Section: New Statesman (The United Kingdom)
On historic fascism, The Daily Mail’s exposé of Max Mosley is a case of pot, kettle, black
Perhaps the Mail could set an example in its demands for a public apology. As I have written here before, Max Mosley, whose family charity bankrolls Impress, the only officially recognised press regulator, has no grasp of the principles of press freedom. The Daily Mail was justified in unearthing details of how in the 1960s he supported the...
The Dawn Watch: a look at Joseph Conrad as a prophet of globalisation
Maya Jasanoff offers a compelling examination of the great novellist’s life and work. The steamer Mavis arrived at Lowestoft on 10 June 1878 with a most remarkable young man on board. The 20-year-old Konrad Korzeniowski was the son of a poet and translator of aristocratic stock, but he arrived in Suffolk as an ordinary seaman, unqualified...
Angela Merkel faces her greatest challenge
A political crisis severely tests the German Chancellor’s abilities. “Gradually, her long-term vision gave way to her short-term memory. She focused only on the here and now. But at the end that didn’t work”. These lines are a (rough) translation from Die Kanzerlin – Eine Fiktion, a novel about the Chancellor Angela Merkel by the...
Poland has problems. An overwhelming influx of refugees isn’t one of them
Let’s stop buying the fiction of Europe’s far-right populists. From the banners Polish nationalist demonstrators held up at a 60,000-strong march this weekend, it would be easy to think the country was overwhelmed with failed multiculturalism. Slogans included “Pure Poland, white Poland” and “Refugees get out”. Others held fascist...
Poland has problems. An overwhelming influx of refugees isn’t one of them
Let’s stop buying the fiction of Europe’s far right populists. From the banners Polish nationalist demonstrators held up at a 60,000-strong march this weekend, it would be easy to think Poland was overwhelmed with failed multiculturalism. Slogans included “Pure Poland, white Poland” and “Refugees get out”. Others held fascist symbols...
Alex Salmond is the perfect fit for RT – all he needs to do is be himself
The former SNP leader’s style is perfectly in tune with the Kremlin-backed broadaster’s broader goals. Alex Salmond is far from the first anti-establishment politician to have decided RT (as Russia Today has rebranded) is a good place to air his views – but he may one of the most perfectly suited to the Kremlin–backed news...
Mueller’s indictments for Manafort and Papadopoulos spell bad news for Trump
The US president has publicly attacked the investigation as a “witch hunt” with no basis in fact. Following weeks of intense speculation in Washington, Bob Mueller, the special investigator looking into Russian interference in the presidential election, has revealed his first indictments – and they could spell bad news for Donald Trump. The...
Through seven works in seven cities, how Europe bared its soul through opera
The V&A’s exhibition is not only a celebration, but a cause for celebration. This lively exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum is part of a current wave of events in various media promoting opera. I’m not sure what has provoked this wave, or why it should be happening just now, but “Opera: Passion, Power and Politics” is...
Can Ukraine pave an economic path back to normality?
Three years after Ukraine sank into conflict, its government is pursuing economic reforms. The issue of new Eurobonds by Ukraine expected next week will mark the biggest step the country has taken to recover its economic sovereignty since Russia initiated armed aggression against it in 2014. Not many Ukraine watchers expected the country to...
The Power and the Story: fact, fabrication and the shaping of the modern media
Author John Lloyd is amazed at how Donald Trump has “set about trashing” the practice of journalism. “Don’t you understand that if something is not on TV it doesn’t exist? Not a product, a politician nor an ideal!” Addressing one of his closest aides, in an exchange reported in a book published in 2006, Silvio Berlusconi enunciated...
