The Leighton Smith Podcast

In 2014 Australian entertainer Rolf Harris was found guilty, on all counts, of charges brought by four women. Harris was but one of a number of public figures to be charged with sexual charges. But that is just the beginning. After the convictions ex-Auckland policeman William Merritt, now a specialist investigator, spent two years doing what Scotland Yard failed to achieve. In 171 Merritt relates...

On this weeks podcast: Joel Kotkin, described according to THE NEW YORK TIMES, is America's uber-geographer. an internationally recognised authority on global, economic, political and social trends. We talk to him about what is now brewing in Silicon Valley, proposed in Toronto and implemented in China, that could be the role model for our future urban civilisation. The book, THE COMING OF NEO FEU...

First, they came for CO2, then they came for methane. Because apparently methane makes an outsized contribution to global warming. Atmospheric physicists William Happer and William van Wijngaarden say otherwise. Together they published the results of their highly technical research. In podcast 169, van Wijngaarden explains, in understandable language, why there is no need for panic over methane. W...

On this week's podcast: "One of the most damaging statements of a world leader was from Jacinda Ardern, that there will only be a single source of truth. We need to rediscover the virtues that brought about the effloresces of scientific discoveries which have made the world infinitely wealthier, healthier, better educated and better fed." So says Emeritus Professor Ramesh Thakur, guesting on Podca...

On this week's podcast: From the Democracy Institute in Washington DC, Patrick Basham explains his blacklisting by the Ukrainian Centre for Countering Disinformation. He is one of approximately 79 targeted by the Ukraine Government. Let’s ensure that sort of thing doesn’t happen here. We extensively cover a wide range of concerns; China, Trudeau, Ardern and Hunter Biden’s laptop. We also make  com...

On this week's podcast: We talk again with Professor Aynsley Kellow, author of essay “The Madness of Net Zero” . He says he has become more sceptical with time of the worst reports of climate change. And that scepticism was exacerbated by his experience as an Expert Reviewer for the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report. He is also the author of "Negotiating Climate Change: A Forensic Analysis." We make c...

On this week's podcast: Democracy was invented in Ancient Greece. What would the great minds of Athens think of democracy in New Zealand today? Do we actually live in a democracy? James Kierstead, lecturer in Classics at Victoria University, is a specialist in Greek history and political philosophy. We talk democracy and government... then and now. We take a look at Sri Lanka, and the suffering th...

On this week's podcast: Under the heading of “Democracy and the Free Market Economy”, retired judge Anthony Willy returns to the podcast to discuss the foundations of the free market, our complacency and threats to our way of life. We discuss communism, tribalism, co-governance and the consequences should the ‘progressive’ approach take hold. We comment on Boris Johnson, and why the Tories will mi...

On this week's podcast: Every day the media utilises the term “experts”. Experts say, experts warn, experts criticise...Dr Michael Tomlinson is a Higher Education Governance and Quality consultant. He suggests that the age of deference to experts is over. He adds a much needed perspective to scientific ponderance. We comment on the J6 committee hearings, and the parlous state of the economy. And w...

On this week's podcast: Bruce Cotterill is a “transformation leader” with experience in real estate, media, financial services, technology, and retail. A CEO in both Australia and New Zealand, he’s a highly regarded business communicator. We dig into what is not right with NZ, and what we need to do to fix it. After listening, you’ll want to know why he’s not running the country. We make comment o...

Natasha Poole, writer, educator, athlete and Oxford graduate, displays the advantages of a great education and an independent mind. We discuss China, the WHO, the U.N. and the left’s approach to education. And we speak with Owen Jennings, farmer, politician and campaigner. We talk about government stupidity around the methane tax; an assault on farmers and the economy in general. And we visit the...

He PuaPua, the report commissioned by the Ardern government,  was completed in 2019 and secreted from the public. Its existence was revealed after the 2021 election. There is belief that Labour would have suffered badly if it had been made public. Constitutional Law Professor James Allan has written an analysis of He Puapua, and the reading of it is not pretty. Kim Dotcom reveals that he has writt...

On this week's podcast: New Zealand scientist Dr Kelvin Duncan dismembers the predictions of the IPCC. His new book “Global Warming, a Counter-blaste to the Man-made Global Warming Hypothesis” provides counter-arguments to the many areas of official misinformation. We make comment on the World Economic Forum, and we visit The Mailroom with Mrs Producer. File your comments and complaints at Leighto...

On this week's podcast: New Zealand scientist Dr Kelvin Duncan dismembers the predictions of the IPCC. His new book “Global Warming, a Counter-blaste to the Man-made Global Warming Hypothesis” provides counter-arguments to the many areas of official misinformation. We make comment on the World Economic Forum, and we visit The Mailroom with Mrs Producer. File your comments and complaints at Leighto...

On this week's podcast:Britain has a minister for Loneliness. So has Japan. Coincidentally, the government this week released a report on the big increase in child and teenage mental distress. A world of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, robotics and nanotechnology is creating an environment of loneliness. The author of "When We Become Strangers", Maggie Hamilton, provides answers to many qu...

On this week's podcast: The Australian Election; the rich voted left and caused political chaos. Is it as bad as some suggest or is there an upside? We analyse the result with Nick Cater, who has advice for those seeking to escape. We ask whether there is a lesson for the NZ National Party. And we take note on corporate groupthink and the absurd influence of wokeism. And, of course, The Mailroom w...

On this week's podcast: We discuss the government’s Climate Change Plan with ACT Leader David Seymour. Spoiler alert — he is not impressed. We also garner his thoughts on the increasingly serious matter of defence, education, democracy, and the state of the country. Bryan Leyland, a power supply engineer, offers little hope for success of the “great plan”. We comment on the Ministry of Women’s Aff...

On this week's podcast: “Evil doesn’t really exist at all, it’s just something man imagines because of his limited view of the world.” Is this the reality? An illustrative discussion with retired American lawyer Mark Pulliam convinces us otherwise. It’s an eye-opening journey of how one man discovered evil is real. We comment on the inadequacy of the Ardern administration and a Covid report from D...

On this week's podcast: We contend that the Australian election is as important to us as our own. If you question that, talk to the 500,000 Kiwis in Australia, and those threatening to make the move. Nick Cater, Executive Director of the Menzies Research Centre, and columnist for The Australian, discusses how vicious, vacuous and scary this election is. We comment on the U.S. Supreme Court leak, t...

On this week's podcast: NET ZERO 2050. Any idea what it involves? A supposed thirty year project, we take a look at its goal, its cost, and its dramatic affect on your life. Professor Emeritus Michael Kelly, from Cambridge University and a NZ citizen, has produced a discussion paper; the first of its kind. It will assist in understanding what has been foisted upon us, and possibly scare the heck o...

On this week's podcast: “Welcome to the new Dark Ages” was the title to a column that caught our eye. Written by independent journalist Christopher Akehurst, it is a timely summary of where we’re at. Our discussion continued from there. We also make comment on ‘memory’ and ‘How the Media Colonises Your Mind’.We visit The Mailroom with Mrs Producer. Finally, we conclude with the first segment of ou...

On this week's podcast: The New York Times is reputed to be the world’s most powerful news outlet. Powerful enough to influence wars, foment revolutions, shape economies and change cultures. It doesn’t just cover the news, it creates it. Ashley Rindsberg, author of “The Gray Lady Winked” guests, and talks on what happens when truth is abandoned in favour of interest and ideology. We comment on the...

On this week's podcast: Patrick Basham, Director of The Democracy Institute, makes a return appearance this week. It proved to be an information filled interview, including the Institute’s first survey for the congressional elections in November. It has produced some very interesting results. Hunter Biden’s laptop gets a mention, along with who might be pulling Joe’s strings. We have some comments...

On this week's podcast: Forty five years a law lecturer, David Round is renowned for his frankness. His unrestrained discussion covers many contentious matters confronting New Zealand today. From moral and political corruption to activist judges and the "meaningless piece of pious liberal posturing of the Bill of Rights”. And as for co-governance...We make comment on the P.M, and the authoritarian...

On this week's podcast: General Sir Richard Shirreff: his last seven years in uniform were spent in two senior NATO command posts. He was Commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and Deputy Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. He was also the most senior British general in the Alliance. It is a riveting insiders view. Is this the start of World War Three, how does it end, and is Putin mad? We dem...