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Victoria Wood gave us the gift of being able to laugh at ourselves
Without her, who is going to tell the rest of the world about the sheer ridiculousness of being a middle-aged woman?*/ The news of Victoria Wood’s death landed like a grenade on Wednesday, partly...
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Frances Weetman wins the inaugural Virago/New Statesman Women’s Prize for...
A new prize created to identify, encourage and promote new women writers announces its first winner. The Virago/New Statesman award for a new woman economic and political writer has been won by...
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Is Boris Johnson's doughnut crumbling?
A new poll suggests Sadiq Khan could beat Zac Goldsmith in outer London. If the pollsters have got this one wrong too, they’ll be in real trouble. For some time now, polls of London’s upcoming...
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I tuned into London Live – and crikey, it was soporific
Plus: Poor Ben Miller – his sitcom I Want My Wife Back is excruciating. A somewhat traumatic week, as I tried out the BBC’s lame new sitcom I Want My Wife Back (Mondays, 9.30pm), which tries and fails...
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Shetland Islands Broadcasting Company – the most democratic station in the...
As the presenter reads news items coming in from Shetland to Japan and Ecuador, I realise there's no heirarchy. It’s 8am on the island of Bressay and the news on 18 April is of the earthquake in...
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Even for the strangest town in Wales, our festival crowd must have been a sight
From David Quantick hosting the pub quiz to Stuart Maconie singing karaoke, I can't imagine what the locals make of us. I’ve just been to Laugharne, described by Dylan Thomas as “the strangest town in...
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My New Year's Resolution? Wave more
When I was a child, my father taught me to wave. I remain very keen on waving to this day. When you’re doing publicity for a book, as I am right now, one of the tasks that comes your way is to give...
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The American musician Prince dies, aged 57
The legendary singer-songwriter's body was found at his studio, his publicist has confirmed. The American musician Prince has died at the age of 57, according to his publicist. His body was discovered...
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The books which inspired me – and the women who gave me them
From The Thirty-Nine Steps to a potted history of England, the books we're given can have a big impact. Caroline Crampton on the first cliffhanger It was the summer term of Year 6, and everyone in my...
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The new Jungle Book film is not quite a remake - but not quite original
With its lush CGI landscapes, The Jungle Book is a visual treat. But the film is conflicted as to its own status as a reboot. In an industry that reboots the same stories every five years (yes, I’m...
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Commons confidential: Škoda of conduct
Charles Walker, Zac Goldsmith - and the battle for the Tory crown. George Osborne is grumbling that his chum Dave Cameron has cost him the Tory crown. My snout at the Treasury informs me that the...
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Today in New York the world looks forward while the UK looks in on itself
The overlap between advocates of Brexit and climate change deniers is startling. Today stands out in the history of climate diplomacy. It’s when the world comes together in New York to sign up to the...
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We should celebrate Prince for championing female musicians
The singer and songwriter, who has died aged 57, always picked the best players for his band - and that often meant choosing women. His musical legacy is richer as a result. When I first started...
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Why do we give robots female names? Because we don't want to consider their...
How we gender robots is not an abstract, academic issue: the link between how we treat "fembots" and human women is real. Why are so many robots designed to resemble women? The question is becoming...
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It's easy to pretend the public are stupid — but ordinary people know plenty...
From cabinet ministers to self-proclaimed progressives, plenty are willing to make the “people are stupid” argument. But there's more than one type of political literacy. When I competed on the...
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We’re hiring! Apply to edit The Staggers, the new Statesman’s online politics...
Following the promotion of Stephen Bush, we’re looking for a new Staggers editor.*/ The New Statesman is looking for a journalist to edit its award-winning politics blog, The Staggers. Following in...
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Prince’s death rips a hole in the fabric of popular music
He was the best at what he did, and he did everything. The last time I saw Prince he walked on stage at a charity concert in London last year and said, “What we’re gonna do right now is play 14 hits...
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The Remain campaign needs a dash of the Brexiters' utopianism
The pro-Brexit message is fearful, full of claims about Brussels largesse and the threat posed by foreigners. When Labour’s shadow business secretary Angela Eagle described Michael Gove’s recent...
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What lies beneath: the hidden politics of underwear
The "Undressed" exhibition at the V&A reveals a social dimension to bras, pants and corsets. Underwear rarely makes it into the history books – and more’s the pity, because you can tell a huge...
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The joy of rex: why Tyrannosaurus rex casts a long shadow
David Hone’s discoveries are revealed in this gripping and wonderfully informative book. In 1998, a team of palaeontologists prospecting in the badlands of Saskatchewan in Canada made a significant...
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