CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSU E

JULIAN BAGGINI is author o f M a k in g Sense: Philosophy Behind the Headlines, published by OUP th is month, and ed ito r o f the Philosophers’ Magazine, www.philosophers.co.uk PAUL BROKS is a clinical neuropsychologist. His book Into the S ile n t L a n d (A tlantic) will be published in the autum n TRACEY BROWN is d irecto r o f the Association for Sense about Science EDWARD CHANCELLOR is an assistant ed ito r for Breakingviews, the financial commentary service MARK COUSINS is d irecto r of BBC’s Scene by Scene

BERNARD CRICK is author o f In Defence o f Politics (Continuum In ternational) NICK CROWE was the editor o f Creator magazine and is w ritin g his f irs t book HELEN FESSENDEN is a senior ed ito r of Foreign A f fa irs

ADAM GARFINKLE is ed ito r o f the Washington-based jou rn a l, the N a tio n a l Interest

CARLO GEBLER’s memoir, Father & I, is published by L ittle, Brown AC GRAYLING is w r itin g a b iography of Rene Descartes, to be published by Simon & Schuster in 2004 DAMIAN GREEN is shadow secretary of sta te for education and skills DAVID G GREEN is d irecto r o f Civitas OLIVIA JUDSON's book, D r Ta tia na ’s S ex Advice to A l l Creation, is published by Chat to & W indus ELENA LAPPIN’s novel, The Nose, will be published in paperback this November ANATOL LIEVEN is a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for In te rn a tio nal Peace, W ashington DC SARFRAZ MANZOOR is a producer for Channel Four News RUTH PADEL's book, 5 2 Ways o f Looking a t a Poem, was published in June by Chatto & W indus. She was poet-inresidence at th e 2002 Prom s TIMOTHY QUINN is a w rite r and technology consultant in New York NICHOLAS SCHOON is assistant d irecto r for communications at th e Council for the P ro tection o f Rural England TOM SUTCLIFFE is Prospect’s opera critic and ed ito r o f The Faber Book o f Opera

DICK TAVERNE is a Liberal Democrat peer and chairm an o f the Association for Sense about Science

2 PROSPECT September 2002

c o n t e n t s Issue seventy-eight September 2002

OPINIONS 10 Death of an idea JULIAN BAGGINI P o s tm o d e rn ism is fin ished in philosophy, finally k illed o ff a f te r years o f sickness. P o s t 11th Septem ber, th e denial o f objective rea l i ty looks n e i th e r d a r in g n o r clever.

1 1 Prison is a bargain DAVID G GREEN H a l f o f all c rim e is c om m i t te d by 100,000 rep eat offenders. But only ‘2 0 ,000 o f th em a re locked up a t any g iven tim e. B rita in needs m o re p r iso n places, n o t fewer.

12 Electro-paranoia TIMOTHY QUINN T h e supposed th re a t o f c y b e r te r ro r ism has g e n e ra te d paranoia, US m i l i ta ry obfuscation and a m u lti-b illio n dollar industry. T h e re is cynicism in th e h y s te ria . C om panies a re b e in g scared in to pay in g fo r re d u n d a n t security.

COVER STORY 42 Pop goes rock’n’roll N ICK CROWE As the drummer for 1990s band Gay Dad, Nick Crowe found himself at the centre of the last big deal of the Britrock era and its silliest moment of hype. The music industry was losing the plot, the US was losing interest in British pop and rock’n’roll was finally dying.

DEBATE 16 Should citizenship be taught in British schools? BERNARD CRICK VS DAMIAN GREEN D o we need com p u lso ry classes on c itiz enship? O r w ill th is overload the co re cu rric u lum ? D o n ’t good schools a lre ady teach th e v ir tu e s o f c itizen sh ip ?

ESSAYS 26 Where we live now NICHOLAS SCHOON B r ita in ’s b ig g e s t cities enjoyed a revival in th e 1990s, but people w ith money con t in u e fleeing to th e suburbs. T h e only way to m ake u rb an liv ing m o re a ttra c t iv e is to b reak up concentrations o f poverty and p rom o te gentrification.

32 Israel lobby (part two) ADAM GARFINKLE T h e idea th a t th e Israel lobby has undue in flu ence over US fo reign policy is h isto r ically and politically illite rate. T h e US su p p o r t s Is ra e l because it is in i ts own in te r e s ts to do so.