CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE

ANDREW BILLEN is a staff writer on the Times

WOUTER BOS is leader of the Dutch Labour party

BETH BREEZE is deputy director of the Institute for Philanthropy

PAUL BROKS is the author of Into the Silent Land (Atlantic Books)

MARK COUSINS is the author of The Story of Film (Pavilion Books)

TOM DE CASTELLA is a freelance journalist and writer

ANTHONY DWORKIN is editor of the Crimes of War website

JONATHAN EVANS is a professor of psychology at Plymouth University

STEPHEN EVERSON is writing a book on metaphysics and the mind

MICHEL FABER is the author of The Crimson Petal and the White (Canongate)

DAVID HELD is a professor of political science at the LSE

JOHN HEMMING is the author of Die If You Must (Pan)

DAVID HERMAN is a television producer and writer

RICHARD JENKYNS is professor of the classical tradition at Oxford University

TOBIAS JONES is the author of The Dark Heart of Italy (Faber)

TIM KING is a writer and documentarymaker living in France

DAN KUPER works for London Underground

ELENA LAPPIN ’s novel The Nose is published by Picador

CHRIS LAYTON is chair of Action for a Global Climate Community

BEN LEWIS presented the BBC4 series Art Safari

MICHAEL LIND is the author of Made in Texas (Basic Books)

THERESA LLOYD is the author of Why Rich People Give (ACF)

FINTAN O’TOOLE is a columnist for the Irish Times

STEPHEN OVERELL writes about work and employment

TOM REED is an east European politics and energy analyst

IAN STEWART is a professor of mathematics at Warwick University

ERIK TARLOFF is a novelist and screenwriter living in London

2 PROSPECT January 2005

contents Issue one hundred and six January 2005

OPINIONS 10 After Van Gogh

WOUTER BOS The Dutch Labour party leader asks what the centre-left should do now.

11 Nonsense on jobs

STEPHEN OVERELL Reports of the death of the job for life have been greatly exaggerated.

13 A split Ukraine?

TOM REED Russia may try to split Ukraine if its supporters lose the next vote.

14 When to intervene

ANTHONY DWORKIN The latest plan for the UN does not solve the intervention riddle.

16 Has Mugabe won?

TOM DE CASTELLA The opposition MDC should boycott next year’s elections in Zimbabwe.

17 Blair’s chance

CHRIS LAYTON Climate change presents Blair with a chance to become a world statesman.

COVER STORY 20Mother tongue

RICHARD JENKYNS

What does the fashion for books about modern usage of the English language tell us?People care about language because it forms part of their identity. But correct usage is not an elite affectation; it is a badge of competence.

ESSAYS 26 Red-state sneer

MICHAEL LIND Many Democrats blame the unenlightened “red states”of America for Kerry’s defeat. But most workingclass Americans remain centrist. Liberals must learn to stop sneering.

32 Indelible paint

BEN LEWIS By announcing the triumph of paintingin 2005, Saatchi is following, not creating, a trend. Painting is indeed “back,”but this time it is more than a fad.

38 Global left turn

DAVID HELD Martin Wolf and I agree about much. But while he regards liberal markets as sufficient for globalisation, I think the world needs a turn to social democracy.

42 Tribal preservation

JOHN HEMMING Fifty years ago, Brazil’s indigenous peoples faced extinction. But thanks to a long campaign, land rights and political protection have been won.