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From the Editor…
18 December 2008
Welcome to the New Statesman website. Whether you are a new reader or an existing one - online or via the magazine - I hope you'll enjoy the great writing, fresh ideas and provocative debate that make the New Statesman Britain's award-winning current affairs weekly
From this week, here is a selection of my favourites…
- Interview: Rowan Williams By James Macintyre
- Golden thread, national myth By Tom Holland
- A woman of conviction By Daniel Trilling
Cover story
Interview: Rowan Williams
Over the course of a turbulent year the Archbishop of Canterbury had a series of meetings with James Macintyre during which he spoke about sharia law, capitalism, the disestablishment of the Church, and his love of The West Wing
Features
An excess of yo-ho-hoing
All the gossip from the Westminster Village
''We've had to let six staff go this Christmas . . . people with families and mortgages''
Families all over Britain are bracing themselves for hard times. For some, they have already started. Fran Abrams reports from Leek in Staffordshire
30 reasons to celebrate in 2009
Good news has been in short supply in 2008, so we offer reasons for excitement and optimism in the new year, from the inauguration of Barack Obama and the closure of Guantanamo Bay to the arrival of the Australian cricket team in these islands to contest the Ashes. Some of our choices are serious, others less so - but all are examples of human ingenuity, innovation and progress.
Edited by Alyssa McDonald
Their right to liberty
The NS campaign against holding children in immigration detention centres has gathered powerful support, but reform is still needed
Quiz
Who did what behind David Cameron's back? Why was Prince Charles a "miserable swine"? And how many billion did the government chuck at the banks . . . ? Sharpen those pencils, folks - it's quiz time
You must remember this . . .
A thinker for our times
Global leaders are once again reminding themselves of the insights of the Cambridge academic who helped relaunch the world economy after the Second World War. He deserves to ride again, writes his biographer Robert Skidelsky
Quiz answers
The answers to our Christmas quiz
Essay
Golden thread, national myth
Those behind the new Labour revolution are beginning to realise that to discard our heritage is also to betray the origins of many of our liberties. The question is how to interpret the meanings of those liberties for modern political life
Regulars
New Statesman Leader
The changing landscape has left Gordon Brown with everything to play for in 2009
Politics
A year of ups and downs
What a difference a year made - and for no one more so than Gordon Brown, who earns five of my coveted parliamentary awards
Money
An inevitable crisis
Viewed from a distance, the events of 2008 will be seen as a particularly dramatic example of the age-old cycle of famine and feast. James Buchan reflects on a financial crisis of unprecedented size and complexity
Tactical Briefing
From: The Unit
To: GB
Subject: A cruel Yule
Shazia's week
Liza Minnelli jiving like a panther on Ecstasy and Obama condoms - some bits of history can't be missed
Arts & Culture
A woman of conviction
In 2008 Estelle proved that she is not only one of Britain's brightest musical talents, but also an eloquent voice for black Britain. She talks to Daniel Trilling about pop, politics and the pomposity of Jeremy Paxman
The island that dared
The Cuban Revolution, which took place 50 years ago on New Year's Day, inspired some of the most memorable images of the late 20th century
Television
Service to the public
Those who damned the BBC clearly didn't watch enough of its programmes
Theatre
In the heat of the moment
Some notable failures didn't spoil a successful, if sweaty, year on the stage
Radio
Feeling the pinch
The real scandals in radio broadcasting this year were cuts, cuts and more cuts
Sport
Getting a grip on a bag of chips
The Christmas awards every footballer dreams of winning are unimpressed with Ronaldo
Books
Rise of the new Anglo-world order
It's an old controversy that was reignited this autumn by the remarks of a Nobel Prize judge: is American literature too insular, preoccupied only with the home country? If so, what else should we be reading in the age of globalisation?
Books of the Year 2008
Selected by Ian Irvine, NS books editor
Letters to the Editor
New Statesman readers give their views - see what they said and find out how to contribute yourself by going to our letters pages
