John Harris

They worship Churchill, Thatcher and the right to smoke, they hate gay marriage and Europe: is Ukip the lunatic fringe or the shape of things to come? We meet Britain’s newest political tribe
Susan McCaffery lives in Billericay, in Essex. She’s 72 and, thanks to the UK Independence Party, a member of the local town council. It’s a hot Wednesday afternoon and she is talking to me in her sitting room, where…

A fierce and valuable book that charts the sell-out of pop culture since the 1980s
When Margaret Thatcher died, the great ocean of writing that was suddenly released included the inevitable remembrances of 1980s culture: in some part, a huge carnival of dissent, in which pop musicians felt compelled to write and sing about what her governments did to Britain. I wrote one such piece, which cited such songs as the Jam’s

The Guardian/ICM poll showing voters turning away from established parties could be the shape of things to come
What will the average Westminster politician think when he or she sees this fascinating, potentially watershed poll, and begins to digest what might happen if it represents not a blip, but the shape of things to come?
As often happens, perhaps the best thing is to step outside the usual terms of debate and quote Bob…

The party’s policy review suggests fundamental changes to the public sector – to square the circle of cuts and growth
Once again, the Labour party has tumbled into one of its periods of gloom and introspection. Labour being Labour, it feels more a matter of muted frustration and fatalism than anything particularly energised: we are almost certainly past any talk of leadership plots against Ed Miliband, at any rate. But there is now a…

Cameron and his A-list have alienated swaths of voters. Until they understand how, Ukip will be the beneficiary
Don’t panic: a nice bit of policy will sort Ukip out. Voices on the Tory right urges not one EU referendum but two. Those close to government emphasise moves on prison “perks”, and items in this week’s Queen’s speech that will deal with immigrants’ access to benefits and the NHS. Meanwhile, pundits…