Prospect Magazine
@prospectmagazine.co.uk
A politically independent monthly current affairs, culture & ideas magazine
Established 1995
Editor: Alan Rusbridger
@arusbridger.bsky.social; https://prospectmagazine.co.uk
Established 1995
Editor: Alan Rusbridger
@arusbridger.bsky.social; https://prospectmagazine.co.uk
Pinned
Our winter double issue has just hit newsstands! Here’s a peek at what’s inside... 🧵
For our cover story, @wblau.bsky.social speaks to Ed Miliband and @billmckibben.bsky.social about renewable energy—a surprisingly hopeful take on our future climate: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/techno...
For our cover story, @wblau.bsky.social speaks to Ed Miliband and @billmckibben.bsky.social about renewable energy—a surprisingly hopeful take on our future climate: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/techno...
“They called us 'the newspaper of Hamas'. But other people tell me it’s only because of Haaretz that they can still live in Israel.” @arusbridger.bsky.social goes inside Haaretz, Israel’s voice of dissent.
Inside Haaretz, Israel's voice of dissent
The newspaper is revered and reviled for its unflinching coverage of the Gaza war. Can it survive a possible future succession crisis?
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 5, 2026 at 5:54 PM
“They called us 'the newspaper of Hamas'. But other people tell me it’s only because of Haaretz that they can still live in Israel.” @arusbridger.bsky.social goes inside Haaretz, Israel’s voice of dissent.
A few saw Venezuela's regime change coming—predicting, in particular, that the United States was after the country's oil, under the pretext of a "war on drugs". In November, Daniel Litvin explained just how much oil Venezuela has, and why the US wants it.
It’s the oil, stupid: Trump, Maduro and the threat of a Caribbean war
The United States claims it wants to crack down on drugs—but that’s not the whole story
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 5, 2026 at 1:10 PM
A few saw Venezuela's regime change coming—predicting, in particular, that the United States was after the country's oil, under the pretext of a "war on drugs". In November, Daniel Litvin explained just how much oil Venezuela has, and why the US wants it.
Sudan’s war is not “nihilistic” chaos, nor is it a “civil conflict”, writes @yassmin.bsky.social. This is a war against civilians, punishment for the people’s audacity in standing up to the military regime—and the international community is enabling it.
Sudan’s story is far from a tragedy
The country’s revolution was a successful and nonviolent democratic uprising. The west should remember that
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 5, 2026 at 12:26 PM
Sudan’s war is not “nihilistic” chaos, nor is it a “civil conflict”, writes @yassmin.bsky.social. This is a war against civilians, punishment for the people’s audacity in standing up to the military regime—and the international community is enabling it.
It was a little over three years ago that Keir Starmer promised to do away with the House of Lords altogether as part of his plans to restore trust in politics. Now, he's nominating his own (less than stellar) allies, writes @arusbridger.bsky.social
The PM vowed to abolish the Lords. Why is he stuffing it with allies?
In Matthew Doyle, we are about to get another less than stellar peer. Now is the time for change
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 5, 2026 at 10:53 AM
It was a little over three years ago that Keir Starmer promised to do away with the House of Lords altogether as part of his plans to restore trust in politics. Now, he's nominating his own (less than stellar) allies, writes @arusbridger.bsky.social
Lucy Thynne first saw this painting as a child. “Like the girl at the centre, I couldn’t look away. If I remember it correctly, other children there were just as disturbed.”
‘An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump’ by Joseph Wright of Derby
Behind one 18th-century painter’s ominous scenes of scientific experiments is a reminder of the drama that comes with every epoch of discovery
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 5, 2026 at 7:16 AM
Lucy Thynne first saw this painting as a child. “Like the girl at the centre, I couldn’t look away. If I remember it correctly, other children there were just as disturbed.”
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz is revered and reviled for its coverage of the Gaza war. Can it survive a possible future succession crisis? A special report by @arusbridger.bsky.social.
Inside Haaretz, Israel's voice of dissent
The newspaper is revered and reviled for its unflinching coverage of the Gaza war. Can it survive a possible future succession crisis?
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 5:54 PM
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz is revered and reviled for its coverage of the Gaza war. Can it survive a possible future succession crisis? A special report by @arusbridger.bsky.social.
Deprivation of citizenship is "a brutal power that can be exercised pretty freely by a politician in accordance with media priorities", warns DAT Green. "In our hyper-partisan political culture, this is a dangerous device for any government to have."
A politician can remove citizenship with little judicial consideration
The home secretary has brutal, wide-ranging powers to deprive British citizens of this most basic of rights
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Deprivation of citizenship is "a brutal power that can be exercised pretty freely by a politician in accordance with media priorities", warns DAT Green. "In our hyper-partisan political culture, this is a dangerous device for any government to have."
Night after night, children, adolescents and young adults took the mic to ask the same thing: “How do I make friends?” Malala Yousafzai writes in the Prospect diary on the loneliness epidemic among young people.
Why are young people struggling to make friends?
Plus, the perils of writing a memoir, and how to find your gang
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 3:22 PM
Night after night, children, adolescents and young adults took the mic to ask the same thing: “How do I make friends?” Malala Yousafzai writes in the Prospect diary on the loneliness epidemic among young people.
“The talents you need for importing drugs—people skills, good organisation, putting in long hours, keeping your nerve—are exactly what I had learned in the Marines.” Isaac Rasmussen on his journey from soldier to criminal to journalism student.
The biggest boys’ club in the world
I’ve been a Marine, a criminal, a prisoner. But it was only as a university student that I understood the masculinity that forged me
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 1:48 PM
“The talents you need for importing drugs—people skills, good organisation, putting in long hours, keeping your nerve—are exactly what I had learned in the Marines.” Isaac Rasmussen on his journey from soldier to criminal to journalism student.
The BBC is in trouble. @aiannucci.bsky.social, Razia Iqbal, @lewisgoodall.com, @sophiasgaler.bsky.social share ideas on how it should transform.
Fixing the BBC
The corporation faces threats from inside and out. We asked a panel of past and present BBC voices how it must change to survive
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 12:14 PM
The BBC is in trouble. @aiannucci.bsky.social, Razia Iqbal, @lewisgoodall.com, @sophiasgaler.bsky.social share ideas on how it should transform.
“I’m actually in awe of Morgan McSweeney... He was an incredibly good undercover agent.” Stuart Mcgurk speaks to Labour insiders on the rise of Starmer’s shadowy chief of staff.
The curious rise of Morgan McSweeney
How a behind-the-scenes fixer captured the Labour party, only to become a symbol of Keir Starmer’s failing government
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 9:44 AM
“I’m actually in awe of Morgan McSweeney... He was an incredibly good undercover agent.” Stuart Mcgurk speaks to Labour insiders on the rise of Starmer’s shadowy chief of staff.
Solar might be the one thing that’s going well. But can the sector’s growth withstand attacks from rightwing populists? @wblau.bsky.social questions @billmckibben.bsky.social and Ed Miliband.
Here comes the solar revolution
Demagogues, populists and despair can’t halt the electrification of our world
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 7:35 AM
Solar might be the one thing that’s going well. But can the sector’s growth withstand attacks from rightwing populists? @wblau.bsky.social questions @billmckibben.bsky.social and Ed Miliband.
Citizenship is “perhaps the most fundamental human rights issue, alongside the right to life and the right not to be tortured”, writes DAT Green. So why does the home secretary have brutal, wide-ranging powers to strip it from British citizens?
A politician can remove citizenship with little judicial consideration
The home secretary has brutal, wide-ranging powers to deprive British citizens of this most basic of rights
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 2, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Citizenship is “perhaps the most fundamental human rights issue, alongside the right to life and the right not to be tortured”, writes DAT Green. So why does the home secretary have brutal, wide-ranging powers to strip it from British citizens?
What has Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales changed his mind about? “Elon Musk. I’ll leave the reader to guess what that means.”
Read more in our latest Brief Encounter:
Read more in our latest Brief Encounter:
Jimmy Wales: ‘I’m a Swiftie’
The Wikipedia founder on his favourite quote, his biggest regret and what he has changed his mind about
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 2, 2026 at 2:04 PM
What has Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales changed his mind about? “Elon Musk. I’ll leave the reader to guess what that means.”
Read more in our latest Brief Encounter:
Read more in our latest Brief Encounter:
“It’s hard to think of a more important English philosopher or cultural thinker this century than Mark Fisher.” Sukhdev Sandhu on the man who’s the subject of a new documentary:
The permanent influence of Mark Fisher
A new film grapples with one of the finest—and broadest—minds of the 21st century
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 2, 2026 at 7:05 AM
“It’s hard to think of a more important English philosopher or cultural thinker this century than Mark Fisher.” Sukhdev Sandhu on the man who’s the subject of a new documentary:
Speaking to Prospect’s @petermwilliams.bsky.social, Giuliano da Empoli warns that, in the age of AI, we’re like Aztec scribes recording the conquistadors… an old order encountering in a superior power it doesn’t understand:
Meet the 21st century’s apex predators
Giuliano da Empoli has spent his working life around power. He tells us where its holders are leading us now
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 1, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Speaking to Prospect’s @petermwilliams.bsky.social, Giuliano da Empoli warns that, in the age of AI, we’re like Aztec scribes recording the conquistadors… an old order encountering in a superior power it doesn’t understand:
“Superman is the story of America. An immigrant that came from other places...” When @jamesgunn.bsky.social said this, the internet exploded.
@pghoskin.bsky.social on why the director’s comments are unimpeachable—as a lavish new book reveals.
@pghoskin.bsky.social on why the director’s comments are unimpeachable—as a lavish new book reveals.
The limits of Superman
Is he an immigrant? An American? A god? An average joe? The answer is all of these things and more, though he still can’t be everything to everyone
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 1, 2026 at 4:46 PM
“Superman is the story of America. An immigrant that came from other places...” When @jamesgunn.bsky.social said this, the internet exploded.
@pghoskin.bsky.social on why the director’s comments are unimpeachable—as a lavish new book reveals.
@pghoskin.bsky.social on why the director’s comments are unimpeachable—as a lavish new book reveals.
Our resident button-masher @pghoskin.bsky.social takes us through the best video games of the year, from one of the best he’s ever played to a boxful of strange jigsaws
Video Games of the Year: 2025
Our resident button-masher takes us, in alphabetical order, from one of the best he’s ever played to a boxful of strange jigsaws
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 1, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Our resident button-masher @pghoskin.bsky.social takes us through the best video games of the year, from one of the best he’s ever played to a boxful of strange jigsaws
Lucy Scholes explores how Philip Pullman’s THE BOOK OF DUST doesn’t just extend HIS DARK MATERIALS—it explodes it from within, forcing beloved characters to reckon with trauma and complexity.
Philip Pullman, beyond childhood and evil
‘The Book of Dust’ isn’t just in conversation with the author’s earlier fantasy trilogy—it also unpicks our presumptions about growing up
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 1, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Lucy Scholes explores how Philip Pullman’s THE BOOK OF DUST doesn’t just extend HIS DARK MATERIALS—it explodes it from within, forcing beloved characters to reckon with trauma and complexity.
A tip from political analyst Peter Kellner for 2026: beware the rules of the ice cream wars...
How 2025 transformed British politics
And here’s a tip for 2026: beware the rules of the ice cream wars
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 1, 2026 at 1:24 PM
A tip from political analyst Peter Kellner for 2026: beware the rules of the ice cream wars...
From the Bolshevik Revolution to early nuclear physics, from Wittgenstein’s circle to British Mandate Palestine…
Esther Salaman witnessed history and wrote about it with rare psychological depth. Why aren’t we reading her?
Esther Salaman witnessed history and wrote about it with rare psychological depth. Why aren’t we reading her?
Scientific discovery: the hidden genius of Esther Salaman
She studied under Einstein—though it is as a writer, one of the great chroniclers of the 20th century, that she ought to be remembered
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 1, 2026 at 12:19 PM
From the Bolshevik Revolution to early nuclear physics, from Wittgenstein’s circle to British Mandate Palestine…
Esther Salaman witnessed history and wrote about it with rare psychological depth. Why aren’t we reading her?
Esther Salaman witnessed history and wrote about it with rare psychological depth. Why aren’t we reading her?
Florida nearly extended deregulation to 14-year-old workers in 2025. Will capitalism let things rest there?
@tom-clark.bsky.social reviews two sweeping histories that make us fear for the future:
@tom-clark.bsky.social reviews two sweeping histories that make us fear for the future:
Whither capitalism?
Two new surveys of our dominant economic system make us fear for its future
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 1, 2026 at 10:08 AM
Florida nearly extended deregulation to 14-year-old workers in 2025. Will capitalism let things rest there?
@tom-clark.bsky.social reviews two sweeping histories that make us fear for the future:
@tom-clark.bsky.social reviews two sweeping histories that make us fear for the future:
The first year of Trump 2.0 has been shocking, writes Andrew Adonis—but it could be worse
A year of Trump 2.0
Despite the shocks of the last year, US democracy is still intact
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 1, 2026 at 8:46 AM
The first year of Trump 2.0 has been shocking, writes Andrew Adonis—but it could be worse
These are bad times for the BBC: Trump is suing, its leaders have resigned, GB News snaps at its heels. In our winter issue, @aiannucci.bsky.social, @lewisgoodall.com, @sophiasgaler.bsky.social and others suggest how it could change.
Fixing the BBC
The corporation faces threats from inside and out. We asked a panel of past and present BBC voices how it must change to survive
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 1, 2026 at 7:23 AM
These are bad times for the BBC: Trump is suing, its leaders have resigned, GB News snaps at its heels. In our winter issue, @aiannucci.bsky.social, @lewisgoodall.com, @sophiasgaler.bsky.social and others suggest how it could change.
“At heart, I’m an introvert. But I pushed through my discomfort, striking up conversations with everyone who crossed my path.” In her diary, Malala Yousafzai reveals how she found her gang at university.
Why are young people struggling to make friends?
Plus, the perils of writing a memoir, and how to find your gang
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
December 31, 2025 at 6:53 PM
“At heart, I’m an introvert. But I pushed through my discomfort, striking up conversations with everyone who crossed my path.” In her diary, Malala Yousafzai reveals how she found her gang at university.