New StatesmanBritain's award-winning current affairs magazineGame for a laugh- August 14, 2008 We Need To Talk About Kevin Keegan: a Bumper Book of Football WritingGiles Smith Penguin, 432pp, 7.99There's only one bad joke in Giles Smith's latest collection of his columns about football as seen from his armchair, and that's the title. We Need To Talk About Kevin Keegan is just lame. Fancy typography is needed on the cover, writing "Keegan" in a different face, to underline the pastiche of Lionel Shriver's novel about a mother and her psychotic, mass-murdering, 15-year-old son. Well, I say.http://www.newstatesman.com/sport/2008/08/smith-football-keegan-book Nice deal for the drug companies- August 14, 2008 The NHS should exert its purchasing powerThe NHS could quite easily consume the country's entire GDP. As more people survive into extreme old age, more drugs and technologies become available, and the population becomes more hypochondriac, the potential for spending is limitless. The service is plagued by shrill pressure groups, all clamouring for more resources. Newspapers that normally demand lower taxes and spending cuts weep over 90-year-old grannies denied expensive treatments that might...http://www.newstatesman.com/society/2008/08/nhs-drugs-nice-life-companies Supreme misnomers- August 14, 2008 In a semantic mess, wanting the best has become "elitist""Elite" and "elitism" as terms have transformed into political slurs in Britain and the United States. Simply defined, elitism is a belief in government by the few, while elite means "the best". But the conflation of their meanings, born of not a little ignorance and slovenly language, has produced somewhat different strains of anti-rational toxin in the past few decades. The British, especially with regard to education, often confuse...http://www.newstatesman.com/ideas/2008/08/elitism-elitist-obama-elite The fight for the soul of the party- August 14, 2008 The battle lines are now drawn between the two factions fighting for the Labour successionIn the Red Corner The Candidate: David Miliband The Organisation: Progress, the Blairite magazine and campaign group previously led by Peter Mandelson The Thinkers: Phil Collins (former No 10 adviser and speechwriter) and Richard Reeves (new director of the Demos think tank and former special adviser to Frank Field) Cabinet backers: James Purnell, John Hutton Popular appeal: Instantly recognisable. Women...http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2008/08/factions-fighting-labour-drawn Talks a good game- August 14, 2008 When it comes to sports commentating, who is worth listening toAs everyone knows, there is an unavoidable hypocrisy involved in sports writing. We pick apart performances we could never hope to emulate. We talk of contenders being "mentally weak", when some of us struggle to file a short report by the deadline and the thought of travelling anywhere without wifi leaves us gibbering wrecks. Only one thing can justify our place beside - or rather, somewhere beneath - the athletic ...http://www.newstatesman.com/sport/2008/08/sports-commentating-british Tactical Briefing- August 14, 2008 From: The UnitTo: GBSubject: ReshuffleSo, pretty good week. Incredibly quiet. Papers have had nothing exciting to focus on. Except, of course, for the war in Georgia. Anyway, as requested, have started to sketch reshuffle options: Alistair Darling We need to show massive magnanimity and incredible brutality in this reshuffle. Bring in surprising new faces and dispense with people we and everyone else believe are indispensable, to demonstrate how freethinking we ...http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2008/08/recommendation-reshuffle-unit England's ageing population- August 13, 2008 The challenge we face is to decide where responsibility for care and support will lie in the future between the government, families and the individual, writes minister Ivan LewisEveryone talks about climate change being one of the biggest challenges we face, however, I believe demographic change will be just as big an issue in England. Right now, about 10 per cent of the population provides some care for a relative or friend. More and more I hear of families - predominantly women - who are...http://www.newstatesman.com/health/2008/08/support-system-care-future Trinny and Susannah fats your lot- August 13, 2008 Thought the freak show was a thing of the past Well check out the programmes that make the overweight undress for your entertainment. Or rather don't bother...You know how the Americans used to pay money to look at the deformed in circus freak shows If that appeals to you, try the modern day version. The utterly loathsome programme Trinny and Susannah undress the nation is another spin on the Gok Wan show how to look good naked. (Notice I'm not linking to either of them). I'm not sure which...http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/ben-davies/2008/08/trinny-susannah-freak-undress New Statesman investigates...- August 13, 2008 We want you to get involved in a first in British journalism by voting for the next New Statesman investigation. Here you have a number of choices or alternatively why not suggest your ownIn recent years the New Statesman has developed an unrivalled reputation for investigative journalism. Whether it was Stephen Gray's revelations about CIA rendition flights, Martin Bright's string of stories exposing the link between the Foreign Office's and radical Islamists or Chris Ames's work on the...http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2008/08/british-investigation-party Islam - pro womens rights- August 13, 2008 The beating of women is not advocated in any form by the Quran, writes Zubia Malik from the UK Community of Submitters The most common justification for ridiculing Islam is that the religion is "backward", particularly towards women, as a fundamental part of its beliefs. There have been many articles and incidences within the press and media suggesting that "women are treated as chattels". And it's true that there are certain religious scriptures which can command this. Although womens right...http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-faith-column/2008/08/women-beating-quran-chapter |