Editor-in-chief Jason Cowley Deputy Editor Tom Gatti International Editor Jeremy Cliffe Managing Editor Will Dunn Political Editor Stephen Bush Associate Editor Michael Prodger Creative Editor Gerry Brakus Features Editor Kate Mossman Culture Editor Anna Leszkiewicz Special Projects Editor Alona Ferber Britain Editor Anoosh Chakelian Culture Assistant Ellen Peirson-Hagger Digital Editor Jasper Jackson Assistant Editors George Eaton Jonn Elledge (Digital) Commissioning Editor Gavin Jacobson Special Correspondent Harry Lambert Political Correspondents Patrick Maguire Ailbhe Rea Head of Production Peter Williams Chief Sub-Editor Pippa Bailey Senior Sub-Editor Indra Warnes Social Media Editor Eleanor Peake Digital Culture Writer Sarah Manavis Editorial Assistant Emily Bootle

Contributing Writers John Bew Chris Deerin Matthew Engel Martin Fletcher John Gray Shiraz Maher Paul Mason Sophie McBain Adrian Pabst David Reynolds Leo Robson Brendan Simms Ed Smith Amelia Tait Erica Wagner Rowan Williams

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Contents Free thinking since 1913

Left for dead: John Gray on Boris Johnson’s dilemma 22 Royal rift: Harry, Meghan and the fall of a family firm 28

Up Front

3 Leader 11 Correspondence

Columns

7 Stephen Bush on how the Labour Party machine could stop Keir Starmer becoming leader 9 Jeremy Cliffe on the changing role of the US on the world stage 19 Jeremy Bowen writes this week’s Diary 21 Helen Thompson on why the US and the world economy can’t escape the Persian Gulf 27 Amelia Tait ponders the value of New Year’s resolutions when the world is on fire 38 Jonathan Liew on how supporting a top football club is becoming a paid-for privilege

Observations

12 In the Picture 13 Ideas: Hettie O’Brien on the history and meaning of the term “neoliberalism” 14 Commons Confidential: Kevin Maguire The pick of the best gossip from Westminster 16 Encounter: Anoosh Chakelian meets the former European vice-president of Twitter Bruce Daisley 17 First Thoughts: Peter Wilby on climate change denial, the royal family and the tyranny of the open-plan office 18 Appreciation: Maurice Glasman reflects on the life and work of the philosopher Roger Scruton

Articles

22 John Gray on Britain’s new economic settlement and the lessons of the 2019 election 28 Simon Jenkins on why the Sussexes’ royal debacle matters 32 Alice O’Keeffe recalls finding crop circles with her father 34 Tim Flannery assesses the devastating loss of animal life in Australia’s wildfires

The Critics: Books

40 Andrew Glazzard on a new biography of HG Wells 45 Erica Wagner looks for answers in Helen Taylor’s Why Women Read Fiction 46 Alice Robb finds that Anna Wiener’s Silicon Valley memoir Uncanny Valley is not quite revealing enough 48 Chris Power on Ben Lerner’s new novel The Topeka School 49 The NS Poem “Walpurgis” by Fiona Sampson

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4 | NEW STATESMAN | 17-23 JANUARY 2020