19 February 2007

From the Editor…

Welcome to the New Statesman website. Whether you are a new reader or an existing one - online or via the magazine - I hope you'll enjoy the great writing, fresh ideas and provocative debate that make the New Statesman Britain's award-winning current affairs weekly

Jason Cowley, Editor, New Statesman

Cover story

Iran - Ready to attack

American preparations for invading Iran are complete, Dan Plesch reveals. Plus Rageh Omaar's insights from Iran and Andrew Stephen on fears George Bush's administration will blunder into war

By Dan Plesch

Features

Petition power cannot be brushed aside

By Martin Bright

The road pricing crisis should be seen as the first challenge of the Gordon Brown era. It will be Brown, not Tony Blair, who will have to deal with its consequences

1 comment

Interview: Hilary Benn

By Martin Bright and John Kampfner

He's made no enemies on his way up but does this would-be deputy leader's inoffensive demeanour mask an independent spirit?

Iran - This, Mr President, is how wars start

By Andrew Stephen

Andrew Stephen in Washington warns that war could easily be triggered by the Bush administration's sheer incompetence

11 comments

We love capitalism

By Richard Reeves

Were trade unionists looking in the wrong place when they fought for better pay and shorter hours? The latest thinking, from left and right, is that having a stake in our work is the real key to human happiness.

6 comments

Divorce - Do women win too much?

By Lois Rogers

For divorcing wives, England is now seen as by far the most generous country in Europe, with some landmark celebrity settlements setting the pace. But is this really justice?

15 comments

Regulars

New Statesman Leader

A ray of hope in North Korea amid fears of an attack on Iran

The tried and tested way of strengthening the forces of conservatism in any country is to rally a people at a time of war

Commons Confidential

An oofily good idea

By Kevin Maguire

Blame is pinned on Mandy's little helper for inviting oddballs to sign web petitions

When did you forget to defend freedom?

By Agnes Poirier

Don't mistake healthy criticism of religion for racism

Rules of engagement No 3965

Set by George Cowley We asked for ideas on how to become "a fully participating member of our vibrant 21st-century democracy"

Culture

Britain's hidden art

By Rob Sharp

Increasingly, many of the country's finest artworks are nestling in the private collections of the super-rich, inaccessible to the public. So what are we missing out on? Rob Sharp investigates

Death in America

By Killian Fox

A shocking documentary about jumpers from the Golden Gate Bridge has prompted a long-overdue debate about suicide

Theatre

How to win friends and influence people

By Rosie Millard

Hytner's update on a Restoration classic mocks the modern metropolitan elite The Man of Mode Olivier Theatre, London SE1

Film

The devil is in the detail

By Ryan Gilbey

Clint Eastwood's powerful drama intimately captures the chaos of conflict Letters from Iwo Jima (15) dir: Clint Eastwood

Television

Let's do the time warp again

By Andrew Billen

A genre-hopping drama on ITV is a throwback to a more childish age Primeval ITV1

Radio

Reading the Rajars

By Rachel Cooke

Theakston is up, and The Archers is down. What can it mean?

Album Reviews

Sounds from the swamp

By Mark Espiner

Brazil Classics volume 7: what's happening in Pernambuco Various artists Luaka Bop

Magical tales and fairy godmothers

By Sophie Heawood

The Magic Position Patrick Wolf Loog

Queen of the misfits

By Daniel Trilling

Public Warning Lady Sovereign Def Jam

Books

Sympathy for the devil

By Steven Poole

Hitler's evil, suggests Norman Mailer's thrillingly unfashionable new saga, stemmed from incest, animal cruelty - and from the satanic "Maestro" himself. By Steven Poole The Castle in the Forest Norman Mailer Little, Brown, 477pp, £17.99 ISBN 0316861332