19 July 2010
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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
The God-shaped hole in our lives
We like to think that religion counts only when we need to choose a good school for our children. Yet Britain is founded on an established church, writes Bryan Appleyard. Are we really past the age of faith?
Features
Enshrined in law
Secularism became a vital part of the Indian constitution after independence, but it is now under threat.
Interview
Interview: Rowan Williams
The Archbishop of Canterbury talks about religious longing, how the Church of England enriches society and why we shouldn’t be expected to accept austerity to salvage the economy.
Regulars
New Statesman Leader
Leader: Yet more top-down prescriptions for the NHS
There is no evidence that GPs want this responsibility or have the skills to fulfil the task.
The Politics Column
Five candidates without “the vision thing”
Labour’s leadership campaign is drifting badly, with none of the contenders able to describe what they really stand for.
Culture
Not the messiah
The French sociologist Auguste Comte attempted to reconcile suspicion of religion with sympathy for its ritual – by founding the secular faith of positivism, a precursor to humanism.
Alice Neel: Painted Truths
Sue Hubbard on a maverick painter with an eye for human vulnerability.
Television
Cutting Edge: Living With Brucie
Rachel Cooke detects an edge of malice in the veteran entertainer.
Books
We the Living
Ayn Rand's laissez-faire tracts have enjoyed a revival in recent years – Alan Greenspan was an early devotee. Her thinking continues to influence all levels of US finance and politics.
