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Friday 5 September 2008

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The latest culture as recommended by our staff

Clemency Burton-Hill

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CoffeeHouse

The welfare Perestroika

We’re in the Perestroika phase of welfare reform now. This is the defrosting, the glasnost, of the old system. As Gorbachev found out, this can be the most dangerous phase because you never know what will come to life during the thaw.

Poverty of aspiration; not poverty of talent

One of the major educational challenges facing us today is ensuring talented pupils receive the same opportunity to excel. Today’s...

The Brownites really can't play the expectations game

The Brown re-launch is falling flat because all the ideas in it were previewed over the summer, meaning that their...

Is 5 June, 2009, the date for Brown's departure?

The Evening Standard's Paul Waugh explains why it might be, over at his blog....

Comments are working again

Just to say that the comments facility is now working again. I've been assured that any comments made overnight (when...

Arts

Top drama at bargain prices

Lloyd Evans talks to the Donmar’s artistic director Michael Grandage about his Wyndham’s venture

Escapist froth

Lost in Austen (ITV1)

Books

Life and Letters

Breaking the rules

Brave new writing

Fifty years ago, Alan Sillitoe’s first novel, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, changed the history of English fiction. Richard Bradford explains how.

Style & Travel

Meet the real Donna

Charlotte Metcalf finds a friend on the Mamma Mia! island

The skinny on sportswear

James Sherwood seeks suitable jogging attire

Labour’s punishment freaks are hounding honest citizens

Ross Clark says that far from keeping our streets safer or cleaner, the government’s new force of amateur policemen are ignoring the worst offenders and pursuing law-abiding innocents instead

Ross Clark