From the general election earthquake to the Corbyn surge, from the mass displacement of millions of refugees to the Greek debt saga, it has been a year of staggering stories—and Prospect has been here to help make sense of them all. Here are the articles from the past 12 months which readers read and shared most.
1—The SNP has failed Scotland
© Rex, Shutterstockby John McDermott
The FT's John McDermott forensically takes apart the SNP's programme for government in Scotland. It went wild on social media when we first put it up, and then it went even madder when it was quoted by Tony Blair during his infamous "get a heart transplant" anti-Corbyn speech. Share it to annoy the cybernats.
2—Joseph Conrad: anticipating terrorism
© Moviestore/ Rex Shutterstockby Clive James
After being diagnosed with Leukaemia in 2010, Clive James decided to dedicate the rest of his life to reading, and one figure he re-visited was Conrad. As he did so he discovered something remarkable—there is a lot we can learn from his novels, even a century later, about the violent extremism that plagues our world.
3—Paul Mason's guide to a post-capitalist future
© Prophet of post-capitalism: Paul Mason (Photo: Antonio Olmos)by Jonathan Derbyshire
As Greece and its "Troika" of creditors wrestled with what sometimes seemed like an insurmountable impasse during the country's debt crisis this spring, one man was at the heart of the debate on British screens. Channel 4 News's Paul Mason reported the crisis with an unusually sympathetic ear for the Syriza-led government, and then drew on his experiences and other research to write a book. He talks to Prospect's Jonathan Derbyshire.
4—Breaking the enlightenment spell
© Lebrecht Music and Artsby Jonathan Rée
Idealising the age of reason as a perfect model of truth, virtue and knowledge is bad history as well as bad philosophy, wrote Jonathan Rée in this iconoclastic piece. Philosophical controversy is always a surefire hit for our discerning readers, and a call for the enlightenment to be "put out to grass" was no exception.
5—Does Islam really forbid images of the Prophet?
by Sameer Rahim
At the start and end of the year, terror struck Paris. In January, gunmen stormed the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 10 journalists and two policemen. Their assault, which sparked three days of militant violence, was prompted by the magazine's penchant for publishing allegedly offensive cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. Here, Prospect's Sameer Rahim looks at the extent to which Islam actually bars people from reimagining the Prophet in pictures.
6—The Spinster Wars
by Hebzibah Anderson
Should women reclaim the idea of spinsterhood? A new book argues that they should be proud to wear the label, and here Hebzibah Anderson calls for "a compelling narrative for the single experience"—one that positions it as the main story, rather than mere prologue.
7—A conversation with Edward Mendelson
by Jonathan Derbyshire
In his book “Moral Agents“, the critic Edward Mendelson argues that the Olympian confidence of pronouncements on the “crises of modern life” is entirely characteristic of the public utterances of a group of eight writers, Bellow included, active in the United States in the middle of the last century. Jonathan Derbyshire hears who they were.
8—The SNP has a right wing, and here she is
© PA/PA Wire/Press Association Imagesby Serena Kutchinsky
The SNP swept into parliament after the election with a grand total of 56 MPs—the vast majority of Scotland's 59 seats. Part of their secret to success was a hopeful, anti-austerity message, positioning them firmly to the left of their traditional centrist (even occasionally right wing) position. But beneath the social justice rhetoric is a pro-business ideology. Serena Kutchinsky discusses that with their trade and investment spokesperson.
9—Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s tough lessons for liberals
by Sam Tanenhaus
American politicians today have a lot to learn from the maverick democratic politician and sociologist, argues Prospect's US commentator Sam Tanenhaus. Neither American party, he says, is capable of marshalling a sustained idea. Perhaps they should look back to this influential thinker to learn how to do it.
10—The truth about Islamic State
by Jason Burke
To tackle Islamic State, we need to understand the dream of the caliphate and its real roots in history, writes Jason Burke. His piece, which probes the roots of the militant group's twisted ideology, has resurfaced at the top of our traffic lists time and again this year, as readers seek to understand the forces which drive each new atrocity. An essential read.
