Issue 171
June 2010
Contents
Democracy in danger
In Thailand and elsewhere in the developing world, the middle classes have turned against political freedom
Comment (7)Interview: Peter Porter
25th May 2010 — Issue 171Before his death, the poet taked shop to Duncan Fallowell
The fight of his life
How Labour MP Jon Cruddas held off the BNP
What kind of World Cup?
South Africa's tournament will not be like the last one in Germany. Nor should it be
The dustbin of art history
Damien Hirst returns to the Tate Modern this spring. His execrable work represents the degeneration of modernism
Will power-sharing work?
24th May 2010 — Issue 171The Lib-Con project rests as much on the practicalities of power-sharing as on policy deals
How the Greeks broke Europe
Greece's entry into the Euro was a triumph of political will over economic reality. Enter the current crisis.
Neil Gaiman: the Prospect interview
The cult author discusses his new anthology, the art of the short story, the future of the author, what went wrong in the 1980s, and why life is always going to be stranger than fiction
Reclaiming football
Supporters co-ops could rejuvenate the national sport
Zuma's people
Ahead of the World Cup, South Africa’s politics is in as dismal a state as its national football team
The age of dishonesty
David Laws' excuses over his expenses claims are only the latest example in a cultural epidemic of self-delusion
The coalition: cracks are already showing
26th May 2010 — Issue 171The Lib-Con pact is riven with deep ideological faultlines
The problem with equality
Does the lack of women in top political jobs matter?
The liberal zombie awakens
Cameron's coalition offers a welcome political opportunity
The rise of the G5
24th May 2010 — Issue 171The coming global order will see five big powers bullying the world into solving its problems
Winging it
Why we need gamekeepers rather than nature reserves
Bad aid
The government’s promise to up foreign aid risks pumping more cash into a broken system
Too much information
26th May 2010 — Issue 171Mapping the genome has had limited impact for medicine
Sometimes, more is less
Christopher Hitchens's memoir is largely pointless and self-indulgent
The playboy and his muse
The secret lover of playwright JM Synge
Private view: candid camera
25th May 2010 — Issue 171Whether the camera “lies” or not doesn’t make Tate Modern’s new exhibition of surreptitious photography any less arresting
The way we were: writers on air
25th May 2010 — Issue 171Writers and performers recall their first broadcasting experiences
Smallscreen: the TV election
25th May 2010 — Issue 171Many argued that the internet would be the key to the election. Instead, the leadership debates proved that television is still king
Performance notes: the Proms
They lack a grand theme—thankfully
FiveBooks: James Purnell
20th May 2010 — Issue 171A leading thinker recommends five books about their field of interest.
The loneliness of the long-distance driver
20th May 2010 — Issue 171Jonathan Coe's state-of-the-nation novel is too contrived
Washington watch: rise of the red states
25th May 2010 — Issue 171People are moving to red states—which is bad news for Barack Obama and the Democrats
Brussels diary: anyone seen Ashton?
25th May 2010 — Issue 171Berlusconi’s role in the euro bailout, Ashton’s disappearing act and Mandy’s swansong
China cafe: traffic chaos
25th May 2010 — Issue 171The official Chinese highway code has strict rules. It’s too bad no one obeys them
If I ruled the world: stop the spongers!
The emergency budget doesn't need to be too drastic—there's a whole generation of shameless spongers who should be forced into national service. And I don’t mean teenagers
Political notes: Labour's leadership
20th May 2010 — Issue 171Labour’s to-do list: spring clean, find new leader (and policies), reposition party without alienating voters in the marginals
Crisis watch: taming wall street
20th May 2010 — Issue 171US lawmakers are realising that the financial sector must be reeled in
Matters of taste: South African cuisine
20th May 2010 — Issue 171There’s more to South African cuisine than biltong
