15 December 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
Speech! Speech!
Oratory helped secure the presidency for Barack Obama and saved Gordon Brown's premiership. Alan Watkins explains the art of wooing the party faithful while ten distinguished commentators choose their personal favourites
Features
When enough is enough
Life in the teeming city is blighted by fear and anxiety. Even the latest Hindi blockbusters are playing to near-empty cinemas
Organic panic
The organic lobby has hampered any chance of a sensible debate over food production. That's why Zoe Williams is staging a boycott
The man of words
Barack Obama is certain to be remembered as one of the great political speakers of our time. But the true test of his rhetorical talents will be how he adjusts to the challenges of being in power
Obama and Dave
The Nudgeocon
Banking on Sharia
Sharia banking is growing fast and the mainstream banks are starting to offer Islamic accounts. Its system of shared risks and profits could offer a model for the financial services of the future Special report
Shakespeare’s Globe
Bill Oddie declared he was an atheist and told me women were drawn to nature because they like big furry things
Essay
New best friends
Old political certainties are in tatters, but as Gordon Brown and David Cameron struggle to stress their differences, progressive politicians can be found on both sides of the House. They should get together
Regulars
The Politics Column
The two-man show
It can be hard to believe James Purnell and Ed Balls are in the same party. But they are hyperactive, talented and have their eye on a larger prize
The Politics Column
Blunkett is coming back
Contrary to reports, there will be no general election in 2009. But stand by for the surprise return of more big beasts
World view
Beware of Groundhog Day
Barack Obama is a politician of a system described by Martin Luther King as "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today". He speaks of change but offers only dreaded continuity
High-flyer to new recruit No 4056
As reported in the Times. Due to the current financial crisis, City whizz-kids finding themselves out of a job are rushing to register as teachers. What might one hear if one eavesdropped on one of their lessons?
Culture
Facing the music
Throughout history, musicians and composers have battled rampant piracy, unscrupulous publishers and dubious employment practices. The problems of today's recording industry pale in comparison
Africa expressed
Photographs of the continent taken over the last 150 years make for fascinating - if often uncomfortable - viewing
Performance
In praise of the great dame
Even a half-decent pantomime such as this can work magic on its audience Mother Goose Hackney Empire, London E8
Film
A life less ordinary
Peter O'Toole soldiers on, with a sublime and understated tale Dean Spanley (U) dir: Toa Fraser Lemon Tree (PG) dir: Eran Riklis
Television
More questions than answers
This prurient and trivial documentary was yet another missed opportunity The Pregnant Man (Cutting Edge) Channel 4
Radio
He'd do anything to get you in the mood
Yes, the Sultan of Smooth Soul was a charmer - but also a bit of a boob
Books
On a sea of stories
The stories of The Arabian Nights are so famous that most of us have never read them, but just absorbed them as nursery tales or cartoons. Now a new translation, the first in more than a century, allows us to enjoy the vast original
Persistent empire
The Liberal Defence of Murder Richard Seymour Verso, 358pp, £16.99
At the crossroads
A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels and Other Subversive Spirits Carol K Mack and Dinah Mack Profile Books, 288pp, £10.99
Lunchtime notes
The Hugo Young Papers: Thirty Years of British Politics - Off the Record Edited by Ion Trewin Allen Lane, 834pp, £30
The Provos' big mistake
Gunsmoke and Mirrors: How Sinn Fein Dressed Up Defeat as Victory Henry McDonald Gill & Macmillan, 256pp, £16.99
Misdirected passion
Globalising Hatred: the New Anti-Semitism Denis MacShane Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 208pp, £12.99
Germanic timing
Das Wochenende Bernhard Schlink Diogenes Verlag, 240pp, €18.90
