Fractured Nation

The reinvention of David Cameron

In an era of geopolitical turmoil, Labour could learn from the former prime minister’s bracing approach to foreign policy.

Letter of the week: Humble perspective

Write to [email protected] to have your thoughts voiced in the New Statesman magazine.

Tireless Tory chair swaps hustings for hostelries

Your weekly dose of gossip from around Westminster.

Alexei Navalny’s fatal devotion to truth

The dissident’s death is another chapter in Russia’s descent into violence. Yet no state can survive on violence alone.

How Breathtaking brought tears to the Baftas

Also this week: In awe of maverick nurses, and why swearing should be prescribed on the NHS.

Esther Ghey: “The internet unleashed horrific things”

The mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey on how to protect children online.

Maga harassment is eroding democracy

Donald Trump’s supporters are turning to threats and violence to intimidate their opponents.

British anti-Semitism is spiking dramatically

More instances of anti-Jewish hate were recorded in 2023 than in any other year since 1984.

Nigel Farage is shaping Britain’s political future

Deluded progressives created the former Ukip leader. Now, as an election looms, he will decide the size of any…

The West underestimated Russia

There will be no total victory for Ukraine, but Kyiv’s allies can help halt the Russian advance.

We’ve forgotten what skin looks like

Something is wrong when ten-year-olds are seeking out anti-ageing products.

How Iraq was lost

Steve Coll’s account of America’s relationship with Saddam Hussein reveals a series of devastating blunders.

Anna Burns’s Milkman and the politics of hatred

Her Belfast-set novel upended my understanding of the Catholic Church and its history of prejudice.

The women that books built

How the bluestockings used wit and learning to subvert a deeply misogynist culture.

Leslie Jamison’s Splinters captures the paradoxes of motherhood

This intimate memoir explores the contradictions of being a parent, a partner and an artist – singly, and all…

From Lucas Rijneveld to Amitav Ghosh: new books reviewed in short

Also featuring Unearthing by Kyo Maclear and Six Stories by Stefan Zweig.

Race across the landscape

In “Soulscapes”, contemporary artists of the African diaspora depict the lands that shaped them.

In The Iron Claw, Zac Efron stands out

Efron is an underrated actor, and this is a star-making performance.

Michael Sheen’s The Way is audacious, intellectual TV

This collaboration between James Graham, Adam Curtis and the actor asks big questions, and has things to tell us…

Laufey at EartH: woozy and nostalgic love songs

The Chinese-Icelandic singer mixes classical and jazz influences in her old-fashioned take on pop.

Sarah Snook’s one-woman The Picture of Dorian Gray is gimmicky and shallow

Technical bravura, camera trickery and a high-wire, high-energy performance are not enough to make this show enjoyable or meaningful.

Jacob Collier’s internal weather

The 29-year-old made a career taking theory to the masses, but believes his real “superpower” is his instinct for…

After disregarding the simple snowdrop, I now see its beauty

The passion for these modest winter flowers has taken off in the past 20 years. And I have become…

Pharmacy First, which bypasses GPs, may lead to even greater antibiotic use

Asking busy pharmacists to conduct thorough patient consultations is yet another “solution” that won’t solve anything at all.

A magic mushroom trip in Amsterdam triggers a revelation

“This isn’t traumatic,” I think smugly, as laughter gives way to visions. Perhaps I have no demons to confront?

My personal Blue Monday involved mountains of couscous and Shakespeare

Financial lockdown means cooking meals that Lee Anderson would approve of, plus red-hot Bardic action.

This England: What a stink

This column – which, though named after a line in Shakespeare’s “Richard II”, refers to the whole of Britain…

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Tippa Irie Q&A: “I see myself as a cheeky chappie”

The producer and MC on Match of the Day, the power of Bob Marley, and longing for life on…