Such a long time has elapsed since I wrote my last blog that I scarcely know where to begin. So let’s start with some blatant self-congratulations.
A few days back we were told newstatesman.com is up for an award at the British Society of Magazine Editors annual bash in November.
We’re up against the websites of the Radio Times, GQ, Now and various others. All very gratifying and a recognition of how much our very small team has achieved in the space of little more than a year.
Meanwhile we’re not resting on our laurels – there’s been something of a commissioning frenzy here at Terminal House, home of the NS.
In the past week alone we’ve published articles from SDP founder turned Lib Dem peer Bill Rodgers. He warned his party not to become a pressure group. We’ve had debate going on about the Turkish genocide of Armenians. It began with the Armenian ambassador saying there was one. Someone from the Turkish embassy then replied saying there wasn’t. Either way it provoked a lot of responses from our readers.
Brian Coleman, meanwhile, has been at it again. This time he’s been upsetting the Turkish Cypriot population of North London after writing a blog in wholehearted support of the Greek perspective on the divided island.
It’s been quite a week for the Nobel Laureates what with Doris Lessing’s remarks about the Twin Towers and James Watson comments on race and genetics.
We asked Open University and UCL academic and genetics expert Steven Rose to dismantle Watson’s assertions.
Heard of Arigona Zogaj? She’s a 15-year-old Albanian Kosovan who went into hiding when her father and siblings were deported from Austria. Her case had the most extraordinary effect with media across the political spectrum condemning her treatment. At the heart of the campaign was Austrian Green Party chairman Alexander Van der Bellen.
Alexander kindly wrote us an article about Arigona and what her experience demonstrates about the way we approach immigration policy in Europe.
We’ve also had articles about the Swiss elections, class, the Chagos Islands and more.
Next week we’re joining up with the Fabians for their Not the general election night – we’ve done a ring around asking a range of people what they think Gordon Brown should put in his manifesto so have a look out for that.
Anyway I was watching a bit of a TV the other night. It was a programme to find out the worst place to live in Britain.
It was live and presenters Phil and Kirsty fluffed their lines throughout and then – just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse – we were whisked off to Middlesbrough to meet Kirsty’s sister.
It turned out the north eastern town was the worst place to live. However, it was unclear how much things would improve once Kirst II finished patronising the locals and headed back to Fulham.
I wrote in an earlier blog about how, with so many actors out of work at any given time, it was amazing they managed to find the desert of talent that makes up the Eastenders cast. Talk about deja vu!
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