The Lowdown from Nick Cohen

Nick Cohen talks to former Conservative MP and minister Dr Phillip Lee about the Brexit Omertà that is killing the Conservative Party. Dr Lee, now a practising GP, blames the party's spectacular demise partly on its failure to call out Nigel Garage and the Reform Party for the failure of Brexit and the dire consequences. The elephant in the room Phillip Lee that although few people want to ta...

The UK voting system is falling into disrepair and disrepute Nick Cohen talks to the distinguished pollster and political commentator Peter Kellner @PeterKellner1 about the parlous state of British democracy and the UK's creaking and increasingly unfit-for-purpose First Past the Post voting system. Peter explains how First Past the Post (FPTP) has become problematic with increased party fragmentat...

Summary The discussion between Nick Cohen and US-based journalist and commentator Ben Cohen centres on the implications of the J effrey Epstein scandal for Donald Trump , including his alleged involvement with Epstein and how Trump exploited conspiracy theories like QAnon to gain political power. The conversation explored Trump's ability to control the narrative and create distractions, while exam...

All the evidence points to Genocide in Gaza Nick Cohen talks to author and former Foreign Office diplomat Arthur Snell about the ongoing Middle East crisis, focusing on the devastating impact of the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023 and its consequences for the region. They explored the situation in Gaza, including concerns about potential genocide and the humanitarian crisis, as well as the implicat...

Nick Cohen & Professor Robert Wintemute discuss transgender rights and women's rights, exploring legal, medical, and societal implications of transgender issues. The conversation covered topics such as the evolving demands of the LGBTQ+ movement, challenges faced by transgender individuals in various settings, and the controversy surrounding medical treatments for gender dysphoria in minors. T...

Nick Cohen and commentator Nick Tyrone discuss the rise of the radicalised right in the UK and ask why the Conservatives won't fight against the extremists in their midst and party. Instead, some Tories are have buckled to the siren voices of intolerance and extremism. They are dragging their party further to the extremes by trying to outflank Nigel Farage & Reform on the right. Right wing ext...

Nick Cohen and historian James Hawes discuss wide range of political topics, focusing primarily on British politics, Brexit, and the rise of right-wing populism. Discussions included the historical context and current state of the Conservative Party, the challenges faced by Labour and the SNP, and the potential long-term implications of demographic changes on political landscapes. James Hawes argu...

Nick Cohen talks to Lowdown regular and Guardian columnist Rafael Behr about Labour's struggle with the new international Trump disorder, its communications crisis, perceived serial bungling by Sir Keir Starmer and the party's perceived drift. Starmer struggling with Trump's betrayal of the West In anticipation of a possible US strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, Rafael & Nick discuss th...

Authoritarian Tactics in Western Democracies Nick Cohen and Ben Cohen discuss the tactics of authoritarian leaders, comparing them to successful torturers who exploit vulnerabilities in Western democracies. Nick emphasises that liberal democracies often turn a blind eye to illegal immigrants due to the logistical challenges of enforcing strict immigration laws, which he argued is a weakness that a...

Global Political Challenges and Predictions Nick Cohen and John Sweeney discuss the current state of global politics, focusing on the challenges faced by powerful leaders like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. They highlight the recent audacious drone attacks by Ukraine on Russian strategic bomber fleets, which John Sweeney compared to calling out the "Emperor in the Kremlin with no clothes." John...

Manosphere's Political Influence Discussed Nick Cohen talks to author James Bloodworth about his new book which explores the toxic so-called "Manosphere", focusing on its origins and influence, particularly in the context of political movements like Donald Trump's campaign. James highlighted his book, "Lost Boys," which explores the manosphere's impact and is set to be released on June 5th. Origin...

UK Economic Stagnation Analysis Nick Cohen @NickCohen4 talks to Simon Nixon @Simon_Nixon discussed the UK's economic stagnation since 2008, highlighting the impact of financial sector reliance, austerity policies, and Brexit. They analysed Keir Starmer's recent EU trade deal, noting modest improvements but emphasising its limited impact on addressing broader economic challenges. Simon suggested th...

Nick Cohen talks to Russia expert Ian Garner Nick Cohen and Dr Ian Garner discussed the impact of Vladimir Putin on global affairs and the ongoing war in Ukraine, with Ian highlighting the strict government control, lack of free speech, and severe punishments for dissent in Russia. They also discussed the economic impact of the war, the rise of fascism in Russia, and the Russian government's propa...

The Tories face extinction as a political force In the meeting, Nick Cohen and Nick Tyrone , author, activist and political commentator, discussed the potential demise of the Conservative party in the UK. They highlighted the party's ideological confusion and complacency as major factors contributing to their decline. Nick suggested that the Conservative party might be losing its way intellectuall...

UK's Electoral System Challenges Naomi Smith, Chief Executive of Best for Britain, discusses the challenges of the UK's first-past-the-post electoral system and its impact on political strategies. She points out that the system is no longer working effectively for the two main parties, with recent elections showing candidates winning with as little as 22-25% of the vote. This situation has led to...

Tech billionaires' paradoxical political support of Trump Nick Cohen and Quinn Slobodian , @zeithistoriker , the Canadian author and academic, discuss the paradoxical behaviour of American libertarians, particularly tech billionaires, who have been supporting Donald Trump despite his policies contradicting their beliefs in free trade, limited state interference, and unrestricted business operation...

Nick Cohen talks about defending values and rights against a resurgent culture of intolerance & extremism as exemplified by the Trump White House with leading philosopher & author professor A.C.Grayling @acgrayling How do do we defend those values and rights in a new world of social media and culture warfare? This is the 2nd part of a 2-part interview with Professor Grayling. Rights retrea...

Whither or wither NATO? Nick Cohen and Phillips P.O'Brien, the academic, author & military historian , discuss the current state of NATO and the Western alliance, with a focus on the US security guarantee to Europe and the impact of the American right's ideology on international relations. They also explored the potential trust between Trump and Putin, the implications of reduced American aid...

1st part of 2-part interview with Professor A.C. Grayling Nick Cohen talks about cancel culture with leading philosopher & author Professor A.C.Grayling @acgrayling This is the first part of a 2-part interview with Professor Grayling. Radicalised Right labels all opponents as "Woke" Emboldened by Trump, Brexit & Trump, a Radical Right on-the-rampage seeks to justify its own prejudices and...

Nick Cohen talks with Guardian political columnist and author Rafael Behr , @rafelbehr , a Lowdown regular, about Sir Keir Starmer, and asks Raf can the prime minister face down an erratic and increasingly unhinged US president? Labour's Comms issues and a hazardous future ahead Rafael says Sir Keir Starmer needs to communicate properly with the British public about how it negotiates the dangerous...

The jig is up for serial bull-shit merchant Nigel Farage Nick Cohen talks to Chris Grey @chrisgreybrexit - author, brexit expert and emeritus professor of organisation studies about where the madness of Donald Trump and his MAGA cult have left their supporters among Britain's Radical Right con artists, such as Nigel Farage, leader of Reform. By continuing their slavish obeisance to the US's crazed...

Nick Cohen discusses Labour with Polly Toynbee Nick Cohen talks to the distinguished author and Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee about Labour's tough love strategy - targeting the welfare state and benefits to fill the black hole left by the Tories and Brexit. "Not a very Labour thing to do" - And Keynes would not approve! Polly agreed with Former shadow chancellor Ed Balls' recent observation on...

Former government behavioural warning - social media is now a tool of the authoritarians Nick Cohen @NickCohen4 chats with behavioural scientist and author Justin Hempson-Jones @JonesHempson about the growing threat posed to our freedom by the sinister merger of government and social media oligarchy, as we're witnessing now in the US with the sinister and toxic partnership of Donald Trump & El...

Nick talks to Mike Martin MP- soldier, author and Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells Nick Cohen and Mike Martin MP discuss the dramatic & disturbing shifts in international relations and diplomacy, thanks to Donald Trump's apparent volte-face on Ukraine and the United States' traditional allies, particularly in the context of the US and UK. Mike also talks domestic politics - are we witne...

Nick talks to the author & reporter John Sweeney who is on the ground in Kyiv Nick Cohen and John Sweeney discussed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the implications of Donald Trump's apparent betrayal of Ukraine - as further revealed by the despicable ambush by Donald Trump & his side kick vice-president J.D.Vance. Trump is now "Leader of the unfree world " John Sweeney talks to Nick abou...