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What do you do?
I am retired but work at the film society I set up and a job club I helped set up.
Where do you live?
Camberley, Surrey.
Do you vote?
Always: Labour NZ or UK.
How long have you been a subscriber?
A reader for 60 years (in New Zealand I’d eagerly await it via air-mail), subscriber for 50.
What made you start?
I wanted a source for progressive ideas and commentary on social change.
Is the NS bug in the family?
No, despite efforts to enthuse.
What pages do you flick to first?
Political commentary.
How do you read yours?
Unfortunately, sometimes late.
What would you like to see more of in the NS?
More on overseas politics and the nuts and bolts of local politics in the UK.
Who are your favourite NS writers?
Andrew Marr is often spot on.
Who would you put on the cover of the NS?
Jacinda Ardern.
With which political figure would you least like to be stuck in a lift?
I would dread being in a lift with Nigel Farage and catching the Ukip bug.
All-time favourite NS article?
Marr on “Escaping the austerity trap” (16 November 2022).
The New Statesman is…
essential reading to maintain a degree of political awareness and perspective.
Read more:
The idiot rich are taking over our cities – and our culture
Rishi Sunak, the man who isn’t there
Rishi Sunak’s first 100 days, with Andrew Marr
This article appears in the 15 Feb 2023 issue of the New Statesman, Why the right is losing everywhere