So, what does politics look like in 2008? Travelling back seven years, to the general election battle of 2001 (which is more than several lifetimes for the political animal), the strains of the three party candidates were shown in all their gory detail in a portrait series commissioned by the House of Commons Works Committee entitled Proportional Representation. Tony Blair's bouffant hair encased a worried but steely visage, the Conservatives' William Hague looked senatorial and sombre, while poor old Charles Kennedy looked as if he'd had a fairly serious night on the single malts. Asked by journalists what he thought of the pictures, the then Liberal Democrat leader Kennedy said: "I think William is absolutely brilliant, Tony is centre stage, focused, and I just look perplexed. If you like, thats pretty much the story of British politics."

Which goes to show that Kennedy had a lot more self-awareness than people gave him credit for.

If you want to see the shape of modern politics in Britain in 2008, then simply turn to page 208 to see David Bailey's comprehensive and rather incredible gallery of Westminster players, a litany that includes everyone from David Miliband and Iain Dale to Ed Balls and George Osborne. This Zeitgeist dossier takes in not just high-ranking politicians but also broadcasters, journalists, editors, bloggers, pollsters and shape-shifters. Top power-brokers all, this is the first time since the Sixties such an all-embracing series has been published, or indeed attempted. Bailey managed to shoot the main three party leaders - bringing out the best in all of them and taking the only known photograph of a convincing Gordon Brown smile - as well as every other British politico worth their division bell salt. Oddly, only one person turned us down, a journalist who bizarrely took against the person (another journalist, a woman) he was meant to be photographed with. It would be conceited to say that this might not have been the best decision of his career, but we'll let you be the judge of that.

Enjoy Bailey's portfolio, enjoy the issue.

Dylan Jones, Editor, GQ