17 November 2008
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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
Here come the liberals
For decades American conservatism defined global politics. Now we are about to witness a seismic change in Washington. Will Hutton leads our special report on the profound impact the new thinking will have on Britain and the world
Features
In with the in-crowd
The appointment of a pro-Israel hawk has, to some, undermined Obama's call for a new politics. Or maybe he just doesn't want to seem soft
Don't believe the hype
Barack Obama is being lauded by liberals but the truth about him is that he represents the worst of American power. John Pilger reports from Texas
Cameron's Obama fantasy
You won't hear the President-elect talking of society being broken. His is a politics of hope that the Conservatives cannot offer
The fire next time
Every attempt to make banks more responsible has made them more reckless. Unless the sector is radically reformed, future meltdowns will make the current crisis look routine
Snapshot: The last post
Is Alan Cook, managing director of the Post Office hoping, perhaps, for a place in posterity next to Dr Beeching?
Voices of war and hope
The children of Afghanistan have never known peace in their own country. They are seldom heard, but when asked, their wishes are clear: education and a life without fear
Shakespeare’s Globe
The people, the places, the events
Regulars
New Statesman Leader
Desperate times need desperate measures: why Gordon Brown must cut tax for the poor
The Politics Column
Recession blues
Both Labour and Tories have yet to confront the realities of the downturn - least of the full horror of the return of mass unemployment. Martin Bright reports
The Politics Column
''Cameron pleaded with me''
David Davis, who resigned from the shadow cabinet to fight a by-election over civil liberties, regrets nothing. Plus read the full interview transcript
Commons Confidential
Mandy's fight with the wimmin
Kevin Maguire brings you all the gossip from the Westminster village
Help in my time of need No 4052
Set by Gavin Ross We all get spam emails supposedly from relatives of deposed dictators detailing their trials and tribulations, and offering large rewards in exchange for our bank details. We asked for similar spams from the supposed relatives of a British public figure of your choice - real or fictional, past or present
Culture
The age of uncertainty
The painters and photographers of the First World War were resolutely on the side of the ordinary soldier. Today, artists have an ambiguous attitude to conflict in the Middle East, and struggle to express its true horrors
No place like home
Fernando Meirelles has made his name with films inspired by the turmoil in his native Brazil. He tells Rebecca Davies why Hollywood can't compete with this golden age of Latin American cinema
Performance
Back to the drawing room
Will "club-style" classical-music nights really win over new audiences? This Isn't For You King's Place, London N1
Film
Killing to be cool
Black-leather glam over-romanticises the real story of this 1970s guerrilla gang The Baader Meinhof Complex (18) dir: Uli Edel
Television
The past in reconstruction
Why spice up history? Secret Soviet deals with the Nazis is fascinating enough World War II: Behind Closed Doors BBC2
Radio
A different kind of organ
Radio 2, beset by scandal, is still the home of gloriously odd programming
Books
Books of the year 2008
The New Statesman's round up of the best books of 2008 as suggested by critics and contributors including David Marquand, Tahmima Anam, Fatima Bhutto and Anthony Howard
The last best hope
Can a United States led by Barack Obama really change its attitudes towards the rest of the world?
