradethe quality of soil. Other causes arestill more directly The complex food webs in soil recycle nutrients from the organic linked with human behaviour. Oneisurbanisation,asthe growth material in it, and fix nitrogen fromtheair. Soil is central to life of towns, citiesand road networks seals soil beneath layersof on Earth: obviously, allhuman life depends on it – soil contains asphalt andconcrete. Andanotherisdeforestation: vegetation is the nutrients for crops and vegetation to grow, and provides the beingremoved on amass scalearoundthe world, exposing soil foothold for their roots. Butsoildoes plentymorebesides. It is to erosionfromwindand rain and meaning thatitcannotbe hometobacteria and fungi which are used in the production of replenishedbyorganic matter.But perhaps the mostimmediate foods rangingfromcheese to wine and even soysauce, and which threat to theworld’ssoilcomesfromagriculture. are crucial to the development of drugs andvaccines, fromwell- knownantibiotics like penicillintobleomycin (used fortreating Howdoes farming harm soil? cancer) to amphotericin for fungalinfections. Soil also imparts It isn’t farming per sethat’sthe problem; it’s theway in which huge environmental benefits. It filters rainwaterand stores it, agriculturehas evolved in recent history.Farms have increasingly regulating thedischargeofmoisture to prevent flooding.And come to rely on heavy tilling,multiple harvests and large-scaleuse it acts as a vast and crucially important storeofcarbon. of agrochemicals inorder to increase yields andmaximise profits. In the past 20 years, the world’s agricultural production has How does it store carbon? increased threefold and theamountofirrigated land hasdoubled, The world’s soils contain an estimated 2,500 gigatons of carbon according to the EuropeanCommission’s Joint Research Centre. – more thanthree times the amount in the atmosphere andfour But that hascome at acost: theJRC haswarned thatproductivity timeswhat isstored inall living plants and animals. Scientists hasdecreased on 20%ofthe world’scropland, 16%offorest estimate that soil removes some 25% offossil fuel emissions land,19% of grassland,and 27%ofrangeland.Heavyploughing from the Earth’s atmosphere each year, makingitanessential not only disrupts soil ecosystems; it also releases carbon into the componentinthefight againstglobal warming.Infact, it’s such atmosphere, hindering thefightagainst climate change. an effectivecarbon sink that if we couldincrease the amountitcan store Howtofeed theten billion What can be done about this? by just 0.4%, we couldhaltthe build- The world’s population –now about 7.8 billion–is There is agrowing awareness of the up ofCO2in theair.But the ability expected to hit ten billion in 2050. Food production will need to start looking afterthe Earth’s of soiltoeffectivelystore carbon have to rise vastly to feed humanity; so agriculture will soil. In 2017,then-Environment depends on it bothremaining intact have to be made much more sustainable if the soil is to Secretary Michael Gove warned that andinahealthy state. And, be protected. There are any number of ways of doing intensivefarminghad leftthe UK unfortunately, that hasn’t been this: from taking modest steps that prevent erosion 30 to 40 years away from the happening for along time. –planting hedges, terracing slopes –toreplacing “fundamental eradication of soil monocultures with crop rotation; to adopting systems fertility” in parts of the country. that preserve soil quality, such as organic farming, How fast is soil disappearing? permaculture (the creation of self-sufficient farming “Countries canwithstand coups Very fast: theworld is losing about eco-systems) or “no-till” agriculture, where farmers d’état, wars andconflict, even leaving 30 football pitches of fertile soil plant new crops over the remains of the last, instead the EU,” he said,“butnocountry every minute, accordingtothe Soil of ploughing over their land, keeping soil intact. Each can withstandthe loss of its soil Association. Sincethe industrial of these systems has advantages and disadvantages: and fertility.” It’sclear thatdrastic revolution, about 135 billion tonnes yields in organic farming, for instance, tend to be lower. changes in land use will be required, of soil is estimatedtohavebeenlost But there is one step that could be taken, globally, but the questionishow to reduce from farmland, according to soil to preserve the Earth’s soil, according to the UN’s pressure on the soilwhile feeding a scientist ProfessorRattan Lal. In Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: to eat growingworld population (seebox). Iowa’s fertile farmland, for instance, less meat. Around 80% of the world’s farmland is used On presenttrends, the future looks the average topsoil depthdecreased to raise livestock or to grow plants to feed animals – “bleak”, warned alead author but that land produces just 18% of food calories. If from 14-18inches at thestart of meat and dairy consumption were cut out entirely, of aUNFoodand Agriculture the 20th centuryto6-8 inchesbyits global farmland could be reduced by more than 75%. Organisation report in December end. Andit’snot just thespeed at Even modest cuts would reduce pressure on the land. –but they added that “it’s not too which soil is disappearing that’s the late to introducemeasures now”.

6February 2021 THE WEEK

Best articles: Britain NEWS 15

So much forthe celebratedNightingale hospitals, says Susanna Rustin.Wespent more than half abillion poundsonthe seven IT MUST BE TRUE… It takes more pop-up centres in England, yetthey’ve barely been used: thosein I read it in the tabloids Birmingham and Sunderland haven’t treated asingle patient. Why? Not enough skilled staff. Creating thousands of intensive care beds Abinman has been sacked than bricks to after kung fu-kicking the isn’t much use if you don’thave people to operatethem. “The head off asnowman. build ahospital doctorsand nurses whoworkinhospital ICUs are professionals Herefordshire Council said it with years of experience... in institutions with distinct cultures and was “disappointed” in Callum Susanna Rustin approaches.” Youcan’t magic them out of thinair. Some 10% of Woodhouse, after he was nursepositions arevacant as it is –asituationbound to get worse caught on CCTV attacking a The Guardian after thepasttraumatic year. The lesson of the empty hospitals is 6ft snowman built by three- simple: politicians need to place morevalueonpreserving and year-old Joseph Taylor, who developingthe humancapital withinthe NHS, rather thantrying burst into tears. Thousands to winheadlines with shiny newbuildings. Ultimately it’s people later signed apetition calling for the expectant father to be that make ahospitalwork. “Themantra of ‘Buildbackbetter’ is reinstated. Woodhouse, 19, emptywithout aparallel commitment to ‘Train for tomorrow’.” explained that the snowman had been “obstructing my “Volcano eruptsunderthe high street.” That’s just one of many pathway”, adding: “It was headlines warning of adark future for town centres. And forthe going to melt anyway.” High streets are 25,000 workers in the118 Debenhams and444 Arcadia-owned stores thatareshuttingupshop that’s bad news, says Harry dying, long live Wallop. The rest of us, however, shouldn’t betoo concerned.For the past decade people have foretoldthe death ofthehigh street, the high street yetinthat time thenumber of retail outletsinthe UK hasactually increased by7%.Basically, thereare now too many shops; and Harry Wallop with thehugerise inthe share of goods bought online (under 7% adecade ago;30% today), changeisinevitable.Yet the high street The Times will adapt; italways has. When my penniless Lithuanian great- grandfather set up Burton Menswear – one of the disappearing Arcadia brands – morethanacenturyago,heopened billiards halls on the first floorsofhisshops to induceyoung men to buya suit while waitingfor a game. The high street was always “a place to beentertained, meet friends,mingle, dance and flirt as much as to buy stuff.Fingers crossed, those days will soon return.” Afitness instructor Boris Johnsonis“suchavivid embodiment of white privilege”, unwittinglycaptured the says Bagehot,it’s easy to forget howethnicallydiverse hisparty is early stagesofMyanmar’s The rainbow thesedays. In 2005, theConservatives hadjusttwo minorityMPs. military coup as she filmed Today, black andminorityethnic(Bame)Torieshold many top an exercise class in front in the Tory positions. TheTreasury is run by Rishi Sunak, whoreplaced Sajid of thecountry’s parliament Javid; the Home Office is run by Priti Patel; Kwasi Kwarteng has this week. Khing HninWai firmament succeededAlokSharma as SecretaryofState for Business;talents gyrated to thesoundofan such as KemiBadenoch, Claire Coutinho andBim Afolami upbeatdance track ona Bagehot are rising up theranks.Onthis frontthe party is doingfar better roundabout inthe capital, than the restofthe establishment. There are precious few minority Naypyidaw,asaseries of The Economist candidates in toproles in theArmy, civil service and business black armoured cars pushed (corporate Britain’s idea of diversity,says aleading Bame Tory, through abarricade behind is giving “posh women jobs”). The same is true of Republicans in her, en route todetaining a the US: in sharp contrast to the Tories, they haveonlyahandful number ofMPs and seizing of prominent Bamepoliticiansand are increasinglybecoming control of thecountry. The “a party of white reaction” against America’s rising multicultural footage was likened tothe majority. That the British Right is quietly following aquite dystopian TV show Black differentpath is something “worth both noticingand celebrating”. Mirror –but Hnin Wai herself said thatthe “back- At atime when officialsshouldbedoing their utmost to preserve ground scenery”madefor public confidence in thevaccine programme,says SoniaSodha, an “unforgettable” workout. Playing politics it’s shocking to see some people shredding it for their own cynical ends. Labourleader KeirStarmerfor one. His call forteachersto Awoman has written to with alife-and- be moved up thevaccination queueand given ajab in half-term The Sun’s agony aunt, Dear may have populistappeal, but it flies in thefaceofadvice given Deidre, to complain about by the experts on theJoint Committee on Vaccination and her boyfriend’s worrying death issue obsession with pandemic- Immunisation,who have devisedanorder of prioritiesthey think related news. The unnamed Sonia Sodha willsave themostlives. On whatbasis is Starmer rejecting their 24-year-old said that her calculus? Then there’sthe BritishMedical Association, which has partner had started to put on The Observer slammed the Government forallowing thegap between thePfizer the BBC News At Ten music vaccine’s twodoses to be extended from three to 12 weeks.Again, to get in the mood for sex. the Government didsoonexpert advice,sowhere is the BMA’s “I went along with it once, compelling evidence this is the wrongpath? Theworst offender, hoping it would be apassing though, is France’s President Macron,who falsely claimed that phase,” she wrote. “But now the AstraZeneca vaccine was“quasi-ineffective”for theover-65s. he has suggested Iintroduce myself asFionaBruce. I’m no “This is nothingless than thepresident of the most vaccine- prude but I’m not keen on sceptical nationinEurope spreadingdisinformation.” These dressing up as Fiona.” people should know better than to play politics with this issue.

6February 2021 THE WEEK 16 NEWS Best articles: International

Raging against the curfew: the riots in the Netherlands The Netherlands’ image as “abucolic football hooliganswho seizedonthe country of bridges andbikes” took ahit chancetolet out “pent-up aggression”. last week, as the country faced its worst By thethird night, the vastmajority riots in 40years, said Elena DeBre on of rioterswere simply “aggressive Slate (New York). Anti-lockdown vandals”who were spoiling for a fight, protests, which began in thesmall, said De Telegraaf (Amsterdam).Many historically rebellious fishing village camefrom the far-right.Now they of Urk in thecountry’s north, quickly mustface the full forceofthe law. spread to ten cities across Holland. “Chaos mustnot beallowed to reign.” Apedestrian bridge was blown up in Amsterdam; cars were torched inDen Actually, the causes of this unrest Bosch; andpolice came under attackin were deep-rooted, said Herman cities including Rotterdam. Some rioters van de WerfhorstinDe Volkskrant evenset fire to a Covid testingcentre (Amsterdam). Spending cuts over the and threw rocks athospitals and Aprotester in Amsterdam: “pent-up aggression”? past decade have taken a heavy toll police. The unrest began when, in on public services. Young people are order to combat therapidly spreading UK coronavirus variant, finding it increasingly difficult to get on the housing ladder; jobs the Dutch government introduced a night-time curfew, said are precarious.Big businesses haveenjoyedtax breaks and Johan van Heerde and Joris BelgersinTrouw(Amsterdam) – inequality has worsened. Recent events have added to asense of the nation’s first since Nazioccupation inthe Second World dissatisfaction, said David Walsh on Euronews.com (Brussels). War. Over the following three nights, hundreds of people were With ageneral election due to be held in March, the Dutch arrested as police were forced to defend themselveswith water government resigned lastmonth inascandal over childbenefit cannon and dogs. Cities were left looking like war zones. payments. It has facedcriticism from thepopulistRight for tightening Holland’s once relaxed lockdown rules, while the The protests were startedbythosewith “legitimate concerns” country’s vaccine roll-outhas been the second slowest in the about their civil liberties being curtailed, said Daniel Steinvorth EU. MostDutch peopleremain broadly supportive of the in Neue Zürcher Zeitung(Zurich).Butthey were quickly government’spandemicresponse.“But thatisnot to say they hijacked by a motleycrewofanti-vaxxers,virus deniers, and agree with the directionthe countryistakingingeneral.”

CHINA Chinese people now payfor almost everythingwith theirsmartphones, sayGuo Yingzhe and Hu Yue –and that’s aserious problem for elderly people whoaren’t tech-savvy. Financial apps and digital services have grownfast in China: the twoleading payment platforms, Alipay andWeChat Left behind in Pay,are now ubiquitous.But the disappearance of banknotes carries aprice. In arecentviralvideo, an elderly womanwas shown tryingtopay forher health insurance in person using cash. The acash-free impatientclerk snaps, “Nocash is accepted here:either tell your relatives or payonyourmobile world phone”. It causedaninstant backlash,and thefollowing month thePeople’s BankofChina issued adiktat requiring publicinstitutions,financial firms andsmallbusinesses to acceptcash.Ithas so CaixinGlobal.com far penalised 15 companies and onepublicbody, as well as individual employees whorefused to (Beijing) take cash, with fines from$77 to $77,000. Theruleismeant as astopgap, andthe broader strategy is to help older people masternew technology and bridge agrowing divide betweengenerations. And rightly so.Astechnological advances continue apace, we must notleave the elderly behind.

ISRAEL Israel’s military chiefAviv Kochavi is “way out of line”, says Haaretz. Thenew US president Joe Biden urgently wants to restore the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement negotiated by the Obama administration, which Donald Trump repudiated three years ago. ButKochavi hasotherideas: last The army has weekhenot only declared thatrestoring the nuclear deal would be“astrategicmistake”, which would allow Iran to “hurtle towards a bomb”. Hesaidthis“mustnot be allowed”,sohewas no business preparing new plans to attack the country’s nuclear facilities. Kochavi is wrong about the agreement, playing politics which includes “precise and detailed” clauses on inspections, as well as provisions for restricting uranium enrichment for up to 30 years. Until 2019 –ayear after US withdrawal –Iranhad met all Haaretz of its obligations under the deal. More importantly,Kochavi is actingway beyondhis authority by (Tel Aviv) issuing such apublic challenge to Biden. It’suptoministerstodecide how Israel should work with allies to combat thethreatposed by Iran;not to unelected military personnel.The situation calls for “judgement,diplomatic wisdom andmilitary caution” –all of which were lackinginKochavi’s intervention. Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu should put himfirmly “in his place”.

ITALY What on earth wasMatteo Renzi thinking, asks Simone Cosimi. Afew weeksago,Italy’s former PM triggered apolitical crisis by withdrawing his Italia Viva party from the country’s governing coalition. But that didn’t stop him jettingoff to Saudi Arabia last week to give alectureatthe country’s annual Betraying the Future Investment Initiativeconference, aMiddle EasternrivaltoDavos.Itturnsout Renzi hasa lucrative role on the conference’s advisory board. Now, Renzi has long had an opportunistic streak. nation’s interest Buteven he should have seen thatflying halfwayaroundthe world forhis own personalenrichment daysafterprecipitating thecollapse of Italy’s government in the middle of apandemicwould look for Saudi gold unethicalatthe best of times –let alone when everyone else is stuck at home. To makematters Wired Italia worse, Renzi was filmed fawning over Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, praising (Rome) SaudiArabia as the centre of a“new renaissance”.Thisisthe man who is widely believedtohave ordered the brutal murder of dissidentjournalist Jamal Khashoggiinthe Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, andwho rules“oneofthe most ferocious andsuffocating regimesinthe world”. If voters turn againstRenzi andhis party at thenextregional elections, he’ll haveonlyhimself to blame.

THE WEEK 6February 2021 ®

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Best of the American columnists NEWS 19

Trump’s impeachment: Republicans circle the wagons The much-anticipated“Republican The sad reality is that theparty no civil war is over before iteven began”, longer recognisesthelinebetween saidJonathan Chait on NYMag.com. “what is andisn’tacceptable”, said After the6JanuaryCapitol riot, KarenTumulty in TheWashington it seemed possible that Senate Post.That’s how it ended up with Republicansmight actually join a “dangerous loon” like Marjorie Democrats in votingtoconvict Donald TaylorGreene as one of its Congress Trump of“incitement of insurrection” members. Beforeher electionlast year, at hisimpeachment trial, which begins shewas already known forspreading nextweek. Evenloyalists expressed crazyQAnon conspiracy theories their disgust with the outgoing about an elite of Satan-worshipping president. Butafter the damage paedophiles. It hasnow emerged that was cleared up, Trump’s griponthe Greene also endorsed asocialmedia GOP wassoon re-established. State post in 2019 that suggested getting Republican parties rushed to censure Marjorie Taylor Greene: a“dangerousloon”? ridofHouseSpeaker Nancy Pelosi the ten House Republicanswho voted with “a bullet tothe head”. to impeach –its Oregonwing even claimed the Capitol riot was a“false flag” operation by “leftist forces”. In the Senate last Greene isn’t representative ofmost Republicans, said Nicholas week, 45 of the 50 GOP senatorsvoted todismiss thecharges Kristof in TheNewYork Times,but her presenceisabad against Trump,onthe basisthat he’d already left office. sign.The GOP needs to escape the“malign influence” of the “charlatans”who peddle paranoia. America would benefit from The Republicans havegood reasons for not wanting to pursue aresponsibleparty that stood up forconservative values and Trump’s conviction, said Jim Geraghty in the National Review. challenged liberal assumptions. “Half a centuryago we didn’t They’re“terrified” that supporting itwillturnthe base against need the racist George Wallace wing of the Democratic Party, them and, frankly,they’ve got better things to do. Now Trump andtodaywedon’t needthewing of the Republican Party that is out of office and no longer even “rage-tweeting”, impeachment embraces conspiracy theoriesand winksatviolence.” The big seems “like asolution to aproblemthatalreadyresolved itself”. questionis: “Without that wing of today’s GOP, what’s left?”

The Covid-19tragedy hasproved “a brutal, and henceeffective, tutor”,says George F. Will. It has taughtusthis: “governmentismoreapt to achieve adequacy when it does nottrytoachieve purity”. Anation Analysis of the wildly varying success rate of different USstates in administering vaccines shows dazed by that the top performerswere all“rule-breakers”.Unlike other states that stuck doggedly to overly prescriptive federal guidance aboutwho gets whatwhen –resulting in dosesofvaccine being wasted “rule stupor” –these states used their initiative andjustgot onwith it. Alas, that approach has become all too rare in recent years. As the lawyer and writer Philip K. Howard recently lamented in The Yale Law George F. Will Journal, moderngovernmentis“structured to pre-empt the active intelligenceofpeople on the ground”. Its operating philosophyisthatideal governance can beachievedthrough rules that replace The Washington Post fallible human judgement. In practice, though, the steady accretion of laws hasmerely led to what Howardcalls “rule stupor”, and a “senseofpowerlessness” withinpublicinstitutions.Byprompting someoverstretched public officials to throw therulebook aside anduse theirown witsagain,the Covid emergency hasusefully reminded us of the folly of seeking “a government better thanpeople”.

The “siren calls” for the regulation ofsocial media are gaining in volume in the wake ofDonald Trump’s banishment fromTwitter, Facebook and other sites, says Andy Kessler. Most would-be Online trolls reformerswant to rewriteSection 230 of the 1996 Communications DecencyAct, which largely should be exempts social media companies from legalliability for what users post ontheirsites.But attempts to “fix” Section230 could massivelybackfire by prompting these platforms to start censoring every unmasked controversial post for fear of beingsued into oblivion. We often forget, however, that nothing in this law prevents legal action against users of social media.The real problemtoday is anonymity: the Andy Kessler nastiest andmostirresponsibleposters hide behind fake names andhandles. Thesolution is to oblige users to registerwith,say, acredit card or otherID, anduse theirreal names. Thosewho posted The Wall Street Journal threats or libellousattacks couldthenbeheld to account.True, such apolicy might lead to fewer people using thesesites, but it wouldalsolimit theneedfor “tensofthousands of content moderators”. InWall Street it’scalled KYC, or “knowyourcustomer”. Itworksagainstmoney laundering. Maybe it canworkfor “rhetoriclaundering” too.

WhatwillDonald Trump’s presidential library be like? Pundits have variouslypredicted that it will Why Trump be a“shrine to his ego”, atheme park, or a“full MAGA” exercise in rebranding his presidency, says Anthony Clark, buthere’s amore likely possibility: there won’t be alibrary. This isn’tbecause won’t get Trumpleft officeunder acloud –sodid RichardNixon, andhehas alibrary.No, it’s because it’s “nearly impossibletoimagine” Trumpovercoming thecomplex challengesinvolved in creatingone. his library These libraries –partarchive, part museum –are ahugelyexpensiveundertaking. You havetoraise hundreds of millions of dollars from donors to buildand equip one.And if youwant the federal Anthony Clark government to recognise it as an officialfacility andcommit to looking afterit, youhave to donate all or part of it to thegovernment and stumpupanadditional 60% of thefullprojectcosts as an Politico endowment.Finding asite is also arealheadache,even for popular presidents. Barack Obama’s efforts to break ground on his“ObamaCentre”have been delayed for years by community opposition in hishome city of Chicago. His experienceshows just how hard it would be forTrump –aman who, whilecertainlyhungry for validation, is “not knownfor focusorpersistence”.

6February 2021 THE WEEK

Health &Science NEWS 21 What the scientists are saying… Growing wood in the laboratory 0.8trillion tonnes peryearatthe start of For years,scientists have been developing thatperiod; whereas in 2017, 1.3trillion lab-grown meats, sothat people can eat tonnes disappeared. The total amount of steakwithoutthe need for cattle. Now ice lost is equivalent to asheet 100metres a team at the Massachusetts Institute of thick, covering the wholeofthe UK; Technology is growing wood in the lab, and therate of loss is in linewiththe so that people canhavewoodenfurniture worst-case scenarios envisagedbythe without the need to chopdowntrees. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Although itisin its early stages, researchers Change, says thepaper in the journal hope their workwilleventuallyhelp slow The Cryosphere. Theimpact of themelt deforestation, and make itpossible for willbefeltall overthe world –and soon, wood to be produced rapidly, anywhere in accordingtolead authorDrThomas Slater the world. That wouldreduce theamount of Leeds University. “Sea-level rise on this of energy that is currentlyused to harvest scale will have very seriousimpacts on andtransport timber; and, intheory, give coastal communitiesthiscentury,” he said. manufacturersaccesstolimitlesssupplies Thepapernotes that the greatest losses of a material that is both versatileand were of floating ice in the polar regions – biodegradable.Using livecellsextracted which risks creating afeedback loop:white from the leaves of the zinnia plant, and a icereflects solar radiationbackintospace, gelinfused with plant hormones, the team 1.3 trillion tonnes of ice disappeared in 2017 butwhen it melts, it opens up dark water hassofar managed to produce tiny which absorbsheat, speeding up warming. wood-like structures, indoors andwithout lookedatdata on almost116,000 people The next biggest losses came from glaciers. soil or sunlight.The hormones in thegel in theUKBiobank, whowereagedfrom encourage thecells to produce lignin–the 40 to 69, and who had noeye problems in The beneficial effect of anap substance that giveswood its firmness; and 2006. They were followedfor 11 years, Nappinginthe afternoon –even for as the gelisformed into ascaffold, which the andasked to reportonany diagnosesof little as five minutes –may boostmental wood grows in.This scaffold can be AMD; some alsohad their eyes examined. agility andimprovethe memory,astudy created in any shape. “So yes, you could The researchersthen looked at separate published in theBMJ has found. The theoretically grow a table directly – fully data setstowork out the average pollution research, by ateaminChina,found that assembled,”mechanical engineerand lead levels around their homes. They found people who regularlyhad arestafter authorAshley Beckwith told The Times. that a 1.07mcg increaseinaverage lunch (definedassleeping for aminimum concentrationsofparticulate matter of five minutesand amaximum of two

Pollution linked to sight loss (PM2.5)was associated with an 8% greater hours) tended to have better verbal People who liveinareas with high levels of risk of apersonhavingAMD.AMD is the fluencythanthose that didnot;they also airpollutionare more likely to suffer age- leading cause of irreversible blindness had better working memories, and better relatedmacular degeneration (AMD) –a among the over-50sinhigh-income location awareness. The study wasbased common form ofsight loss thatisprogres- countries;aroundthe world, some 200 on 2,214peopleagedover60, who lived sive and irreversible–astudyhas shown. million people have thecondition. in various Chinese cities. Around 1,500 “Even relatively low exposureappears to of themregularlynapped; the rest did impact the risk of AMD, suggesting that Ice melting is accelerating not. In both groups, theyslept, on airpollutionisanimportant modifiable Earthlost 28 trillion tonnes of ice between average,for 6.5hours per night. Butthe factor foravery large number of people,” 1994 and2017 –and therateofmelting ones in thenapping groupperformed said Prof Paul Foster,who led the research is accelerating,accordingtoanewstudy. “significantlybetter”incognitive at UniversityCollege London. His team It found that icewas melting at arate of assessments, saythe study’s authors.

Sharks and raysare disappearingfast Covid tongue warning

Populations of sharksand rays are Changes to the tongue’s appearance disappearing from the world’s oceans at an could be another symptom of the “alarming” rate, anew report haswarned. coronavirus, it was reported last week. A Since 1970, numbers have fallen by more British researcher who is tracking Covid- than 70%, adecline that has left three- 19 warning signs recently reported more quarters of shark species facing extinction. cases of people complaining of unusual “For everyten sharks you hadinthe open changes to their tongues. And Prof Tim Spector’s tweet about “Covid tongue” ocean in the1970s,you wouldhave three has since been backed by astudy in today,across these species, on average,” Spain: it found that more than atenth of Dr RichardSherley of the University of the 666 Covid patients it examined had Exetertoldthe BBC. The international had “oral cavity” issues, including the study –based on previous studies andcatch inflammation of the small bumps on data –concluded thatoverfishing wasthe the surface of the tongue, “patchy” areas and ulcers. However, the Spanish principal causeofthe decline;and its Many species of shark face extinction authors noted that hadthey had records researchers found that an even more going back further than 1970,the declinewould probablyhave looked even steeper, prevalent apparent symptom related to the hands and feet: 18% of patients as it wasinthe 1950s that mass industrialised fishing began in earnest. had experienced burning, hives, skin The reportalsonotedthat, owing to differing policies on fishingmanagement,the peeling or redness on the palms of declines areworse in some areas thanothers: in the Atlantic,for instance, populations their hands and the soles of their feet, started to stabilise in the 2000s,thankstoconservation efforts; butnumbers of sharks according the report, in the British and rays continue to plummet in theIndianOcean. Journal of Dermatology.

6February2021 THE WEEK

RedRoses,it’sover

Valentine’sDay. It’s one of the biggest days of the year if you’re aflorist. But this year we’vedecidedagainst selling redroses.

We don’t believe that Valentine’s Dayissomething to be tick boxedwith ageneric dozen. Showing youcareisn’t aboutholding asingle redroseinyourteeth. Or sprinkling redpetals on perfect silk bed sheets. As much as the moviesmight sell it to us.

At least,that’snot the care we knowfromthe thousands of notesthat people send across theworld with us everysingle day. It’s taught us that care isn’t thesoft andcheesycliché that it’sbeenwrapped up to be.

Care isn’tjust soppy. It’s thefiercestrengthtocarrypeople around youwhen they’re most down.

Care isn’tjust big romantic gestures. It’s thelittle things we do for people,when nobodyelseisevenlooking.

Care isn’tjust celebrating birthdays or anniversaries. It’s thenotesent without anyneed for an occasion.

Ourrelationshipsaren’tall perfect redroses,sowhy pretend that theyare? They’re messier andmorecomplicated than that. But that’swhat makes them beautiful.

It’s becauseyou don’t buyintothese clichés, that we’remaking astand nottosellthem.

This Valentine’s Day, don’t just send adozen redroses, show somebodythat youcarewildly.

Love,

Show us howyou #CareWildlythis Valentine’sDay 24 NEWS Talking points Vaccines: where did it all go so right?

“More than100,000 people have diedin crisis unfolding in Wuhan.And just a fortnight Britain of Covid-19,” said Tom McTague after that, AstraZeneca signed a deal to deliver in The Atlantic.Thatismore than in any 100 million doses to the UK. Ministersagreed country inEurope, and is almosttwice to pay a few million up front, allowing the the number in Germany. On aper capita company to build amanufacturing system measure, Britain is the“worst-hit G7nation” – and theUKtodemand that its citizens – and that reflects a “catastrophic failure of be vaccinatedfirst. Britain’sspeed inall governance”. Back in March 2020, Boris this proved to be of theessence:asSoriot Johnson’s Chief Scientific Adviser told MPs explained lastweek, the“brewing process” for that a“good” outcome would be if deaths thevaccinetakes three months, andthe yield is were kept below 20,000. Owing to a series uncertain. AstraZeneca experienced glitches, of missteps, they’re five timesthatnumber, but hadtime to fix them, and still obtain andstillrising. “And yet, Britain has also regulatory approvalinDecember. shown wisdom.”Its vaccination programme has“raced ahead of every other country in If we’rehanding out plauditsfor thesuccess of Europe”.Around 14% of the populationhas theGovernment’svaccine procurement,credit hadatleast onejab, andifall goes to plan, it must go to KateBingham, said SeanO’Neill hasbeen suggested that everyone over theage in The Times.InApril, the venture capitalist of 50 could havehad one (or at least been Kate Bingham: the vaccine tsar (and competitive bog snorkeller)got acall offered one) bythe end of March. from Boris Johnson. “I want you to stop people dying,” he toldher.Her appointment, as head of the UK’s “Success has many fathers,” saidGlen Owen in The Mail on Vaccine Taskforce, wasnot universally welcomed. To many, it Sunday, and “ministersand scientists”havejostled for praisefor lookedlike cronyism: sheisafriend ofthe PM’ssister, and is “the UK’s nimble, world-beating strategy”. Near the front of the married to Tory MP Jesse Norman. Moreover, she had, as she queuewas Health Secretary Matt Hancock –who in a vaccine admitted,noexperience invaccines. But sheisabiochemistry planningmeeting last Aprilposed this question: “In a year’s time, graduate with an MBAfrom Harvard who runs abiotechfund. what decisions will we wish we had She assembled a team of private sector taken now?” His conclusion was that experts, in science, technology and while the UK’s vaccine expertise was “Ministers and scientists have jostled logistics; and within afortnight, they’d amongthe best in the world, ithad for praise for the UK’s nimble, recommended ashortlistofprojects insufficient capability to manufacture world-beating strategy” for investment.Negotiating advance vaccines,with just one specialist plant, purchase contracts for vaccines that in Liverpool. Presciently, he warned might nevercometofruition was not that itwas risky to rely on imports –and the decision was made simple. “The 40 million doses from Pfizer andthe 100 million to ramp up domestic production capacity. It was for this same from AstraZeneca are the programme’s workhorses.” Butthis reason that when thedevelopersofthe Oxfordvaccine proposed week,twomorefirms –Janssen and Novavax – reportedpositive teaming up with the USpharma giant Merck, Hancock vetoed the trial results, potentially adding 90 million doses to UK stocks. deal.Merck had considerableexpertise in thefield,butHancock wasconcerned thatPresident Trump mighttry to stop the export The roll-out is going well, said Jonathan KitsononCapX. But of vaccines, and Merck saiditcould not guarantee supply. thereremain threats to the system: supplies could be disrupted; andthe virus could keep mutating. Having factories inBritain “Enter the Anglo-Swedish firm AstraZeneca,” said Daniel reduces therisk of the former; but noUKplantproducesmRNA Boffey andDan Sabbagh in The Guardian,“whose Frenchchief vaccines – the type madebyPfizer/BioNTech.And it is these executivePascal Soriot was atrusted figureinpolitical circles”. vaccines that are mostquicklymodified, to combat new variants. AstraZeneca was not considered a vaccinespecialist, but Soriot Happily,“asolution is on its way”:the Vaccines Manufacturing wasprepared to givethe Government the guarantees it wanted, &Innovation Centre is afacilitythat will be able to respond fast andtosell the vaccineatnoprofit during thepandemic,“which to mutations, as it promises to produce tens of millions of waswhat Oxford’s scientists wanted”. It wassigned as Oxford’s vaccines a year. Accelerating its construction would not be cheap, partner on30April –just three months after the Oxford team but it would be well worth the money if itsavedusfrom another hadfirstconvened, on 30 January,todiscuss howtocombatthe economically crippling lockdown whileweawait anew vaccine.

Filming sex scenes has think of anyone either?’” On Pick of the week’s never been astraightforward another job, his love interest business, says actor Simon was Joan Collins.Shewas Williams in The Oldie. He was mainly concernedabout her Gossip once in bed with Jan Harvey make-up, he recalls. “Joan when the sound technician would whisper passionately Elizabeth Hurley caused a heard arustling noise. “The in my ear, ‘Mind my lipstick, furore when she tweeted a director peeled back the duvet darling.’” racy photo of herself outside to reveal that we both had our in last week’s snow, wearing scripts tucked down our For ascene in the new film of nothing but bikini bottoms and knickers.” On acoldmorning Blithe Spirit,inwhich she plays an unbuttoned fluffy jacket. in 1976, he had alove scene Madame Arcati, Judi Dench Speculating that the photos with Glenda Jackson,which had to be winched above a had been taken by her 18-year- didn’t go well for different stage. Abit oldtohave ahook old son, Piers Morgan said it reasons. “We weren’t really between her shoulderblades, was abit “creepy” (as well as each other’s cup of tea, and I she was hoisted up in alarge “thirsty” –for attention). But was reminded of the old sack. “All Icould hear was the Hurley was happy to set the 80-year-old mother,” she cartoon: amiddle-aged crew shouting ’Watch the record straight. “These pics tweeted. “Not entirely sure if couple, becalmed mid-coitus, bag!’,” she told Woman’s Own. were in fact taken by my that puts minds at rest or not.” and she’s saying, ‘Can’t you “I thought: ‘Charming!’” OLO SYNDICATION; TWITTER ©S

THE WEEK 6February 2021 Talking points NEWS 25 Scotland: can Johnson save the Union? Wit& When Boris Johnson ventured to “just say no” indefinitely, into Scotlandlast week, the said Andrew Grice in The Wisdom SNP tweeted aphotoofthe Independent.There’s “an intense Prime Minister steppingout behind-the-scenes debate” in his “Remember that as a of the planewith the caption: Governmentonwhether to try teenager, you areinthe last “Stay at home. Protectthe to turn thetide with anoffer stage of your lifewhen you NHS. Save Lives.” The message of more powers for Holyrood, will be happy to hear the wasclear, said Euan McColm including perhaps awider review phone isfor you.” in The Scotsman: Johnson is of the UK constitution. (Gordon Fran Lebowitz, quoted not welcome; Scotland is not Brown has proposed that the in The Times hishome. FirstMinister Nicola HouseofLords be replaced by “Wheneveratheoryappears Sturgeon went so far as to a “senate of thenations and to you as the only possible suggest that his visit was not regions” based inthe North.) one,takethis as asign “essential”under Covid-19 Some Johnson allies,however, that youhaveneither rules. But, of course, the SNP favour a“moreaggressive understood the theory nor wasactually delighted by it. The defence of the Union”. the problem which it was sight ofJohnson “shambling intended to solve.” about”inaCovid testinglabin The PM on his visit to Glasgow Johnson doeshave“adecent Karl Popper, quoted in Glasgow “reminded us thatthe story to tell”, saidAlan The Sunday Times UK Government is led by acaricature ofthe CochraneinThe DailyTelegraph. As he pointed sort of Conservative who helped the party to out, the UK Treasury hasnot only funded a “I understand your desire near-extinction inScotland”. world-beatingvaccineprogramme, buthasspent for disruption, but Iamtired billions proppingupScottish businessesand of picking up thepieces. The issue of the disintegratingUnion is one jobs.Given that the PM’s poll ratings“can’t fall Overand over,Ihaveto that Johnson hastoface, said LibbyBrooks anyfurther, he has absolutely nothing to lose glue together the cups andSeverin Carrell in The Guardian. Pollsare anda314-year-old Union to save”. But the you have brokensothat consistently showing support for independence Union cannot be“saved” by “folk rushing up we cansit down andtake at around 55%. Last month, the SNP published from London onamission to‘save theUnion’”, tea together.” its roadmap for a second independence said Alex MassieinThe Spectator. Talking up Angela Merkel to referendum, which will likelybeacentral plank thegloriesofthe United Kingdom, as Johnson Emmanuel Macron, quoted of its manifesto for May’s Holyrood elections. If likes to do, doesn’tplay well up here: “Cheer-up in TheDaily Telegraph the party wins a majority, asitalmostcertainly Jocko,and count your blessings” is a “bold “Most real relationships will, but Johnson stillrefuses to authorise gambit” after the year Britain hashad. The PM are involuntary.” another referendum, Holyrood will nevertheless urgently“needs acrash-course in languageskills. Iris Murdoch, quotedon legislate to hold another vote. UK ministers Someone,somewhere,mustbecapableof The Browser admit privately thatJohnson willnot beable teachinghim howtospeak toScotland.” “It is better to waste one’syouth than do nothing with it at all.” The cladding scandal: afestering injustice Georges Courteline,quoted in TheTimes “Itisnow more than 3½ years since the it is impossible to takeout a mortgage on them. avoidable tragedy ofthe Grenfell Towerfire”, Last week, said The Observer, itwas revealed “Friends areGod’s apology which killed 72 people in the mosthorrific of that Hayley Tillotson, a 28-year-oldfirst-time forrelations.” circumstancesonthe nightof14June 2017, buyer from Leeds, hadbecome the“first Hugh Kingsmill, quoted saidThe SundayTimes. But, unforgivably, the persontodeclare herself bankrupt” asaresult in Forbes underlying cause ofthe disaster has not been of this ongoing “cladding scandal”. “Without “The firstman who dealt with. The blaze wasstarted by an electrical government action, there will be many, many compared woman to a faultinthe 24-storey block of flats in west more like her in the years to come.” rose wasapoet;the London –but the “primaryreason”itspread second,animbecile.” so quickly, according to the first reportofthe On Monday, MPspassed anon-binding Gérard de Nerval, quoted inquiry lead by SirMartinMoore-Bick,was Labour-ledmotion calling on ministers to in TheSunday Times the combustible nature of theAluminium introduceanational cladding taskforce, to getto Composite Material (ACM) cladding that had grips with thecrisis. Thereisan“unanswerable “The best wayout is been addedtothe building’s exterior. Today, moral case” for taking action, said PhilipCollins always through.” millions of people arestill living in flats with in the London EveningStandard. Theproblem, Robert Frost, quoted unsafe cladding: according to theLabour Party’s of course, is money.Lastyear, the Government on GoodReads.com analysis, 11 million residents in 4.6 million launched a£1.6bn schemetohelpfundthe properties across Britain arestill living with repair work needed –but this is only availableto Statistics of the week either ACMcladdingorother dangerous peoplewho live in buildings taller than59feet, Arecord one in three UK materials that must be removed to meet fire when the majorityofaffected residents do not, graduates gained afirst- safety standards. in fact,liveinhigh-rise blocks. Besides, thetotal classdegree last year, as bill is likely tobecloser to £15bn.Who will universities took steps to Through no fault of their own, said The pay? Successivegovernments have allowed ensure students were not Independent,manyofthese people find building andrenewal work to be done on the penalised by the pandemic. themselves facing bills of tens of thousands of cheap,saidTom Harris in TheDaily Telegraph. HESA/The Guardian pounds forremedial work, andhaving to pay The private sector contractors who made hundreds of pounds permonth for“waking fortunes by selling shoddyworktoconsumers 42% of UK electricity watch” firesafety patrols.Insomecases, homes must now footthe bill.IftheTories don’tact came from renewable sources in 2020. bought several years agoingoodfaith arenow quicklytoend this injustice, they risk losing The Times worthless: they cannolonger be sold because their statusas“theparty of home ownership”.

6February 2021 THE WEEK 26 NEWS Sport

Football: is this the strangest seasonever? If there isone word that sums upthe Premiership less stadiums, but no one predicted the effect season in the era of Covid-19 it would havetobe would beasdramatic as it hasturned out so far in “unpredictable”, said PeterSmith on Sky Sports. the Premier League. As things stand,205 matches The chief talking point at the startwasthe sheer havebeen played this season –out ofatotal of number ofgoals flying in. On the secondweekend, 380.And ofthese, 81 (or45%) have beenwon by 44 werescored –the mostinasingle round of away teams, and only 76 (40%) by home sides. A matches since the Premier League was reduced further 48 matcheshave been draws.Figures such to 20 teams in1995; andManchester United as theseare trulyabnormal: everyprevious top- equalled aleague record with their 9-0 winover flightseasoninhistory has finished withhome Southamptonthis week.Amongthe goal-fests victoriesfar outnumbering away wins. The were some “jaw-droppingshocks” – including disappearance of home advantageisastaggering Aston Villa’s 7-2 thrashing of Liverpool, and outcome – andconclusive proof that spectators Manchester City’s 5-2 drubbing by Leicester. make even moredifference to sport than anyone Scoring levels have become more normal since quite appreciated before the Covid-19 era. then, saidHarry Symeou on 90min.com, but the season hascontinued to confound expectations With the Premier League proving so unpredictable, in other ways. Moststriking hasbeen the lack of Liverpool’s humiliating loss therehas naturally been much speculation thatan consistency by thetop teams. Formhas yo-yoed to underdog mightwin thetitle, saidMichael Emons such an extent that several sides have gone “fromthe highsofa on BBCSport.Could Leicesterpull off another “miracle”? Could titlechallenge to the lowsofafull-blown crisis” within just a few this be Aston Villa’s year?Don’t count on it,said AndyDillon in weeks. Atvarious points,nineseparateteamshaveheaded the The Sun. The signsare thatthe seasonisfinally starting to table. Seldom hasacampaign had such an open feel. conformtoexpectation. Manchester City, having recovered from theirabysmal start, have wontheir last eightmatches, andnow Yet2020/21 mayultimately bebestremembered for something top the table. Liverpoolhave seemingly recoveredfromtheir even more surprising, said Joe Ridgeinthe Daily Mail:the “total dramatic recent dip, andhavemovedinto third place, behind wiping out of home advantage”. It was always assumed home Manchester United. Having looked unrecognisable for so long, advantage would be attenuatedasaresultofplayinginspectator- the tableis“starting to take afamiliar shape again”. Rugbyunion: will England give Scotland akicking? The last timeTwickenhamstaged the CalcuttaCup – criticism – but then again,they’re unlikely to the annual Six Nations contest between England and abandon what proved to be awinningstrategy. Scotland, it “brought usan11-try thriller that saw England throwaway a 31-point lead and ended with Yeteven ifEngland reverts to their familiar habits, them scraping a 38-all draw”,said BrianMoore in that doesn’tmeanthey won’t have a new weapon in The DailyTelegraph. And with the two teams their armoury, said Alex Lowe in The Times.George kicking off this year’s competitionatTwickenham Ford,their fly-half,hasrecentlybeen experimenting on Saturday, hopes are riding high for asimilarly with anew type of kick knownasthe “spiral bomb”: entertaining contest. But don’t countonit:opening- he deployed it with great success for Leicester Tigers round SixNations matches tend to becageyaffairs, last month and says he plans to use it at Twickenham. with teams sacrificing “styleandsubstance”tothe Actually, the spiral bomb isn’t new at all, saidDaniel goal ofgetting off to a winning start. Besides, Schofield in The Daily Telegraph.Inthe 1970s, England these days aren’texactlyateam associated it was the “go-to option for many fly-halves”, but with free-flowing rugby,said Gerard Meagher in graduallyitfell out of favour and was “displaced The Guardian.Theyended up havingarather Ford: asecret weapon by the more reliable end-over-end bomb”.But as successful 2020, securingthe Six Nations in October modern fullbacks get ever more adept atcatching, before adding the Autumn Nations Cup title five weeks later.But teams have beensearchingfor more dangerous types of kick – all along, Eddie Jones and his menwerecriticised for their and the spiral bomb, with its “wickedly unpredictabletrajectory”, “tendency to kick possessionaway rather thanadopting a more could give a team an edge. It willcertainlygivethis year’s entertaining”approach. Theycertainlydidn’t welcome the CalcuttaCup an intriguing edge if itisunveiled thisSaturday.

Athletics: looking into the middle distance Sporting headlines Football Chelsea’s new Britain hasn’t been amajor His next goal, he says, is manager, Thomas Tuchel, force in men’s middle-distance breaking the 1min 44sec barrier: saw his team beat Burnley running since the 1980s heyday no British man has achieved that 2-0 in his first match in of Sebastian Coe and Steve since 2005. charge. Leeds beat Leicester Ovett, said Rick Broadbent in On the women’s side, too, 3-1. In the Women’s Super The Times. But now a“genuine things are looking promising, League, Chelsea beat Aston resurgence” is taking place: said Danielle Desouza on The Villa 4-0 to move top. for the first time in decades, Focus. Here, the revival is being the country has several 800m led by former flatmates and Golf Paul Casey won the and 1500m runners who are training partners Laura Muir and Dubai Desert Classic by four strokes. It is the Englishman’s “medal prospects” at this year’s Reekie: “phenomenal” Jemma Reekie, both of whom Olympics. Leading the way on are “phenomenal” athletes. 15th European Tour victory. the men’s side is 26-year-old Jamie Webb, a Reekie, 22, set British indoor records at both Tennis Britain’s Katie Boulter, former science teacher from Liverpool who has 800m and the mile last year, while Muir, 27, is the world No. 371, beat spent the past year out of action with abroken one of the world’sbest 1,500m runners. All three 48th-ranked Coco Gauff 3-6 thigh. Last Saturday in Vienna, he made a athletes offer hope that Brits will “once again 7-5 6-2 in the second round victorious return to the track, winning the 800m, steal the limelight” in middle-distance events of the Gippsland Trophy in his first for 16 months, in 1min 46.95 seconds. and “dominate the podium” at the Olympics. Melbourne.

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It’s still “their” marbles Exchange of the week wanted to create. Iwonder To The DailyTelegraph what he would make ofBritish Simon Heffer (“TheArmada Love of nation self-restrainttoday. mapsbelong in Britain, along Trevor Phillips, London with the Elgin Marbles”) To The Times praises Lord Elgin’s “desire It’s about timethat Walesand England shouldhavethe The rights of refuseniks to conserve” the Parthenon opportunity to haveasayinwhat wewantour relationship To The Guardian marbles, which might with Scotlandand Northern Ireland to be. The news thatasmall,but otherwise have been “smashed The attachment to Scotland is mostly a sentimental one,but increasing number of health up” by the Turks. “Would the it seems to me that the smug grandstanding of the Nationalists, workers are choosing to avoid marbles still existtoday,” he and thebarely concealed Anglophobia, have so alienatedus vaccination against Covid-19 asks,“if Elgin hadn’t ‘looted’ that we wouldbeglad to see the back of them. Thescrapping comes as no great surprise to them.Quite possibly not – of theBarnett formula would leaveusabout 3% better off, many of us in healthcare. which means he did culturea and thetwo main problems would be theirs: they would have That every person hasthe service, as Britain has done by to leave the sterling zonewhile notinthe eurozone; there righttoself-determination, keepingthemsafe ever since.” would have to beaborder or tariff arrangement between us. which would include refusing Say I walk pastMrHeffer’s Scotland isnot well run by comparison with England, if the avaccination, is agiven. houseand see oiks smashing statistics aretobebelieved, andthe rest of us wouldstand to However, this stance of refus- up his furniture.Impelled by benefitfrom a brain drain further down the line. ingvaccination is supportedby a “desire to conserve”, Ihelp Louis de Bernières, Denton, Norfolk union policy.MightIsuggest a myself to two-thirds of Mr compromise thataccepts health Heffer’s best Wedgwood tea To The Times workers’ rights and protects set. A weeklater, the oiks are Louis de Bernières says that an attachment to Scotland is patients at the same time?Any in custody,and Mr Heffer sentimental. Myfather, from Fraserburgh, was aSpitfire pilot health worker who refuses a asks forhis plates back. duringthe War. He defended English cities from Nazi bombers vaccination shouldtake unpaid Shouldn’t he be gratefulthat and fought in north Africa,Malta, Italy and Germany.That leave until either the corona- Iamkeeping them safe? was not sentimental. My wife andIhave stayedinevery viruspandemic is deemed to Prof Peter Thonemann, county inEngland;all of ourfamily live and work in England no longer poseathreatorthey Wadham College, Oxford or Wales. I lovethe English, even those like Louis de Bernières. choseanother line of work. David Fraser, Edinburgh The US, which doesn’tusually Never enough nurses have much in the way of public To The Guardian To The Times health to emulate,already has The failure ofNightingale One reasonfor theincrease insupport for independenceisthat the ability to dismiss health hospitals cameasno surprise. the history ofScotland within the Scottish curriculum hasbeen workers who refuse seasonal Iwasasenior manager in rewritten by the Scottish government andits quango, the flu vaccinations. nursingeducation in the 1990s, ScottishQualifications Authority. Negativityofthe Union is The medicalaphorismholds: when training moved from portrayedthroughout and in exam questions. Allegedly, the “Firstdonoharm.” Perhapsit “apprenticeship-style training” Scots have been “downtrodden” for 800 years. There is never is time for health workers to to a university-based any mention ofthe many Scottish inventors or philanthropists. remember this. education. The battleto Maggie Cunningham, Banchory, Aberdeenshire Dr W.J. Cunliffe, MD,FRCS, achieve thishad been long and Bedlington, Northumberland bitter, with the Conservatives overstretched staff must The reporting of “Twitter beingagainstthis transition as wonderwhat iscomingnext. storms” is an inflation of the The empire strikes back student nurses hadbeen such a KarenJacob, retired nurse, Westminster bubble. Twitter To The Guardian cheapway ofstaffing hospitals. Devon emphaticallydoes not haveits So Imperial College London The changewas agreed, and finger onthe nationalpulse. hasstopped using its Latin the then Government cut In aflutter over Twitter RobertFrazer,Salford, mottobecauseitrefers to training numbers overnight To The DailyTelegraph Lancashire “the empire”. Iwonder by up to athird. The storminateacup over whether they have spotted Weare stillliving with the skiersattempting to travel Aloss of self-discipline anyirony there? consequences. Combined with from St Pancras highlights the To The Times Rosemary Waugh, York areduction of thousandsof exaggerationbypoliticiansof In Daniel Finkelstein’s account hospital beds over three Twitter’s significance. of the “Singapore economic decades,the effect on theNHS Thereare around 15 million miracle”,herefers to Lee is plaintosee. No time for Twitter accounts in Britain. Kuan Yew’s change of heart recovery, no timefor reflection How many belongtoactual from Fabiansocialisttoan andfewer opportunities for people? In 2018, Twitter advocateofself-discipline ongoing development. deleted morethan 70 million before democracy. When I Successive governments, accounts forbeingfake–run interviewed Lee, he told me mainly Conservative, have by bots –oroffensive. How that he hadchanged hisview triedand failed to convince the many areduplicates? Auser after coming out of theTubeat public that theNHS is adrain may have two accountsand PiccadillyCircusand observing on thepublic purseand have asinglebusinessmay have that theeveningnewspapers quickly learntthat anythreat several. Astudy in 2019bythe on an unattended stand were to it could costthem thenext Pew Research Centrefound disappearing, but that thepile election.Thathasn’tstopped that 80%oftweets came from of coinspeople hadpaid for them significantly reducing just 10%ofusers. Aminority them were untouched. the service and carrying out of thecountryuses Twitter, a Marvelling that apeoplecould “I was worried that he aplanned programmeof minority of users read it often, policethemselvessoeffectively, might have historic links to the slave trade” assetstripping. With every andasmaller minority uses thereand then he resolvedthat change in government, the it politically. this was the Singapore he ©MATT/THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

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Book of the week theirasthmatic, weedy-voiced sonas “the runt of the litter”; Bacon, for his Francis Bacon: part, detested his father.His early years as anartist includedspells in Berlinand Revelations Paris,during whichhediscovered the by Mark Stevens and European modernists, and passed an Annalyn Swan “improbable period as an interior designer, arranging rugs and calfskin William Collins 880pp £30 pouffes”. The War changed his fortunes. The Week Bookshop £23.99 (incl. p&p) Spared serviceonhealth grounds, he spent it paintinginHampshire. His Francis Bacon is “quitepossibly the picturesfromthis time –of“screaming singlemost writtenabout artist that popes, tormented businessmenand Britain has produced”, said Rachel crucifixions”–suddenly hadan“awful Campbell-Johnston in The Times. relevance”,and catapulted him to fame. Since his death in 1992, numerous While this biography is acompelling biographiesandmemoirs have portraitofBacon the artist, itismost appeared, most focused on his exploits in the“sleazy demi-monde triumphantinits handling of hislove life, said Rachel Cooke in of Soho inLondon”. We know all about theall-night drinking The Observer.Asayoung man, Bacon went for “semi-paternal, sessions, and the often-repeatedanecdotes: the time hebooed establishmenttypes” who could payoff his gambling debts. But Princess Margaret’s cabaret singing; the time he offered Ronnie from the 1950son, his boyfriendsbecame evermore disreputable: Kray apainting, to which the gangsterreplied: “I wouldn’thave they included Peter Lacy,aformerRAF officer who “beat and one of those f***ingthings.” Lesswell-known is the complex, raped him”; a petty burglar named George Dyer; and, in Tangier, elusive, often anguished character who concealed himself behind a“legless Moroccan whopushed himself along on a board with hispublic persona. In their “thunking”new biography, Mark wheels”.Stevens andSwan provide convincingexplanations for Stevens and Annalyn Swan “analyse what laybeneath the mask”. these relationships, suggesting they were expressions of ataste The resultisawork that, though extremely long and based on for “deformity” thatalso manifested itself in his art, said Michael “mountains ofresearch”, also achievesarare “sense of intimacy”. Prodger in The Sunday Times. Theirs isawork that “brings the Bacon was borninDublin, in 1909, intoa“semi-grandAnglo- carousing, the paintings and the public and private lives together Irishfamily”,said Christian House in the FT. His parents viewed to form aconvincingandoften touching whole”.

Frostquake by Juliet Nicolson Novel of the week Chatto &Windus 368pp £18.99 The Mermaid of Black Conch The Week Bookshop £14.99 by Monique Roffey Peepal Tree Press 190pp £9.99 Juliet Nicolson’s new book, an “engagingly The Week Bookshop £7.99 written mixture of social historyand memoir”, is an account ofthe “BigFreeze” Monique Roffey’s latest novel, which won this of 1962-3,said Trevor Phillips in The Sunday year’s Costa Prize,isanentertaining, “shape- Times.Inwhat remains thecoldest winter shifting” work that “drags mermaids into the since 1895,Britain was buffeted for ten modern day”, said Jade Cuttle in The Times. straight weeks by brutal Siberian winds, Milk deliveries on skis in 1962 On afictional Caribbean island, adark-skinned which “froze the sea for a mileoff Herne mermaid named Aycayiaisfished outofthe sea Bay” andcaused 20ft ofsnow to pile up onExmoor. Much of the country came by agroup of drunkenholiday-makers,who to a standstill, and millions were forced to go without electricityandrunning proceedtostring herupside down,“stub water thanks to acombination of powercutsand frozen pipes.Nicolson, nine cigarettes on herstomach and tweak her at thetime, sat out the cold snap at Sissinghurst Castle,her family’s grandhome nipples”. But aspliff-smokinglocal fisherman in Kent. Although shewas insulated from the worst material hardships,the named David comes to her rescue:hecarts her atmosphere felt chilly for other reasons: hergrandmother,Vita Sackville-West, back to hishouse in awheelbarrow, and the haddiedthe previousJune, leavingher grandfather, Harold Nicolson, distraught pair beginanunlikely romance. with grief;and her parents’marriage was starting to unravel. What makes this “bittersweet”novel really Nicolson providesanarray of grimdetails, said0.“On Dartmoor,no sing is the inclusion of “pin-sharp detail from fewer than 2,000 ponies perished under snow drift.”InEssex,a“heroically therealworld”,saidAnthony Cummins in The determined” milkman was foundfrozen to death at thewheel of hisfloat. Yet Observer. Aycayia findsher tail rotting –and so shealsoadvances a“striking thesis”,which is thatBritainemerged from the learns to walk in apairofDavid’s old Adidas. “frostquake” amoreliberal andenlightened society. Shecharts cultural shifts, Her nostrilsbleed “allkindofmolluscs andtiny such as the growing unacceptability of casualracism, andsuggests that the crabs”.Inthe end, behind the“magic-realist savage winter may have kickstarted the Swinging Sixties. “I don’tquitebuy shenanigans”, thisisan“archetypal story” of Nicolson’s notion that asingle winter, however harsh,changed everything”: a“disruptive outsider” in asmall community. wouldn’tthe culturalshiftshave happenedanyway?All the same, Frostquake It’s astory that shows, as onecharacter puts it, offers an “entertaining panorama” of lifeinthe early1960s –and seems an that womanhood is a“dangerousbusiness”. especiallysuitable book to read in “our ownwinterofmassdistress”. To order these titles or anyother book in print, visit theweekbookshop.co.uk or speak to abookselleron020-31763835 Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am-5.30pm and Sunday10am-4pm AN BERRY/MAGNUM PHOTOS ©I

6February 2021 THE WEEK 32 ARTS Podcasts... the chilling, the scary and the fearful

With thearts world “largely in Robins looks atcontemporary hibernation”, the launch of a newspaper accounts; explores majorpodcast is“as closeaswe the notes of a“paranormal gettoabig culturaleventthese investigator”involved atthe time; days”,said Robert Jackman in andspeaks to the girl whose home The Spectator. The Apology was affected –the now 80-year-old Line,fromAmazon-owned Shirley. Then there aredramatic Wondery, was released last week re-enactments, with Toby Jones as andshot straighttothe top of the the investigator. At first I found “most downloaded” charts. It is thesestagey, but I soon started to about a conceptual artist named relish“their Gothiccampery, the AllanBridge, who in the 1980s suddennoises, the screams and invited New York’s criminal palaver”. Andunder it all there’s classes to record anonymous fantastically “strange music” that confessions on an unmanned heightens the atmosphereof“mad phoneline. Theidea wastoshed theatrics”. It’s “fabulous” stuff: voyeuristic light on thecity’s enjoyitonheadphones in the dark. darkest corners. It is narratedby Marissa Bridge, Allan’s widow. The Apology Line’s Marissa and Allan Bridge: “remarkable” The long-established American Shehas aslightly “wooden” serial 10Things That Scare Me delivery, saidFiona Sturges in the FT, but that doesn’t matter: this calls itself “a tiny podcast about our biggest fears”.Itis certainly is a grippingtale, grippingly told –and therecordings alone make “bite-size”, saidMadeleineFinlay in TheGuardian.Each episode, for “remarkable” listening. “Someare tinged with sadness and in whichguests (some celebrities, somenot)discuss their private shame;others carry the sound of aweight being lifted. A handful fears, is just fivetoten minuteslong. “Some fears are givenno are downright chilling.” more than afew seconds to hang in theairbefore the guest moves on.” Butthe format works brilliantly, with each fear – from If it’s chills you like, the The Battersea Poltergeist is a “hugely spiders,toclimate change, to falling offacliff–uncoveringa entertaining”telling of a 1950s mystery, saidMirandaSawyer in sliceofsomeone’s personalityand life.Acommonthemeisthat The Observer. Written and hosted by Haunted presenter Danny many of us arescaredofboth “serious and silly” things. “In fact, Robins, the BBC podcastskilfullyinterweaves three elements. pushingthebigand small together is one of the things that makes First, there’sthereal-lifecoldcase: a “poltergeist haunting”that the podcast soenjoyable (and reassuring duringatime when it continued for several years in a familyhome in south London. feels like there’s alot to bescared of).” Albums of the week: three new releases Arlo Parks: James Yorkston Piotr Collapsed in and the Anderszewski: Sunbeams Second Hand J.S. Bach – Transgressive Orchestra: Well-Tempered £10 The Wide, Clavier Wide River Warner Classics Domino £15 £11

Arlo Parks is a“hotly tipped” 20-year-old For his tenth solo album, the “soulfully There’s “joyous” news for Bach devotees, from west London, said Dan Cairns in The voiced, folk-tinged” Fife songwriter said Andrew Clements in The Guardian: the Sunday Times. On this, her captivating James Yorkston took abig creative risk, great Polish pianist Piotr Anderszewski has “woozy, bluesy pop-soul” debut album, said Will Hodgkinson in The Times. Having turned his attention to The Well-Tempered she more than justifies the hype. Her travelled to Sweden to work with producer Clavier for the first time –with “compelling songwriting is lyrically sophisticated – Karl-Jonas Winqvist, he adopted asemi- and hugely rewarding” results. Yet rather mixing “societal reportage with intimate improvised approach, and invited aloose than record all 48 preludes and fugues in diarising” –while her “melodic lilt, collective of instrumentalists (the “Second Bach’s two books, Anderszewski has picked conversational vocals and innate empathy Hand Orchestra”) to accompany his songs just 12, all from Book II. Purists may baulk ensnare you from the start”. This is music after only one or two listens. But wonder- at hearing the music presented in what full of “compassion and wisdom”; it “gets fully, it works –fromthe unexpected might seem adisruptively wilful order. But under your skin and stays there”. instruments popping up on We Test they “ought to be convinced by the sheer Parks may be the “voice of Gen Z”, The Beams to the harmonising chorus intelligence and lucidity of the playing, said Georgia Evans on NME, but she is on Choices, Like Wide Rivers.“Ringing its immaculate phrasing and minutely far more than that. Collapsed in Sunbeams outwith warmth and humanity, this is graduated range of tone”. is a“universal collection of stories that’ll an album whose appeal lies in its Anderszewski knows exactly what he’s provide solace for listeners of all ages imperfections and chance moments.” doing, agreed Harriet Smith in Gramophone. and backgrounds for decades to come”. Yorkston’s last album took him five years His selection of pieces is “less of abox of This is music that offers a“warm hug” of to make; on this one he finished four songs Quality Street to be consumed slumped on reassurance in dark times. But soothing as on the first day, said David Smyth in the the sofa and more of an invitation to a the sound is –with that soft neo-soul, the London Evening Standard. He calls this cocktail party of great sophistication”. His use of acoustic guitar, and Parks’s honeyed approach “castings of the net”, and it chosen sequence is both “natural-sounding voice –itisalso“quietly subversive”. The creates the “warm, relaxed feel” of an and innately refreshing”, and his phrasing is LLAN BRIDGE THE APOLOGY LINE/FACEBOOK album plays with received ideas around improv session in acosypub. Even when full of lightness, playfulness and “irresistible &A sexuality and mental health; and it marks the subject matter is bleak, “everyone positivity”. This is agloriousrecital, “as the arrival of amajor talent. sounds like they’re enjoying themselves”. compelling as it is beautifully recorded”. ARISSA ©M The Week’s own podcast, The Week Unwrapped,covers the biggest unreported stories of the week (available on Apple and Google)

THE WEEK 6February 2021 Film and TV 33

Films to stream New releases

From LassieCome Home and Quo Vadis, Aida? Old Yeller to2019’s Togo, Dir: Jasmila Žbanic (1hr 41mins)(15) thereare plenty ofbeloved ★★★★ familyfilmsand adventure Serbian director Jasmila Žbanic’s “incendiary” movies about dogs.But new film is about the Srebrenica massacre in canine-human relations are 1995 – the worst civilian atrocity in Europe at theheart of some complex since the end of the Second World War, said grown-updramas, too: Kevin Maher in The Times. We see it through the eyes of Aida (Jasna Ðuricic), a local teacher- Umberto D. Vittorio De turned-translator who scurries frantically Sica’s 1952 drama stars the between the representatives of the 20,000 non-professional actor Carlo terrified Bosnian Muslims who are gathered Battisti (a universitylecturer) in and around the UN’s supposed “safe area” as anelderly man facing (a disused factory), and the commanders of the penury and homelessness in UN’s Dutch peacekeeping forces – “eviscerated Jasna Ðuricic in Quo Vadis, Aida?: brilliant Rome,with only his faithful here as weak and spineless” – while the Jack Russell terrier for Bosnian Serb leader Ratko Mladic (Boris North Korean leader KimJongUn–is a“low- company. Heartbreakingbut Isakovic) and his paramilitary thugs “await key” account of an astonishing story, saidDave simple andunsentimental, the green light for mass extermination”. CalhouninTimeOut. Apersistent criticofthe it isperhapsthe strongest of regimewho lived in exile, Kim Jong Nam died the Italian neo-realist films. More than 8,000 civilians were killed that after havingVXnerveagentsmeared onhim by July, but the massacre has been “intensely twoyoung women from Indonesia and Vietnam, White Dog Indie film pioneer politicised, to the point of genocide denial in who’d approached himinthe departure lounge Samuel Fuller left the US some quarters”, said Jessica Kiang in Variety. of Kuala Lumpurairport. Malaysian when Paramountsuppressed Žbanic’s film seeks to “un-revise” history, prosecutors soughtthe deathsentence for the hisfilmbefore it was due refocusing attention on the victims and on pair, but they claimedNorth Korean agents had to bereleased in1982. A the “broader evils of institutional failure and dupedthem into believingtheywere partici- provocative exploration international indifference”. Mladic himself was pating in ahidden-camera prank for YouTube. of the nature ofhatred, sentenced to life in jail at The Hague in 2017, In thisgrippingdocumentary, director Ryan White Dog is achilling story but the film’s “moving” epilogue reminds us White makestheir “bizarre” story credible, about a dog, whichhas been that survivors still live alongside perpetrators while also exposing the incompetenceofthe conditioned byraciststo who were never brought to justice. All this may Malaysianauthorities, andthe ruthless political attackblack people, andthe create an impression of a film that is just too machinationsinKim’s closednation. AfricanAmerican trainer tough to watch, said Mark Kermode in The hired to “de-programme” it. Observer; but owing to Žbanic’s skilled The pranksterruse was “satanically clever” direction, and Ðuricic’s brilliant performance and“drippingwith contemporary media Amores perros Linkedby as Aida, it has a “profoundly human heart”. irony”, said Peter BradshawinThe Guardian. acarcrash in Mexico City, The drama unfolds slowly, and with mounting One wonders who –inacountry “supposedly the threestories in Alejandro dread – and yet we want to keep watching, marooned” in its Soviet past –could have GonzálezIñárritu’s 2000 “a notableachievement for a movie that is dreamed up suchaplot.The film does not debutall have canine themes. centrally concerned with the spectre of looking answer that question.But it does show, in It is a bravuramasterpiece, away”. Available on Curzon Home Cinema. chilling detail, how the twowomen –poor, violent (including some uneducated, andled on by dreams of social realistic –butnotreal–dog media glory –were apparently “groomedand fights), cleverly plotted and Assassins gaslit” into carrying out the attack. It amounts chargedwith intense emotion. Dir: Ryan White (1hr 44mins)(12) to an “extraordinarystory of sexism, violence, ★★★★ diplomatic bad faith anddishonesty on an Best in Show Madeby This documentaryabout the 2017 assassination international scale”. AvailableonDogwoof Christopher Guest, the master of Kim Jong Nam –the half-brother of the On Demand and other digital platforms. of themockumentary, and starring Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara, this Lupin:the French series taking Netflix by storm deadpan 2000 comedyis about adog show,its canine Created by the British writer accused of theft by his wealthy entrants –and their wildly George Kay, Lupin is “good, employer, and hanged himself in eccentric owners. stupid fun”, and is predicted to jail. Inspired by Leblanc’s books, become one of Netflix’s biggest Assane devises aseriesofdevil- hits, said Hugo Rifkind in The ishly clever schemes to avenge his Wiener-Dog Danny DeVito, Times. Omar Sy stars as Assane, father’s death, schemes that often Greta Gerwig andJulie Delpy ayoung French man who sees rely on his tendency, as ablack amongothers play the himself as amodern-day Arsène man in France, to either blend in consecutive owners of the Lupin –the gentleman thief and or stand out in different contexts. master of disguise created by the Sy brims with charisma, in a

ARE AVAILABLE ON GOOGLE, AND ALL THE FILMS ON APPLE TVdachshund AND AMAZON at the heart of Todd Solondz’s jet-black French writer Maurice Leblanc series that offers a“refreshing comedy. It’s partly asequel more than 100 years ago. twist” on two familiar stereotypes to histeendrama Welcome to The books are old, but Assane –the “uncatchable master of BEST IN SHOW is anew kind of French hero, said deception” and the “con man theDollhouse,and similarly AND Sophie Gilbert in The Atlantic. He Sy:brims with charisma with aheart of gold”, said Adrian packedwithacid observations is the son of an immigrant from Horton in The Guardian. It’s good, of humanmisery and cruelty Senegal who came to France in search of a slick escapism, and, being made up of just five –not onefor everyone,then. better life. Instead, his father was falsely episodes, it is easily binged in aday. AMORES PERROS ©

6February 2021 THE WEEK 34 ARTS Art

Artist of the week: Raphael’s sublime masterpieces

Haditnot been forCovid- non-stop on grand projects 19, the 500th anniversary for the Church. One of the of Raphael’sdeathwould mostspectacularwasaset have been commemorated of preparatory drawings – in remarkablestyle, said known as cartoons – for a Michael Collins in The seriesof“vast” tapestries IrishTimes. Alas, the ordered by Julius’s pandemic scuppered Italy’s successor, Leo X, who plans forayear-long wanted a work ofart for celebration,while in the walls of theSistine London ahuge Chapel to rival retrospective at the Michelangelo’s on the National Gallery has been ceiling. Depicting scenes pushed back to 2022. fromthe NewTestament, Looking on the bright side, thecartoons are it gives artlovers much to “monumental” in scale: look forward to,when this eachmadeupofaround crisis is finally over. Along 200 piecesofpaper, they with Leonardo, who was are uptofive metres long 31 years older than him, and three-and-a-half andhis bitter rival metrestall.The tapestries Michelangelo, who was remain in the Vatican, but nearer his own age, the seven surviving Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino The Miraculous Draught of Fishes: one of Raphael’s celebrated cartoons cartoons were acquired by (1483-1520) was “one of Charles IIand shipped to the most celebrated artists ofthe Italian Renaissance”.Known to Britain in the17th century. Then,in1865, these astonishingly hiscontemporaries as“the divine Raphael”, he was asublime important pieces were loaned by Queen Victoria to theV&A, and draughtsman and painter.His distinctive visualstyle –gentle, hung inapoorly litgallery, where they have remained eversince – fluidand infusedwith compassion for its subjects–has influenced “ifnot underappreciated, then insufficientlyloved”. generations ofartists fromPontormo to Reynolds, and his observations of principallyfemale modelshave set abenchmark Butall thatischanging, saidRachel Campbell-Johnston in The for depictions of the humanform. Times.The gallery’s lightingisbeingimproved as part ofa refurbishment, and to celebrate the anniversary,the museumhas Much of what we know about Raphael’s relatively short life (he also created microscopically precise digitalimages of thecartoons, died when he was 37) comes courtesyofGiorgio Vasari,the 16th which allowusto examinethem inunprecedenteddetail. Using a century artist and historian who wrote the landmark book Lives viewer on the V&A website,you can “zoom incloser and closer” of the MostExcellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects.And on the paintingsuntil youcan see, in incredible focus, every mark some of whathetells us is dubious atbest, said Alastair Sooke in –“every feather stroke of the cranes thatwaitgreedily for the The Daily Telegraph. Vasariwould haveusbelieve that the artist apostlestohaul in their miraculous draught of fishes; every carved wasacompulsivewomaniser whose untimelydeath wasthe result adornmentofthe templepillars” that form thebackdroptoJesus of “too much sex”. The truth “is probablymoreprosaic”: itis healingthelame.Use yourimagination and “you can almosthear more likely thatRaphaelexpired from“exhaustion”. Small the soundofthe artist’s charcoal as itsweeps across paper”. It wonder: in the12years followingbeingsummoned from Florence may not have thesameimpact as seeing theseworks in real life, to RomebyPope Julius II in 1508, Raphael hadworked almost but it will leave youinno doubt as to Raphael’s genius.

Photographer who created enduring images of postwar Britain

Grace Robertson, who has died aged 90, said Amanda Hopkinson in The Guardian. was hailed in late life as a“forgotten star And her “quiet determination” eventually of the golden age of photojournalism”, paid off. Although she never made it onto said The Daily Telegraph. In the 1950s, the staff, she became a“respected she had documented the “drab routine member of the Picture Post team” as a of postwar life” with an unflinching gaze, freelancer. Some of her most memorable and created some of the most enduring images include Mother’s Day Off,aseries images of that period. Born in 1930, she’d showing agroup of Battersea “charladies” inherited an interest in photography from on acharabanc trip to Margate in 1954; her father, Fyfe Robertson, who worked at and Shearing Time in Snowdonia, Picture Post. And when she was in her late evocative photographs of shepherds teens and stuck at home, caring for her gathering their flocks. As with all her work, seriously ill mother, she persuaded him they were unsentimental, but they to buy her asecond-hand Leica 35mm depicted their subjects with rare empathy. camera. She improvised adark room Her photographic career, however, in the guest bathroom, and –despite her Conga Line, London Women’s Pub Outing 1956 proved short-lived: Picture Post folded in mother’s urging that she pursue more 1957, and soon after, she retrained as a “ladylike” interests –she started venturing out onto the streets, to teacher. It was not until the 1980s that her work was take pictures of ordinary women going about their daily lives in rediscovered. Articulate, and striking-looking, she started that grey 1950s world. She even submitted some to Picture Post appearing in the media, and gave lectures on the academic itself, under the pseudonym “Dick Muir”; they were returned, but circuit. She was no nostalgic, but she did lament the with the message: “Persevere, young man.” sensationalism of much contemporary photojournalism, and a Robertson’s work was well suited to amagazine known for its lost spirit of gentleness. “Gentle pictures are probably dead as a “celebration of working-class culture and of the welfare state”, dodo today,” she said, in 2010, “but back then it was different.” ICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, LONDON. COURTESY ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST/HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II 2021 ©V

THE WEEK 6February 2021 The List 35

Best books… Sam Lee The Archers: what The folk singer and conservationist chooseshis favourite books. He will perform happened last week alive-stream concert as partofthe KingsPlace Nature Unwrapped series on 13 Pip tells Ruth she’s quitting February(kingsplace.co.uk). His book, The Nightingale, is coming out in March the rewilders, and wonders if they should withdraw the use Braiding Sweetgrass by Entangled Life byMerlin Coyote’s Guide to of Oakey Bank; Ruth thinks it Robin Wall Kimmerer, 2020 Sheldrake, 2020 (Bodley Connecting with Nature by would scupper the project. At (Penguin £9.99). With a gentle Head £20). I’vebeen a fungus JonYoung, Ellen Haasand a wine tasting for her wedding, lyricism,the ethnobotanistand obsessive since childhood, Evan McGown, 2010 (Owlink Stephanie Casey chats to Native Americanauthor sets andreadingSheldrake’s Media£22.50 ebook).Simply Elizabeth and flirts with Freddie. Phoebe and Rex forth her modernyet ancient, book brought to vivid detail put, thisisthe bible and man- contemplate the future of indigenousyet scientific, something I’d suspected all ualfor anyone questing for a rewilding without Pip. Natasha explorations intosenses of my life:thatthis kingdom closer relationship with nature, urges Tom to reach out to place andrelationships to is utterly mystical, totally developing the senses, a spirit Kirsty, who asks him to help the plant world. misunderstood, likely world- of curiosityand “seeing nature her track down Philip’s saving and very, very queer. through the eyesofthe child”. workers. Shula tells Elizabeth In SearchofDuende by about her prison visit to Philip; Federico García Lorca, OneRiver by Wade Davis, The Book ofTrespass Elizabeth is furious and says 1933 (OOP). Lorca’s essays 1996 (Vintage £12.99). by Nick Hayes,2020 it’s a betrayal after Philip’s crimes almost killed Freddie. delveinto the roots of cante Accompanying me as a (Bloomsbury £20).Inthis A shaken Shula confides in jondo (deepsong)andancient 21-year-old journeyinginto the lambastingofEnglish land- Alistair. Brian, Justin and verse among the Spanish Amazon, thisbook introduced ownership, Hayes ploughs up Phoebe have a fraught meet- gypsies. Adeclaration of the me to the wisdom ofthe uncomfortable truths about ing: Justin is pulling out of the disappearingpower of the Amazonian tribespeople, the a legacy ofsocio-ecological barns project but Phoebe says duende – the idea ofaspirit, pioneering explorations of exclusion, destructionand the rewilders are glad to cut central to Lorca’s thinking – ethnobotanistRichard Evans colonial pillaging resulting ties with him after his links to to connect ustonature and Schultes, and the medicinal in today’s ravaged and slavery. Phoebe tells Brian that our ancient past. powers of rainforest flora. inaccessible countryside. losing the barns won’t affect business and that an eco-office Titles in print are available from The Week Bookshop on 020-3176 3835. For out-of-print books visit biblio.co.uk will suit them better anyway – Brian thinks she’s being blasé. Shula and Elizabeth make up The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching after Freddie intercedes, but it’s made Shula unsure about Programmes pursuing ordination. Steph Billion Pound Cruise A look at the goings-on keeps sending Freddie above and belowdeck on the world’s largest suggestive texts, and flirts cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas –which outrageously when they meet boasts a water park, ice-rink and minigolf to discuss his DJing at the course, and a 2,200-strong crew. Sun 7 Feb, C4 wedding. Tom is reluctant 19:00(60mins). to go out on the streets with Kirsty. Natasha is outraged he’d let Kirsty down and goes Deliver Us The latestScandi noir offeringfrom herself. After a near miss, Walter Presents: in a smallDanish town, an Kirsty realises she’s putting anguished fatherseeksthe truth about his son’s Natasha at risk. Natasha says death in aroad accident. Sun 7 Feb, C4 23:05 if Kirsty needs her help again, (75mins; full, eight-part series availableonAll4). ZeroZeroZero: Dane DeHaan joins the family firm she need only ask.

Imagine… Alan Yentob explores the disillusionment, and his explosiverevelations to pandemic’s impact onthe UK’s performing arts journalists in2013. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars. Dance online sector, and looks athowthecreative industries Tue 9 Feb, Film4 23:15 (160mins). The biggest names in British have worked to keepitalive. Footage from dance –from Akram Khan to throughout2020captures everythingfrom Ex Machina (2014) WriterAlex Garland’s CarlosAcosta’s Birmingham drive-inopera to playslive-streamedfrom empty directorialdebut is abrooding sci-fi drama Royal Ballet–takepartin theatres. Tue9Feb, BBC1 22:45(60mins). starring Domhnall Gleeson as thegifted Dancing Nation,afestival of programmer at agiant tech company,whose new work from Sadler’s Wells Films reclusive boss tasks him with testing the AI and BBCArts. Threehour- ThePinkPanther (1963)PeterSellers capabilities of acaptivating humanoid robot. long programmes feature introduced the world to thebumbling Inspector Fri12Feb, Film4 23:45(130mins). contemporary,ballet andhip- Jacques Clouseau in what proved to be the first New to subscription TV hop from around the country; of ten Pink Panther films. David Nivenisthe availableonline or on BBC Snowpiercer Thesecondseriesofthe sci-fi suave thief in pursuit of the eponymous iPlayer until 28 February drama aboutthe inhabitantsofagiant train diamond. Sat6Feb, Film4 16:35(135mins). (sadlerswells.com). TheRoyal circling the frozen Earth,adapted from Bong Opera House continuesits Joon-ho’s satirical 2013 filmofthe same name. In Fabric (2018) Pitched somewhere between onlineprogramme with Sean Bean joins the cast as the villainous and psychological horrorand darkcomedy, director Frederick Ashton’s La Fille vengefulMrWilford. On Netflix. PeterStrickland’s film follows the fate of a mal gardée.NataliaOsipova woman after she buys amenacing red dress. dancesthe titleroleinthis ZeroZeroZero Grittydrama about the cocaine Sat 6Feb,BBC223:20 (110mins). 2015 production,“ajoyous, industry, tracking ashipment of thedrug across life-enhancingexperience” continents. Gabriel Byrnestarsasthe patriarch Snowden (2016) Oliver Stone’s tense biopic (culturewhisper.com). of ashippingcompanywhose children (Dane of theNSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden Streaminguntil 28 February, DeHaan and Andrea Riseborough) become weaves togetherdifferent narratives, moving £3 (roh.org.uk). between the eventsthat led to his involvedinthe trade. On Sky Atlantic.

6February 2021 THE WEEK 36 Best properties

European getaways

▲ Italy: Spoleto, Umbria.Aclassic- style, newlybuilt countryhome surrounded by hills, olivegrovesand vineyards. The two- storyhouse hasa dining room with murals and a basement that includesagarage andancillary rooms, whichhaven’t yet been completed. Main suite with dressing roomand terrace, 2further suites (1 with a terrace), 1further bed, family bath, eat- in kitchen, 2receps, laundry room, terrace, porch, grounds. £717,000; Hamptons International (020- 3151 6841).

▲ France: Coux-et-bigaroque,Dordogne. A beautiful 18thcentury watermill at theedge of acharming medieval village on the Dordogne river, in theheart of the Périgord Noir. The garden is plantedwithvariousunusual species and has a pergola overlooking themillpond. 5beds,3baths, outbuildings, garage. £497,000; Hamptons International(020-3151 6841).

▲ Italy: Villa, Carovigno,Apulia. Built around a traditionaltrullo, theconical-roofed buildings typicalof this part of Apulia, this unique conversioncomes with aprivate pool and garden.The property is accessed via alovelydriveway crossing the 1.1- acre garden, with centuries-old olive trees andlots of typicalplants. 1bed, 2baths, kitchen, 1recep, garden, parking. s447,000; Oikos Immobiliare(+39 328225 2086).

THE WEEK 6February 2021 on the market 37

▲ France: Château Le Briou d’Autry, Sologne, Cher. Alate 19th century neo-Gothic château, fully restored andset in a12.9-acre enclosed park. 10 beds, 9baths, 4/5 receps, kitchen, outbuildings, stables, dovecote. s997,500; Groupe Mercure (+33 663174127). Spain: Pollença, Mallorca. Astriking house in▲ an exclusive and elevated spot on the outskirts of the village, providing the best views over the Bay of Pollença. 6suites, open-plankitchen, wine cellar, swimming pool, gardens, gym, large garage, self-contained staff quarters, approx.13acres of land, 4-acre vineyard plantation. £6.155m, Hamptons International (020-3151 6841).

▲ France: Saintes, ▲ Malta: Gharb, Gozo. Aprestigious double-fronted Charente-Maritime. traditional house that is full Previouslyanold of character. It is situatedin water mill, this has atranquil village at the been turned into a westernmost point of the beautifully restored island of Gozo among peaceful home. Hiking trails, surroundings. The property tennis court anda boasts an impressive facade municipal swim- and retains numerous ming pool can all original features, while the be foundnearby. spacious terrace enjoys views 4beds, 2baths, of boththe Gordon lighthouse kitchen, recep, and the Ta’Pinu Basilica. cellar, office, studio, 4doublebeds (all en suite), attic(that canbe kitchen,breakfast room, converted into two terrace, study/library, beds), garage, washroom, cloakroom, barns/outbuildings, Jacuzzi, swimming pool, wooded park with garden, garage, alarge mill ariver.£444,000; room which is ideal for Hamptons entertaining. s690,000; International (020- Cluttons (020-74081010). 3151 6841).

▲ France: Farm House,Cestayrols, Tarn. Acharming rusticfarmhouse with modern facilities – which has been featured in interior design magazines –that sits within avineyard near Albi.Mainsuite, 3guest suites, 3further beds, familybath, large dining kitchen, 5 receps, workshop, summer kitchen for al frescodining,garage, woodstore, open games room, heated swimming pool,large garden,enclosed ▲ Spain: El Portet, Moraira, Alicante. Enjoying aquiet location with vegetable garden. unobstructed viewsofthe valley,the propertyhas been renovated into £822,000; Hamptons ahigh-end villa. Main suite with lounge area and terrace, 3further beds, International(020- 3baths, kitchen,2receps, summer kitchen/bbq area, swimming pool, 3151 6841). parking, gardens. s995,000; Fine &Country(+34 966 675768).

6February 2021 THE WEEK 38 Marketplace

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THE WEEK 6February 2021 To advertise here please email classifi[email protected] or call HenryHaselock 020 3890 3900 LEISURE 39 Food & Drink Six of the best restaurant meal kits Home delivery meal kits have been to fabulously unctuous pulledpork. one of the hits ofthe pandemic:they Smokestak alsosellsarange of have enabled dinerstocarry on pickles and sauces,along with getting a tasteofrestaurant-quality various pre-mixed cocktails. food, while helpingrestaurants to Order akit, and “you certainly stay afloat. Here are six of thebest won’t be disappointed”. offering nationwide delivery: Lyle’s (lylesprovisions.com) Berenjak (berenjakbazaar.com) This Michelin-starred London The kabab kits andmazeh boxes restaurant delivers its “exquisitely from thisLondon-based Iranian delicious”menu boxeseach Friday, restaurant – which rangeinprice says Xanthe ClayinTheDaily from £25 to £45 –are a“class act”, Telegraph. At£140 for two,they says Jay Rayner inThe Observer. aren’t cheap, and with multiple My kit even included apair of courses, they dotake a bit of work plastic gloves for me to wear “while Smokestak: “you certainly won’t be disappointed” andconcentration to assemble. spearingthe meat onto the flatmetal However, whatyou end up withis skewers”.Thisisthe best kind of meal “makeaway” service offers a rangeof the “full fine diningexperience (sans the kit–the cooking is fun,and provides enticing, mainly fish-based menus, says service, alas)”,aswell as a “fascinating “unobtrusive education”, andthe finished Sudi Pigott in the Daily Mail. Iopted for glimpseinto howrestaurant dishes are product is utterlydelicious. the Indonesian currymenu, whichcosts finished and plated up”. £55 for two,and consists of moules Gujarati Rasoi (gujaratirasoi.co.uk) marinière,aseafood curry andpassion Santo Remedio (santoremedio.co.uk) Ilove this vegetarian restaurant, says fruitEton mess. The “sparklinglyfresh” Order a“Remedy kit ” from Santo Marina O’Loughlin in The Sunday Times. fish combined with the carefullythought- Remedio and what you will get is an Andits meal boxes are “electrifyingly out dishesmeant a “perfect fish supper”. “incredibly generous, sharing-style good” too. Familyboxesfor four cost £65, Mexican feast” for two,says Anna andIlove the papdi chaat starter(£15.50) Smokestak (smokestak.co.uk) Lawson onBBC GoodFood. The kits – crunchy ribbons of gram-flour snacks DavidCarter, the owner of Smokestak, come with a choiceofslow-cooked meat, layered with chickpeas, raita, date and candothings with meat that are accompanied byall theingredients to build tamarind. The disheswere elaborate, “practically indecent”, says Paul your own tacos. Preparation issimple, yeta“doddle” to assemble. Henderson inGQ. His at-homeboxes thanks to acolour-coded instruction highlightwhathecan achieve with manual: expect to spendabout 25 minutes Stein’s at Home (shop.rickstein.com) an “old-school smoker”,shipped on it.They will set you back £45; pay £15 OverseenbyJack Stein (son of Rick), this from Texas –from 15-hour beef brisket more and you’ll get a margarita each.

Recipe of the week: Salmon, pink grapefruit and avocado salad

This salad would make aperfect weekday lunch, says Nicola Graimes –it’s simple, reviving, vibrant and nutritious. If time is not on your side, use hot-smoked salmon or trout, which is already cooked.

Serves 4 4lightly smoked wild salmon fillets 75g of mixed coloured quinoa, rinsed 1large pink grapefruit 115g rocket leaves 1Little Gem lettuce, shredded ½asmall red onion, diced 2tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds 1handful coriander leaves for the dressing: 3tbsp hemp seed oil or extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling juice of 1large lime sea salt and black pepper

• Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/ • Next, prepare the grapefruit. Slice off gas mark 6. the base and stand the fruit on aplate • Line abaking tray with baking paper. to collect any juices. Working your way Arrange the salmon on the tray, drizzle around the fruit, cut away the skin and with alittle oil and season with salt and any white pith, then insert the knife pepper. between each membrane to remove the segments. Pour any juice left on the plate • Cook for 10 minutes, or until cooked into the dressing. but slightly pink in the middle. • When ready to serve, top the quinoa with • Meanwhile, cook the quinoa following the rocket, lettuce, grapefruit segments and the packet instructions, then drain and red onion. Flake the salmon into pieces, spread out on alarge serving plate to cool. discarding the skin, and arrange on top. • To make the dressing, mix together the hemp seed oil or olive oil and lime juice, • Spoon over the dressing and finish with then season. the pumpkin seeds and coriander leaves.

Taken from The Right Fat: How to enjoy fat with over 50 simple, nutritious recipes for good health by Nicola Graimes, published by Pavilion Books at £9.99. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £7.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk. AARALA HAMILTON ©H

6February 2021 THE WEEK standing Under rld your wo Feels be doesn tter, ’t it?

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New cars: what the critics say TheDaily Telegraph Top Gear What Car? Often labelled“thebest With theS-Class, you get The current engineoptions carinthe world”, the cutting-edge tech mixed areaturbocharged3.0- Mercedes S-Classisan with old-school luxury. litre,429bhppetrol with example of “mass prod- The interfaceonthe huge amild hybrid boost, and uction as art”.Therehas centralscreenand digital a2.9-litre turbodiesel been muchanticipation dashboard is easy to use, with either 282bhp or of this seventh-generation andthe navigation relies 325bhp. Aplug-in hybrid model’stechinparticular, on five cameras, radar, with an electric range of andwhileitisnot ableto andultrasonic sensorsto 62 milesisdue later this Mercedes S-Class drive itself, it does have give areal-time overhead year. TheS-Class builds from £78,705 highlyadvanced “level 3” view of the car on the up pace “effortlessly”, autonomy: it canassist road. There’s avoice manoeuvresprecisely, and with braking and steering assistant –justsay “Hey though emissions could simultaneously,and even Mercedes” –and seats be better, it “offersall the park itself –provided your with tendifferent massage performance, space and garage hassensors. programmes. gadgets youcould want”.

The best… pet gadgets ▲ SureFlap SureFeed Microchip Cat and Small Animate Walking Mate LED ▲ Dog Feeder Perfect for Flashing Loop Put this rechargeable making sure the right LED ring, which comes in four pet gets their food in colours and has aflashing mode, busy households, this around your dog’s neck to make it feeder only opens when visible on dark roads (£8.67; it senses its rightful animeddirect.co.uk). owner’s microchip

(£80; petsathome.com). ▲ Soneer Dog Paw ▲ Tractive GPS Cat Tracker This Cleaner Simple but smartest of collars tells you your cat’s effective, this tube location every three seconds via an app.

▲ It can also display aheatmap of Furbo filled with silicone where they spend Dog Camera bristles is great most of their With crisp 1080p for getting dirt time, and video and a160-degree field of view, out of paws after monitor their the Furbo can show most of what is amuddy walk. activity, their going on in aroom while you’re out. Just pour alittle calories burned It can send “bark alerts” to your water inside, stick and their naps phone, and can even spit out treats apaw in and twist (£45; amazon. (£189; shopuk.furbo.com). around (£19; amazon.co.uk). co.uk). SOURCES: T3/ITV Tips of the week… prepaare AndAnd f foro those who Where to find… your garden for spring have everything… stylish homeware online

● Don’t worry if you didn’t plant any bulbs With a mix of design-led accessories and in the autumn –garden centres have agreat made-to-order furniture, Rose and Grey selection of potted bulbs for spring displays. is agreat place for spotting design trends before they take off (roseandgrey.co.uk). ● Look for shrubs with spring blossoms. If your soil is acidic, try Corylopsis pauciflora. The French company Maisons du Monde Ribes xbeatonii and Japanese quince also offers everything from chic sofas to bring aburst of colour from March to May. tableware. They say Brexit hasn’t changed their charges (maisonsdumonde.com). ● Try growing pea shoots or micro-leaves – cress, coriander, spinach –onawindowsill. Lisa Valentine specialises in making utility ● Alpines, which start to flower in March/ items –likeadustpan and brush or drying early April, are great for limited spaces, or rack –beautiful (lisavalentinehome.co.uk). containers with drainage. For beginners, try Swoon hasanin-house design team in Saxifraga Peter Pan and Pulsatilla vulgaris. order to cut out middlemen and make ● There is still time in February to plant stylish storage, tables, desks and chairs bare-root trees and roses, which come Keep your dog warm in style with more affordable (swooneditions.com). without soil, because they tend to establish Moncler’sline of “dog couture”, in Launched by Jane Rockett and Lucy St quicker as they have awider root system. collaboration with the petclothing brand George in 2007, Rockett St George is ● Most seeds are sown in spring, but hardy Poldo.The collection includes the polyester loved by interior designers for its “eclectic edge” (rockettstgeorge.co.uk). plants like sweet peas and broad beans can Mondoggilet (whichcomes in several be sown now in pots. Heat-loving tomatoes, colours, including acamouflageprint), The family-run Persora,which has astore chillies and exotic flowers such as Cobaea raincloaks,and a£235leash. in aGrade II-listed Georgian building in scandens need alonggrowing season, so the Cotswolds, is particularly good for gifts can be sown now in aheated propagator. from£305; moncler.com and home accessories (persora.com).

SOURCE:THE SUNDAY TIMES SOURCE: THE SUNDAY TIMES SOURCE: THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

6February 2021 THE WEEK 42 Obituaries

Actress and model whose career spanned seven decades

Cicely Tyson, who has died photograph. Frommodelling,she made the leap Cicely Tyson aged96, wasapioneering to acting. In the 1960s, she appeared opposite 1924-2021 black actress whose seven- Maya Angelouand JamesEarl Jones in an off- decade-long career encom- Broadwayproduction of Jean Genet’s The passed film, theatreand television. Refusing Blacks. Shewas inthe film The Heart is a Lonely to take anyrole that she felt demeaned black Hunter in 1968,and in 1972 she was nominated people, evenifthat meant not working, she for an Oscar for her role asasharecropper in wonthree Emmys, aTony,anhonorary Oscar 1930sLouisiana, in Sounder. Shedidn’t win, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and she but it made her a star. was cited as an inspiration by countless younger actors. One of them was Viola Davis, who Although she had mixed with political activists recalled that growing up inpoverty in Rhode in the1960s,she hadnot been one. That Island, in theonly black family in her town, changed when,atapressconferencefor Sounder, shehad seen Tyson on TV – “a dark-skinned, a white journalist told thecast that he’d been thick-lipped woman who truly mirrored me” amazed to hear the sharecropper’s son call his –andithad given her“permission todream”. father Daddy, “because that’s whatmysoncalls Tysonhad a long, on-off relationship with the me”. In her autobiography, she wrote: “I don’t jazz legend Miles Davis, and wasaleading know what stunned me more, thatthe man figureinthe Black isBeautiful movement. By believed what he did or that he hadthe audacity refusing to wear her hair straightened for a role to say it aloud.”WhiteAmericans, she realised, as an African woman tryingtopreserve her Tyson: wouldn’t play negative roles didnot see theirblack fellow citizens as heritage in America, in the early1960s, she entirely human. Tysonsought to changethis, also helped start thenaturalhair movement. But while shewas by playingonly positive, fully rounded characters. She took the regarded as arolemodel, itwasn’t something she’d sought. “It lead role in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,ahit TV pleases me to beasymbol andtoberecognised assuch,” she said, drama from1974about the life of a 100-year-oldwomanwho “but Ihopesome day to besimplyCicely Tyson,actress.” was born intoslavery; and playedthe mother ofKuntaKinte in the seminal TV miniseries Roots, in 1977. But shedeclined to Cicely Tysonwas born in1924, andbrought up in Harlem. Her appear in Blaxploitation movies. With theirplots about drugs, mother, Frederica, was adomesticworker; her father, William, guns, pimps and prostitutes, itwas “committing a narrative worked as acarpenter andpainter. Her parents separated when assassinationofourselves”, she said. Later, she playedSipsey in shewas ten. But her mostvividmemory was of being nine, and the film Fried Green Tomatoes (1991);she had a recurring role seeing hermother lining up with other black women outside a as a congresswoman in Netflix’s House of Cards; and from2015, Manhattan departmentstore, while a rich white womandecided she was ViolaDavis’smother in the TVshow How to GetAway whether to employthemascleaners.Her mother, she recalled in with Murder. In 2018, shewon an honorary Oscar –the first her autobiography, wasaproud, morallyupright, church-going black woman to doso. woman; she was shocked to seeher undergoing this indignity. “I never expected my mother would be standing inlinelikeslaves She firstmet Miles Davisin1965. They became acouple(she is were in theyearsofslavery,” she toldJanice Turner in The Times. pictured on the cover ofhis 1967 album Sorcerer); but he was serially unfaithful, and shelefthim. Then, in the 1970s, when After graduatinghigh school, she worked briefly for the American they were both in their 50s,and his drug habit hadalmost killed Red Cross, in thetyping pool. Then, walking down Fifth Avenue him, she came tohis rescue. Hecreditedher with savinghis life, one day, aman stopped her and toldher that if she wasn’t a and beggedher to marryhim. She agreed, in1981; buthewent model, she should becomeone. So she started distributing her back to hisoldways, and in 1988,shefiled for divorce. The last surviving widow of the American Civil War

Helen Jackson, who has died return for herkindness, Bolin suggested to her that Helen aged 101, was known as they getmarried: that way, he said,she couldclaim Jackson “Miss Jackson” in the small his warpension after hisdeath.“He saidthat it 1919-2020 town in Missouri where she might be my only wayofleaving the farm,” she had spent mostofher adult life. Astern and recalled. They tied theknotin1936, when she slightly intimidating woman, astalwart of her was 17 andhewas 93.But,asagreed, it was kept Methodistchurch and amember of various secret:she stayed with her parents on the farm, and local committees,she wasassumed to be a there wasnointimacybetween them. Threeyears spinster, said The Times; but in 2017, while later, he died,but shenever didclaim the pension: discussing herfuneralarrangements with her one of his daughters hadwarned herthatifitcame pastor andfriend, Nicholas Inman, she con- outthatshe’d married an old manfor hismoney, fessed to himthat she hadoncebeenmarried it woulddestroyher reputation,and shewanted to –toaman who hadfought in theCivil War. protect his too. So she kept hersecret, for81years It madenosense: that bloody war hadended –thoughitwas “eatingher alive”, Inman said. 152 years earlier. Buther claim –tobethe last Civil War widow –turned out to be true. Jackson: kept asecret for 81 years He investigated her story –and herstatus, as a CivilWar widow, was officially recognised. She wasborninMissouri in 1919, oneoften children of apoor Havingspent years hiding herhistory, she embraced it,said The farmer, andbrought up during the Great Depression.Her father Guardian –and in the process,found anew peace.WhenBolin’s had awidowedfriend,anold man namedJamesBolin, whohad descendants heardabout herplace in hislife, they came to visit fought forthe Unionwith the 14th Missouri Cavalry. When her at hernursinghome,and gave her aframed photoofhim. Helen wasinher teens, her father asked her to helpBolin with She criedwhen shesaw it,Inman recalled.“She kept touching his chores each day, on her wayhomefromschool. One day, in the frame and said,‘This is the only manwho ever loved me’.”

THE WEEK 6February 2021 Marketplace and Great Escapes 43

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MoneyWeek. Adifferent take on money. FREE 2021 FINANCIAL RECOVERY Subscribe today REPORT Visit dennismags.co.uk/moneyweek Quote code P21SF01 CITY CITY 45 Companies in the news ...and how they were assessed

BP/Exxon/Chevron: oil spoiler After what it described as a “brutal” year, BP plunged £13.2bn into the red in 2020, marking its “firstfull-year loss inadecade”,said Simon Foy in The Daily Telegraph. The FTSE 100 oilgiantwas hit badly by plunging demand and prices during the pandemic, though CEO BernardLooney saidheexpected “better daysahead”in2021. Looneyhas pinnedhis colours to BP’s new “net zeroambition”, and itsstrategy ofbecoming “an integrated energy company”, but he faces “scepticism from investors”. At least BP isn’t Seven days in the alone inits travails, said Derek Brower and Justin Jacobs in the FT. America’s biggest oil Square Mile producer, ExxonMobil, alsoregisteredits firstannual loss, citing “the most challenging market conditions” it had ever experienced. The situationseemed so dire in early 2020 Global markets were roiled by the clash that the company even discussed a defensive merger with Chevron, tocreate an all- between day traders and hedge funds Americanchampion. Had that goneahead,itwould have been “the biggestmerger of over heavily shorted US video game retailer GameStop,whose shares leapt alltime”, creatingabehemoth second only in size to the $1.78trn Saudi Aramco, said 400% in aweek as buyers piled in (see Mike Spector on Reuters. Could it yet happen? A mighty US oil combo mightsucceed in p46), galvanised by Reddit’s investment neuteringAramco, which has previously“pushed many US drillers to the financial brink community, WallStreetBets. The ensuing by flooding the market withoil”. But given theDemocrats’ historic lack ofsympathy for “short squeeze” on hedge funds betting such deals, “thewindow might be all but closed” under the new Biden administration. against the stock took abig toll: one fund, Melvin,sustained a53% loss. Foresight Group: the Fink doctrine Trading platforms Robinhood and The renewables-focused venture capitalistForesight Group ispreparing to launch “the Interactive stopped trading in GameStop next big green IPO” in London,said Tom Braithwaite in the FT. Whatan“exquisite and other hotly followed stocks. But as time”togo public–just asenvironmental, social and governance (ESG) preoccupations attention switched to the silver market – reach “new levels of hype”. Last week, Larry Fink – head of BlackRock, the world’s prompting the biggest daily rise in the largest assetmanager–reiterated his call for higher standards,observing that “climate metal’s price in eight years –fears of systemic damage from extreme market transition presentsahistoric investment opportunity”. Foresight, whose assets under speculation grew. In another sign of Wall management have surgedto£6.8bn since itembraced “ESG-oriented strategies”, can Street’s frothy markets, Goldman Sachs countonsupport from awave of investors “desperatetofollow the Fink doctrine” when reported that so-called “Spacs” (special it lists later thismonth. The group’sexpectedvaluation is £500m–a“heftypremium to purpose acquisition companies) raised revenues of only £57.3m, andnet profits of£6.5m”. There are alsoquestions about the $16bn in the first three weeks of 2021 – “social”credentials of a financial group registered offshore in Guernsey. Foresightillus- compared to $13bn in the whole of 2019. trates thecurrent“yawning chasm” on the stock market. Anything with a“green gloss” The oil price hit a12-month high and is highlyprized; by contrast,“reliable cash cows” are spurned as “dirty dead-enders”. kept rising, with Brent Crude above $58/ barrel. Moonpig,the e-greetings card Marston’s: independence day company, floated in London at 350p; Shares inthe pub chain Marston’s were trading at almost 130p in 2019 before the shares ended the day at 410p, valuing pandemic hit, said MarkSweney in The Guardian. The ensuing slump hasnow made the company at £1.4bn. GlaxoSmithKline announced a s150m collaboration with it a “takeover target”–perhaps thefirst of manytocome in “the embattledhospitality Nasdaq-listed CureVac to develop anew sector”.Marston’s, whose 1,400 outletsincludethePitcher&Pianochain, lastweek generation of vaccines targeted at Covid received anoffer of105p asharefromthe USprivate equity group Platinum. “Raisea variants. Ex-chancellor George Osborne glass” to the directors, said Alistair Osborne in TheTimes: “unlike toomanyrollover took anew job as abanker –inanM&A boards”, theyturned it down – claiming the£690m bid “very significantly undervalues” role with boutique firm Robey Warshaw. the business, which recently merged with Carlsberg’s UK arm, and assumed responsibility Centrica‘s boss, Chris O’Shea, reported for running 156 pubs attachedtothe family-owned Welsh brewerSABrain.“Platinum’s his family had been posted excrement portfolioincludes a provider ofportabletoilets. Bog off seems doubly appropriate.” following apay rowatthe firm.

Arcadia/Asos/Boohoo: carving up aretailempire

So farewell, Sir Philip “Effing” Green, said from selling Topshop clothes on its site. The Alistair Osborne in The Times. The erstwhile online firm, now worth £4.7bn, has since king of the high street has been “trying to get become Topshop’s biggest online partner; this shot of Arcadia for years”. Now, helped by deal will secure more of the profits. It also Covid, he has achieved it –selling the group’s raises the stakes in the “platform wars” now Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge brands shaping UK fashion, as the dominant players to Asos for£330m, and reportedlyoffloading –Next, Asos and Boohoo –rush to aggregate Burton, Dorothy Perkins and Wallis to Boohoo brands. Even M&S has “cottoned on”, for £25m. “Administrator Deloitte has done its snatching the once-elegant Jaeger from the job in getting the highest price” from the online ruins of Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group. retailers –but at thecost of almost 13,000 jobs and 444 shops. And a“day of reckoning” still The revolution has meant “carnage” on the looms over agiant hole in the pension fund. physical high street as “jobs and business rate “Barring amiracle”, Arcadia’s 9,500 pensioners revenues vanish”, said The Sunday Times. But are heading for the Government’s pensions Green’s own negative contribution shouldn’t lifeboat: “a bit of acontrast to aGreen yacht”. Green: a“retail showman” be overlooked, said Alex Brummer in the Daily Mail. Ultimately, he was more interested in ACKGRID

/B Along-standing tech sceptic, Green assumed aCanute-like living the high life than running his empire. This “self-righteous position as the internet upstarts advanced, said Laura Onita in retail showman for whom apology is aforeign language” has

VALON The Sunday Telegraph. Until two years ago, Asos was banned left behind him a“trail of destruction”. ©A

6February 2021 THE WEEK 46 CITY Talking points

Issue of the week: Going global? The Government is talking up the UK’s new role in global trade – but frustrations on the ground are mounting DonaldTrump may be gone, but the Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Scotch whisky industry is stillsuffering Partnership(CPTPP) – whose members from his policies, said Radio Clyde include fast-growingeconomiessuch as News.Exports of single malts have Malaysia and Mexico, as well as estab- fallen by morethan a third since the US lished playerslike Japan, Australiaand imposed a 25% tariffin2019 –initially, Canada – it could kick-start global trade, as part ofawider rangeofmeasuresin with Britain at the top table. But,again, retaliation forEUsupport giventothe Biden looks in no hurry to move. Critics European aviator Airbus. Distillers are sayBritain’s CPTPP membership will “continuing to pay the price for an bring “limited economic benefit” to the aerospace dispute thathas nothing to UK because“distanceremains a crucial do with them”, according to the Scotch factor”. Indeed, Britain’s application to Whisky Association. So far it hascost join CPTPP, while ending frictionless them £500m. Notsurprisingly they want tradewiththe huge bloc on its own action. Ministerssay they are listening doorstep, is one of the “paradoxes of and have embarked on “intensivetalks” UK tradepolicy”. to get these“unfairtariffs” removed. But Liz Truss: “turbo-charging trade” the situationremainsinstalemate. Nonsense, wrote Liz TrussherselfinThe Daily Telegraph. It is a feather inour cap that “Britain is poised Much the same might be said of Britain’swidertrade talks with to become aPacificplayer”. The moveisevidence that, after a the US, said George Parker andAime Williams inthe FT. “Hopes year asanindependenttrading nation, Britain is picking up speed. of an early trade deal between London and Washington”have “Turbo-charging tradewiththese economies, whichcover nearly faded.The new USpresident, Joe Biden, “has vowed to improve £9trn of world GDP, will be key to fuelling our economic recov- hisown country’s economy before signing new trade deals” –and ery.” Plentyclosertohomewould beg to differ, said Toby Helm a“UK-US agreement” isn’t seenasahigh priority. Forced onto in TheObserver. “Inwhat is threatening tobecome a dramatic the back foot, the PM andhis Trade Secretary Liz Trussinstead exodus ofinvestment and jobs”,hundreds of UK companies are chose to mark the first anniversary ofBritain leavingthe EU by making inquiries about switching operationstocountries within applying to join a “Pacific bloc” of11countries. The hope isthat the EUtoavoid crippling costs. For them, theGovernment’stalk if America isalsopersuaded to sign up to the Comprehensiveand of a“newly nimbleGlobal Britain” has a decidedly hollowring.

Making money: what the experts think Not so merry... ● Silversqueeze madegains. Silver is These are “surreal times” for Hascalmreturned to “a very different target” Robinhood, the online stockbroker at markets following last to unloved individual the centre of the GameStop storm, said week’sGameStop shares, said Mohamed The New York Times. At the end of last mania?ByWednesday El-Erian of Allianzon week, the commission-free outfit “faced this week,itlooked CNBC. “The factthat pressure on its business model, you can movesilver, rumour-mongering about its allegiance that way, said Patrick to hedge funds, and sabre-rattling from Hosking andBen such alargemarket, is an indication to Washington”, not to mention the anger Martin in The Times. of investors restricted from trading in Shares in the US everyone that they shares and options of GameStop and gaming-shop chain havetotake thesenew seven other companies. None of those have morethan halved Silver “always lets you down” technicals seriously.” challenges have gone away. in valuesince amateur traders on Reddit pushed them into the ● Dramatic results Still, at least Robinhood has accessed stratosphere (seepage4)–andthe ensuing Why did the Reddit“mob” alight on new funds, said The Economist. Forced to suspend trading after the frenzy “silver buying spree” that “stunned global silver, asked Dominic Frisby on “depleted” its required capital, it raised financial markets”has also shown “signs MoneyWeek.com.Because many believe $1bn. Now it has “tapped its not-so- of fizzling out”.After hitting an eight-year the explanation for its perennially disap- merry band of shareholders” for a high of $30/oz, as theybecame “an altern- pointing price performance is “manipu- further $2.4bn. Founded seven years ative focusinthe battlebetweensmall lation”. The story that alarge investment ago by Vladimir Tenev and Baiju Bhatt, tradersand Wall Streethedge funds”, spot bank is suppressing the supply of silver as part of amission to “democratise silver prices fellbymorethan 5%.But “has beenaround for as long as Ihave”. finance for all”, the start-up was the first many havebeenleftponderingthe ramifi- Last week,it“caught hold once more” to offer retail investors unfettered (i.e. cations of the mighty “silver squeeze”. with dramatic results. Since silver has no-fee) access to the stock market. But the GameStop drama has presented “a plethora of industrial uses”,especially Robinhood, “once abeneficiary of the ● Moving markets in new technologies, some maintain it wave of retail investing”, with “exis- At the heightofthe fervour, retailinvestors should be pricedat“well over $100 an tential threats”. Questions are being piled into silver, noted Markets.com ounce”. “And yetnever hasacommodity asked about its financial dealings with analyst Neil Wilson –with the aim of disappointed itsinvestorssoconsistently” the hedge fund Citadel, which last week forcing hedge-fund managers shorting the –the precious metaltradesatthe same rode to the rescue of fellow fund Melvin commodity to become buyers. The upshot price nowasitdid 40 years ago. If it can Capital even as the latter was being was aroller-coaster ride for precious metal clear$30,there’sagoodchance silver squeezed by Robinhood traders. Worse, minersinthe UK as well as the US, said couldrun to$50 –the all-time high,set in regulators are now on the case. The GameStop saga has “created pain” Michelle McGagh on Citywire. Shares in 1980. But remember, “it’s the metal that for ahandful of financial institutions, London-listed Fresnillo jumped 16.5%to always lets youdown” –asanewgroup Robinhood may be another “to suffer”. hit£11.50. Mininginvestment trusts also of traders maybeabout tofind out.

THE WEEK 6February 2021 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE Navigating business ethics in China Why vigilance and transparency are keytooperating successfully in the world’ssecond-largest economy

hina’s unique history,culture Military-Civil Fusion andthe United Nations GuidingPrinciples on andpoliticalsystemmakeita TheChinese authorities operateaMilitary-Civil Business andHuman Rights (UNGPs). These different prospecttothe Fusion (MCF)policythatseeks to modernise policies offer astructurearoundwhich your Western marketsthatmany themilitary andenhance its technologyby organisation can begintobuildarobust companies will be more used to blurring thelines betweencivil andmilitary frameworkfor duediligenceinbusinessethics. C operatingwithin. The research. UnderMCF,productsaforeign relationshipbetween government, business companydevelops or shares in collaboration Mitigation andmilitary is sometimes blurred,and theUK with aChinese partnercould theoretically be Thecomplexityofhuman rights issues in governmenthas raised serious concerns about repurposed formilitary usewithoutthe foreign Chinaissuchthatstandarddue diligence China’sreportedhuman rights violations. partner’s consent,which can lead to legal practices areunlikelytobeenoughinthisarea. Organisations operatinginChina need to be issues andreputational damage. Keepingupwithcurrent affairs andpolitical particularly vigilantinthe area of business To avoid fallingfoulofthe MCF, youneed a policy will help youidentifywhich areasofthe ethics to avoid infringingUKorinternational comprehensive understandingofyour Chinese market andbusinessmay be ariskto lawand theserious reputational damage technology,particularly its ‘dual-use’potential. you. Be prepared to reactswiftly to emerging caused to companiesconnectedtohuman Applyfor theappropriate export licenses and issues that mayimpactyouroperations,while rights abuses. consultthe UK export authorities if aproduct beingaware that organisations that speakout seemslikelytobesubjected to UK Strategic publicly againsthuman rights risk censure Export Controls.You should also investigate from theChinese authorities. therecordand policies of potentialChinese Oneofyourbestdefencesistobe O ganisations partners–networkslikethe China-Britain transparent about allthe stepsyou aretaking Business Council(cbbc.org)and techUK to maintain ethicalpractices so that, if issues opeeratingin (techuk.org)can help putyou in touchwith arise,you can demonstratethatyou have been reliable China-basedcontacts. Visitthe acting in good faith. Chinaneedto UK government’sDigital andTechChina Business ethics maybeone of themost website(gov.uk/digitalandtechchina)for complicatedareas when it comestodue be particularly more guidance. diligence,but this should not put youoff at theoutset. With adedication to transparency vigilant in thearea Humanrights andathorough understandingofyour Yo uare likelytobeaware of someofthe product andpartners, many businesses will be of business ethics concerns regardingChina’srecordonhuman able to successfullyand ethicallynavigatethe rights.Due to thecomplexityand occasional Chinese market. to avoid infringing opacityofthe Chinesesystemand supply chains,itmight not alwaysbeimmediately To read an expanded version of this UK or international obvious when your operations in Chinaare article,visit china.theweek.co.uk intersecting with these issues. lawand serious Yo ur ability to recognisethese riskswill be Broughttoyou by bolsteredbyanawareness andunderstanding reputational damage of UK andinternational humanrightslawsand guidelines such as theUK’sModernSlavery Act SCOTTISH MORTGAGE INVESTMENT TRUST

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How isthe UK economy doing in theinternational growth stakes, asksDavid Smith.Not sowell. According to theIMF, last year’s City profile Britain’s 10% contractionwas much worse than theperformance of the US, which lost 3.4%, andJapanand Germany, which declined by Jeff Bezos Few companies have thrived stuttering 5%. Perhaps the “safest thingtosay is that the UK was among like Amazon during the aclutch of poorly performingEuropean countries, along with pandemic. The online giant, recovery France,Italy and Spain”. Some favour the “trampoline theory of started in agarage by Jeff economic recoveries”. But the disappointingnews isthatBritain’s Bezos in 1994, has just David Smith projected recovery –4.5% this yearand 5% next – is behind that delivered record quarterly of Spain and France,inspiteofthe EU’s “vaccinationimbroglio”. sales, breaking the $100bn The Sunday Times Why?One reasonisthat our own successful programme isn’tyet barrier for the first time, said “deliveringliberty”.Another is the“serious” tradefrictioncaused Callum Jones in The Times. by Brexit.But athird is that having spentastaggering£280bn Agood moment, reckons Bezos, to step down as fightingCovid, there is “little official talk of providing a post- CEO. “Invention is the root pandemic fiscal boost”. The Chancellormight say thebeststim- of our success,” he wrote ulus is simply lifting restrictions, but “other countries are adopting to his “fellow Amazonians” abelt-and-bracesapproach”. Time will tell which works best. this week, as he ran through its greatest hits on the “Rough justice comes in many forms,” says Alistair Osborne. journey from online book- Was Tom Hayes a victimofit? The formerUBS and Citigroup seller to global dominance. Rough justice trader hasbeen released fromjail morethan five years after being “If you get it right, afew convicted of“rigging”the benchmarkinterest rate,Libor. Given years after asurprising invention, the new thing for Libor’s that Hayes appeared to acknowledgehis crimes on tape, “many has become normal.” think he got his just deserts”.But digdeeper and “it’s hard to “fall guy” escapethe conclusion” that Hayes was a“fall guy” – acasualty of the Serious Fraud Office’s “sprayshot approach to prosecutions”. Alistair Osborne The SFOdubbed Hayes the“ringmaster” of a scam but, ashe observes, “everybody” – includinghis bosses–“knew whatIwas The Times doing.Therewasno subterfuge.” Moreover, whom exactly was he conspiringwith? “The SFO tried to answer that by prosecuting six brokers fromIcap, RP Martin andTullett Prebon. But they were all acquitted.”UBS ended up paying$1.5bn offines; Hayes was handed a14-year sentence,“the samefor sexuallyassaulting achild”. This “ludicrous” sentence waseventuallycut,buthe’s now fightingtohavehis conviction quashed. “Whatever the outcome ofthat, hiscase is no triumphfor British justice.”

Lockdown began last year with acraze for theNetflixseries Tiger King, says Lex. But, clearly, “theold-world joyofreading” has reasserted itself. Bloomsbury Publishing reports itnow expects Bezos, 57, who will remain Apandemic executive chair, is handing annual profits to be “well ahead”ofexpectations. TheBritish the reins to Andy Jassy – publishing publisher, knownfor the HarryPotter series, has an “eye for the boss of the company’s cloud zeitgeist”. Its recenthits –such as Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m computing arm, Amazon boom No Longer Talking to White People About Race andDishoom’s Web Services –who has Indian cookbook –“afford an illuminatingsnapshot of life in long been his heir apparent. Lex 2020”. Other bestseller listsalso“show a world in searchof Still, the change comes at a social awareness and feelgood schmaltz”, though the continued “strange time for Amazon”, Financial Times popularity of Orwell’s 1984 hints that “darker fears remain”. All said Dominic Rushe in The told, Nielsen BookScan reckons 202 million print books, worth Guardian. Its stock rose more than 75% last year, taking £1.76bn, were sold in theUKlastyear. Such numbersfade beside Bezos’s private fortune to the past “heavy-hitters” such as Harry Potter (500million in $185bn. Yet it faces pressure global sales), 1972’s The Joy of Sex or the Bible. But the “upward from workers complaining of trajectory” articulates acomforting truth:inchaotic times,the “mistreatment” during the best shelter is to be found “between the covers of agoodbook”. pandemic, and “increasing political scrutiny of the size “As digital technologies come to dominate everyindustry, engi- and power of its business”. neers are rising from the workbench to the boardroom in record What’s next for Bezos numbers,”says Harry de Quetteville. According to areport from himself, asked The Daily The future Telegraph. The options headhunters CristKolder, awhopping 28% of chiefexecutivesat are endless for one of belongs to S&P 500and Fortune500 companies in 2020 hadanengineering the world’s richest men. degree–“beaten onlybybusiness degrees (34%) andmore than Stepping down will allow engineers theentire liberal arts put together”.What’s more,theyappear to more time to focus on his be effective. In 2018, 34 of Harvard Business Review’s “best- space exploration firm (Blue Harry de Quetteville performingCEOsinthe world” were engineers,overtakingthose Origin), his climate change with MBAs forthe firsttime.Membersofthe profession say it’s initiative (The Earth Fund), The Daily Telegraph no surprise that their“fusion of technical expertise andpragmatic and his newspaper (The problem-solving” is in demand at atime when “real-world Washington Post). But former execs are “sceptical” delivery” counts.Indeed, today’s“entrepreneur-engineers”, like about how much power the Tesla’s Elon Musk,are theBrunels of theage.Sadly, in the UK we founder and largest share- havebaggage.Wedon’t celebrateengineers, or backthem,asthey holder will actually relin- do in America –perhaps because Britain was home to the original quish. As they observe, industrial revolutionand allour templates refer to 150years ago. “Jeff Bezos likes control”. Instead of harking back to aglorious past, “we need to update it”.

6February 2021 THE WEEK 50 Marketplace

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The week’s best shares Directors’ dealings Asos Fever-TreeDrinks Totally Babcock International The Times The Times The DailyTelegraph The onlinefashion store has The mixer-maker’s stellar Services providedfor theNHS 400 beefed up its boardand seen growth since 2013 hasmoder- include operating the 111 profitsquadruple thanks to ated, but it’s stilla“quality” phone line in someareas, 350 3directors improved warehouse logistics. business. Overseas growth and out-of-hours GPs and buy 90,000 The Topshop acquisition marketshare gainsinthe UK physiotherapy. With net cash 300 should accelerate growth. saw revenues fall by just 3% for acquisitions, there’s “huge Awinnerofthe retail shake- in 2020. Set to fizz when pubs scope”for growth,and profits 250 out. Buy.£47. reopen. Buy. £24.97. should improve. Buy. 26.75p. 200

Ceres Power PZ Cussons Vodafone Group 150 The Daily Telegraph Investors Chronicle The Sunday Telegraph Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Ceres is apioneer of world- Soaring demand for hygiene The mobile phonecompany leading fuel cell technology products in the pandemichas is active acrossEurope and Shares in the defence contrac- tor tumbled onwarnings of – one ofthe greatest hopes for beenaboon for the owner looking fitter. Cut costs, and “negative impacts” onits cleanpower – andlicences to of Carex and Cussons Baby proceeds fromthe floatofits finances. Profits plunged in the other firms for production, brands. Aspeculative bet mast business, willlower debt; pandemic,and recovery pros- thus keeping its own costs on continuing post-crisis churn rates arefalling, and the pects are dwindling. Three

directors have bought £178,860 NVESTORS CHRONICLE down.Amongthe UK’s “best momentum –ifthe turnaround regulatoryoutlook isimprov- :I tech hopes”.Buy. £15.88. provessuccessful.Buy. 240p. ing.Yields6.3%. Buy. 124.8p. of shares to restore confidence. SOURCE

…and some to hold, avoid or sell Form guide

CineworldGroup Glencore KeystoneLaw Group Shares tipped 12 weeks ago The Times The Sunday Times The DailyTelegraph Best tip The cinema operator may The minerisshifting towards The lawfirm enjoyed astrong Volution Group survive the threat from green energy by investingin finish to 2020 thanks to The Daily Telegraph up 57.36% to 310p home-streaming,but it faces “future facing” metalslike continuing demand and high headwinds.Awithdrawn offer zinc andcobalt–it is akey levelsofclient service. Shares Worst tip for Canada’s Cineplex has supplier to Tesla.But have gained more than 50% Hikma Pharmaceuticals triggered legalaction, andits unresolved investigations sincethe March low, and Investors Chronicle tone-deaf executive incentive continue,and debt remains dividendsare set to resume. down 9.35% to £24.34 scheme continues to drawfire. high. Hold.246.4p. Hold.565p. Avoid. 69p. Indivior Wizz Air Market view Crest Nicholson The Times The Times “When you see what’s Investors Chronicle Shares rallied on newsthat Current trading is “awful”, but happening with GameStop, Thehousebuilder struggled to the pharma hassettleda the short-haulbudgetcarrier, you ask: is this manipulation, execute aturnaround strategy probe into the marketing of originally focusedonEastern is this mass psychosis, or is there something wrong in our amid lockdown disruption. its anti-opioid drug Suboxone Europe, is now the disrupter market structure?” Butthe stamp duty break has Film, clearing the way to Ryanair oncewas.Ahealthy Prof James Angel of aided recovery: profits and focus on Sublocade –a balance sheet should ensure Georgetown University. cash were ahead of guidance. next-generation injectable it emergesfromthe crisisin Quoted in The New York Times Hold.318p. treatment. Hold.144.7p. prime position. Hold. £44.02. Market summary

Key numbers for investors Best and worst performing shares Following the Footsie

2Feb 2021 Week before Change (%) WEEK’S CHANGE, FTSE 100 STOCKS FTSE 100 6516.65 6654.01 –2.06% RISES Price %change FTSE All-share UK 3707.20 3761.64 –1.45% Intl. Cons. Airl. Gp. 149.95 +7.15 Dow Jones 30812.23 30943.90 –0.43% Melrose Industries 178.15 +6.61 7,000 NASDAQ 13620.55 13603.83 0.12% Ictl. Htls. Gp. 4876.00 +6.42 Nikkei 225 28362.17 28546.18 –0.64% B&M European Value 558.00 +5.12 Hang Seng 29248.70 29391.26 –0.49% Diageo 3044.00 +4.52 6,500 Gold 1862.95 1856.85 0.33% FALLS Brent Crude Oil 57.50 55.94 2.79% Prudential 1197.50 –12.75 DIVIDEND YIELD (FTSE 100) 2.94% 2.92% Imperial Brands 1456.50 –10.40 UK 10-year gilts yield 0.35 0.26 BP 255.00 –9.69 6,000 US 10-year Treasuries 1.11 1.03 Astrazeneca 7380.00 –7.19 UK ECONOMIC DATA Royal Dutch Shell B 1250.20 –6.06 Latest CPI (yoy) 0.6% (Dec) 0.3% (Nov) BEST AND WORST UK STOCKS OVERALL Latest RPI (yoy) 1.2% (Dec) 0.9% (Nov) Fragrant Prosperity 5.8 +169.77 5,500 Halifax house price (yoy) 6.0% (Dec) 7.6% (Nov) Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Iconic Labs 0.003 –57.12 £1 STERLING $1.367 E1.136 ¥143.564 Source: Datastream (not adjusted for dividends). Prices on 2Feb (pm) 6-month movement in the FTSE 100index

6February 2021 THE WEEK 52 The last word How did Covid-19 start? Thesearch for patient zero

As the World Health Organisation team begins its investigation in Wuhan, Tom Whipple examines the vexed attempts to solve the mystery of the coronavirus’s origins

In the beginningthere was thatiswhen recorded a sick bat. Here is one story history began, albeit of what happened next, the against resistance. The first storythatyouare probably whistleblowers were most familiarwith. In silenced, the first Chinese November 2019, this bat scientiststopublish the wasinfected with avirus genomehad their labora- that for aeons had spread toryinvestigated. Even so, from bat to bat. Now after that point we know though,eversosubtly, it withincreasing certainty hadchanged and itwas whathappened next. ready to live elsewhere. Before that, we have only a In the late Chinese hazy picture. And of all the autumnalair, the virus, a stories it isthe first, the coronavirus, found its way Wuhan wet marketpatient into apangolin, a strange, zero, that is becoming less scalymammal that curls up and less likely. in a tough keratinousball when threatened.Here the The earliest case to be virus againmutated to identified, Chinese adapt to anew host. The scientistsnowclaim, pangolin then met a human Awet market in Wuhan: ground zero or just asuperspreading event? predates theWuhan whobelievedits scales marketoutbreak. couldcure illness. It was taken to a market in thecityofWuhan Sharpening that hazy picturetosee where thatcase came from where,rather than stopping disease, itstartedthe most would be, in thebestoftimes, unimaginably hard. A coronavirus devastating disease ofthe 21st century. is small. Put amillioninaball and they would fillthis full stop. For us, the bit that matters – astring of nucleic acid –issmaller Buthereisanother story, one that perhaps you are less familiar still,andisitself made upof30,000 chemical “bases”. One day, with. The bat was still sick, but perhaps not in November, and while copyingitself, a handful of those changed. This isthe true perhaps not even in China. The virusfound its way into humans start ofthe pandemic. How can we possibly findout the natural andspread for weeks, possiblymonths, possibly years –even, history of a viruswecannot see and didnot notice until it wastoo some disputed studies suggest, late? Andhow can we do so viaother countries – until, when the answer is so freighted? one day,one ofthose humans “Here is athird theory: the virus was taken decided to visit a market. to Wuhan to study. Then there was amistake, Because these are notthe best of Wuhan was still the site of the and the virus escaped from the laboratory” times. Thequestionofwhere superspreading event;just not our coronavirusstarted life is ground zero. not just a virological issue, it is ageopolitical one. For scientists, it has become impossible to Andhereisathird story,which you are probably aware of but separate their work from politics, fromaccusation andcounter- may have dismissed out of hand. The virus startedinbats, and accusation. “It has become extremely toxic,” says François wastaken into Wuhan by ahuman,but not in ahuman. A Balloux, director of the UCLGenetics Institute. LinfaWang, researcher fromthe Wuhan Institute of Virologycollected the director of theProgramme in EmergingInfectious Diseasesat virus to study. Then years later, perhaps aftertweaking its Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore,says it hascausedschisms genome, there wasamistake.Afreezerwas left open,a in scientific collaborations. “I am an ethnic Chinese with avery laboratory protocol ignored, andthe virus escaped. strong connection to China,”hesays.“Ihavezero collaboration from Chinese scientists dealing with Covid-19.The sensitivityis Which is true? “Right now, we can’truleout anyhypotheses,” so much that they arescared, andI’m scared.” says PeterDaszak, president of the EcoHealth Alliance. An expert on when andhow diseasesspill over from animal populations, he Dr Daszak says theatmosphere has, forall of them, made a hasbeentasked by aLancet Commissionwithsolvingthe greatest difficultjob farharder. “If youhad no politics at all, no andmost intractable murder mystery in the world. Where didour conspiracy theories, no previous US State Department headswho pandemic coronavirus originate? When? Andwhat happened said,‘China’s to blame for this outbreak andthere needtobe next?Rather than Colonel Mustard in the conservatory with the reparations,’ it would be straightforwardtofind alot more out,” candlestick,was it thebat in the marketwiththe pangolin?The he says. They could track early cases to source,they couldsurvey scientist in the lab with the defrosting freezer? “Between thebats wildlife forsimilarviruses, theycould trawl blood banksfor signs andWuhan seafoodmarket there’sagap in ourknowledge,”says of antibodies. “Itwould stilltakeacouple of years –but scientists Dr Daszak,who is,for his part, highly sceptical of the laboratory working together candoalottoget closer to the origins.” theory. “That gap needs to be worked on.” For Dr Daszak,patient zero will still most likely be foundatthe On 31 December 2019,Chinaannounced it wasinvestigating pointwhere bats meet humans. And, he says, there are no pneumoniacases of “unknown aetiology”. For the coronavirus, shortageofsuchplaces. He sees no need forapangolin. “In rural CIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY ©S

THE WEEK 6February 2021 Thelastword 53

China people hunt bats, they eat bats. autumn, thevirusjumped intomink They take bats out of nets with their in Denmark,itdid whatviruses do hands, they get bitten...Some go into when they jump,evolved, improving caves with sticks and spike them. its ability to existinmink. Forthe People getbatfaeces out of caves and firstsix monthsthe coronavirus was spread it on the vegetablegardens. spotted inhumans, it didn’t do that: We have even heard of eyedrops that not until the autumn did it gain usebat faeces inthem.” This isnow mutations that gaveitan advantage. the mainstream hypothesis. Sometime It was asifitdropped fromthe sky, in autumn someone ate, breathed, or already tuned to infect us. even eye-droppedabitof corona- virus-infected bat into their body. It “Onescenarioisthat itwas just changed hosts, and it was only a apparentlyverylucky,” says Alina matter of time beforethese mysterious Chan, from the Broad Institute. pneumoniacases appeared. “Somehow the virusthatrecently spilled over from animals was really How can weprove it,though?How super-good at infecting humans.” canweinterview thefirst cases when Bats: the one uncontested piece of the puzzle Relyingonsheer chance feels the origins of the virus have ceased to unsatisfactory. “A lot ofexperts be a mere scientific question, andwhere the truth hassometimes don’t like that hypothesis.” Along with her colleagueShing had serious consequences? Can we ever sampleenough bats and Zhan,fromthe UniversityofBritish Columbia, she was oneofthe sequenceenough viruses to locate the one that made the leap? first to research thisoddity. She was also one of the first – publicly Many clues that could help us retracethe steps of the virusfrom at least – to propose another explanationthatcut rightthrough before last NewYear’s Eve have been lost. Butone clue can never the geopoliticsand science.Yes,itcould be that the viruswas be lost – that contained in the genomeitself. lucky. Yes,itcould be that ithad spread unnoticed. Or it could be that we did theadaptation ourselves,thatitescaped from Each timethe virus copies itself, there isachance of a mutation. alaboratory. Mutations can be bad–if, for instance, they let a bat virus pass into humans.Most ofthe time,though, they do nothing for the In the centreofWuhan, betweenthe scenic EastLake and the virus.But for scientists, they are atime signature –they become Yangtze River, you will findthe Wuhan Institute of Virology. a clock thatages the virus.Takeall of the many strainsnowin Here,they study andstorebat coronaviruses. We now know existence, countback through the mutations, and youfindthe that one of the bat coronaviruses they have, called RaTG13, is pointwhere they branched, their common ancestor: avirus that the closest known relative to the pandemicstrain. From thestart replicated itselfinlate 2019,inChina. “Wecan be pretty ofthe pandemic, often in seedier parts of the internet, people have confident thatitwas a simplejump. It happened just once;there is questioned whether thisiscoincidence. They have beendismissed no diversity,” saysProfessorBalloux. “There are good reasons to as conspiracy theorists. It’s not that Dr Chan thinks the virus presume this was the originalhostjump –the point where it came definitely came from the laboratory. It’s just,she says, that she from animals.” doesn’t understand why others are so sure it didn’t. Mistakes Case closed? Notquite. There “In rural China people hunt bats, they eat bats. happen.Sodocover-ups. “No is an annoyingwrinkle in the They take bats out of nets with their hands, they countrywants to admit they Covid timeline. In September get bitten. Some go into caves and spike them” have covert human pathogen 2019,alung cancerscreening research, ongoing,that is causing trial tookplace in Italy. Blood mass death around the world,” samples from the 959 patients were frozen and stored. In late shesays. “It’s easier to tell the public that this happened because 2020,scientists went back andanalysed the blood. In it, six we trafficked too many pangolins or that it came on frozen food monthsbefore coronavirus would overwhelm Italy’s health importedfrom another country.” service, four monthsbeforeitwas meant to beinEurope, they found antibodies specific to thevirus. Mostscientists have Publicly, manyextremely senior scientists have opposed this idea. dismissed this as an outlier – a freak result best ignored on the “Westand together to strongly condemn conspiracytheories basis that extraordinaryclaims requireextraordinary evidence. suggesting thatCovid-19 does not haveanatural origin,” wrote They saythe findings must be false positives. But not Professor one group in theLancet last February. Privately,some toldThe Wang,fromDuke-NUS Medical School, Singapore. Times it wasnot so absurd. Released documents showthat figures advisingthe US government seriously entertained theideain Imagine, he says, if when thecoronavirus explored its first human February. Professor Balloux said there was no evidenceinthe host,itwas not so well adapted,and notsodeadly. Thereare virus’s genome to support theidea it hadbeenengineered. “There many coronaviruses in the world,inmany animals.Thereare four is nothingnotabletodistinguishthisfromother natural corona- that have been humanity’s constant seasonalcompanions long viruses circulating in humans,” he said. But,“Icannotdismissit. before this crisis. Youcould conceive of this versionofthe virus Icannotdisprove it is the workofsomenefarious boffin.” going unnoticed. What’s anotherbad case of flu here and there? Then oneday,perhaps years later,close to aChinese seafood Sometimes, when we wanttoexplain howsmall eventshave market, this coronavirus mutatedinto thescarier version we momentous consequences, we sayabutterfly flapping itswings see today, thesingle ancestor seen by ProfessorBalloux.“The couldcauseastorm on theother side of theAtlantic.This questionis: is Covid-19 abrandnew virus withnorelatives, that pandemic wasstarted by something so small that abutterfly’s flap just jumped intohumansinWuhan in December,”asks Professor would itself be astorm. And itsconsequences were fargreater Wang.“Or is it actuallyavariantofone or more close cousins, than themostferocious hurricane. The answers the scientists seek, which are not as transmissible, but to whichhumans have been if they exist, come in thissmallest of events, asingle virus particle exposed in unspecifiedlocations,including Italy?” finding its wayintoasingle human.Willweever identify it?“The tricky thing about thistopic is thatwedancearound uncertainty,” This is morethan merely an alternative hypothesis, more than an says Dr Zhan. “And Isee no end of uncertainty.” explanationfor the Italianfindings. In fact, havinghad the virus circulatingunknownwould answer anothermystery puzzling Alonger versionofthisarticleappearedinthe TheTimes. scientists –why coronavirus is so good at what it does. When, last ©The Times/News Licensing

6February2021 THE WEEK 54 Marketplace

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THE WEEK CROSSWORD 1246 ThiT sweek’s winner will receive an An Ettinger travel pass case and two Connell Guides will be giventothe senderof EEttinger(ettinger.co.uk) travelpass the first correctsolution to the crossword and the clue of the week opened on Monday 15 ccase(assortedcolours), which retails February.Emailthe answersasascanofacompleted gridoralist, with the subjectline ata £105,and two ConnellGuides TheWeekcrossword 1246, to [email protected]. Tim Moorey (timmoorey.com) (connellguides.com). 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ACROSS DOWN 8 Damn strikes, time for the 1 Did research in favour of sex? (6) 8 9 introduction of police (4) 2 Perfectionist has second difficult 9 Country that’s OK? No, rather problem (8) suffering (5,5) 3 French for “serve tea”? (4) 10 Defender sacked having gone 4 Boss deceitful long ignored 10 11 12 wrong (9) in education (8) 12 The French flat’s gone up 5 They’ll open many doors for quickly (5) you (8,4) 13 Leeds very shortly to arrange 6 Disheartened trainer exercising 13 14 digs (6) is wayward (6) 14 Autocratic boss working with 7 Previous examination of a his secretary? (8) symphony (8) 15 Top broadcaster (a centre grid 11 Shine like Chopin? (6,6) role!) (8-7) 15 Rod’s an idiot (3-5) 15 16 17 18 Stories about origin of party 16 Prove foreign assistance given snacks(4-4) too much money (8) 20 Little money in India for 17 A losing capital city in genuine sentimentalmovie (6) revenge (8) 18 19 20 21 22 Machinistwillingly in part makes 19 Is horn misused? Could be from woven fabric (5) these (6) 23 Whitish street in easternstate (9) 21 Quote by yours truly taken up? 25 Cut of pork adheres to cutlery(10) It’s what makes one sick (6) 22 23 24 26 CClay changed to this African 24 Liberal former president gets country (4) Facebook approval (4)

25 26

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Registeredasanewspaperwiththe RoyalMail. Printed by Wyndeham Bicester.Distributed by Marketforce(UK) Ltd. Subscriptions: [email protected]. 6February 2021 THE WEEK