The polite extremist

To view this email as a web page, click [here.]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [undefined]( Until recently, Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg was viewed by most as a marginal eccentric, destined to remain on the backbenches. Yet the reactionary Brexiteer is now the bookies' favourite to become the next prime minister. In this week's cover story, Martin Fletcher asks how worried we should be. Fletcher charts Rees-Mogg's startlingly conservative views and voting record (he opposes equal marriage, all abortion, even in cases of rape and incest, and voted 14 times against increases in disability benefits). The Tory would, Fletcher concludes, be the party's "riskiest choice" as leader. But supporters point to "the equally improbable rise of Jeremy Corbyn". And though Rees-Mogg protests that he has no leadership ambitions, a friend suggests otherwise: "I'm absolutely sure he will stand". Meanwhile, Ed Smith writes that only Rees-Mogg can know whether he is serious or not, but that the British love a caricature. Also this week, our special correspondent Stephen Bush explains why Jeremy Corbyn remains serene even as the Tories move ahead in the polls, and assesses the cultural significance of Marvel's Black Panther. Deputy editor Helen Lewis despairs at the state of UK politics, writing that she "can't remember a time when Britain's problems seemed so large and the politicians confronting them felt so small". And in this week's essay, Brendan Simms and Daniel Schade explore Emmanuel Macron's grand vision for Europe and ask whether he can carry the rest of the EU with him. Elsewhere, I discuss why the left must reclaim utopianism with Dutch thinker Rutger Bregman, Kate Mossman interviews returning star Lisa Stansfield and John Harris reviews Andrew Hindmoor's What's Left Now? The History and Future of Social Democracy. All this, plus Simon Kuper on the rise of political tribes, Caroline Crampton on how to combat smartphone addiction and Amol Rajan on neglected public intellectuals. Enjoy and you can subscribe [here](. George [@georgeeaton]( Editor's Picks [Helen Lewis: On both the left and the right, I've never despaired more at British politicians]( They lie because they are frightened: of the press, of their own party members, of killing their own ambitions, of a rising tide of thoughtless populism. [Stephen Bush on Marvel's Black Panther and the politics of diverse superheroes]( For a young child whose blackness is more important to them than mine was to me, the film will be a seminal moment. [Lizzie Palmer profiles the powerful younger sister of Kim Jong-un.]( Who is Kim Yo-jong, North Korea's new weapon of choice? [Ed Smith on Jacob Rees-Mogg and the power of caricature]( Corbyn's survival brings new vitality to the Tory extreme: Labour are doing it, perhaps we should too. [Mehdi Hasan explains the hypocrisy of fiscal conservatives in Trump's America]( Republicans only care about debt when there's a Democrat in the White House. [www.NewStatesman.com]( [Jacob Zuma took South Africa to the precipice - and the ANC took it back]( Martin Plaut on how the the end of the Zuma era has left South Africa both damaged and strengthened. [Amelia Tait: How to identify if an online video is fake]( As "deep fakes" raise concerns, everyone needs to equip themselves with the knowledge to spot a fraudulent video [podcast]( To unsubscribe click: [here](