For too many families, Christmas is a time of hunger
In Wrexham, something is being done about the problem - but it needs support from the government to go further. Before David Cameron became Prime Minister, food banks were rare. Now their presence is...
View ArticleGeorge Osborne's year has ended unhappily
The Chancellor's political standing has fallen and economic indicators are worsening. Few politicians' fortunes are as volatile as those of George Osborne. He became shadow chancellor at the age of...
View ArticleWe need to talk about Kurdistan
Kurdistan's high representative takes Tariq Ali to task on his recent remarks about "stage Kurds". Dear Tariq, You're a veteran of anti-imperialist struggles over many decades but you now seem to be...
View ArticleThe NS Podcast #129: Star Wars Special
The New Statesman podcast. We review the latest Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, and ask those most debated of questions: in what order should you watch the full series? And who might possibly be...
View ArticleWhat is the Elf on the Shelf?
A sweet Christmas tradition - or a toy that trains children in the logic of the police state? It seems to be the year that the Elf on the Shelf has broken the UK. Over the past few days, social media...
View ArticleBest of the NS in 2015: Interviews and Profiles
Our best pieces from the past year. In this selection, our favourite interviews and profiles.*/ The cellist of AuschwitzBy Xan Rice Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was sent to the death camp as a child. Music...
View ArticleThe unwanted rise of lightweight videogames
This year has produced many games that ended up feeling lightweight, unfinished or superficial. It took me two hours to get bored of Rainbow Six: Siege. Not regular bored, not the sort of bored that...
View ArticleThe Political Animals of 2015
The New Statesman reviews 2015 from the perspective of four-legs-good...1. There were Dog Days for the Royals 2015 opened with a whimper from the royal corgis, the Queen's famously favoured pets....
View ArticleWhat re-examining the nativity story tells us about our global community
The Nativity is the tale of a displaced family seeking shelter in their hour of need. As our parish discussed the refugee crisis, we visited the story anew. Christmas comes but once a year, and when...
View ArticleA Christmas Carol contest: who was the best Scrooge on screen?
Many actors have played Ebenezer Scrooge, but who was best? There’s only one way to find out. For many, Alastair Sim’s portrayal of Scrooge remains definitive. But the 1951 film, in which he appears,...
View ArticleMerry Christmas from the New Statesman website - and some nerdy stats
What happened on the New Statesman website this year. So this is Christmas. And what have we done? Well, quite a lot, actually. As you will have noticed, this year we redesigned the New Statesman...
View ArticlePoems of the year
New voices join old friends in our selection of the best poems published in the New Statesman over the past 12 months. Candy Windows He runs in slow-mo with a wall of flame Boiling behind him like...
View ArticleStick Man: conservative propaganda upholding the patriarchal nuclear family
Or just a cute children’s film. You decide! Were you watching TV on Christmas Day? Then you probably saw Stick Man. Yes, Stick Man, that nice heartwarming TV film about the man made from a bit of...
View ArticleThe best and worst films of 2015
And the runners up. Contrary to popular misconception, there were films released this year that were not called Jurassic World, Spectre or Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Come with me now while I remind...
View ArticleSuspend your Scroogery – charities aren’t flush with cash, they pay for...
The unfortunate truth is that charities have become a victim of the government’s continued mania for outsourcing. It’s the season of giving, and last week several newspapers decided to mark the...
View ArticleFrom Claudia Rankine to Stewart Lee: the culture events in 2016 to book now
Feeling adrift now Christmas proper is over? Here's the things worth seeing in January - and the things you should book now for the rest of the year. Things to do in January The TS Eliot prize...
View ArticleInside the shorts of our top players you will find dummies, firecrackers and...
Miraculously, three out of our four fab, toppermost, world-class, all-time, multitrillion-pound clubs have managed to crawl into the next round in Europe. The half-season so far has been half decent,...
View ArticleBest of the NS in 2015: Essays and Reportage
Our best pieces from the past year. In this selection, our favourite essays and reported pieces.*/ There Won't Be Blood: Suzanne Moore on the menopauseBy Suzanne Moore The female body can be a mess,...
View ArticleTen times politicians collided with celebrities in 2015
“You classist gimp.” Sometimes politicians clash, or bond, with other high-profile people. Either way, it’s usually very embarrassing. Here’s a few we can recall from 2015: Chris Bryant and James Blunt...
View ArticleIf left wing parties are to succeed in power, they need more than passion
The left suddenly has a mass audience again and it can succeed. But unless it learns from its setbacks and defeats, then it will fail. It was the year of raised hopes, of surging idealism, and of...
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