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Nick Clegg, the Lonely Liberal the Truth About Self-Employment Nato Chief: “We Will Not Hesitate” the Death of the Shelf Sol Campbell—is the World Cup worth it? ISSUE 219 | JUNE 2014 www.prospectmagazine.co.uk JUNE 2014 | £4.95 How to save the Union DAVID MARQUAND HOW TO SAVE THE UNION THE SAVE TO HOW Plus Nick Clegg, the lonely liberal EDWARD DOCX The truth about self-employment HAMISH MCRAE Nato chief: “we will not hesitate” BRONWEN MADDOX The death of the shelf WILL SELF Hand me the Booker prize LIONEL SHRIVER Also Clive James, George Packer, Ben Macintyre, Lydia Davis, Alexander McCall Smith Britain’s new E p14 classpoll divisions: results PROSPECT JUNE 2014 5 Foreword How to unite the kingdom 5th Floor, 23 Savile Row, London W1S 2ET Publishing 020 7255 1281 Editorial 020 7255 1344 Fax 020 7255 1279 Email [email protected] [email protected] Website www.prospectmagazine.co.uk Editorial Editor and Chief Executive Bronwen Maddox Editor-at-Large David Goodhart Deputy Editor Jay Elwes Is this the last summer of the United Kingdom? In three Managing Editor Jonathan Derbyshire Arts & Books Editor David Wolf months’ time, the UK may surrender half its territory, with Creative Director David Killen Production Editor Jessica Abrahams not even a whimper. It would be too generous to credit the Digital Editor Serena Kutchinsky Assistant Digital Editor Josh Lowe Better Together campaign, alternately complacent and Editorial Assistant Chris Oldfield tentative, with even that level of decibels; even its name Publishing President & co-founder Derek Coombs captures its diffidence (what was wrong with “Best Commercial Director Alex Stevenson Together”?). The television news will airbrush Scotland out Publishing Consultant David Hanger Finance Manager Pauline Joy of the nightly weather charts, as it comically now does for Circulation Marketing Director Yvonne Dwerryhouse the Republic of Ireland. And the UK will finally have found Head of Sales a way to make real to the world—and itself—its shrunken Dan Jefferson 020 7255 1934 Account Manager influence and power. Tom Martin 020 7255 1934 Head of Engagement David Tripepi-Lewis Perhaps that is part of the reason for the quiet assent south of the border, Head of Partnerships and Events Adam Bowie Events Assistant Sara Badawi not just to the referendum but to the lack of campaigning for the Union. If so, Digital Consultant: Tim De La Salle it perhaps also springs from a likeable national trait: a lack of grandiosity or of Editorial advisory board David Cannadine, Clive Cowdery, AC claiming more than is fair. Or perhaps it is simple lack of interest, a shrug of Grayling, Peter Hall, John Kay, Peter Kellner, indifference—if our friends in the north want to go their own way, then let them. Nader Mousavizadeh, Toby Mundy, Jean Seaton Even so, it conveys a baffling passivity about the outcome. In agreeing to Associate Editors the referendum, David Cameron was right that the pressure for independence Hephzibah Anderson, Philip Ball, Nick Carn, Tom Chatfield, James Crabtree, was not going to go away. But he was wrong to assume that the case for Andy Davis, Edward Docx, Ian Irvine, Sam Knight, Sam Leith, Emran Mian, Wendell staying united was so clear that it did not need to be made at all. And then, Steavenson, James Woodall the ambiguity of his own party strangled any clear message: torn between the Contributing Editors Anjana Ahuja, Anna Blundy, David humiliation of presiding over the dissolution of the union on one hand, and Edmonds, Helen Gao, Josef Joffe, Anatole Kaletsky, Michael Lind, Joy Lo Dico, on the other, the unspoken, siren lure of the natural Conservative majority in Elizabeth Pisani Westminster that would follow. Annual subscription rates UK £49; Student £27 What should the government have said—and what should it say in the next Europe £55; Student £32.50 three months? That there is a way to rewrite how the UK runs itself that does not Rest of the World £59.50; Student £35 Prospect Subscriptions, 800 Guillat Avenue, amount to granting full independence to its constituent parts—by constructing a Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, me9 8gu Tel 0844 249 0486; 44(0)1795 414 957 more federal system to link them together. This is the case that David Marquand, Fax 01795 414 555 Email [email protected] historian and former Labour MP, makes here (p24). It would be a misshapen Website www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/subscribe federal system, as he acknowledges, with the English giant sitting amidst the far Cheques payable to Prospect Publishing Ltd. Subscription refunds must be made in less populous Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But a nation pragmatic writing to Prospect within four weeks of a new order or renewal, and are subject to an enough to run itself for so long under its unique constitutional arrangements administration charge of £15. No refunds are paid on quarterly subscriptions. could do that, if it wanted. And if it cared. There is a strong case for keeping the Union together, making The views represented in this magazine are not necessarily those of Prospect Publishing the offer to the regions that David Marquand has made. But it needed from the Ltd. Best endeavours have been taken in all cases to represent faithfully the views of all start to have been driven by more passion—and have aimed to stir up more anger, contributors and interviewees. The publisher fear and desire to keep the UK united—than the Better Together campaign has accepts no responsibility for errors, omissions or the consequences thereof. ever managed. If, after a campaign of strong advocacy, Scotland still voted for Newstrade distribution independence, there would at least be more reason to say with calm acceptance, Seymour Distribution Ltd 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT “Fine, that’s what they chose.” As it is, if the Yes vote wins, it will look more like Tel: 020 7429 4000 Images carelessness than courage on Cameron’s part—and a lost chance to redraw and Cover: Jonathan Hordle/REX improve the Union for the coming centuries. Cartoons by: Grizelda, Bill Proud, Tim Bales, Royston, Sue CK, PC Vey, Jonesy, Evans, Cowlin Additional design Jennifer Owens ISSN: 13595024 PROSPECT JUNE 2014 7 Contents June 2014 This month Features Arts & books 24 United States of Britain? 08 If I ruled the world 66 Winners and chumps alexander mccall smith The only way to save the Union. david marquand The truth about literary awards. 10 Recommends lionel shriver 12 Letters 68 The lure of the apocalypse Malthusian sensationalism lives on. clive james 70 In praise of war What explains the decline of violence? edward luttwak 32 Make your own work Self-employment is booming. Opinions hamish mcrae, bronwen maddox 14 Does class still drive British politics? 36 Interview: Nick Clegg peter kellner The lonely rationalist. edward docx 15 Interview: Secretary General of Nato bronwen maddox 42 Death of the shelf 16 Detroit’s pension blues Bare walls in the age of cloud storage. 72 You can’t ignore the bastard lynn parramore will self, andy davis James Joyce casts a shadow. 17 Letter from Beijing julian gough helen gao 76 Books in brief plus stephen collins’s cartoon strip. 18 Should we forgive mistakes? ac grayling Fiction 20 What if... Kim Philby had confessed? 78 Letter to the President.../ Judgement/ ben macintyre Learning medieval history Three very short stories by lydia davis The Prospect duel Life 22 Is the World Cup a poisoned chalice? 48 Intoxicating conviction 80 Leith on life sam leith sol campbell vs simon kuper Edward Snowden’s mistakes. 80 Life of the mind anna blundy george packer 81 Matters of taste wendell steavenson 54 Blood and bones 82 Wine barry smith The cult of Marina Abramović. 82 DIY investor andy davis hephzibah anderson Prospect events 85 Join us at talks, debates, festivals Special report: Infrastructure Endgames 87 barry r clarke 59 The money’s not the problem Enigmas & puzzles Politics is getting in the way 87 The generalist didymus mark dooley & dan wong 88 The way we were plus paola subacchi, mark fallon Western views of Turkey. ian irvine WIN An iPad mini To celebrate the new Prospect app, we are offering readers the chance to win one of five iPad minis, worth £319 each (16GB with wifi). The iPad’s high-quality Retina display and 10-hour battery life will help you make the most of our digital edition. The first two iPad minis have already been won (see online). To be in with a chance THIS MONTH go to www.prospectmagazine.co.uk 8 PROSPECT JUNE 2014 If I ruled the world Alexander McCall Smith Down with the bureaucrats ere goes. The big and pressing issues would be dele- Department.” I saw a university lecturer described the other day gated (one can’t do everything, even with this sort of as the “lead” in a certain subject; I have also heard of students power). The issues of climate change and the world’s being described in a planning document as “units.” Orwellian financial system would be dealt with by a panel of doublespeak would be rooted out and exposed for what it is. Hexperts. Planning and architecture would be the responsibility Control of universities would be wrested back from the of Professor Christopher Alexander, author of the architectural bureaucrats and handed to those who would run them on col- classic, A Pattern Language, who understands humane architec- legiate lines. This would be a celebration of that endangered ture and would be given wide authority to demolish the inhuman concept: democracy. Similarly, I would hand the hospitals phallic symbols created by modernist architects (the buildings in back to doctors and nurses.
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