24 January 2005
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From the Editor…
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Cover story
1 in 5 Britons could vote far right
Ukip and the BNP are far closer in their views and much more popular with voters than most of us realise. Peter John, Helen Margetts and Stuart Weir report on new research
Features
An embrace that shames London
Peter Tatchell, a former Ken Livingstone ally, finds himself accused of Islamophobia as the mayor continues to defend a Muslim cleric who favours killing gays
The gaudy sameness of Clone Town
The free marketeers used to tell us that communism was the enemy of choice, but take a look at what global corporatism is doing to the high street
Why Abbas is already frozen out
The new Palestinian leader doesn't matter to Israel. The real negotiation is with America
Why we all need to get out more
Humanity has gone back to its origins. We live in caves again, but the cave is now a glass palace. David Nicholson-Lord sees unpleasant results for our social and cultural lives, as well as for our health
Hum, ping, rip: the sounds of cooking
We talk River Cafe but we eat ready-made from the microwave. It's the private vice of the modern middle class
Essay
NS Essay -'Words matter in politics: the term "poll tax" was a winner for the left,"nanny state" is a winner for the right'
What's in a word? In politics, everything, argues Richard Reeves. Get the language right and you can win arguments before they begin. US Republicans know this, but new Labour still has much to learn
Regulars
The Politics Column
Politics - John Kampfner ponders the election imponderables
The Tories will talk of "the Blair government": they are convinced that, whatever the shortcomings of their own man, the Prime Minister is Labour's weak spot
John Pilger denounces EU appeasement of Burma
With an eye to its vast Asian market, Europe promotes human rights when the price is right. In Burma, crimes against humanity are allowed to continue without challenge
Darcus Howe makes Diane Abbott giggle
People may complain, but encourage your son to keep his attitude, I told Diane Abbott
Competition
Win vouchers to spend at any Tesco store
Culture
Small is beautiful
To Walter Sickert, the British art scene was dominated by snobbery, money and fashion. He would not have liked the Turner Prize
Found in translation
Musical theatre - Jerry Springer: the opera has caused both delight and disgust in Britain. So how will it play in the US?
People's porcelain
Ceramics - Richard Cork is fired up by a revolutionary display of Russian china
Theatre
Michael Portillo - Standing witness
Theatre - An unsettling play gives evidence against Pinochet, writes Michael Portillo Tejas Verdes Gate Theatre, London W11
Film
Mark Kermode - High notes
Film - A legendary bluesman inspires another hit. By Mark Kermode Ray (15) A Very Long Engagement (15)
Television
Andrew Billen - Lethal weapon
Television - A supply-side tour of the drug trade's death and destruction. By Andrew Billen Cocaine (Channel 4)
Books
Fiction special - Happy families. Ian McEwan has set out to challenge the idea that fiction should be gloomy. But the characters in his new novel are just too contented to be likeable, writes Sophie Harrison
Saturday Ian McEwan Jonathan Cape, 279pp, £17.99 ISBN 0224072994
Fiction special - Private lives. Alice Munro's detailed portraits of female constraint make her a truly great short-story writer, finds Rachel Cusk
Runaway Alice Munro Chatto & Windus, 352pp, £15.99 ISBN 0701177500
Fiction special - Unzipped. John Updike's prose is as supple as ever in this chronicle of a lifetime's erotic exploits. By Stephen Amidon
Villages John Updike Hamish Hamilton, 321pp, £17.99 ISBN 024114308X
Fiction special - Teenage kicks. William Skidelsky finds that Haruki Murakami, revered by millions, has written a silly novel, obsessed with genitalia
Kafka on the Shore Haruki Murakami Translated by Philip Gabriel Harvill, 505pp, £12.99 ISBN 1843431106
Fiction special - No ordinary lady. Michele Roberts's deceptively disturbing tale of a widow's adventures is gloriously fun to read, writes Kate Saunders
Reader, I Married Him Michele Roberts Little, Brown, 240pp, £14.99 ISBN 0316727504
Fiction special - Life of sacrifice. Alice O'Keeffe finds inspiration in the story of a true revolutionary by
Otto: a novel Lisa St Aubin de Teran Virago, 512pp, £15.99 ISBN 1860497578
Fiction in 2005
We've had McEwan, Munro and Murakami - but there is much else to look forward to in what promises to be an unusually good year for fiction. Here is a guide to the coming months
