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Only in Berlin. 'The police have asked us to wear masks,' the woman on the podium told the crowd. 'They've also informed us that at 4pm they'll be sending a [...]

Few parliaments across the world can boast gents lavatories as impressive as the ones at Stormont where Northern Ireland's representatives can relieve themselves in the splendour of black and grey [...]

The two young women peered attentively into their monitors. Their alarm increased as they zoomed in on two objects. Two small figures emerged on the black background as white shapes [...]

David Cameron is taller than one might think. So is Tony Blair. Cameron is comfortable with his carefully crafted image. So is Blair. Or at least he was. Cameron is [...]

The yuppie flats on the quayside are nearing completion. This is the town of Harvey Nicks, the new Leeds where cash is being disposed of in large quantities. I am [...]

One group in society has never had it so good. Under this government the super-rich, the top 1 per cent, have seen their wealth rise at a rate that others [...]

FOREWORD BY TONY BLAIR Labour stands on the threshold of a historic third successive term of office. With your support, we can do what the party has never done before. [...]

I asked myself: why is he doing it? Why us, why me, at this of all times? We had been sitting with the president at his residence on the western [...]

Alan Johnson greets me with a broad smile. It is not a fixed smile, one that denotes discomfort, but nor is it natural. It is a professional smile. We chat [...]

As we settle down on the sofa, Hilary Benn launches straight into a story about a recent visit to South Africa, where the Department for International Development is supporting a [...]

Harriet Harman is a militant in the 'lilac revolution'. She has even coloured her new website lilac in preparation. Her campaign for Labour's deputy leadership is infused with what once [...]

Before we arrived to meet Peter Hain at the Millbank monstrosity that houses MI5 as well as the Northern Ireland Office, we had been told that he had much he [...]

There are two document trays on Margaret Beckett's desk. One is labelled 'Info', the other 'Action'. The info pile is rather higher than the action one. So much to absorb, [...]

At a Downing Street reception not long ago, a guest had the temerity to ask Tony Blair: 'How do you sleep at night, knowing that you've been responsible for the [...]

It is May 2009. A general election has been called. Michael Howard, the Prime Minister, has just handed over to his successor, David Cameron, after four years in Downing Street. [...]

Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century Mark Leonard Fourth Estate, 170pp, £8.99 The Missing Heart of Europe Thomas Kremer The June Press, 254pp, £11.99 I read two books and [...]

The man in charge of the nation's security, the man who seeks ever more mastery of the state over the individual, is now portrayed within his ranks as a victim [...]

In the Prime Minister's office, there was embarrassment on the morning after. Many of Tony Blair's advisers had stayed up to watch the presidential debates, fearing that George W Bush [...]

The death of Dr David Kelly and the events that led to it are a triple tragedy. They are a tragedy for his family, a tragedy for the better scrutiny [...]

Peter Hain moved premises because he needed more space to meet his constituents. His old office is now a dog-grooming parlour. He was happy with his new place until a [...]

Even Downing Street trusties now talk of new leaders. But while MPs debate whether he is expendable, the PM prepares for a third election victory. The Westminster village may be [...]

Elliot Morley is not a household name, which is a problem for more than just him. The new environment minister has taken over from one of the few champions of [...]

JOHN KAMPFNER reveals that the Attorney General warned the PM nearly two months ago that, without a specific UN mandate, attempts at postwar reconstruction would be unlawful Six days into [...]

John Kampfne John Kampfner on a new alliance, comparable to Bush's backers in the U.S. Many are from the left; others, though from the right, think Blair the only leader [...]

The pressure is on to dump civil liberties. Incredible as it may seem to us, Tony Blair is accused by our Continental neighbours, and even by the US, of being [...]

You haven't heard of Takhir Yuldash. You may well do soon. The leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan operates from a secret location in Pakistan and has eluded US [...]

It's no coincidence that John Monks is off to Brussels. From next year he'll be taking over the trade union movement for the whole of the European Union. He likes [...]

Ignore the soft soap. Tony Blair is very worried by the Americans' Iraqi adventure. You can hear the anxiety in the voices of those around him. Our Prime Minister has [...]

The task of putting Europe back together falls to a man who has become Tony Blair's best friend. It might help the Prime Minister (though it may not help anyone [...]

Tony Blair will get nowhere in the Middle East until he focuses on the causes of Bin Laden, rather than waging war against him, writes John Kampfner I fit's Tuesday, [...]

The PM seems to have adopted a vision for which Robin Cook was once derided. Compare this: 'Britain will once again be a force for good in the world. Our [...]

Now we've beaten them 5-1, can we accept that Germans are ordinary? I realised, charming though she was, that she wasn't quite right for me and I wasn't quite right [...]

RUSSIA AND THE RUSSIANS: A HISTORY Geoffrey Hosking Allen Lane, The Penguin Press, 736pp, £25 £20 at www.newstatesman.co.uk (+£1 p&p) I first met the sculptor Lev Kerbel in 1986. A [...]

I have never woken up to Wogan on Radio 2. Easy listening isn't my kind of thing. But when the man himself complained about the 'lowest common denominator' culture of [...]

It's official. Manufacturing is in a slump. The rest of the economy may be following not far behind. The boom years of the late 1990s are ending with a thud. [...]

Mandelson and Cook would both like to go to Brussels. Trouble is, there's only one job. The rivalry between Blair and Brown will dominate this new Labour government, but it [...]

Top Blairite advisers are struggling to get seats, but most don't care Most of them don't want to do it, which is lucky because many of them aren't wanted anyway. [...]

reveals the bitter personal enmities behind the battle over London's Underground Gordon Brown cannot abide Ken Living stone. The feeling is mutual. It goes back a long way - and, [...]

Until now, there has been no ethical dimension to British exports. But the Queen's Speech may show that things are changing. 'The big question between now and the election,' one [...]

The Chancellor has skilfully arranged that a decision on Britain's entry to the single currency is for him and him alone. The phone call came mid-afternoon, one day at the [...]

In writing this furious polemic against the antiwar lobby, Nick Cohen may inadvertently have done it a favour. In May 2003, I wrote a cover piece for the NS in [...]

Jon Cruddas is not a household name, but he may yet become one. The MP for Dagenham has a strategy for reviving the Labour Party and, heaven knows, it needs [...]

In the morning it was the boss. At lunchtime it was his nemesis. Or was it the other way round? To spend some time in the company of Tony Blair [...]

It was a valiant attempt at a joke. 'We were hoping that John would be here tonight, but we couldn't afford his fee.' Embarrassed laughter greeted Mark Thompson's attempt to [...]

On the morning of the London bombs, Patricia Hewitt was one of the key ministers who attended the first meeting of the cabinet's emergency group, Cobra. As the session broke [...]

Gordon Brown is poring over a coffee-table book on the life and times of Nelson Mandela as we arrive. He wants to talk about the great man and the contribution [...]

The Blair era is drawing to a close. The personal rejection of the Prime Minister took many forms. The Labour vote splintered, with both the other parties being the beneficiaries. [...]

The referendum Tony Blair never wanted--the verdict on his leadership--is about to take place. The dilemma facing the electorate is acute: should they base their decision on the merits of [...]

There has been no deal between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. There has been no promise on the succession, verbal or written. On this point both sides are adamant. So [...]

I am astonished at the recommendation, in an NS guide to 'tactical voting' compiled by Peter Wilby ('How to give Blair a bloody nose', 11 April), that voters should still [...]