… and tired, old arguments

THE PROSPECT GRID

Our monthly cut-out-and-keep guide to who falls where on the taste hierarchy

Contributors

The writers in this month's issue

Breaking the mould

Breaking the mould

Breadth in Venice

Breadth in Venice

Taking the lead

Taking the lead

On the fringes

England’s seaside towns are home to some of the highest levels of poverty in Britain. A longing for the good old days might be holding them back but, as Madeleine Bunting argues, their decline is far from inevitable

The prince vs the press

For years, Britain’s most powerful newspapers spied on celebrities, sportspeople, missing children—and anyone else they thought might lead them to a juicy story. True accountability never arrived: no victim was ever so angry and so fabulously wealthy that they could afford to risk everything on an almighty court showdown. Until now

Israel's turning point

The far-right Netanyahu government’s planned judicial reforms have split Israel. This grievous attack on democracy may have exposed, to liberals who once tolerated it, the true cost of Israel’s occupation

CRUDE JUSTICE

After decades of environmental destruction on the Niger Delta, a fossil fuel giant faces the prospect of a trial. Will it make a difference?

Scars and stripes

Books

Snippets of history

A book containing more than 2,000 pieces of fabric is a beautiful window onto Victorian Britain—and its rapid economic and societal changes

Our longstanding sentinels

Ancient trees are witness to the convulsions of global history— and to the cruelty and indifference of humankind

READING LIST

Recommended books

New elites…

Two recent books have been met with huge enthusiasm by many on the right of British politics. The first attempts to build a Brexit coalition

Books in brief

Broke: Fixing Britain’s Poverty Crisis edited by Tom

Male gaze into the abyss

Nina Menkes’s new documentary ‘Brainwashed’ takes on the sacred cows of Hollywood and shows how they contribute to a culture of objectification

Body blows

‘Succession’ is known for its verbal dexterity. But it’s the cast’s physicality that brings its characters low

The survival of a revival

Stages are straining beneath the weight of classic plays. Only some retain their charm in 2023

Sheer Sheeran

In his new album, the ubiquitous Ed gets rough and raw. What does it mean for the future of pop?

Will Gompertz

Will Gompertz, artistic director of the Barbican

IN FACT

Would you believe....

Letters

Words from our readers...

Lizzie Porter, foreign correspondent

Lizzie Porter, foreign correspondent

Philosopher-at-large: What is a nation?

Julian Baggini

The joy of lex: Gendy nooch

Sarah Ogilvie

STEPHEN COLLINS

Cartoon

The Sunak paradox

Sam Freedman

When AI thinks you’re dead

Ethan Zuckerman

The parent trap

The parent trap

Who am I?

Who am I?

Last days of the curates

Last days of the curates

Remembering my friend

Remembering my friend

Like a lamb to slaughter

Like a lamb to slaughter

Lessons from a butterfly

Lessons from a butterfly

A spring escape

A spring escape

The taming of the kilderkin.

The winner receives a copy of “The Book

The Generalist by Didymus

Plus Bobby Seagull's brain teaser