PHOTO: BIBLE SOCIETY

Down’s children at their remarkable and joyous school in Guatemala 14

COLUMN

Julia Langdon ‘Oh boy! There’s never been a show like this in town before’ / 5

REGULARS Word from the Cloisters 15 Puzzles 15 Letters 16 The Living Spirit 17

CONTENTS 29 JUNE 2024 // VOL. 278 NO. 9559

FEATURES

4 / Kids … who needs ’em? We do. Without a dramatic change in our attitude to parenthood, humanity is on the road to catastrophe / BY PAUL MORLAND

6 / The UK’s identity crisis The general election campaign is showing that the illusions which gave the country Brexit still dominate its thinking / BY NICHOLAS BOYLE

6-8 / What should come next? Four voters explain what they would like the next government to make its priority

9 / A higher court: the journey of Jimmy Lai Arriving in Hong Kong at the age of 12, he has gone from child labourer to billionaire media tycoon to prisoner of conscience / BY MICHAEL SHERIDAN

11 / A donkey debut

The three new arrivals on the farm live up to their biblical reputations and their names prove apt: Faith, Hope and Charity / BY AUSTEN IVEREIGH 12 / The Tablet Interview: Adam Zamoyski The acclaimed biographer of Napoleon reveals his complicated relationship with his British identity, his Polish roots and his Catholic faith / BY PETER STANFORD

14 / Lives with a purpose Children once pushed to the margins of society are finding love and support thanks to two parents who put their trust in providence / BY CATHERINE PEPINSTER

NEWS

24 / The Church in the World / News briefing

25 / Rome builds new bridges to Beijing

27 / View from Rome 28 / News from Britain and Ireland / News briefing 29 / Catholic leaders highlight key issues facing voters

COVER: STEPHEN REID

ARTS / PAGE 18 Exhibition The Witch Burns JOANNA MOORHEAD Radio Vessels of Memory: Glass Ships of Sunderland D.J. TAYLOR Theatre Kiss Me Kate MARK LAWSON Television Douglas is Cancelled LUCY LETHBRIDGE

BOOKS / PAGE 21

Michael Walsh The Oxford History of British & Irish Catholicism, Vol. V: Recapturing the Apostolate of the Laity, 1914–2021 ED. ALANA HARRIS Jane Thynne Operation Biting: The 1942 Parachute Assault to Capture Hitler’s Radar MAX HASTINGS James Moran The Heart in Winter KEVIN BARRY Bess Twiston Davies Izabela the Valiant: The Story of an Indomitable Polish Princess ADAM ZAMOYSKI

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29 JUNE 2024 | THE TABLET | 3