The New Statesman | UK politics and culture

• How The Beatles' love story shaped the 20th Century

  A fateful meeting at a village fête "tilted" the 20th Century "on its axis"So argues Ian Leslie in his new book, John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs.In the book, Leslie argues that The Beatles didn't just dominate pop culture - they redefined how we see ourselves.He reframes the relationship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney as a kind of love story, which shaped the second half of the 20th Century and continues to influence us today.Leslie joins Kate Mossman on Culture from the New Statesman to discuss the book, The Beatles and their legacy.John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs is available from March 27 in book shops and online. Pre-order it here*The author Deborah Levy has reviewed the book for New Statesman. Her review is available to read online now, and will appear in the March 20 issue of the New Statesman magazine.Get full access to all the New Statesman's cultural reviews - as well as our leading politics and global affairs reporting - by becoming a subscriber from just £8.99 per month. Visit www.newstatesman.com/offer.Get the best of the New Statesman direct to your inbox every weekend for FREE by signing up to our newsletter, The Saturday Read. Visit saturdayread.substack.com.*Purchasing a book may earn the New Statesman a commission from Bookshop.org, who support independent bookshops. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Panic! at the "Nigel dog-and-pony show"

  Given the Rupert Lowe drama, what does the future looks like for Reform and Farage?Hannah Barnes is joined by Andrew Marr and George Eaton to answer listener questions about trouble in Reform land and where to watch in the upcoming local elections.Read: Inside the Reform civil war, Will the Farage-Lowe saga hurt Reform at the polls?, A Reform Labour showdown looms in the Runcorn by-electionSign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• It's time to debloat the flabby state

  This morning the PM announced that the state is overstretched and unfocused. The solution? NHS England has been scrapped, quangos are to be slashed, and the civil service shrunk. Do we finally have a vision of Starmerism?Hannah Barnes is joined by the New Statesman's political editor Andrew Marr, and later in the episode by business editor Will Dunn to discuss Britain's work and benefits problem.Read: Why Britain isn’t workingListen: Why Britain isn't working - with Alison McGovern, Minister of State for EmploymentSign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• The return of America First

  In recent weeks President Trump’s foreign policy pronouncements have been loud and abrasive. American allies watched in barely concealed dismay as the US president shouted at Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval office. Since then Trump has halted military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine and embarked on trade wars with Canada, Mexico, China - and perhaps next, the EU.In this episode Katie Stallard reports on America First - the Trumpian turn in US foreign policy and the end of the world as we knew it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Lady Gaga and the evolution of the pop icon

  Lady Gaga rewrote the rules of female pop stardom. Now she's back with a new album. Can she do it again?Kate Mossman reviewed Lady Gaga's latest album, Mayhem, for the New Statesman and joins Tom Gatti on the Culture podcast to discuss the changing face - and powerful influence - of pop music.Read Kate's review here: https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music/2025/03/on-mayhem-lady-gaga-makes-a-chaotic-return-to-formMayhem by Lady Gaga is published by Insterscope Records.Excerpts used in this episode are taken from the following for the purposes of criticism and review: Disease (Lady Gaga)Abracadabra (Lady Gaga)Killah (Lady Gaga feat. Gestaffelstein)Die with a smile (Lady Gaga feat. Bruno Mars) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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