Quietly, methodically, and with the assured determination that only enormous reserves of personal wealth and conviction can provide, Paul Marshall has built the most powerful network of influence in Britain since Rupert Murdoch. A “mega-poll” in this week’s Daily Mail puts Nigel Farage – an employee of Marshall’s – on course to win the greatest landslide in British political history and become Prime Minister. Should that come to pass, it will be Paul Marshall who put him there.
But who is he? What does he want? And what is the full extent of his influence over British society? This week, for the first time, that web of power is laid bare by our Pulitzer Prize-winning political editor James Ball. James’s forensic investigation into the man, the money and the media offers a clear understanding of how the right has been so effective at capturing the political agenda in the UK. “The Power Broker” is this week’s cover story – and you can read it online now.
As you know, a young man called Luka was arrested last week by the Metropolitan Police for the “crime” of brazenly holding a copy of The New World in public. This farcical arrest epitomises the stupidity of the Home Office’s crackdown on Palestine Action – threatening to criminalise thousands of peaceful protestors, from grannies to students. This week, we call on Shabana Mahmood to end this daft waste of police and court resources.
Suggested Reading
End this stupid Palestine Action ban now
Elsewhere in the edition: Matthew d’Ancona asks an existential question of us progressives, in light of the breakthrough in the Middle East: why has the international order failed – and an individual strongman autocrat succeeded?
Alastair Campbell brings fresh wisdom to the debate around the Nobel peace prize process while undergoing dental surgery to remove … a wisdom tooth. Ros Taylor presents a fascinating deep dive into the economics of the podcasting world.
Patience Wheatcroft pays tribute to our capital city and suggests it’s no wonder it scares the bejesus out of people like Donald Trump. J.P. O’Malley interviews Jung Chang, the bestselling author of Wild Swans, who offers a sharp counterpoint to those state-funded Instagram posts portraying China as a land of infinite tolerance. Marie Le Conte laments the end of an internet that once liberated people – and now threatens to consume them.
I’m especially proud of the magazine this week. We’re doing our level best to speak truth to power, to publish the stories other media shy away from – and to be entertaining while we’re at it. I hope you agree.
