The history wars
The statues erected at the height of imperial power and prejudice do not belong in 21st-century Britain. But toppling…
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The History Wars
Who killed Olof Palme?
For 30 years, the unsolved murder of the prime minister has haunted Sweden. Yet the identification of a culprit…
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The dark side of the wellness industry
The $4.5trn industry has never seemed so seductive. But is it an elaborate confidence trick?
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How Sweden’s herd immunity strategy has backfired
As the country’s Covid-19 death toll has spiralled, support for the government’s unique approach has frayed.
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How pandemics extinguished the Roman empire
What the fall of Rome teaches us about the twin threats of lethal disease and ecological disaster.
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How Zora Neale Hurston rewrote the rule book
Exploring the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance writer, who went on to influence generations of writers, from Toni Morrison…
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Anthropocene Everyman
A new poem from Graham Mort.
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How the US helped leading Nazis escape Europe
As Philippe Sands’ The Ratline explores, Nazis' complicity in genocide didn’t stop Americans trying to recruit them.
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Phoebe Bridgers: “It’s exhausting to call someone out”
The indie-rock artist on collaboration, Ryan Adams and her new album Punisher.
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The greats outdoors: Emily Carr’s modernist landscapes
The woman who brought modern art to Canada’s most distant shores.
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The charming silliness of lockdown comedy Staged
David Tennant and Michael Sheen play versions of themselves in this lo-fi production.
By
Why BBC Radio 4’s Aids documentary hits home today
With countless sharp and memorable remarks on both activism and a public health crisis, ten-part series A Big Disease…
By
Why it makes perfect sense to revisit David Byrne’s True Stories
The 1986 film from the Talking Heads frontman feels as zesty now as it did on its original release.
By
The Salisbury Poisonings is gripping and exemplary TV
BBC One's latest blockbuster factual drama looks at the attempted assassination of Sergei and Yulia Skripal by Putin's Russia…
By
In the shadow of crisis: Disaster and the myth of individualism
Coronavirus will not be resolved by bug-out bags and bunkers, by people stockpiling dried foods and doubling down on…
By
“We have to articulate a different vision of justice“: Alex S Vitale on why the police should be abolished
For the author of The End of Policing, defunding the police is the starting point; the goal is abolition.
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Britain’s disappearing statues, chaos at the health department and will Trump go?
The question of whether Trump will leave quietly if he loses the presidential election in November is widely discussed…
By
Commons confidential: Spies and hacks
Your weekly dose of gossip from around Westminster.
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How Belgium is being forced to confront the bloody legacy of King Leopold II
Protesters have called for all statues of the former imperial ruler to be removed in recognition of his massacres in the…
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Locked down in Burgundy, I’m discovering the French wines that rarely make it across the Channel
These wines aren’t necessarily quite the same quality, but they aren’t the same price, either.
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Social media is not the place for a proper conversation – too many people have mince for brains
But why do I engage with idiots, or people who are worse than idiots?
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Mervyn King Q&A: “I’d love to conduct an orchestra: everyone would call me maestro“
The former governor of the Bank of England on remembering rationing, the bionic eye and "Soul Limbo".
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I’m looking for new life everywhere I go. Even the mosquitoes are cheering me up
They are the first living creatures to have arrived in the pond we dug a week ago.
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The Little Britain affair is a reminder of the UK’s long and toxic love affair with blacking up
Blame lies not just with the comedians, but also with producers and commissioners.
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There are no comparisons from history that help us understand the scale of the economic crash
We face a sharply constrained recovery that could cost several million jobs – far beyond anything the UK suffered after…
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The world has changed greatly since 2016. The vision of Global Britain needs to change with it
Boris Johnson and his fellow buccaneers could start by being honest about how expectations for Brexit need to alter…
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Failing to reopen schools is the most catastrophic decision the government has made so far
Ministers’ failures will damage pupils’ educational performance and the economic health of the country.
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How Trump and swathes of white America refuse to learn either about or from our history
Planning a rally in Tulsa on 19 June was either ignorant or insensitive. But the president isn't alone in…
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What happens when sport no longer pays the bills? Covid-19 may force players to find out
While the rewards at the top are as high as ever, sport’s working poor are being cut adrift.
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Daphne’s dilemma: become increasingly ill herself or risk her mother’s life in a care home?
As the government's failure to protect care homes becomes ever clearer, many families now consider them potential death traps…
By
Boris Johnson stokes the flames of the culture wars because he knows he is trapped
The crisis has revealed the Prime Minister's painful limitations as a national leader, with his incompetence alarming even his…
By
Letter of the week: Revitalised thinking
A selection of the best letters received from our readers this week. Email letters@newstatesman.co.uk to have your thoughts voiced…
By
Leader: The education divide
The government's mishandling of education during the pandemic endangers the prospects of a generation of children.
By There are no comparisons from history that help us understand the scale of the economic crash
We face a sharply constrained recovery that could cost several million jobs – far beyond anything the UK suffered after…
By The world has changed greatly since 2016. The vision of Global Britain needs to change with it
Boris Johnson and his fellow buccaneers could start by being honest about how expectations for Brexit need to alter…
By Failing to reopen schools is the most catastrophic decision the government has made so far
Ministers’ failures will damage pupils’ educational performance and the economic health of the country.
By The Little Britain affair is a reminder of the UK’s long and toxic love affair with blacking up
Blame lies not just with the comedians, but also with producers and commissioners.
By How Trump and swathes of white America refuse to learn either about or from our history
Planning a rally in Tulsa on 19 June was either ignorant or insensitive. But the president isn't alone in…
By Britain’s disappearing statues, chaos at the health department and will Trump go?
The question of whether Trump will leave quietly if he loses the presidential election in November is widely discussed…
By What happens when sport no longer pays the bills? Covid-19 may force players to find out
While the rewards at the top are as high as ever, sport’s working poor are being cut adrift.
By “We have to articulate a different vision of justice“: Alex S Vitale on why the police should be abolished
For the author of The End of Policing, defunding the police is the starting point; the goal is abolition.
By The charming silliness of lockdown comedy Staged
David Tennant and Michael Sheen play versions of themselves in this lo-fi production.
By Anthropocene Everyman
A new poem from Graham Mort.
By How the US helped leading Nazis escape Europe
As Philippe Sands’ The Ratline explores, Nazis' complicity in genocide didn’t stop Americans trying to recruit them.
By Commons confidential: Spies and hacks
Your weekly dose of gossip from around Westminster.
By In the shadow of crisis: Disaster and the myth of individualism
Coronavirus will not be resolved by bug-out bags and bunkers, by people stockpiling dried foods and doubling down on…
By Why it makes perfect sense to revisit David Byrne’s True Stories
The 1986 film from the Talking Heads frontman feels as zesty now as it did on its original release.
By The Salisbury Poisonings is gripping and exemplary TV
BBC One's latest blockbuster factual drama looks at the attempted assassination of Sergei and Yulia Skripal by Putin's Russia…
By Letter of the week: Revitalised thinking
A selection of the best letters received from our readers this week. Email letters@newstatesman.co.uk to have your thoughts voiced…
By Why BBC Radio 4’s Aids documentary hits home today
With countless sharp and memorable remarks on both activism and a public health crisis, ten-part series A Big Disease…
By Locked down in Burgundy, I’m discovering the French wines that rarely make it across the Channel
These wines aren’t necessarily quite the same quality, but they aren’t the same price, either.
By Social media is not the place for a proper conversation – too many people have mince for brains
But why do I engage with idiots, or people who are worse than idiots?
By I’m looking for new life everywhere I go. Even the mosquitoes are cheering me up
They are the first living creatures to have arrived in the pond we dug a week ago.
By Mervyn King Q&A: “I’d love to conduct an orchestra: everyone would call me maestro“
The former governor of the Bank of England on remembering rationing, the bionic eye and "Soul Limbo".
By Daphne’s dilemma: become increasingly ill herself or risk her mother’s life in a care home?
As the government's failure to protect care homes becomes ever clearer, many families now consider them potential death traps…
By Boris Johnson stokes the flames of the culture wars because he knows he is trapped
The crisis has revealed the Prime Minister's painful limitations as a national leader, with his incompetence alarming even his…
By Leader: The education divide
The government's mishandling of education during the pandemic endangers the prospects of a generation of children.
By How Sweden’s herd immunity strategy has backfired
As the country’s Covid-19 death toll has spiralled, support for the government’s unique approach has frayed.
By How Belgium is being forced to confront the bloody legacy of King Leopold II
Protesters have called for all statues of the former imperial ruler to be removed in recognition of his massacres in the…
By