Mehdi Hasan: in defence of multiculturalism | Will Self: Hague’s resistible rise | Ed Balls on breakfast with Yvette

Weekly Online Newsletter 31 March 2011 Home Editor's Choice Features Regulars Arts & Books Blogs Subscribe   Editor's Choice IN THIS WEEK'S NEW STATESMAN: who are the English? This week's New Statesman is a special issue on Englishness in which we look at a nation in the grip of an identity crisis. Inside, Dominic Sandbrook provides a history of English radicalism, Mehdi Hasan disputes the claim that multiculturalism has failed, and Jon Cruddas argues that Labour must rediscover a politics of English virtue. Elsewhere, Jonathan Derbyshire profiles the "Blue Labour" thinker Maurice Glasman, Samira Shackle asks if she is wrong to think of herself as equally English and Pakistani, and Helen Lewis-Hasteley talks to Antonia Fraser, who bemoans our obsession with class. Also this week, Mehdi talks to Ed Balls, who admits that the last Labour government ran a structural deficit, David Blanchflower says there are unsettling parallels between Portugal and Britain, and Lana Asfour reports on a regime losing its grip on Syria. All this, plus Laurie Penny on abortion rights, Will Self on the resistible rise of William Hague and Ryan Gilbey's verdict on Source Code starring Jake Gyllenhaal. The issue is on sale now, or you can subscribe through the website. Get a FREE copy of Peter Taylor's Talking to Terrorists: A Personal Journey from the IRA to Al Qaeda when you start your annual subscription today for just £87. The five most read blogs What really happened in Trafalgar Square | Laurie Penny Don't play politics with academic freedom | James Ladyman PMQs review: Cameron's sharp tongue runs wild | George Eaton Michael Chanan's video blog: A Tale of Two Demos | Michael Chanan Gove's EMA replacement will not work | James Mills Regulars Leader: The tax burden should move from earned to unearned income Arts & Culture Source Code (12A) By Ryan Gilbey This time-loop movie isn't as clever as it thinks it is.     This Week's Issue Kindly note that if you receive this e-mail your e-mail address is being held by us for the purpose of communicating with you on New Statesman related matters. If you do not wish us to e-mail you, please unsubscribe from this list. New Statesman Limited is a Data Controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998. © New Statesman Ltd. 2009. The above information may be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient of this email please destroy it. As Internet communications are not secure please note that the New Statesman does not accept legal responsibility for the content of this email message.