This week, as the Tories continue to lead in the polls, Lara Prendergast speaks to Alastair Campbell about what Remainers can do to turn things around. James Forsyth writes in this issue’s cover article that the Remain side’s inability to unite may well cost them this election and, if Boris Johnson wins, put the last nail in the coffin for Remain. On the podcast, Alastair Campbell also explains why the People’s Vote campaign seems to have imploded in recent weeks.
Plus, Venice is holding an independence referendum on December 1 – but will that help with the city’s problems? In this week’s issue, Venetian journalist Manfred Manera details Venice’s existential challenges – from floods to over-tourism and, most important of all, a depopulation that has seen the city’s residents shrink to a third of its numbers in the 1980s. ‘Venexiteers’ like Manfred Manera argue that independence from its mainland region, Mestre, will allow the historic region to govern itself, and to govern better. Is he right? Lara Prendergast speaks to Anna Somers Cocks, former head of charity Venice In Peril, and Ferdinando Giugliano, columnist for Bloomberg View and La Repubblica.
And last, is Instagram the future of poetry? Thomas W Hodgkinson writes in this week’s issue about poets with the followings of rock stars – and they all write specifically to be published on Instagram. Here’s one for you by Rupi Kaur, an Insta-poet with four million followers:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Q0tZ2hzwV/
So is this really poetry? On the podcast, Lara talks to Thomas and Sam Leith, our literary editor.
If you enjoyed Sam’s contribution, do give his Spectator Book Club podcast a go – each week, he interviews a leading author on their latest work.
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