Alan Rusbridger, editor
It’s such a relief when a writer takes a muddled issue and slices through to the core of what’s going on. Fintan O’Toole did that with those slippery words “cancel culture” in my first issue editing Prospect. His piece was beautifully nuanced and comprehensive and should set alarm bells off in the head of anyone who hears those words carelessly bandied about in future.
Sameer Rahim, managing editor
We often look down on our closest cousins. But David Farrier argues that Neanderthals, as well as being fascinating in their own right, have much to teach us about survival in an age of climate change.
Alex Dean, senior editor
In May, human rights barrister Adam Wagner asked if we would ever fully regain the liberties surrendered during the pandemic. It was not a lockdown-sceptic piece but a subtler interrogation of the way the government had sought to hoard power, taking decisions affecting swathes of national life with only the barest scrutiny. As the government pushes forward with its draconian Police Bill, which would impose sweeping new restrictions on the right to protest, his argument is more timely than ever.
David McAllister, production editor
During the government’s rapid vaccine rollout earlier in the year, the Conservative Party seemed impregnable. Several unearthed Christmas parties later and things have changed, but as David Willetts’s review of Conservatism: The Fight for a Tradition by Edmund Fawcett reveals, British conservatism has a startling ability to come back from the brink. Let’s see if they can pull it off again this time.
Chris Tilbury, head of digital
After British and American troops vacated Afghanistan, Anatol Lieven paused to reflect on the significance of one of the most important events of 2021. His cover essay for our October issue questions whether there was ever a scenario in which the west could “win”—and what its failure means for geopolitics.
Emily Lawford, assistant editor
Days after Jane Martinson filed the first draft of her profile on Geordie Greig—the Daily Mail’s centrist, Remain-supporting socialite editor—he was unceremoniously sacked. At the same time Greig’s fearsome predecessor, Paul Dacre, was brought back under the guise of editor-in-chief for DMG Media. In her subsequently updated piece, Martinson reveals a lot about the personalities behind Britain's bestselling newspaper—and how it continues to shape the politics of the country.
Sarah Collins, editorial assistant
As Ian Kennedy highlights in his online piece from August, the annual £8bn burden that clinical negligence litigation places on the NHS benefits neither patients nor doctors. His piece draws attention to an issue that is often underreported because it is tied up in complex legal jargon, but has huge policy implications for all of us.
Mike Turner, creative director
I found Jessica Abrahams’s essay on feminist foreign policy to be insightful and sobering, highlighting the international battle for women’s rights. It’s a fight that’s more important than ever, especially now that the Taliban have once again taken power in Afghanistan.
Tom Clark, associate editor
I have to go for one of our most-read essays of the year: Eliane Glaser on the absurdity of England’s national curriculum. I found what Glaser wrote to be very true to experience for me as, like nearly all primary parents, we found out the hard way (through homeschooling) what our children are spending their school days doing—namely, mastering grammatical abstractions with little obvious application.
Alex Stevenson, commercial director
I really enjoyed what the Astronomer Royal had to say about alien life in our November issue. It felt like a piece of real escapism at a time when reality was making us look at things locally. Lift your head to the stars!
Susan Acan, marketing executive
I’m a big fan of both TikTok and Greek mythology, so I was very interested to read what Robyn Schaffer had to say about how younger generations are rediscovering this Classic subject through social media.
Donatienne Nasser, marketing manager
I enjoyed the insights this piece by academics Roberta Katz, Sarah Ogilvie, Jane Shaw and Linda Woodhead gave me into Gen Z. It is essential that we try to understand how the next generation think and know what’s important for them.
Jo Murray, head of engagement
The first of Sheila Hancock’s “long life” columns for Prospect is a beautifully written account of how the passing of time and the pandemic has affected her way of life. She describes how multiple challenges saw fear, grief and despair take hold, and how feeling “very old” came as “gut-wrenching shock.” Her honesty will speak to so many who, regardless of age, have felt a loss of control over their lives and health. I for one can't wait to see what she writes next.
David de Lange, head of finance
Madeleine Bunting’s account of the realities of life as a care worker includes some very personal and frustrating stories. With the last two years of the pandemic bringing a focus on essential workers, it seems like a really important time to be looking in detail about how they are actually treated by the systems we have created.
