The Spectator

A hot, hot night in a Portobello Road boookshop for a poetry reading (see my earlier post) hosted by the excellent Pass on a Poem and Oxfam, in aid of Darfur and Chad. As I stand up to read "The Day He Died" by Ted Hughes, I notice Saffron Burrows sitting in the back row of the audience. Just another night in Notting Hill, I guess. I manage to get through without fluffing my lines, I think. Then it's over to the real talent. Our own Rachel Johnson reveals that (in addition to all her other talents) she has a beautiful speaking voice, reading Auden's Epitaph on a Tyrant with great poise and power. And speaking of that poet, the great Alex James, Blur bassist and man of letters, reveals that his own haircut  is "centenary Auden", to mark the 100th anniversary of Wystan's birth.

According to the Youth Justice Board, most teenage “gangs” should be referred to less abrasively as “groups”. Which makes me think how very different Martin Scorsese’s movie would have been if it had been called Groups of New York. I doubt Goodfellas would have made such an impact if it had begun with the line: “As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a group member.” And, somehow, “group rap” – or perhaps “group rhyming partnership initiatives” – doesn’t sound quite as snappy as “gangsta rap”. Still, next time you see a bunch of hoodies menacingly huddled on your street corner, you can rest assured: they’re really only a “group”.

What a wonderful afternoon it was! Who can imagine a theatre jammed full of the most famous thespians in London honouring that despised creature, a theatre critic? But they — Miriam Margolyes, Corin Redgrave, Patricia Hodge, Simon Callow and many others — all came. Actors loved the late Sheridan Morley, for they realised that Sherry not only loved but also had huge understanding of the theatre. And they — actors, directors, producers, friends — came in their hundreds to show their affection for him. And as they read from Sherry's reviews, reminisced, sang and recited, they made us laugh and cry.

The issue that ends up rendering asunder the American right will not be Iraq but the other i-word, immigration. George W. Bush and Karl Rove have long believed that the future of the Republican Party depends on appealing to Hispanics, the fastest growing minority group in the US. They argue that with their strong family values, work ethic and small business mind-set this group are just waiting for the Republicans to court them. Indeed, Bush and Rove received some vindication for this theory when a sharp increase in the Hispanic vote helped win Bush a second term.

Few people have a good word to say about Don Rumsfeld right now and there is little doubt that he was an absolute disaster in his second stint at the Pentagon. The Rumsfeld doctrine—just enough troops to lose, as one Washington wag dubbed it—is largely responsible for the Coalition’s inability to bring order to Iraq after the fall of Saddam. Having said all that, his latest wheeze does seem like a good idea. He is planning to set up a foundation to provide fellowships for those in the private sector who want to do a stint in public service.