Editor-in-chief Jason Cowley Head of Digital Tom Young Deputy Editor Tom Gatti International Editor Jeremy Cliffe Political Editor Stephen Bush US Editor Emily Tamkin Creative Editor Gerry Brakus Business Editor Will Dunn Associate Editor Michael Prodger Senior Online Editor George Eaton Online Editor, International India Bourke Deputy Online Editor Rachel Cunliffe Culture Editor Anna Leszkiewicz Special Projects Editor Alona Ferber Britain Editor Anoosh Chakelian Commissioning Editors Gavin Jacobson Lola Seaton Special Correspondents Harry Lambert Sophie McBain Political Correspondent Ailbhe Rea International Correspondent Ido Vock Head of Production Peter Williams Chief Sub-Editor Pippa Bailey Sub-Editors Christiana Bishop Katherine Cowles Social Media Editor Eleanor Peake Senior Writers Sarah Manavis Kate Mossman Assistant Culture Editor Ellen Peirson-Hagger Editorial Assistant Emily Bootle Contributing Writers John Bew Philip Collins Chris Deerin Edward Docx Matthew Engel Martin Fletcher John Gray Helen Lewis Shiraz Maher Paul Mason Adrian Pabst Louise Perry David Reynolds Leo Robson Brendan Simms Ed Smith Amelia Tait Johanna Thomas-Corr Helen Thompson Erica Wagner Phil Whitaker Rowan Williams

Contents Free thinking since 1913

Great Scott: the maverick ad man taking on Big Tech 34 American dirt: Adam Tooze on Biden’s climate plans 22

Up Front

3 Leader 10 Correspondence

Columns

7 Emily Tamkin considers the impact of Biden’s first 100 days 9 Jeremy Cliffe on what the West can learn from Alexei Navalny 19 Stephen Pollard writes this week’s Diary 21 Philip Collins on why we should look after former prime ministers 33 Helen Thompson on the highs and lows of supporting West Ham United 39 Louise Perry on the antics of Extinction Rebellion 40 Jonathan Liew on football’s civil war and the limitless power of the billionaire class

Observations

12 In the Picture 13 Comment: Will Dunn on Dogecoin, the joke cryptocurrency that is redefining the idea of value 14 Commons Confidential: Kevin Maguire This week’s pick of the best gossip from Westminster 16 Encounter: Anoosh Chakelian speaks to the first female head of the Muslim Council of Britain, Zara Mohammed 17 First Thoughts: Rachel Cunliffe on mortgages, magic mushrooms and the joys of human connection

Articles

22 Adam Tooze on what Joe Biden must do to tackle the climate crisis 28 Jeremy Cliffe profiles Annalena Baerbock, the German Green who could be chancellor 34 Bryan Appleyard speaks to Scott Galloway about breaking up the “Big Four” tech giants

The Critics: Books

42 Margaret Drabble on John Sutherland’s Monica Jones, Philip Larkin and Me, a reappraisal of a maligned literary figure 44 The NS Poem “When a story tells itself to stop” by Sarah Lasoye 45 Reviewed in short A selection of notable new titles 46 Aditya Chakrabortty takes issue with the call for “moonshot” economics in Mariana Mazzucato’s Mission Economy 48 Lola Seaton considers Jürgen Martschukat’s The Age of Fitness and the link between neoliberalism and the workout Plus Cambridge Literary Festival highlights

New Statesman Vol 150, No 5616 ISSN 1364-7431 USPS 382260

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4 | NEW STATESMAN | 23-29 APRIL 2021