The Critic Podcast

In this podcast,The Critic's political editor, Graham Stewart, talks to the investor and statistician, Alistair Haimes, about whether the data really stacks-up for a resurgence of Covid-19 -- Right now we’re offering 3 months for just £5. Go to thecritic.imbmsubscriptions.com/ for details. — Music: “Modern Jazz Samba” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution...

A country on the Atlantic coast of Europe that looks outwards and establishes a global empire stretching from the Americas to Africa and Asia - Portugal has much in common with its oldest ally, Britain. In this podcast, Professor Jeremy Black, author of A Brief History of Portugal talks to The Critic's political editor, Graham Stewart, about how the country managed its place in the world. — Right...

Does Spain wrestle with its imperial legacies in a similar way to Britain? How important has monarchy been to Spanish unity and is the narrative of a long decline a myth? In this podcast, Professor Jeremy Black, author of A Brief History of Spain, talks to The Critic's political editor, Graham Stewart, about the grandeur, instability, and endurance of the Spanish nation. -- Right now we're offerin...

The Scottish Government is planning to criminalise the 'stirring up of hatred', a proposal which has been criticised by police officers, lawyers, the Roman Catholic Church and now Blackadder Actor Rowan Atkinson. But what are the proposals and why are they so controversial? In this podcast David Scullion, The Critic's Deputy Political Editor discusses the new legislation with long-time political c...

The wait is over: Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden has chosen Kamala Harris as his running mate. It has been described as the safe choice, but is it the wise choice? Do vice-presidential running choices even make much difference to who Americans want to elect to the White House? In this podcast, The Critic's political editor, Graham Stewart, talks to The Critic’s US editor, Oliver...

What is the Dolan case and should the government be worried? -- To combat the spread of Covid-19, the British government has restricted personal, social and economic behaviour on a scale unheard of in peacetime conditions. But has the basis upon which it has done so been legal? To discuss the entrepreneur Simon Dolan's legal challenge to the government's actions, John Jolliffe, a barrister special...

Why did it take 1,400 years after the end of the Roman Empire for Italy to unite as one country? And how strong is Italian national unity now? In this podcast, Professor Jeremy Black, author of A Brief History of Italy, talks to The Critic's political editor, Graham Stewart, about Italian identity, regionalism and state-building. -- Right now we're offering 3 months for just £5. Go to thecritic.im...

Where does the Labour Party stand on trans rights? Is fear of being branded "transphobic" now putting the party of Barbara Castle and Jennie Lee at odds with mainstream feminism? In this podcast, the feminist campaigner, writer, and former Labour party member, Jo Bartosch, talks to The Critic's political editor, Graham Stewart, about how the gender battle is shaking-up British party politics. -- R...

Does the Mediterranean have a common culture that transcends its national, political and religious differences and did its modern tourist industry develop naturally or as part of government planning and incentives? In this podcast, Professor Jeremy Black, author of ‘A Brief History of the Mediterranean’, talks to The Critic’s political editor, Graham Stewart, about the trading, colonial and strate...

As Parliament heads into recess, politics isn't stopping. Graham Stewart and David Scullion discuss what we can expect in the coming weeks: from Brexit talks and the renewal of Coronavirus legislation, to the Lib Dem leadership election and who's likely to be fired in a coming reshuffle. -- Image: (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) Music: "Modern Jazz Samba" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licens...

In 1950, over 20 million newspapers were bought every weekday in Britain, equivalent to one-and-a-half newspapers for every household per day. By 2010, they were buying 10 million a day, or 0.4 newspapers per household. Now it's closer to five million. or 0.2 per household. In this podcast, Professor Jeremy Black, author of The English Press: A History, talks to The Critic's political editor and o...

As social and political movements, such as Black Lives Matter, continue to gain traction nationwide, cancel culture is becoming an increasingly worrying trend. People who privately question or disagree with parts of such organisations are being publicly vilified with their jobs on the line. In this podcast, David Scullion talks to physicist Mike Mcculloch, ex-charity boss Nick Buckley and Free Spe...

For the first time in half a century, Britain is planning a major permanent Royal Navy deployment in the seas of Southeast and East Asia, led by the new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth. But how important was the Royal Navy in Asia-Pacific between the 1830s and 1960s? In this podcast The Critic’s political editor, Graham Stewart, discusses with Professor Jeremy Black, author of Geopolitics an...

How did Huawei destroy its western competitors to achieve such dominance? And does the government’s decision to phase Huawei out of the UK’s 5G network go far enough to address security fears? In this podcast, former leader of the Conservative Party, Iain Duncan Smith MP, talks to The Critic’s political editor, Graham Stewart, about the issues that remain to be settled concerning Huawei’s presence...

Much of Europe is now open again for British summer holiday-makers. But how different are the aims and experience of leisure travellers to Europe now compared to the 18th century? The Critic's political editor, Graham Stewart, talks to Professor Jeremy Black, author of The British Abroad, Italy and the Grand Tour, France and the Grand Tour and most recently, A Short History of the Mediterranean ab...

Opinion polls show a majority of Scots saying they would vote 'yes' for Scottish independence in a second referendum - which may be granted if the SNP win next May's Scottish parliamentary elections. -- Why has Scottish opinion shifted in favour of breaking-up the UK at a time when the UK Treasury is pumping billions into Scotland's Coronavirus response? In this podcast, The Critic's political edi...

Half the world has seen a James Bond film, or so the estimates have it, making 007 one of the most globally recognisable British brands as well as the longest, most successful film franchise in history. But what does Bond stand for and how has he changed since Ian Fleming created him in the 1950s? Professor Jeremy Black, author of The World of James Bond and The Politics of James Bond unpicks the...

What did the radical essayist and polemical journalist, Christopher Hitchens, and the conservative philosopher, Sir Roger Scruton, have in common? In this podcast, Douglas Murray, the commentator and author of The Strange Death of Europe and, most recently, The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity, talks to the political editor of The Critic, Graham Stewart, about the personal debt he owes...

In the first of a new series of podcasts featuring those who shaped politics over the last fifty years, The Critic's political editor, Graham Stewart, talks to Lord Taverne of Pimlico. As Dick Taverne, he was a minister in Harold Wilson's government, working with Roy Jenkins on many of the economic and social reforms of the 1960s, before being forced out of the Labour Party in 1973 because of his...

As we grow further and further away from the twentieth century, has our perceptions on its course changed? And do we consider the themes and events that shaped it - and us - differently? The Critic's political editor, Graham Stewart, discusses with the historian, Professor Jeremy Black, senior fellow at Policy Exchange, whether greater distance from the twentieth century alters our perception of i...

The spirit of 1968 has returned. From protests, to boycotts and even riots, ‘direct action’ is back in vogue as protestors impatient with the pace of change raise consciousness about the issues they want to put centre-stage. The Critic’s political editor, Graham Stewart, asks Professor Jeremy Black, senior fellow at Policy Exchange, whether we are witnessing a new age of emancipation or the underm...

The Cold War ended with the dismantling of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. But when did it start? Shortly after the end of the Second World War is the common view. But did it really start with the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917? And if we view it as a confrontation between the West and Soviet Union are we forgetting about the actions and influence of Communist China? Profess...

Can the West live without China? Would decoupling from China inflict greater damage to the American and British economies than it would hurt China? Graham Stewart talks to Stewart Paterson, research fellow at the Hinrich Foundation and author of China, Trade and Power: Why the West's Economic Engagement Has Failed about whether disengagement is an act of self-harm or a sensible stitch in time. --...

And do we still have a national story? -- He won a large majority in last December's election, but with his judgment and performance increasingly questioned, is Boris Johnson the wrong man to be leading the government? Simon Heffer, professor of modern British history at Buckingham University and a columnist for the Sunday and Daily Telegraph argues that the prime minister is unsuited to the job....

And what is the relationship between war and the state? -- This week, Graham Stewart speaks to Nick Timothy, former Downing Street adviser and now Daily Telegraph columnist and author of Remaking One Nation: the Future of Conservatism, on what future there is for liberalism in British politics, as well as to Emeritus Professor of History at Exeter University, Jeremy Black, on the relationship betw...