People Talk... Politics

Pinker Centre policy fellows Dan, Jonathan and Calista consider the challenges to free speech on UK university campuses and assess the effectiveness and implications of the 2023 Freedom of Speech Act. They debate whether it is the university or government that should regulate freedom of speech on campuses and discuss the ongoing discourse on Israel and Gaza from the perspective of freedom of speec...

In this episode, our Policy Fellows Matthew and Ellie talk about the role of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the Israel-Hamas war and its position in the West Bank. They outline the challenges the PA faces in the West Bank, including its rivalry with Hamas, and discuss whether the PA can be a legitimate governing force in Gaza in the future.

In this podcast, our Policy Fellows Baran, Orla and Lucas discuss how the Israel-Hamas war has affected Israel's relationship with regional partners, particularly with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, and what role the US plays and should play in the conflict, considering its military involvement in the region and the security threat of Iran. They also outline different scenarios of post-war res...

In this episode of People Talk...Politics, our policy fellows Alex, David and Lucy compare the Trump and Biden Administrations' approaches to relations with Israel, discuss how Israel's stance on the Ukraine war may affect the US-Israeli partnership and evaluate the impact the judicial reform will have on US-Israel relations. They point out that Israel is looking beyond the US and the West and is...

In this podcast episode, our policy fellows discuss the implications of new technological developments for security, arguing that the separation between the physical and the digital realms of war is shrinking. They discuss the use of AI in defence, question its ability to make moral judgements, debate how states should regulate technological development, and emphasize the importance of digital lit...

Our policy fellows Olivia Peterson, Ryan Wee and William Rome discuss whether anti-Zionism is antisemitism. They argue that anti-Zionism is often used as a cover for antisemitism, discuss whether the anti-Israel bias in international institutions amounts to antisemitism and note that anti-Zionism has become socially acceptable and even trendy, particularly on university campuses.

Tune in for the next episode of People Talk…Politics! Our policy fellows Abigail Darwish, Sam Brummer and Oliver Udy debate how British schools should teach history. They discuss the importance of representation in history, the emphasis on the British Empire and the relevance of the history curriculum in the contemporary world. They evaluate the merits of ‘decolonising History’ and argue that teac...

Tune in for our Coronation Special podcast episode! Our policy fellows William Rome, Ryan Wee and Olivia Peterson discuss the role of the monarchy in contemporary Britain, the economic value of the monarchy and the royal family's role in diplomacy and representing Britain abroad, especially in the context of rising republicanism in the Commonwealth. They also consider how the traditional role of t...

Is free speech in academic institutions under attack? In the latest podcast episode, Policy Fellows Ely, Romy and Nolan highlight the changing culture in academic institutions, whereby, far from being places for free debate and exchange of ideas, academic institutions are increasingly becoming echo chambers, characterised by restrictions of free discussion, lack of diversity of perspectives and de...

In our recent podcast episode, Mackenzie France interviewed Paul Gross, a Senior Fellow at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, discussing the judicial reform and its implications for Israel. Paul outlines and explains the four main proposals incorporated into the judicial reform, arguing that the reform aims to weaken the judiciary and change the governmental system of Israel. Mackenzie and Paul f...

How has the Labour Party changed under Keir Starmer? Policy Fellows Lucy, David and Alex discuss how Kier Starmer has transformed the Labour Party, moving away from Corbynism and distancing himself from the far left of the party. They further discuss whether Labour still represents the values of the working class and whether "Starmerism" can be considered an extension of Blairism. Finally, they co...

As the Midterms have passed, and the Presidential campaigns are picking up steam, where is US politics heading? In this episode of People Talk...Politics Policy Fellows William, Ryan and Olivia analyse the recent trends and developments in American domestic politics, such as increasing political polarisation, the cost of living crisis, Trump's influence in the Republican Party and DeSantis' ambiti...

In this episode, Mackenzie France interviewed Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation and a former aide to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Mackenzie and Nial discussed the US midterms, the success of Di Santes in Florida and changes in the Latino vote, recent Ukrainian advances, Russian failures and Putin’s plans and reflected on the recent...

In this episode of People Talk… Politics, Pinsker Policy Fellow Mackenzie France interviews Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Sarit Zehavi. Sarit is the founder and president of Alma – a nonprofit independent research and education centre specialising in Israel’s security challenges on the Northern border. Following the conversation about Alma, its focus, mission and recent work, they discuss security thr...

With the ongoing protests in Iran and stalled nuclear negotiations, issues around policies towards the Iranian regime and the national security threat Iran poses have come to the fore. This episode of People Talk… Politics, unpacks the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran with a focus on how this impacts Israeli foreign policy and national security. They also discuss the historical basis of the m...

In this episode of People Talk… Politics Policy Fellows Alex, Elliot and Ojel analyse the short-term impacts of the war in Ukraine for Britain as well as longer-term geopolitical consequences from the war for Europe as a whole. Relatedly, they debate what Britain’s role in the war should be and how Britain can best aid the Ukrainian war effort. The fellows also touch on the prospect of conflict re...

In this episode of People Talk… Politics Policy Fellows Oliver, Thomas and Avishai assess the nature of the threat posed by domestic and international terrorism.  The fellows cover the rise of far-right extremism in the UK as well as how the Covid-19 pandemic may have led to a rise in online extremism and ‘lone-wolf’ attacks. Lastly, they debate how terrorism is covered in mainstream British media...

With A-level students recently receiving their results, higher education and future career prospects will be on many young people’s minds. In this episode of People Talk… Politics Policy Fellows Alex, Elliot and Ojel debate the importance of the humanities to higher education and the value of higher education itself. They also highlight the failings of the education sector to adapt to the needs of...

In this episode of People Talk… Politics, Pinsker Policy Fellow Mackenzie France interviewed Paul Gross, a senior fellow at The Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. He has previously worked on religious discrimination legislation for the British Government and has also worked for the Israeli Embassy in London. They discuss the politics and historical legacy of Menachem Begin, the sixth Pri...

In this episode of People Talk… Politics policy fellows Marina, Michelle and Jordan discuss various dimensions of US foreign policy.  Including, the withdrawal of Afghanistan. They ask how this has fed the notion of western weakness under the Biden, and potentially impacted Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. The episode also covers US-Israel relations, specifically how these have been affected by...

In this episode, The Pinsker Centre’s Media Director, Georgia, interviewed Tim Ogden, the assistant editor of New Europe. Tim also writes for various other media outlets including The Spectator, focusing on post-Soviet Eurasia.  They discuss the historical and geopolitical importance of the South Caucasus. Primarily, how the political climate has shifted in light of the Russo-Ukrainian war, and wh...

With countries, such as China, pursuing ‘Zero-Covid’ policies and implementing severe lockdown measures, policy fellows, Oliver, Thomas and Avishai, think it is time to re-assess and reflect on the domestic and international response to the covid-19 pandemic.  Oliver, Thomas and Avishai debate how states differed in their ability to gain access to, and distribute vaccines, they ask both if the rac...

In this episode of People Talk… Politics Oliver, Thomas and Avishai unpack various internal and external security threats facing Israel.  The fellows highlight Iran’s extensive sponsorship of international terrorist groups and the Iranian regime’s pursuit of a nuclear bomb.  In terms of internal security dynamics, the implications of the use of cyber tools,  namely NSO group’s Pegasus Spyware, for...

In this episode of People Talk… Politics, Maria, Mackenzie, and Joe, discuss how Israel is treated by international organisations. They put forward the evidence for these bodies having double standards towards Israel compared to other members of international institutions.  The policy fellows also assess the International Criminal Court and the UN Human Rights Council’s ability to hold perpetrator...

In this podcast policy fellows, Oliver, Thomas and Avishai analyse how various external factors shape the boundaries of freedom of speech on campuses.  They focus on why the ‘long-arm’ of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and CCP linked bodies, are detrimental to campus debate and the quality of education that home and international students receive whilst studying in the UK.  Oliver, Thomas and A...