From Russia to Clacton

Western Europeans and Brits have often failed to listen to their Eastern European neighbours. As Juliette Bretan writes in today’s edition, many western leaders were still dismissing warnings from Poland and the Baltic states about Russia’s imperial ambitions as “products of historical trauma” right up until the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“The countries beyond the old Iron Curtain are still widely viewed as the continent’s vulnerable frontier—poorer, less developed and perpetually catching up,” Bretan writes. But that picture “no longer reflects reality.” In particular, it is often us who need to learn from them—particularly from Ukrainians, whose practical defence knowledge is now invaluable. Britain’s Defence Investment Plan has finally made that explicit.

On the domestic front, all eyes are on Clacton for tomorrow’s byelection in which Nigel Farage will face off against Count Binface and 32 other candidates. Though perhaps “face off” isn’t the best electoral cliché when one of the candidates is famously faceless. Back in 2024, Prospect’s Imaan Irfan interviewed the intergalactic space warrior, who was then vying to unseat Rishi Sunak. His answer to European integration was somewhat different to Bretan’s: he suggested inviting European countries to join the United Kingdom, “creating a new ‘Union of Europe’, if you will.”

The issues facing Clacton and other seaside towns are no laughing matter, however. In lieu of Andrew Adonis’s usual Insider column (he is taking a week off), we’re revisiting a 2023 article by Madeleine Bunting on the deindustrialisation of England’s seaside resorts. “You could call it a salt fringe rather than a rust belt,” she wrote—and “austerity, the pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis have exacerbated their plight.”

Binface claims to be over 5700 years old—though, like many of us, he seems to claim different ages in different interviews. But what if you could extend your own life into the distant future? Many super-rich individuals have become obsessed by this question. But at what cost? On today’s episode of the Prospect Podcast, Katherine Stewart discusses her essay in our latest issue on the “longevity movement”. She discusses key figures like Bryan Johnson, who measured his own erections and tried to inject himself with his young son’s blood in the hopes of living longer. I’d personally sacrifice a few years if it meant not having to do those things.

Have thoughts on Eastern Europe, Count Binface or living forever? Email me at ben.clark@prospectmagazine.co.uk.