The New Statesman: You have to laugh

Last week the New Statesman had a relaunch. The magazine is bigger and glossier, but the content seemed much the same as usual.

In particular, I was struck by the prominence the magazine now gives to comedians. There were columns by Rory Bremner and Stephen Fry, with the promise of one next week by Julian Clary.

My great era of reading the Statesman was the late 1970s, and I have been trying to think what the magazine would have been like if it had taken the same approach then. Something like this, I imagine:

• Freddie "Parrot-Face" Davies on the future of the Common Market;
• Dickie Henderson on the Palestine Question.

And next week:

• Mike and Bernie Winters debate the Bullock Report on Industrial Democracy.