Joking about his wife’s counsel to him he quipped: Some of the questions are very serious

Joking about his wife’s counsel to him, he quipped: “Some of the questions are very serious. Almost 1,000 supporters and assorted protesters converged outside WMUR’s studio complex in Manchester in freezing temperatures to cheer or boo the candidates as they arrived for the forum. The politicians themselves were obscured by an ocean of placards and banners.Minutes earlier, Mr Dole visited a group of his supporters at the Stardust Lounge, a night-club a block away from the studios. An ABC poll gave him 29 per cent, Mr Dole 26 per cent, Mr Alexander 18 per cent and Mr Forbes 13 per cent.Such was the hoopla generated by the very staging of the debate, it was easy to forget that this is only February and that November is nine months away. Mr Forbes and Mr Alexander were shown tied in third place with 14 per cent.Two surveys of viewers of the debate gave the edge to Mr Buchanan, however. There was barely a mention of the millionaire publisher’s flat-tax proposal, which until just days ago was propelling him to the top of the polls here.A tracking poll in yesterday’s Boston Globe had Mr Dole clinging on to first place with 25 per cent, just ahead of Mr Buchanan with 22 per cent. A loss here could be a crippling blow.While Thursday’s debate was liveliest when Messrs Dole, Buchanan and Alexander exchanged barbs, especially over negative campaign advertising, free trade and taxation, almost as notable was the relatively muted performance of Steve Forbes.

Most said they were impressed by Mr Buchanan, who declared that his campaign as a “conservative with a heart”, stressing jobs and his opposition to America’s free trade agreements, had caught fire.With four days to go, Mr Dole appears to be increasingly vulnerable both to Mr Buchanan, who in most polls is now neck-and-neck with him in first place, as well as to Mr Alexander, who has also shown signs of surging after spending weeks far down the field.Mr Dole, who is fighting to overcome the perception that he is too old and too sour to beat President Bill Clinton in November, has to win in New Hampshire if he is to pick up speed for the parade of other state primaries that follow swiftly after Tuesday. Manchester, New Hampshire

With last-minute instructions from his wife to “Smile, smile”, Bob Dole used a final television debate before Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary to try to reassert his lead over his closest rivals, Pat Buchanan and Lamar Alexander.
Instant polling of viewers of the often raucous exchange on Thursday night suggested that Mr Dole had been only partially successful, however. He is also an expert on New York State politics, which are authoritatively touched upon in Primary Colors

Novel reviewed, Weekend page 10. But from the outset he has been high on the list of suspects. Not only did Klein cover the 1992 action in New Hampshire (Gennifer Flowers, draft-dodging et al). Somewhat less than comprehensively, the alleged author is denying the charge.

Washington – The biggest US publishing whodunnit in years has been solved – maybe, writes Rupert Cornwell. According to a noted US literature professor, the author of the best-selling roman-a-clef, Primary Colors, whose identity has tantalised Washington for a month, is Joe Klein, the Newsweek political columnist. Such anyway is the answer offered by Donald Foster, a Vassar university professor in the forthcoming issue of the New Yorker, on the basis of an exhaustive stylistic comparison by computer between the book, a barely veiled, extremely well-informed account of Bill Clinton’s 1992 primary campaign, and the writings of Mr Klein. Mrs Bottomley- now at the heritage department – was giving evidence on behalf of the Daily Mirror, which is fighting a libel action brought by Anthony Percy, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup, Kent.
Mr Percy claims Mrs Bottomley called for his role in the affair to be “flagged up” after she had heard that he was to be censured.Mr Percy, 55, Bickley, Kent, says the newspaper suggested he was guilty of gross dereliction of duty, and bore some responsibility for the death of 45-year-old Malcolm Murray.Mr Murray, who had a serious brain injury, died at Leeds General Infirmary last March after being flown 200 miles from Queen Mary’s when no neurosurgical bed could be found for him in the South-east.The newspaper, which denies libel, says its story was a fair and accurate account of the contents of the South Thames Regional Health Authority report that criticised Mr Percy for giving advice to a junior doctor from home by phone rather than going into the hospital.Mr Percy has claimed he was set up as the scapegoat by Mrs Bottomley, the STRHA chairman, William Wells, the hospital’s chief executive, Stephen Collinson, and a civil servant at the Department of Health named Hollebon.. Virginia Bottomley, the former Health Secretary, yesterday dismissed as “totally without substance” a consultant’s allegation that she and others “framed” him over a patient’s death in an attempt to deflect media attention from cuts.

The trial, now in its 19th month, is expected to last for another year.The McSpotlight site contains video clips allegedly linking McDonald’s with rainforest destruction, a complete set of McLibel witness statements and scientific papers, guided tours, audio interviews with the McLibel Two, and a McQuiz.The original leaflet, “What’s Wrong With McDonald’s”, which sparked the court case, can be printed and is available in 17 languages to the 35 million people worldwide who regularly use the Net.To forestall any possible legal action, the host computer is in the Netherlands, which has less restrictive libel laws than the UK.Mike Love, a spokesman for McDonald’s, said it had no plans to try to close down the Internet site but would carry on with the court case.. In addition, the company alleges, the leaflet suggested that its food was linked to heart disease and cancer. After the Lotus, Marshall bought a Mercedes and took up expensive hobbies like rally car racing. When he lost his driving licence after being clocked at 120mph, he employed a chauffeur.By 1990 he was working and playing so hard he did not feel the chill winds of recession.

Orders were slack and suppliers were beginning to demand payment. Marshall stopped supplying customers and started using their orders to pay off manufacturers.By February 1991, with losses of almost pounds 300,000, the game was up. Star collapsed and suppliers and customers were left empty-handed. Marshall was banned from holding directorships for eight years.