Issue 128
November 2006
Contents
Breeding for God
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
In Europe, the fertility advantage of the religious over non-believers has historically been counterbalanced by the march of secularisation. Not any more. Secularisation in Europe is now in decline, and Islam continues to grow. Europe will start to adopt a more American model of modernity
Comment (3)Reforming party funding
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Labour's "loans for honours" troubles have kept the issue of party funding in the news. And another official review is reporting in December. Is it finally time to put a cap on individual donations and consider proper state funding?
Turning to Turkey
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
For decades, middle easterners have seen Turkey as a western stooge. Now, with cooler US-Turkish relations and a more Islamic government in Ankara, the middle east is warming to its northern neighbour
Return of the Roman
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Knowledge of Latin may be in decline, but novels, films and documentaries about the Romans have never been more popular. We are still dimly, unconsciously, aware that our culture grew out of classical civilisation
The world after Bush
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
The long 1990s are finally over, their utopian hopes beyond realisation. The neoconservative fantasy of US global hegemony is discredited, and the neoliberal dream of a UN-led world is also doomed
Is foreign aid working?
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Is Britain's international development department raising expectations it cannot meet? A prominent aid critic takes on the secretary of state
Swing district
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
For the Democrats to regain the House of Representatives in November, they must win district WA-08. I went there to meet their challenger Darcy Burner, a little-known former Microsoft employee
The Pope was wrong
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Pope Benedict's recent comments on Islam were riddled with inaccuracies
France: a self-portrait (English)
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Sixteen French men and women reflect on modern France
In defence of Dannatt
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Richard Dannatt was right to speak out about the British presence in Iraq. We need more candour from our military leaders, not less
An unextraordinary life
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Jonathan Franzen's memoir suffers from a lack of intensity and mundane source material. Another novel, please
France: a self-portrait (French)
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Sixteen French men and women reflect on modern France
Reports from the gulag
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Martin Amis's new novel is brilliant and insightful, but offers little news to those versed in the 20th century's first-hand accounts of atrocity
A crude distinction
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Eric Kaufmann's division of the world into religious and secular blocs is absurd and Gradgrindian
Realism on religion
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Eric Kaufmann overlooks what people who call themselves "religious" actually do
Faith's last gasp
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Despite superficial appearances of a resurgence in religious belief, we are actually witnessing the death throes of faith
A religious liberalism
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Eric Kaufmann ignores the radical traditions and potential of religion
Remember Europe
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
The next Labour leader should take a forceful and positive line on the EU
Japanese dilemma
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
North Korea's nuclear test reopens the question of Japanese rearmament
Backward glance
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
We are finally starting to appreciate the culture of the underrated 1970s and 1980s
Against community
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
All this talk of "community" distracts us from the task of actually living together
Self-hatred at the BBC
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
The broadcaster is feeling guilty about its liberal guilt. Can it fix it?
The Pope's reason
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
What is wrong with the Pope affirming the truth of the faith which he represents?
Private view
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Full of raunchy plots and stylish visuals, Simon Schama's new series, which tells the stories behind great art, puts most cultural programming to shame
Smallscreen
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
For all its faults, US television knows how to be idealistic about politics. In this country we get cynical pap about shopkeepers becoming prime minister
Widescreen
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
By suggesting the unsayable—that Israel's founding myths are all about suicide—Avi Mograbi has produced one of the great essayistic films of modern times
Between the lines
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Amid great secrecy, and after years of anonymous labour, here comes Thomas Harris's latest Hannibal Lecter novel. But do readers still care?
Child's play
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Günter Grass's revelations about his Nazi past will end the temptation to take his political pronouncements seriously—which is no bad thing
Illuminating opera
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
The philosopher Bernard Williams brought to his writings on opera a rare vigour and intelligence—although Vernon Bogdanor disagrees with his interpretation of Wagner
The critic as stalker
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Fawning and voyeuristic, David Thomson's paean to his screen idol fails to excite the co-author of the "Eyes Wide Shut" screenplay
The worldwide niche
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
The internet is helping revive niche products by making them easier to find and cheaper to deliver. But will the power of the big hit be reduced?
Weddings & beheadings
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
You've never heard of me, but you've probably seen my work on the television news
In the jar
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Adrift at sea, submerged in olive oil, all my bodily needs are satisfied, and I can dream
Out of mind
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
A dying man is depressed, so he gets prescribed anti-depressants. Is this absurd? A strong dose of belief might have the same effect
Washington watch
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Do three "October surprises" mean a midterm Republican rout? If so, that might be the end of the Dowd thesis. Plus look out for Michael Bloomberg
Inefficient markets
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Millions of Americans want to gamble over the internet—so why is the Senate trying to stop them? Plus, why it is too early to write off Europe's Airbus project
France profonde
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
After the traumas of the last two years, the French feel deeply uneasy about the state of their country. But most think it can pull itself back from the brink
Lab report
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
CO2 is key to life on earth—yet many in the US think it should be classed as a pollutant. Plus, why a "design flaw" in proteins may be the cause of dementia
Brussels diary
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
While Günther Verheugen gets cross in the German press, José Manuel Barroso is desperately searching for new allies—the old ones keep losing elections
Matters of taste
19th November 2006 — Issue 128
Despite the efforts of the animal welfare lobby, the production of foie gras in Europe is unlikely to end any time soon. But corks may be on their way out