Best of the Spectator

With James Forsyth and Katy Balls. Presented by Fraser Nelson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The debate over rights for transgender people rumbles on in the wake of proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act. Is there a so-called ‘trans orthodoxy’ shutting down debate on this issue (00:35)? Meanwhile, across the channel, French socialist Jean-Luc Mélenchon is aiming to unseat an increasing unpopular Emmanuel Macron. Does Mélenchon have a chance of becoming president (20:10)? With Made...

Grammy-winning Canadian musician Chilly Gonzales joins the latest episode of Life 'n' Arts with Dominic Green, the Life and Arts Editor of Spectator USA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Katy Balls and James Forsyth. Presented by Fraser Nelson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Smith is the most quoted and misquoted economist of all time. Sam Leith talks to Jesse Norman MP, author of the new Adam Smith: What He Thought and Why It Matters (reviewed in last week’s Spectator by Simon Heffer). Norman argues that we can only understand Smith in the round by reading his Theory of Moral Sentiments as well as the Wealth of Nations; and by putting him in the context of the S...

With Brandon Lewis, Chairman of the Conservative Party, and James Forsyth. Presented by Fraser Nelson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Ann Coulter, American conservative commentator. Presented by Freddy Gray. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we head into Conservative Party Conference, Theresa May has never looked more alone. We talk to Iain Duncan Smith and James Forsyth about a Prime Minister abandoned (1:25). And while chaos reigns in the Conservative Party, Labour is gearing up, led by a pragmatic but radical Shadow Chancellor. Just who is John McDonnell (18:50)? And last, why is Tesco’s new discount retailer so Brexity (38:10)?...

With John Rick MacArthur, publisher of Harper's Magazine. Presented by Freddy Gray. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Spectator Books podcast, Sam Leith is talking to Adam Sisman about More Dashing -- his new selection from the remarkable correspondence of one of the 20th-century's most celebrated adventurers, spongers and men of letters, Paddy Leigh-Fermor. What did Paddy really feel about his most famous act of derring-do, when he kidnapped a Nazi general in occupied Crete? What really went on in...

With Father Alexander Lucie-Smith, moral theologian, and Lara Prendergast, Assistant Editor of the Spectator. Presented by Damian Thompson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dominic Green, Life and Arts Editor for Spectator USA, talks to philosopher Roger Scruton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It seems that everyone, young or old, has a smartphone these days. But why are the brightest in Silicon Valley taking screen time away from their children (00:40)? Also on this podcast, Tory MEPs recently voted in favour of the Viktor Orban government in European Parliament. Are British Tories flirting with the far right (9:25)? If they are, it could be because the Conservative Party has no attrac...

This week, Tory in-fighting comes to the fore, but could the party be even more divided than we thought (00:35)? Meanwhile, across the Pond, Donald Trump continues to cause backlash. Is he to blame for an ideological shift to the left in the country (14:25)? Thankfully, our own Head of State isn’t on Twitter, though that doesn’t stop people speculating about her Majesty’s personal opinions. Is the...

This week antagonism between Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s Matteo Salvini ratcheted up over immigration – are they the leaders of an ideological battle in Europe (00:35)? But pro-immigration or not, both Macron and Salvini smashed through conventional politics in the global surge of populism. As we reach the tenth anniversary of the 2008 crash, we ask, did the financial crisis lead to greater populi...

The clamours for a second referendum are growing. But are those calling for a ‘people’s vote’ really interested in what voters think? Or is this just a plot to stop Brexit? In Sweden, voters go to the polls next weekend. The Swedish Democrats, once regarded as a sinister group of far-right cranks, could become the largest party. So what’s changed? And the Soho of the eighties, a hotbed of debauche...

Venezuela is racked with hyperinflation. The crisis is now so bad that the President has instituted a new currency which essentially cuts off several zeros from the old currency. Will Maduro’s mad policies make things worse (00:50)? And back home, prisons have been in the limelight as we hear about the horrendous conditions in Birmingham Winson Green prison. But is Birmingham an anomaly (11:30)? I...

We often complain that our politicians are all bluffers who know very little about a lot. But is the very structure of our political institutions at fault? And is the bluffocracy taking over the civil service, too (00:50)? Speaking of bluffers, Theresa May is fudging her way through the Brexit negotiations, but can she survive after March 2019 (18:40)? And last, maybe all this politics has made yo...

Are young men becoming too self-conscious of their body image? We discuss the trend to diet and use food replacement powders in a bid to become superhuman (00:35). We also talk about the Crocodile’s election victory in Zimbabwe – is British foreign policy in Africa too negligent (10:20)? And last, how are pale rosés driving dark rosés into extinction (25:45)?  With Lara Prendergast, Tom Reader, Xa...

This week, China agreed to consider a trade deal with Britain post-Brexit, but does a closer relationship with China expose Britain to its expansionist ambitions (00:35)? We also hear from two experts on what exactly a no-deal Britain would look like (16:45); and last, why are Britain’s great Catholic schools facing extinction (26:45)? With Michael Auslin, Kerry Brown, David Collins, Charles Grant...

It’s safe to say that Brexit negotiations haven’t gone smoothly. The Tories are down in the latest polls, but Ukip is up. Are we witnessing the beginning of Ukip’s return (00:35)? Meanwhile, Australians are stuck between a rock and a hard place as China and America continue to bicker (18:30); and Cosmo Landesman complains about modern parenting (30:20). With Matthew Goodwin, Joe Twyman, Tom Switze...

Earlier this week, Trump met Putin. But beneath the outcry against Trump’s press conference, a peace plan for Syria was slipped out. Is America withdrawing its troops and leaving Assad in place (00:35)? We also ask – should we push back the March 2019 deadline for Brexit negotiations (13:00)? And last, why is communism still chic (23:50)? With Ambassador Robert Ford, Owen Matthews, Matthew Parris,...

Is Brexit just going in circles? With the resignations of David Davis and Boris Johnson, the only progress the negotiations seem to be making is – backwards (00:35). We also ask – are pit bulls really murderous dogs from hell (18:55)? And last, what does it mean to be English (29:50)? With James Forsyth, Paul Goodman, John Springford, Julia Lewis, Mary Wakefield, Harry Mount, and Yasmin Alibhai-Br...

Happy birthday to the Spectator. This week, we’re celebrating our 190th birthday. Lara takes a look back over the Spectator’s long life with three editors (24:35). But before that, it’s the podcast as usual. This week, we’re asking - do anti-Trump protests achieve anything other than virtue signalling (00:37)? And are driverless cars on a road to nowhere (14:30)? With Freddy Gray, Shola Mos-Shogba...

As anti-migrant sentiment sweeps across Europe, is the continent turning against Angela Merkel for her open-door policy, and is this the end of the Merkel project (1:40)? Meanwhile, Donald Trump announced his new mission – to establish a sixth branch of the US military, the Space Force. Is this such a bad idea (14:20)? And last, while it may be greedy and corrupt, should Fifa be celebrated for mak...