The Sparrow reviews the New Statesman current affairs magazine.

When looking to keep abreast of world affairs I find there is nothing better than settling down with a copy of The Economist.  Unfortunately, I have allowed my subscription to lapse and found myself with no other option but to head to the shops.  Abiding my Sod's law as my life tends too, the shop was out of stock and I was left with a few other current affairs magazines.  Blissful in my ignorance of the merits of any of them I picked up the New Statesman, which, the cover assured me is "Current affairs magazine of the year".  

Unfortunatley, what the cover had failed to tell me was that this award was given by the All Russian Union of Soviets.  Had I known the fact that it was little better than an English langauge version of Zvezda, I'd have probably been slightly more subtle in carrying it through the streets.  Without wishing to put too fine a point on it Jnr Senator McCarthy had people hounded out of their jobs for far less.  

To say the magazine was skewed to one side of the political spectrum would be like suggesting that Roman Abramovich had a little money.  Reading the magazine is like entering a time warp, to a time ten years ago, when people still believed Labour would be different, when people could say Tony Blair's name without feeling the need to spit three times and when Gordon Brown was not the most boring man in Britain.  Ok, I lied, Gordon Brown was the most boring man in Britain, it's just none of us knew it yet.  In New Statesman land the future is bright, the future is red.  No one mentions cash for honours, war crimes or John Prescott's promiscuity issues.  In New Statesman land the clamour of opportunist sycophants duking it out for who can be deputy leader are viewed as serious politicians engaging in due democratic process.

I never did reach the end of the issue, as I have to say, the spectre of Joseph Stalin was weighing so heavy on my shoulders that I could think of nothing else but closing the magazine praying that no one saw me with it and had informed the anti-bolshevik league of my activities. Suffice to say, I'll be sticking to The Economist, in future.