October 2017

October 2017 issue

Forget ideas: elections are about leadership. Plus, how Brexit could be reversed—and why Stephen King's novels don't work on screen

Past issues

Essays

Swinson said a man in her position would probably have run. Next time, will she? Photo: PA

“She’s quite formidable”: Jo Swinson may yet become leader of the Lib Dems

L-R: Michael Gove, Boris Johnson, David Davis, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Daniel Hannan

Britain's new Gaullists

The 13 steps to staying in the European Union

Illustrated by Mat Roff & Prospect Team

No stopping us: American Progress by John Gast (1872). Picture: Corbis/Corbis via Getty

With Donald Trump in the White House, the myth of American exceptionalism is dying

Britain's Home Secretary Amber Rudd attends the National Police Memorial Service at St Paul's Cathedral in London, Britain September 25, 2016. REUTERS/Neil Hall

Passing the failure test: Amber Rudd could still make it to the top

António Guterres quietly graduated as the best student of his country. Now, some hope his huge brain could take on Trump. Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty

Is this the man who could stand up to Trump?

Meet the Mastos: a Syrian family searching for their place in Middle America

Wendell Steavenson

Ray Monk on Gottlob frege. Photo: Prospect composite

Gottlob Frege: The machine in the ghost

The surge to Labour wasn't just down to Jeremy Corbyn. Photo: PA

Leaders don't win elections—the battle of ideas is what matters

Shadow Secretary of State for Education Angela Rayner. Photo: Getty

Angela Rayner: "You never relinquish power, ever, even if it’s difficult"

Jennifer Williams

ILLUSTRATION - A European flag is torn into 28 pieces, 02 June 2016. Photo: S. Steinach/dpa - NO WIRE SERVICE -

The Duel: Should we have another EU referendum?

Jolyon Maugham & Toby Young

Forget ideas—do the maths, and it's clear political leadership always comes down to character

Regulars

The Prospect Puzzle: October 2017

The Prospect Crossword: October 2017

Stephen Collins's cartoon: Trump and the Code-Red drill

Stephen Collins

Professor Mary Beard talks Death, Europe and singing. Photo: David Hartley/Rex/Shutterstock

"A day in the library is sexier than you think": Mary Beard on universities, Trump, and the most over-rated book of all time

Opinions

Theresa May's leadership is at risk. Photo: PA

The Prospect editorial: The Character Thing

The erstwhile winners are being thrown onto the dustheap of history.

The Russian revolution's unhappy birthday

Sheila Fitzpatrick

Supporters of opposition leader Raila Odinga react to the result in Nairobi. Photo: Getty

In Kenya, the decision to annul an election could change the course of the whole country

Speaker John Bercow has a proposal that could make Parliament more democratic. Photo: PA

The best way to make parliament fairer? Introduce a House Business Committee

In I, Daniel Blake the ludicrousness of "digital first" policies is made clear. Photo: Screengrab from I, Daniel Blake

We need universal digital suffrage to make technology work for us all

Tesla-CEO Elon Musk arrives at the presentation of the Tesla vehicle Model 3. Photo: PA

If your car updates just like your laptop, who will be responsible for your safety?

Technology is increasingly part of our everyday lives. Photo: PA

The digital revolution is here—let's take advantage of it

Trump's position before Congress has been substantially weakened. Photo: PA

When congress said to Donald Trump: "You're fired!"

The banner, reading "constitution", has been used across Poland. Photo: Getty

In Poland, citizens across the political spectrum are rallying behind a simple grey poster

Annabelle Chapman

The invention of the nation state is closely related to the development of democracy. Photo: PA

Don't sneer at patrotism—Brexit is rooted in the ground beneath our feet

Boys are less likely to read fiction. But could reading provide a way of building men's empathy?

Men have an empathy problem—so let's get boys reading fiction

Arts & Books

Dana is an indie love story.

"A motel sequence David Lynch might have dreamed": the films to book now

Anne Applebaum's Red Famine puts Ukraine's Holodomor in context

President Kennedy meets with Chairman Khrushchev at the U. S. Embassy. Photo: Kennedy Museum, Boston

What a new book on the Cold War could teach Trump (and Kim Jong-un)

Kamila Shamsie's Home First has an addictive vitality

Will Catalonia be another Scotland? A new book tracks the struggle for independence

From Handel's Semele to breaking moulds at Wigmore Hall: the best classical concerts in October

Street-fighting men: Turkish protestors in 2013. PHoto: Bluent Kilic/AFP/Getty

The art of rebellion: how Turkey's creatives are defying an increasingly authoritarian regime

Street-fighting men: Turkish protestors in 2013. PHoto: Bluent Kilic/AFP/Getty

The art of rebellion: how Turkey's creatives are defying an increasingly authoritarian regime

Brexit time—get it? Kenneth Armstrong's new book focuses on the timing of EU withdrawal.

Kenneth Armstrong's "neutral" study of Brexit sounds a powerful warning

Ukip's Neil Hamilton.

A new book of political lying is fascinating—but full of its own untruths

From the House of the Dead and Trouble in Tahiti: the best opera to book now

Saints, revolutionaries and Oscar Wilde: the best theatre to see in October

A robot at Manchester Science Festival.

Psychopaths and a science festival: the October events to book now

Bindel's book takes on a difficult subject; but there's little balance here.

How Julie Bindel's new book challenges our assumptions about the "oldest profession"

Jessica Abrahams

George Smiley played by Alec Guiness.

John Le Carre's new novel is a brilliant treat for loyal fans

Interfering politicians: William Pitt assaults the Bank's virtue, as depicted by Gillray in 1797.

"Never explain, never apologise": how the Bank of England's tussles with the treasury have shaped 300 years of British economics

Robert Skidelsky

Heeeeere's Johnny! Films like the Shining are iconic—but do King's novels really work on screen.

A real horror show: why Stephen King's novels don't work on screen

Photo: MIKE MCGREGOR/GETTY IMAGES

"Now we’re in a different world": James Graham on politics, playwriting and Labour of Love

Photo: MIKE MCGREGOR/GETTY IMAGES

"Now we’re in a different world": James Graham on politics, playwriting and Labour of Love

Boys are less likely to read fiction. But could reading provide a way of building men's empathy?

Men have an empathy problem—so let's get boys reading fiction

Society and Culture

"The Onion Jonnhies": meet the Breton men who grow onions worth £10 a kilo

Wendell Steavenson

General View of a Northern Rock. Photo: PA

Why I've stopped using banks to save (and you might want to, too)

How a new generation of Australian winemakers are capturing a sense of place

Patients leave for lots of reasons. But now, I'm left wondering if this one will come back

My patient didn't think he was cured—he just wanted to dump me before I could dump him

Fire and fury, lock and load—are we doomed to face an alliterative apocalypse?

Boys are less likely to read fiction. But could reading provide a way of building men's empathy?

Men have an empathy problem—so let's get boys reading fiction