The failed state

Foreword

An uncertain new century, but a happier new year

If I ruled the world

Let’s start with some practical changes in Britain.

Letters & Opinions

letters@prospect-magazine.co.uk

Some populists are worth listening to

Italy’s Five Star Movement has crushed a PM. It shouldn’t be ignored

New faces, old priorities

Does Britain have a new government—or not?

First they came for the factory hands…

Robots will soon be moving in on the professions. It’s time to face the future

Universities challenged

A thousand wasteful weeds are set to bloom in Jo Johnson’s HERB garden

Trump’s assault on science

Climate scientists need to fight back now

Why Britain needs the BBC

A post-truth world is hankering to hear from a trusted voice

A kind of true

Authenticity is the missing ingredient in politics—Ken Clarke’s tumbler brims over with it

The Casey Review is shallow and confused

A report on integration in the UK appeals to feelings rather than facts

Flaky friends and a neighbour from hell

The Baltic states view the Trump White House with justified fear

Austerity forever?

Theresa May has ditched George Osborne’s plan for a surplus, and talked of investing in infrastructure. But don’t imagine the days of retrenchment are done: Philip Hammond, the new chancellor, is planning a savage squeeze. Carl Emmerson is Deputy Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies

Should the UK stop pretending Trump’s US can be its best friend?

Should the UK stop pretending Trump’s US can be its

365 days that shook the world

1917 opened a trapdoor to the future, less because of the Russian Revolution than because the US seized its chance to lead. It has continued to do so—until now…

Pepys on the couch

Every diarist turns a page at new year, which is when the Restoration’s chronicler started. He’s remembered for what he saw, but he unwittingly preserved the disturbing things he felt

Cheque-book democracy

Arron Banks has gone from Ukip donor to Trump Tower. Now he wants to use his money to turn the rage of voters on to British politicians of all stripes

A problem shared

Britain risks sundering itself from its neighbours, and Europe is in trouble too. We convened players from both sides of the Channel to swap notes on future relations

Europe in revolt

Across a continent, there is a void between governments and their citizens. Ignoring this vacuum leaves it free for the chauvinists to exploit

Motherland and apple pie

America hates to love McDonald’s, even though its restaurants do exactly what they promise— and double np as outposts in a ciiltnral empire

Brief encounter

The first historical event I can recall is boarding

Exit, pursued by a bus

The Brexiteers have taken the country for a ride, says Philip Collins

Pelted with small stones

Alan Bennett’s entertaining diaries are almost spoiled by his tireless

The Raj delusion

Forget the romantic nostalgia—British rule in India was chaotic, exploitative and cruel, says Yasmin Khan

Kafka’s metamorphosis

A neurotic writer had to turn away from life to make his extraordinary work, says Tim Martin

Books in brief

I wonder what impact a Margaret Hodge equivalent would

Events

The Prospect Book Club meets every third Monday of the month (excluding bankholidays) at 6.30pm at 2 Queen Anne’s Gate, London, SW1H 9AA. To book tickets please visit www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/events

Revenge of the experts

Prospect’s 16th Think Tank Awards honoured people working to solve the great economic and foreign policy questions—at the end of a year in which thoughtful analysis fell out of fashion

Leith on language

The Trump idiolect

Life of the mind

A degree of madness

Matters of taste

Dish off the old block

Wine

In defence of the wine expert

DIY investor

Getting real

The generalist by Didymus

The 54 clues are presented in alphabetical order of

Enigmas & puzzles

Santa’s Christmas Treasure Hunt

The way we were

Losing my virginity