26 January 2009
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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
After the revolution
30 years on from the Islamic revolution, can sensible, sober diplomacy win out?
Features
Taking royal liberties
Thailand's king is revered and loved, but politicians are using laws that are meant to protect him to stifle legitimate criticism
Here was peculiar grace
The Indian elite blame Pakistan for the Mumbai attacks. They congratulate themselves on their restraint. But how long can it last?
And so, the work began
The rhetoric may not have soared, but Obama's inaugural speech proved that he is more than ready to get down to business
Time to go
President Barack Obama shares a hug with the outgoing president, George W Bush, during his inauguration, on 20 January, as the 44th president of the United States
Mr Brown's bankers
The increasingly close relationship between banks and government pleases no one. But neither side can break free until toxic loans are flushed out of the system and the big institutions can start lending again.
It's time for us to make the rules
Forget the blame game; we have to get the system working
Children of the revolution
David Patrikarakos on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
The dilemma on the tip of a needle
Stem cell research may hold the key to future wonder cures. It is predicted that the market for stem cell clinical products could reach $8.5bn within a decade. But should we allow the medical patenting of human embryos?
Regulars
New Statesman Leader
Labour must recapture a little of the hope that Barack Obama personifies so thrillingly
The Politics Column
The horror comes home
In Britain, the assault on Gaza has provided a dangerous rallying point for both the hard left and the Islamist radical right
World view
A criminal's medal
As deserving as Blair, Howard and Uribe are of the Bush freedom medal, others cry out for a place in their company. For its assault on Gaza, I nominate the state of Israel
The Politics Column
Out of the shadows
Labour may pretend to relish Ken Clarke's return to the front bench, but the former chancellor is the one Tory big beast they fear. Now Cameron must let his old rival lead their fightback - and not just on the economy
The beast is back
Since I wrote in these pages about the Ant and Dec quality of the David and George show, the notion has taken hold that we are carrying one lightweight too many
Shakespeare's Globe
My close encounterwith Harold Pinter: what had I done to offend him?
Is there honey still for tea? No 4059
Set by Grace Elegy We asked you for the answer to any famous literary question - an example being the one above
Culture
Constructing a new world
For Alexander Rodchenko and Lyubov Popova, the entire fabric of daily existence - from biscuit packets to book jackets - served a revolutionary vision
Performance
Plastic not so fantastic
An opera about cosmetic surgery is witty, but lacks genuine feeling Skin Deep Opera North, Leeds
Performance
Antony and the Johnsons: Pop, but not as you know it
The bewitching, genre-defying singer returns with a new green message Antony and the Johnsons The Crying Light (Rough Trade)
Television
History's not what it used to be
This documentary assumes little or no knowledge on the part of the viewer Christianity: a History Channel 4
Books
Glad to be grey?
An increasingly large proportion of the world's population is living longer than ever before. The number of those aged 65 and over is expected to double in the next 25 years. In principle, this is a good thing for all of us, but it has grave consequences for the way we organise our societies and economies. Are we and our politicians ready for the demographic challenge?
Living in the past
Land of Marvels Barry Unsworth Hutchinson, 304pp, £18.99
The books that changed my life
Marina Warner chooses Meditations on a Hobby Horse and Mythologies
