Famine
Paddy Coulter analyses the new crisis in Ethiopia and the West's response. Were the appeals of 1984-85 made in vain?

Health Service:
The new government white paper lacks both bite and conviction

Kerala:
The south Indian state with a new Communist government but an uncertain future

Cricket:
Who's been caught out in the umpiring test?

Housing: No shelter from the Tory revolution

Communist Party: A breakaway is on the horizon

James Baldwin: a political appreciation

LETTERS
Rethinking defence, tv violence and Stuart Cosgrove's mum strikes back

FEATURES:
Reaganism For Ever?
The 1988 presidential election could mark a watershed in US politics. David Plotke asks whether the Reaganite tide is turning

Whose Right To Life?
The Alton bill presents a new challenge to the pro-choice lobby. Wendy Savage, Jo Richardson, Teresa Gorman and Jane Woddis discuss what lies behind it

A Race to Exclusion
The latest immigration laws are vindictive. Dave Cook, Fiona Mactaggart, Bernard Misrahi and Habib Rahman outline an alternative approach

Lessons in Standards
Kenneth Baker's education bill has shattered the postwar consensus. Andy Green sketches out a new strategy for the Left

REVIEW OF 87
Culture and Politics:
It's been all change in the arts. While Anthony Barnett takes stock of the political world

Fashion:
Sarah Mower examines the economics of the rising hemline

TV: Making the news in the media

Drama:
David Edgar examines the boom in
musicals, plus profiles of Dennis Potter and Emma Thompson

Books:
Reading between the political lines

Sport:
On and off the field, 1987 has been a challenging year

Aids:
A culture-shock

Music:
Stuart Cosgrove rewinds the loud sounds of 87; why Simon Rattle has been striking the right note; the death of Red Wedge

Film:
Derek Malcolm ushers out another good year

Soviet culture:
The glasnost guide to films and books

COMMENT
Chesterfield revisited

CLOSE-UP
Anne Spackman on Marietta Higgs

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Clause For Concern
Jeffrey Weeks charts the growth of the anti-gay backlash

Aboriginal Rights:
In Australia's bicentenary year not everyone has cause to celebrate

Foreign Affairs:
Britain's world role under Thatcher

Travel:
Cheap holidays can be bad for you

Zimbabwe:
Who has lost out as Mugabe and Nkomo agree to merge their parties?

LETTERS
Sixth form colleges, disability and the abortion debate, unilateralism after INF and
censorious sex

FEATURES
Thatcher's Achilles Heel
The NHS is in poor health: Steve Iliffe consults his crystal ball and three experts give their prognoses

Love Is In The Air
There's more than one kind of love that should be celebrated on St Valentine's Day, argues Rosalind Brunt

A Spectre Haunts The East
Is the Gorbachev tide sweeping Eastern Europe? Neal Ascherson introduces our survey, with Misha Glenny on Hungary and Czechoslovakia, Michael Simmons on East Germany and George Kolankiewicz on Poland

When The Hardline Is Right
David Edgar sees little point in a future Labour victory unless the priorities of the new social movements are embraced

CHANNEL 5
Amazing Grade!
Mark Lawson warns against underestimating Channel 4's new boss

Soul Mafia:
the return of the O'Jays

Looking at Liverpool:
A new book by Tony Lane and a guide to a splendid weekend in the city

Ian Kelly describes his experiences in Tooting Bec psychiatric hospital

Sammy and Rosie get reviewed

Every Black Day at the Half Moon

Althusser revisited

CLOSE-UP

Chris Jones on John Barnes

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Ford For Thought
The trade unions are back on the front pages. Charlie Leadbeater analyses the rebirth of industrial action

Bukharin: The Soviet Union reviews Stalin's verdict on an important early theorist

Budget: More caution from Lawson

Immigration: Bill of no rights

West Bank Uprisings: This time the Palestinian resistance will not subside

Disarmament: Europe and INF

Raymond Williams: Tribute to a lifelong
socialist and Britain's finest postwar cultural
writer

LETTERS
NHS, Labour's immoraleconomy, Clause 28,Chesterfield debate,racism and abortion, Grade's cover-up

FEATURES

The Tory Opposition
Michael Heseltine is a standard-bearer of alternative Toryism and a favourite to
succeed Thatcher as Conservative leader. In an exclusive interview, he talks to John Lloyd about his vision of the future

Thatcher's Lessons
The Labour Party is officially 'rethinking'. It is not yet clear what that means. Stuart Hall argues we must start the process by learning from Thatcherism. He shows how to do it

Social Side Of Cancer
The causes of cervical cancer should be looked for in society, not the bedroom. Basiro Davey examines the evidence

Parting Of The Ways
John Lloyd looks at the link between Labour and the unions, and suggests
that both could benefit from a more distant relationship

CHANNEL5

Building For The Future:
Jules Lubbock and Martin Pawley debate the direction of modern architecture

Pogues Politics: Stuart Cosgrove charts the success of 'Radio l's most loathsome pop
group'

The Last Emperor:
Bertolucci's epic of 20th century China

Spring Fiction: Helen Carr and Nicci Gerrard plunder the publishers' lists

The Hite Of The Matter: The final part of Shere Hite's sexuality survey has just been published

Sheffield: The rise and fall of the socialist republic, and a weekend in South Yorkshire

Ideal Homes: Exhibition with designs on your lifestyle

Najma Akhtar: Melodic mix of East and West

CLOSE-UP

Peter Murtagh on John Stalker

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Retreat To Moscow
The historic Soviet withdrawal from
Afghanistan may be a sign of the USSR turning inwards, argues Stephen Shenfield

Community Care:
Is the government sidestepping responsibility for the handicapped and elderly?

Israel:
Division and dissent mark the 40th anniversary

Panama:
General Noriega is clinging on to power
despite US opposition

Hungary:
How will the Communist Party respond to new ideas and demands?

Poll Tax:
Campaigning in Scotland

POSTMARK
Jean Barr on her native
Glasgow's cultural
festivities

LETTERS
Short and Crick on Hobsbawm, Scotland, Labour and the unions

FEATURES
A New Class Of Geography
We all know what the north-south divide is, but what does it mean? Doreen Massey investigates

Divisions Of Labour
Charlie Leadbeater examines the controversy over single-union agreements and no-strike deals

1968
Is the 20th anniversary of 1968 any more than a stroll down memory lane? ask Stuart Hall and Martin Jacques

The'68 Show Programme
Full details of Marxism Today's day-long event

You've Never Had It So Good - Again!
Frank Mort and Nicholas Green look at the consumer boom and argue why we must come to terms with the politics of prosperity

After The Accord
The impact of recent events on the Anglo-Irish agreement is analysed by Robin Wilson

CHANNEL5
Panic Measures:
Charlotte du Cann looks at a crisis of
confidence in the fashion houses

Off The Peg Politics:
The packaging and product must match up for Labour's message to work, suggests Richard Dyer

Short Story: There's Tradition For You'
by Alison Fell

New Museums:
Rediscovering a common heritage, plus listings on the pick of the bunch

Economics Of Perestroika:
Aganbegyan's new book reviewed by Robin Murray

Book shorts on a Gielgud
biography, Doris Lessing's
latest and 'Social Class In
Modern Britain'

CLOSE-UP
Mary Ellison on Jesse Jackson

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McCluskie's Last Stand?
Charlie Leadbeater analyses the fallout from the seafarers' dispute for the company and unions, and draws wider parallels

Upper House:
Are the Lords up to delivering much more than fine words and wind in their revising role?

France:
Mitterrand's victory brought relief for the Left -but not much joy

Poland:
The narrow space for democracy

Spurs Fans:
Left on the shelf?

Green Belts:
The gloves are off in the Tory scrap for
control of city perimeters

POSTMARK
Leonid Florentiev looks at glasnost on Moscow's streets

LETTERS
Consumerism; Ford; feminism; men
and psychology; television

FEATURES

What Is To Be Done?
On the eve of the historic Soviet Communist Party conference, Martin Walker gives an insider's view of the
prospects for Gorbachev's revolution

The Ron And Nik Show
As Reagan and Gorbachev meet again, Fred Halliday offers a cautious assessment of the state of superpower
relations

Clause And Effect
Is there gay life after Clause 28? Angela Cooper, Femi Otitoju, Adam Mars-Jones, Matthew Parris and Jeffrey Weeks discuss the prospects

Tartan And Blue
Scotland is leading Thatcher a merry dance, argues Tom Nairn

Market Mania Of The Left
Economic planning is distinctly unfashionable. Pat Devine urges the Left to end its flirtation with market socialism, and to look anew at planning

CHANNEL 5

Freedom Rock:
Mandela's birthday concert shows the power of political pop, argues Stan Rijven; plus round-up of the month's agitpop events

Mersey Artbeat:
Tony Lane welcomes the Tate back to Liverpool

News Of Birt:
Current affairs broadcasting is at a watershed

Longplayer:
Melissa Benn drops in on veteran D J Tony Blackburn

Dublin:
One thousand years young, and culturally never looking better

Selected reading on and from South Africa, chosen by Ruth Weiss

Book shorts on Brody's design, slavery, Mortimer's novel, general election and
newspapers

CLOSE-UP
Garry Whannel on Zola Budd

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Swingin'With The Duke:
The political mood in the USA is ready to exchange charisma for competence, argues Steve Lohr

Rebels Without A Cause:
The electricians have their own reasons for flouting union orthodoxies

Turkish Trials:
It is not so much the Communist Party
in the dock as the regime's credibility

WIs Wise-up: A touch of rural riot

Angola:
The futures of Angola and Namibia are now up for grabs

Vatican Rules:
Is Lefebvre the prodigal?

POSTMARK
John Green describes how it feels to be part of Britain's fastest-growing town, Swindon no less

LETTERS
Economic blueprints;sexual politics;
nationalisms,socialism, liberalism and hamsters

FEATURES

Spot The Radical
The very language of 'Left', 'Right' and 'Centre' obscures the political vision needed to defeat Thatcherism, argues David Marquand

A Family Tragedy
With Cleveland back in the public spotlight, Beatrix Campbell and Stephen Sedley reflect on the meanings of child abuse

NHS's Unhappy Returns
The NHS at 40 is prematurely ageing. Gordon Best and John Peet offer contrasting paths for its future

Will The Bubble Burst?
Thatcher and Lawson have declared a truce over monetary policy. But John
Wells finds longer-term economic tensions at play

The State After Stalin
The fiercest debate since the 20s now rages in the USSR. Fedor Burlatsky
pushes the boat out and questions state socialism itself

CHANNEL5
Unearthly Star:
As Michael Jackson's sell-out world tour hits the UK, Kobena Mercer assesses pop's greatest living enigma

Don't Call Me...
Stuart Cosgrove curses spy-on-the-line answerphones

Simon Bates:
Interview with Radio One's popular D J

Summertime:
How British resorts are facing up to the
competition from abroad;
plus: package tans

Virago at 15:
Brenda Polan celebrates a publishing landmark

Books:
Gwyn Williams on Tom Nairn on the monarchy plus Central America, lesbian and gay fiction

COMMENT
Planning v markets

CLOSE-UP
Edmund Fawcett on Georges Marchais


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Paradise Postponed
This summer's airport chaos could become the norm for the 90s,
claims Michael Smith

Fairer Sex:
Better employment deals for women are at last on union and employers' agendas

Sporting Trials:
Council-run sports could benefit from a competitive edge

Kampuchea:
As the Vietnamese prepare to leave,
will the Pol Pot terror return?

POSTMARK
Francisco Jurdao Arrones looks
at the British occupation of his home town on the Costa del Sol

LETTERS
Planning Utopia; Scottish parliament; user-friendly NHS; ugly socialism

FEATURES
Dry Spells
Ahead Richard Smith explores the problems posed by alcohol abuse

Moscow In Motion
Long-standing socialist critic of the Soviet system, Roy Medvedev, talks to Monty Johnstone about the prospects for perestroika

Citizen's Gains
The Left's public services policy needs a rethink, argue Paul Corrigan, Trevor Jones, John Lloyd and Jock Young

Troubled Earth
A Special Survey: Green politics and threats to the international environment

Channel Visions
A tv revolution is underway. David Elstein, Claire Enders, Nicholas Fraser, Raymond Snoddy and Alan Yentob look to the future

CHANNEL 5
Feminism's Last Post?
Lucy O'Brien searches for the New Woman

Track 29:
Dennis Potter's latest film is on release. W Stephen Gilbert assesses his work

Edinburgh:
Budget cuts have trimmed the Fringe, argues Mark Lawson

X-Ray Radical:
London graffiti

Dial A Con?
John Lyttle and Rose Collis explore the world of personal telephone services

Books:
Julian Cooper on Soviet intellectuals
Stuart Hall on men and Love In The Time Of Cholera

COMMENT
Scotland's United Front

CLOSE-UP
Julie Burchill on Anne Diamond

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Seoul Searching
The Olympics are prompting a new era of dialogue between North and South Korea, says Jon Halliday

Prison Wars:
A fresh start that went sour

Bottom Band Aid:
Government giving has hit an all-time low

Worthless Women:
The most far-reaching equal value cases to date are now up in court

End Of The Line?
BR shunts its most scenic route into the sidings

Small World:
US foreign policy under Dukakis - more of the same?

Raymond Williams: Memorial fund

POSTMARK
Ferdinand Dennis on efforts to contain the Notting Hill Carnival

LETTERS
Doctors, dictators, dialogue and diatribes

FEATURES
Danger: Flying Sparks
As the EETPU awaits possible TUC expulsion, its leader Eric Hammond
talks to Charlie Leadbeater about his
hopes and fears for the union...

Thoroughly Modern Movement
... while GMB leader John Edmonds looks at 90s-style trade unionism - with or without the electricians

Right Royal Opposition
What match, asks Rosalind Brunt, is the royal family for Thatcherism?

Supplement: Facing Up To The Future
Special coverage of the Communist Party's first draft strategy rethink for the 1990s

The Mandela Moment
Mark Perryman looks for the secret of
Anti-Apartheid's success

Olympics'88
We survey the biggest sporting extravaganza on earth

CHANNEL 5

Sprinting Star
Kolton Lee talks to British Olympic medal hope Linf ord Christie

Docklands Spectacle:
Jean Michel Jarre's laser and music spectacular lights up London

Dancing Partners:
There is a new wave of interest in dance

Eisenstein Exhibition:
What influence does this early Russian film director's work exert today?

Books:
Blockbusters: Shirley Conran's Savages and Celia Brayfield's Pearls
Raymond Carver remembered and Strong Medicine
Children of the Arbat and Christopher Hill's history

CLOSE-UP
George Barber on Nick Logan

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NEW TIMES
Introduction

Guide To New Times
A user-friendly guide to the new world of the 1990s

Life After Henry (Ford)
Fordism is on the wane. We are moving into the era of Post-Fordism. Robin Murray explains what it all means

Power To The Person
The politics of choice, explains Charlie Leadbeater, must be at the heart of socialist reconstruction

Bones In The Corset
It's time to put the self back into politics and humanise the Left argues Rosalind Brunt

Brave New World
Stuart Hall explores the concept of New Times and asks some troubling questions

Disorganised Capitalism
John Urry argues that organised captalism, which has dominated Western societies this century, is in decline. It is being supplanted by disorganised captalism

Clearing The Decks
Bryan Gould, Beatrix Campbell, David Blunkett, Charlie Leadbeater and Sarah Benton discuss the prospects of
socialist renewal

LETTERS
Socialist Breakthrough, Identity Crisis, Carnival and Union Rivalry

POSTMARK
Ivan Taylor on the town beyond Blackpool's golden mile

CULTURE
Portrait Of An Artist:
David Hockney talks to Simon Watney about art, politics his view of British culture

Toys For The Boys:
Women, men and computers

Close Encounter:
Paul Morley meets Brookside's Sheila Grant

Film Festival:
Some contrasting definitions of lesbian and gay cinema

Nightclubbing:
Acid House as consumer craze

Books:
Jimmy Boyle on the Kray twins

Child Abuse, Rushdie's Satanic Verses

Northern Ireland and Appeasement

Choice Words: Jeffrey Archer

CLOSE-UP
Lucy O'Brien on Kylie Minogue

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Affirming Negative - Benny Pollack

Screen Strife - John Ellis

A Little Knowledge -Judy Tavanyar

Muddy Waters - Fred Pearce

Names For Change - Julian Cooper

Red Tape Islands - Howie Firth

LETTERS

On, And On, And On...? -
Andrew Gamble

No, Prime Minister-
Hugo Young interviews Edward Heath

Altered Images -
Caroline Harris and Jennifer Moore

On The Race Track - David Edgar

Grasping The Thistle - Roundtable Discussion

Wayward Women - Chris Savage King

Video Screen Gems - Julian Petley

Riddym Ravings - Andrea Stuart

Not My Business -
Hilary Bichovsky-Little

Seriously Comic - Martin Deeson

After Thatcher - Peter Riddell

REVIEWS
New Focus On Gramsci -
Anne Showstack Sassoon

Short Cuts - Chris Granlund

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Keeping The Customer Satisfied
As the broadcasting revolution unfolds, Alex Graham looks at the government watching us watching tv

Reaching The Parts:
A potent mix of economic crisis and ethnic unrest is shaking Yugoslavia's
loose political foundations

Romancing The Stone:
Why Prince Charles and the architects can't see eye to eye

Komsomol: The voice of Soviet
youth, or a bunch of young fogeys?

Free Sheets:
South Africa's dissident press just won't lie down and die

POSTMARK
John Peck is at the centre of a novel political arrangement

LETTERS
Dogma-free marxism; civil sectors; European vision

FEATURES

Farewell Nation State
National sovereignty is at the heart of the debate about 1992. David Held argues that the nation-state is in long-term decline

Bush By Default
Eric Hobsbawm argues that the Bush victory is not all bad news

Perils Of Perestroika
Gorbachev's top economic adviser, Abel Aganbegyan, talks to Monty Johnstone about the progress of Soviet economic reform

The Power Of The Weak
Across much of society, tight hierarchical patterns of organisation are in decline: we are moving into a new era of weaker forms of power control, argues Geoff Mulgen

Filofaxions
Why, ask Beatrix Campbell and Wendy Wheeler, has the filofax become such a despised symbol of yuppiedom for many on the Left?

CULTURE

Suspended Animation:
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - the cartoon to end all cartoons?

Uncivil Acts:
Howard Brenton describes the writing of The Churchill Play in the changing political climate of the 70s and 80s

No Strings Attached:
Sandie Shaw talks about her second-time-around singing career

Christmas Present:
A rough guide to the wilder side of this year's Christmas gift collection

Party Lines:
Paul Morley is terrorised by the very thought of the Christmas parties that lie
ahead

Books:
The famous look forward to Christmas and reflect on some seasonal reading

Choice Words: EarthaKitt

CLOSE-UP
Peter Hebblethwaite on Pope John Paul II

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