Issue 125
August 2006
Contents
A tale of two lefts
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
Andrés López Obrador's failure to win the Mexican election masks a broader trend: Latin America's recent turn to the left. But there are two distinct lefts in the region: one modern and reformist, with its roots in hardcore leftism; the other nationalist and authoritarian, born of the Latin populist tradition
Lives of crime
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
Tony Blair's "tough on the causes of crime" and David Cameron's "hug a hoodie" speeches reflect the dominant sociological model of crime. But research into the "criminal personality" suggests some people from troubled backgrounds are far more likely to offend than others. Policymakers are taking an interest
Should Britain renew the Trident nuclear deterrent?
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
Britain's Trident submarines will last until 2025. Should they be renewed or can we survive without them?
Educating Akello
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
A small girl I encounter outside a Ugandan refugee camp somehow persuades me to pay her school fees. I soon find myself caught up in an ambiguous African story of doubt, mistrust and guilt
English questions
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
World Cup flag-waving plus the prospect of the first post-devolution Scottish prime minister have revived the English question. Will it be politicised? If the Tories push for "English votes for English laws," will it unravel the union?
Globalisation is working
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
Contrary to Robert Wade's arguments last month, countries that open up their economies tend to prosper. We need to help more of them reap globalisation's benefits
A normal hatred?
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
Most anti-Jewish feeling is a world away from "traditional" antisemitism
Numbers matter
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
It is time for mainstream politics to debate the scale of British immigration
Primitive errors
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
The "primitive" is a figment of the western mind. Someone should have told Chirac
Genetic revisionism
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
The human genome is not a book, and this metaphor is now becoming an obstacle
Gazprom's triumph
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
Liberalised energy markets have brought Europe to the edge of a gas supply crisis
Illusions of identity
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
Amartya Sen discusses his new book, in which he claims that the British approach to multiculturalism has undermined individual freedom
The madcap laughs no more
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
Syd Barrett, the enchanted hero of English psychedelic rock, appealed to a romantic idea of doomed genius, but also went on to live an ordinary life, says an ex-Pink Floyd producer
Stringing us along
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
The tide seems to be turning against string theory and its speculative attempts to produce a "theory of everything." Not a moment too soon
States, citizens and trust
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
Two new books on contemporary political problems are stimulating and informative. But the authors should learn to speak to our ideals as well as our needs
Widescreen
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
State-run Chinese cinema has unexpected lessons for the west, and is set to lead research and development in the digital era, in happy alliance with Hollywood
Private view
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
Kandinsky may have opened the way to pure abstraction, but he was traditionalist, romantic, sentimental and spiritualist. And not even properly abstract
Smallscreen
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
After two and a half years, this is my last column. As I bow out, there are signs of a creative renaissance in television. Pity we can't say the same about critics
Musical notes
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
Jonathan Kent's Tosca was a lifeless affair. And David McVicar's Figaro was overly restrained, unlike his Giulio Cesare, which was tremendous in a bawdy sort of way
Toothache
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
Sol can either go to the dentist, or play poker with an old friend
Common law
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
The case against my client is overwhelming, but he refuses to plead guilty. Any questions that I ask in court are just going to make things worse
Washington watch
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
Hillary Clinton appears to have bounced back from a mensis horribilis. Meanwhile, Rummy's in big trouble for screwing up missile defence
France profonde
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
France's elitist education system is not preparing future politicians for the complexities of governance. But some grandes écoles graduates are re-educating their peers
Inefficient markets
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
Higher energy prices are likely to mean rising inflation and slower growth. But at least Doha may be back on track. Plus the misguided populism of EU commissioners
Brussels diary
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
Why the fall of the European constitution has been good news for Britain's Europhiles. Plus the latest gossip from around the European commission table
Notes from underground
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
I turn up to work to find that a minor electrical fault has shut the ticket office. It could be hours until it's fixed. What a wonderful unexpected gift
Letter from Beirut
27th August 2006 — Issue 125
The indiscriminate Israeli attacks on Lebanon have created a rare unity across the country's many divides. But most people still want Hizbullah to disarm