October 2015

October 2015 issue

Past issues

Essays

Food in 1950s Britain: when aubergine and basil were unheard of, and "olive oil was bought in chemists and used for cleaning cars." © The advertising archive

How Britain learned to cook

Wendell Steavenson

An Iranian family takes a selfie on the Tabi'at (Nature) bridge overlooking Tehran. © BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images

Nuclear deal: is Iran open for business? Not yet

Christopher de Bellaigue

Does the City pay its way?

Is the City worth it?

Former Liberal Democrat Cabinet members outside 10 Downing Street in March. (L-R) David Laws, Danny Alexander, Jo Swinson, Nick Clegg, Ed Davey, Don Foster, Alaistair Carmichael, Simon Wright, and Vince Cable. © REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett - RTR4UM19

Vince Cable: gloomy, but right

Members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party wear masks depicting members of the German goverment and burn mock euro notes in Berlin. © EPA/PAUL ZINKEN

Germany is allergic to power

<strong><em>Self Portrait</em> (1913) by Laura Knight, featuring model Ella Louise Naper "in the rosy-bottomed nude," was "a radical piece of picture-making," says Andrew Marr. © Reproduced with permission of the estate of Dame Laura Knight DBE RA 2015. A

Simon Schama's eye for a story

Peter O'Toole as Lord Jim in the 1963 film adaptation of Joseph Conrad's novel. © Moviestore/ Rex Shutterstock

Joseph Conrad: anticipating terrorism

CHT196219 Turkey and Russia playing a game of strategy, from 'Le Perroquet', 1877 (colour litho) by Italian School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Turc et Russe jouant a un jeu de strategie;); Archives Charmet; Italian, out of copyright

Rise of the Young Turks

In this Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015 photo, Iranian worker Shahin Mirouzadeh cuts potatoes at "Mash Donald's" fast food restaurant, a knock-off version of McDonald's in western Tehran. © AP Photo/Vahid Salemi

Iran: a golden age of sanctions?

Is parliament too large? © REUTERS/UK Parliament (BRITAIN - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION SOCIETY) NO COMMERCIAL OR BOOK SALES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. NOT FOR USE BY REUTERS THIRD

Cut the Commons to 400 MPs

Supporters of Imran Khan's PTI party protesting against the Pakistani government in Islamabad in September 2014. © Niaz Ali/ Demotix

Pakistan has survived—now can it prosper?

The London syndrome: is this cream-coloured house in Hackney, which boasts three bedooms, the capital's narrowest. © Serena Kutchinsky

How to fix the housing crisis

Regulars

Enigmas and puzzles by Barry R Clarke: issue 235

The generalist by Didymus: issue 235

The way we were—Britain and Refugees

Jonathan Derbyshire

© Katy Winn/Invision/AP

If I ruled the world: Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates

Our combatants Christian Wolmar (Yes, left) and Richard Wellings (No, right)

The Duel: Should the railways be renationalised?

Richard Wellings & Christian Wolmar

Opinions

Put patients first

File photo dated 05/09/10 of a pregnant woman, as the teenage pregnancy rate in England and Wales continues to fall, although some regions have seen a rise.

Britain's teenage pregnancy triumph

Jessica Abrahams

Giving a voice to the silent

Prime Minister David Cameron walks through a tented settlement camp housing Syrian refugee families in the Bekaa Valley on the Syrian - Lebanese border. Mr Cameron is in the region to see conditons and meet those who have fled their homes in Syria. PRESS

Which side is Britain backing in Syria?

Campaigners have been urging EU countries to accept more refugees, but what do ordinary citizens want? © MARTIN SCHUTT/dpa

What does Europe want on immigration?

©Niall Carson/PA Wire/Press Association Images

How Corbynomics could work

Anatole Kaletsky

Arts & Books

Former Liberal Democrat Cabinet members outside 10 Downing Street in March. (L-R) David Laws, Danny Alexander, Jo Swinson, Nick Clegg, Ed Davey, Don Foster, Alaistair Carmichael, Simon Wright, and Vince Cable. © REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett - RTR4UM19

Vince Cable: gloomy, but right

Book review: Strangers Drowning: Voyages to the Brink of Moral Extremity by Larissa MacFarquhar

Jonathan Derbyshire

<strong><em>Self Portrait</em> (1913) by Laura Knight, featuring model Ella Louise Naper "in the rosy-bottomed nude," was "a radical piece of picture-making," says Andrew Marr. © Reproduced with permission of the estate of Dame Laura Knight DBE RA 2015. A

Simon Schama's eye for a story

Peter O'Toole as Lord Jim in the 1963 film adaptation of Joseph Conrad's novel. © Moviestore/ Rex Shutterstock

Joseph Conrad: anticipating terrorism

CHT196219 Turkey and Russia playing a game of strategy, from 'Le Perroquet', 1877 (colour litho) by Italian School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Turc et Russe jouant a un jeu de strategie;); Archives Charmet; Italian, out of copyright

Rise of the Young Turks

Book review: Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning by Timothy Snyder

Book review: 1606: William Shakespeare and the Year of Lear by James Shapiro

A street scene in Naples, Italy, circa 1955. © Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Those who leave and those who stay

Anthony Cummins

Society and Culture

PICTURE POSED BY MODEL File photo dated 21/08/15 of a married man looking at the Ashley Madison website, as parliamentary computers have been used to log onto crisis hit adultery website.

Privacy is a historical blip

Wine: Cabernet Franc's time to shine

Matters of taste: dining with strangers

Wendell Steavenson