The silliest season

[Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [undefined]( It feels as though we haven't had a proper silly season for years - in the summer of 2014, we were getting ready for the Scottish independence referendum, and in 2015 and 2016 we were dealing with the fallout of an vote that David Cameron unexpectedly won, followed by one he unexpectedly lost. But this year, there is a palpable news drought. Hence the calls for Jeremy Corbyn to condemn the breakdown of democratic norms in Venezuela, a country whose socialist vision he and his spin doctor Seumas Milne have previously championed. The Conservatives are heavily pushing the story, hoping to link "Jeremy Corbyn" and "socialist failure" in the minds of British voters. Will it work? I'm not convinced - few Britons have ever visited Venezuela, or even know someone who has, making the whole story feel rather distant and intangible. The Labour leader's silence also has a respectable rationale - he's on holiday. (As is Theresa May.) But later in the summer he plans to visit dozens of marginal seats, effectively keeping up the election campaign. But the real test will come in the autumn, when a series of votes on key parts of Brexit are due in the Commons. The Conservatives are already restive, as the wrangling over chlorinated chicken and transition arrangements shows. There's no new print magazine this week, but our summer double is still on sale, and has all the great reading you need for your own holiday - smart features, intriguing columns and our contributors' suggestions of the best political fiction. Helen [@helenlewis]( Editor's Picks [Jeremy Corbyn will be on the right side of history if he condemns Venezuela's left-wing leaders]( James Bloodworth argues that the South American country is heading towards full-blown dictatorship. [The Brexit extremists]( Does this research show baby boomers hate their children? [Hungary: Europe's rogue state]( Our magazine longread on Viktor Orban. [The Q&A: David Sedaris on Donald Trump]( "Oh, the work I could get done if my heart weren't so full of hate." [Is Germany a normal country? Its citizens find the question painful]( Jeremy Cliffe on a country trying to reckon with its past. [www.NewStatesman.com]( [X-ray decks: the lost bone music of the Soviet Union]( An extraordinary tale of Russia's troubled relationship with music censorship. [We argue over Charlie Gard, but forget those spending whole lives caring for a disabled child]( The everyday misery of care work is hidden behind abstract arguments over life and death. [podcast]( mailto:emmab@complianceonline.media?subject=Sub-Editor London To unsubscribe click: [here](