31 March 2008
Become a subscriber and save £££
Subscribe to the New Statesman for just £82 and receive a free copy of Roy Hattersley’s In Search of England(Hardcover)
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
Cover story
Is Boris faking it?
A new, serious Boris Johnson is now being offered to the voters of London - thanks to the heavy stage-direction of Tory party minders.
Features
The borrowers
Over the past 15 years, individuals and businesses in both Britain and the United States have taken on too many loans. The punishment for their recklessness is only just beginning
Who is Boris Johnson?
When he announced that his great-great-grandmother was a Circassian slave, was it just another "inverted pyramid of piffle" from Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson?
Best for London
Without its current mayor, the capital would be a far less diverse and progressive city
Afghanistan: is it too late?
The Taliban are very far from being defeated. Worse, western governments are in denial about the dangers of failing
'We don't do rabies'
When Alyssa McDonald was bitten by a stray dog in Romania, she was given excellent anti-rabies treatment at a local hospital. On her return to Britain for follow-up care, the story was very different
The hunt for the British Obama
Will all-minority shortlists produce a generation of British Barack Obamas - or simply ghettoise non-white politicians?
Regulars
New Statesman Leader
The most desirable club in the world (if you aren't a member)
Nato's long-term viability is in the interests of the UK and other European nations
The Politics Column
The end of history
The twin anniversaries of 1968 and 2003 remind us that the story of the left is littered with utopian failures
Commons Confidential
Rasputin in a tank top
A fashion faux pas by the No 10 enforcer and a setback for Lord Moneybags's media ambitions
Problem pages No 4020
Set by Grace Elegy We asked for a problem, to be sent to an intellectual of your choice, alive or dead, and their answer. Previous winners, when the same comp was set in 1993, chose among others Jacques Derrida ("Q: My husband is seeing another woman. Should I throw him out?") and Chairman Mao ("Q: What can I do about my greasy skin and spots?")
Culture
Commercial break
Contemporary Chinese design imitates western styles and avoids any reference to communism. Advertising has become the nation's main art form.
The show must go on
It takes a formidable personality to organise a theatre festival during a civil war
Independence day
Björk's cry of "Tibet, Tibet" at a recent concert in Shanghai pre-empted the riots in Lhasa and outraged the Chinese authorities. It was time to take a stand.
Performance
Out of step with the past
Patchy performers can't obscure the genius of George Balanchine New York City Ballet Coliseum, London WC2
Film
Cruel intentions
Haneke's lesson on cinematic violence is nasty to the point of self-parody Funny Games (18) dir: Michael Haneke
Television
Too cute for comfort
This adaptation was just as sentimental and patronising as the original novel The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency BBC1
Radio
Man of a thousand voices
Kenneth Branagh makes up for his lack of soul with some verbal gymnastics
Books
What people ask me about Bangladesh
Is my country about to be overrun by radical Islamists? Will everyone drown in the rising sea? I'm suddenly taking on the role of ambassador
The myth of trafficking
Most migrant women, including those in the sex industry, have made a clear decision, says a new study, to leave home and take their chances abroad. They are not "passive victims" in need of "saving" or sending back by western campaigners. Sex at the Margins: Migration, Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry Laura María Agustín Zed Books, 224pp, £16.99
A bigger splash
Clean: an Unsanitised History of Washing Katherine Ashenburg Profile Books, 368pp, £12.99
It's getting hot in here
The Hot Topic: How to Tackle Global Warming and Still Keep the Lights On Gabrielle Walker and Sir David King Bloomsbury, 320pp, £9.99
Ideal homes exhibition
Villages of Vision: a Study of Strange Utopias Gillian Darley Five Leaves Publications, 341pp, £14.99
Gender and agendas
The Sexual Paradox: Troubled Boys, Gifted Girls and the Real Difference Between the Sexes Susan Pinker Atlantic Books, 336pp, £12.99
Getting and spending
The White Tiger Aravind Adiga Atlantic Books, 336pp, £12.99
Observations
Flying out of poverty
Boycotting goods flown from developing nations to the UK will jeopardise their chance of earning a fair living
A new kind of protest
In a country where strikes are illegal, a new Chinese labour movement is finding its voice
Babies of the disappeared
Details of the fates of many children of Argentina's "disappeared" - adopted and given new identities by military families - are only now starting to emerge
The English director
Despite Hollywood success, Anthony Minghella never jettisoned his sensibility or his intellect
