The Capitalist

Brendan Simms is one of Britain’s leading historians. Professor of the History of International Relations at Peterhouse College, Cambridge, Brendan has published extensively on Britain’s role in the world, European grand strategy, and the rise of fascism in the C20th. His books are widely acclaimed and include  Europe: The Battle for Supremacy ,  Britain’s Europe: A Thousand Years of Conflict and...

This week is the latest instalment in our Illiberalism in Europe series, exploring the many different challenges to freedom on the continent – our topic is the way the UK approaches drugs: should we legalise them, decriminalise them or keep the status quo? If we do, which substances would be allowed, and which would remain prohibited? What have countries that have changed their drug laws experienc...

This week we’re stepping back into antiquity for a look at political life in Ancient Rome. Our guest is the Daily Telegraph’s political journalist and Classics enthusiast Asa Bennett, who has just written a book entitled Romanifesto looking at how our current crop of politicians could learn from the travails of their ancient forebears. Stay informed with CapX's unmissable daily briefings from the...

Whether it’s interfering in Syria, Venezuela or Iran, Vladimir Putin is rarely out of the headlines. But what’s life like for the opposition activists trying to take the fight to the Russian president on his home turf? To find out, we spoke to Vera Kichanova, the first ever Libertarian Party candidate elected to public office in Russia. Stay informed with CapX's unmissable daily briefings from the...

Lord David Willetts has been an intellectual titan on the centre right for the past 30 years. Having worked in Margaret Thatcher’s policy unit, Willetts was an MP between 1992 and 2015, and served as a Cabinet Minister in the coalition government. He is President of the independent think-tank the Resolution Foundation, and the author of a number of books, including  The Pinch: How Baby Boomers too...

It’s the Brexit Election – at least according to some broadcasters – yet we’ve had relatively little scrutiny of what ‘getting Brexit done’ actually means if Boris Johnson does win his cherished majority. To shine a light on the next phase of negotiations, I caught up with one of the key players involved in putting together the Withdrawal Agreement. Raoul Ruparel spent two years as Special Adviser...

With the general election just two weeks away we wanted to get the inside track from three party political experts on how their side’s campaign has gone so far, and what they expect to happen on December 12. From the Lib Dems we welcomed Mark Pack, the Editor of Liberal Democrat Newswire. From Labour, Sienna Rodgers, the Editor LaboutList, and completing the line-up was the regular CapX contributo...

Throughout 2019, CapX has been working with the anti-poverty charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on a project about rebalancing Britain - looking at how to tackle the longstanding issues in the British economy such as the gap between towns and cities, rural and urban areas and the different regions of the UK. A big focus of that project has been how to improve the lot of low-income voters. So t...

In confusing times, Tim Bale is a rare voice of clarity. Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London, Tim is a regular presence on radio and tv, providing insightful commentary on the latest political crises. The author of many incisive books, including  The Conservative Party: from Thatcher to Cameron,  and  Five Year Mission: Labour under Ed Miliband,  Tim spoke to our Deputy Editor...

This week we were delighted to welcome Peter Pomerantsev to CapX Towers. Peter is one of the world’s leading writers on propaganda and fake news, and has even given evidence to the US Congress on Russian disinformation. He also boasts a fascinating and varied CV, including many years working as a TV producer in Putin’s Russia – an experience he documented in gripping style in his first book ‘Nothi...

Our guest this week is entrepreneur, economist, air force veteran and latterly candidate for the US Congress, Tim Kane.  Tim is also the co-author with Glenn Hubbard of the acclaimed book ‘Balance: the Economics of Great powers from ancient Rome to modern America’ – I started by asking him about the thesis behind the book and why it is that great powers end up falling on hard times.  Stay informed...

CapX editor John Ashmore speaks to comedian Konstantin Kisin about growing up in the Soviet Union, the perils of policing free speech and the worrying role of big tech companies in censoring debate. Stay informed with CapX's unmissable daily briefings from the heart of Westminster. Go to capx.co to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Get full access to The CapX...

What is the future of capitalism? This week's Free Exchange exchange, recorded live at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, debates just that.  Our Editor John Ashmore chaired an expert panel including the RSA's Alan Lockey, digital policy expert Casey Calista and fellow of the Adam Smith Institute and self-declared inventor of neoliberalism, Sam Bowman, as they discussed the rise of p...

Are the Conservatives doomed by demographics? With younger and BME voters rejecting the party, what can the Tories do to turn things around and put together an election-winning coalition, not just for the upcoming poll, but for the many to come in the future? That was the question facing the panel for our CapX live debate at the Tory conference in Manchester last week. I invited Conservative activ...

This week is a special episode of Free Exchange, recorded live at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester. The director of the Centre for Policy Studies, Robert Colvile, was joined by some of the leading lights on the right to discuss why free markets, competition and conservatism really are the route to prosperity. Stay informed with CapX's unmissable daily briefings from the heart of Wes...

Gisela Stuart is a rare figure in British politics - a Labour politician who campaigned wholeheartedly for Brexit. As an MP from 1997-2017, Gisela is perhaps best known for her role in the 2016 referendum, where she chaired the Vote Leave campaign and appeared in the TV debates.   But her deep interest in constitutional and foreign affairs long-predates that referendum. Gisela sat on the Foreign A...

This week it was our great pleasure to be joined by journalist Marie Le Conte, whose new book on Westminster gossip lifts the lift on how things really work in the corridors of power. We sat down to chat about the power of WhatsApp, clashing political cultures, and the fine art of coffee hopping. Stay informed with CapX's unmissable daily briefings from the heart of Westminster. Go to capx.co to s...

This week we're going international and talking about two connected regimes that have been brought to their knees by brutal authoritarian governments: Cuba and Venezuela. Boris Arenas Gonzalez was blocked from leaving Cuba by the Communist regime, so joins us down the line from Havana to talk about the political situation, the centrality of the black market, and his life as a pro-democracy activis...

Peter Riddell is one of the country’s most respected analysts of the workings of government, parliament and Whitehall. Prior to his current role as Commissioner for Public Appointments, Peter was the Director of the Institute for Government, and a journalist with over 40 years experience during which he has held editorial positions at The FT and The Times. He is also the author of 8 books, includi...

Our guest this week is a true heavyweight of the British political scene.  Sir Malcolm Rifkind spent more than a decade in Cabinet from 1986 to 1997, beginning as Scotland Secretary under Margaret Thatcher before going on to serve as Transport Secretary, Defence Secretary and finally Foreign Secretary under John Major.  In 2010 David Cameron appointed Sir Malcolm to chair Parliament’s Joint Intell...

Robert D. Kaplan is the author of some 18 books and is widely-regarded as one of the world’s leading thinkers on foreign policy, defence and geopolitics. He’s been named in Foreign Policy’s ‘Top 100 Global Thinkers’, and he’s advised Kings, Prime Ministers and Defence Secretaries all over the world. He’s reported from over 100 countries, giving him a grounding in the reality of foreign affairs tha...

Our guest this week is the journalist and author Owen Bennett. Owen has been a member of the parliamentary lobby since 2014, writing for publications such as the Daily Express, HP and City AM, and he was recently appointed Whitehall Editor at the Daily Telegraph.  In between reporting on the highs and lows of British politics he’s managed to write three books – Following Farage, The Brexit Club an...

Our guest this week is the world-renowned historian and journalist Anne Applebaum. Anne is a regular columnist in the Washington Post, a visiting professor at the London School of Economics and the author of a number of critically acclaimed books on the Soviet era, including Gulag – A History, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2004.  Stay informed with CapX's unmissable daily briefings from the heart...

For the latest episode of Free Exchange, CapX’s acting editor John Ashmore sat down with one of the world’s most renowned historians, Niall Ferguson. Stay informed with CapX's unmissable daily briefings from the heart of Westminster. Go to capx.co to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Get full access to The CapX Briefing at briefing.capx.co/subscribe

In his final episode as host of free exchange and editor of CapX, Oliver Wiseman talks to Steven Pinker Stay informed with CapX's unmissable daily briefings from the heart of Westminster. Go to capx.co to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Get full access to The CapX Briefing at briefing.capx.co/subscribe