Early modern historian and polyglot John Gallagher joins the Prospect Interview this week to talk about language learning in Britain from the 16th century to today. What was it like when the English language was, in the words of one early modern writer, useless anywhere past Devon? And why do Brits today perform so poorly on language acquisition, especially against their continental peers?

John’s book, Learning Languages in Early Modern England, is published by Oxford University Press.

Plus: Stephanie Boland and Steve Bloomfield on language learning in the time of coronavirus lockdown

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His previous book, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, became a worldwide sensation. Now the French economist is back with another sweeping history of inequality and capitalism: Capital and Ideology. Thomas joins the Prospect Interview this week to talk about what’s changed in the world—and his own life—since his tome on inequality topped the bestselling charts in 2014. He tells us his thoughts on Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, and what he thinks will happen with Brexit, and re-evaluates Labour’s 2017 and 2019 elections and the future of Macron’s revolution. And why, despite everything, he has a shred of optimism about the future of the fight against inequality.

You can read Tom’s essay on Thomas Piketty’s capital ideas, past and present, here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/thomas-pikettys-capital-idea-economics-history-inequality-krugman-interview-review

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From the warriors who inspired the Amazons to Joan of Arc, women have served in the military for centuries—some in disguise. Historian and academic Julie Wheelwright joins the Prospect Interview to talk about the long history of women in the military forces and what drew them to take up arms—as well as a little-known fact about the historic significance of London’s Deptford region. 

Julie’s new book, Sisters in Arms: Female Warriors from the Antiquity to the Millennium, is published by Osprey Press: https://ospreypublishing.com/sisters-in-arms

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From Edward Heath to Margaret Thatcher, David Cameron to Tony Blair—what makes a good opposition leader? Broadcaster and journalist Steve Richards joins the Prospect interview to talk about what it takes for politicians to best their opponents across the dispatch box. 

You can read Steve’s essay on the politics of the opposition leader here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/other/ill-tell-you-and-youll-listen-the-one-thing-successful-opposition-leaders-all-have-in-common

Plus Stephanie Boland and Steve Bloomfield on the Labour leadership contest

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Is artificial intelligence really that close to reaching “human-level intelligence”? Will hit television shows like Westworld and Humans feel quaint in the era of robot dominance? 

Science writer Philip Ball joins the Prospect interview this week to discuss everything you need to know about artificial intelligence today—and why, despite all the brouhaha around super-intelligent robots, we’re far from being replaced. 

You can read Phil’s essay on “The AI delusion” here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/the-ai-delusion-why-humans-trump-machines-robots-artificial-intelligence-alpha-go-deepmind-marcus-davis-koch-mitchell-review

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Who will triumph in the battle for Britain's courts: Johnson or the judiciary? In the new issue of Prospect, our cover story goes behind the simmering politicisation of Britain’s judges in the era of Brexit, and we talk to senior judges and former Supreme Court justices on what they think will happen to the courts under Boris Johnson’s government. Judicial independence no more?

Prospect has teamed up with the Better Human podcast, a show by human rights barrister Adam Wagner, to discuss the fate of judicial review in Britain. Prospect editor Tom Clark is joined by Adam, along with Martha Spurrier, director of Liberty, Tessa Gregory, Partner at Leigh Day, and Charlie Falconer, Labour peer and barrister who helped drive through the constitutional reform act under Tony Blair’s government. 

If you want to listen to the second half of the podcast – on the future of the Human Rights Act – you can visit the Better Human podcast here: https://anchor.fm/better-human

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Brown sauce, like many things in the UK, came from the spoils of empire. Also, like many things in the UK, it’s become a lightning rod for endless debates about class, snobbery, and English identity. Where did brown sauce come from, and why does it occupy such a fraught space in Britain’s public imagination?

Writer and novelist Caroline O’Donoghue has just joined Prospect as a life columnist, where she will be reflecting on the big stories behind our supposedly “small” everyday objects. She joins this week’s podcast to talk about the idea behind her column, and why she kicked it off with a reflection on the humble hero enlivening many an English plate: HP sauce. The tangy condiment has more to do with the Labour Party than you might think. 

You can read Caroline’s first column for Prospect, on brown sauce, here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/caroline-odonoghue-brown-sauce-column

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A WhatsApp group that got started on Twitter helped journalist Suchandrika Chakrabarti process personal grief that she had been carrying for decades. Adult orphans around the world have started a group chat in which members amongst themselves about loneliness, grief—and just about everything else.

At a time when social media seems to be dominated by shouty voices, division and trolls, could this WhatsApp group pave a new way of relating to one another online?

Suchandrika’s article can be found here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/science-and-technology/orphans-young-whatsapp-grief-death-parent

And you can read Stephanie Boland’s article on Twitter here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/philosophy/why-we-cant-handle-online-criticism

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Veganuary; fake cheese; lab-grown meat. "Plant-based" diets have become trendier and more mainstream over the past few years. It's often said that in the era of environmental disaster, we should all eating less meat. But can going vegan really help fend off climate change? Journalist Hephzibah Anderson joins the Prospect interview to talk about the curious history of veganism, the academic debates around its environmental promises, and the easy traps of politics based around consumer choices.

You can read Hephzibah's feature on the "Green New Meal" here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/veganism-climate-change-environment-pros-cons

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