One of the pleasures of editing this magazine is the chance to read the letters. The wit, wisdom and – how should I put this? – advice I receive each week is mighty, and appreciated. It is genuinely helpful to know what New Statesman readers are thinking: what they like in each issue and what they are less keen on. It is, for example, particularly revealing that Jonathan Sumption’s essay on Gaza continues to provoke impassioned debate on both sides. The ongoing crisis in Gaza – and the British government’s response – is clearly something we must continue to focus on. This week, our international editor, Megan Gibson, digs into the authoritarian instincts of the government’s decision to classify the campaign group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. It is a disconcerting read.
There is plenty of humour in the letters inbox, too. This week, I especially enjoyed Michael Henderson’s note hailing the delights of Italian culture following Finn McRedmond’s dispatch from Chianti last week. “It is indeed a magnificent culture,” Michael wrote, before adding a delightfully controversial “but” – there is always a but. When it comes to “ale vs Sangiovese”, as Michael put it, “the English win every time”. By publishing these words, I fear I may have sparked a diplomatic incident. A letter of protest from the Italian ambassador is no doubt already winging its way to us. If so, perhaps I should provoke further – can we agree Cheddar is superior to Parmesan, and nicer on pasta? That cheese with fish is fine? And Marmite, of course, is king of all European condiments? I shall now assume the brace position under my desk.
Beyond such culinary disputes, readers have also urged a greater focus on class as the driving force of British politics. I agree, and hope in the coming weeks we will be able to do more on this subject. The very question of what constitutes the “working class” today is a fascinating topic. I remember visiting Ohio in an attempt to understand why working-class auto workers were abandoning the Democratic Party for Donald Trump. Yet, when I visited their homes, I found many had often already retired with good pensions and no mortgage. Some even spent winters in their second homes in Florida. The very poor in the cities I visited were often African American, did not own their homes and were still voting Democrat. The story, as ever, was complicated.
I wonder whether it is fair to assume the university-educated children of middle England inherit their parents’ class, even if they do not own assets, cannot conceive of ever doing so and, as Marx might have put it, sell their labour for increasingly poor wages. Are they middle class or part of a new working class? One thing is clear: the lure of a new left-wing party under Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana is strong for this cohort, who should not be ignored – a point made by Jason Cowley in his Diary.
The main subject of this week’s magazine, however, is the growing sense of unease in the country as we head into the depths of summer. As George Eaton writes, there is now real concern in Westminster at the continuing strike action over NHS pay, mounting fiscal pressure on the government and the spreading protests over so-called asylum hotels. I said when I became editor that I wanted the New Statesman to cover difficult topics like these with old-fashioned reportage – doing the hard work of travelling the country and talking to people. That is exactly what Anoosh Chakelian has done this week, visiting Diss in Norfolk and Epping in Essex to understand what is happening and why. As ever, her reporting is first-rate: thoughtful, compassionate and illuminating. I urge you to read it. Sitting alongside this is another piece of excellent writing from our new culture editor, Tanjil Rashid, who argues that the government must be prepared to have difficult conversations if resolution and integration are to be reached.
Elsewhere, Will Lloyd meets a man still searching for justice after the Battle of Orgreave, Freddie Hayward details the continuing radicalisation of the Maga movement in Washington and Will Dunn offers a painfully funny – and at times just plain painful – account of King-Emperor Donald Trump’s bizarre visit to Scotland. I hope you enjoy it. If you don’t, the Correspondence page is all yours. Oh, and here’s one for Finn: a pint of Theakston’s beats a pint of Guinness. And now I’m back under my desk.
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This article appears in the 30 Jul 2025 issue of the New Statesman, Summer of Discontent