The Prospect Podcast

Humans have collected data for thousands of years—but now we’re doing it on a whole new level. This week, Ellen and Alona and joined by Roopika Risam, professor of Digital Humanities and Social Engagement at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, whose new book Data Empire explores the ancient roots of data-gathering and the rise of the “data state”. Drawing on examples from the East India Company to...

Lying, lobbying, and luxury donor gifts—has UK politics gone crooked? This week, Ellen and Imaan are joined by Robert Barrington, professor of anti-corruption practice at Sussex University’s Centre for the Study of Corruption. He argues that corruption is more widespread than assumed in Britain, from politicians to prisons, the monarchy to the Met. Robert discusses the Boris Johnson era misconduct...

This month, our Mindful life writer Sarah Collins explains how her OCD had her singing her thoughts, while Second life writer Vitali Vitaliev asks: what’s in a nose? A trip to the Museum of Brands takes actor Sheila Hancock down memory lane, while Alice Garnett asks her parents for advice on uncertainty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a heatwave sweeps across Europe, Ellen and Imaan are joined by sociologist Jens Beckert, the author of 'How We Sold Our Future: The Failure to Fight Climate Change'.  He argues that the cultural, political and economic structures of capitalist modernity are themselves barriers to fighting the climate crisis. From profit maximisation to short term limits for politicians, is capitalist democ...

The UK has a maternal mental health support crisis. The leading cause of maternal deaths in the UK is mental health issues, including suicide, with maternal deaths from suicide having risen by seventy-four per cent in the last seven years alone. How can we address this urgent need for improved support? Speaking to Prospect's Alona Ferber, Biogen's medical lead Teresa Shering, consultant adult and...

What does the World Cup mean to you? This year’s tournament has been highly political so far: as it began, one of the host nations was at war with one of the competitors and referees and staff have been banned from the United States. This week, Philip and Ellen are joined by sports writer and sociologist David Goldblatt, the author of Injury Time: Football in a State of Emergency to discuss the st...

The country feels stuck. But can Britain prosper again? On the Prospect podcast this week, Prospect e ditor Philip Collins is joined by Ravi Gurumurthy to discuss this question.  Ravi is CEO of Nesta, which is a research foundation and “innovation agency”. He is a lead non-executive of the Department for Energy and Net Zero and sits on the board of NHS England. Writing in a personal capacity,...

Would you want to work with a robot? A new technological revolution is underway—but what that revolution looks like, and where it takes us, is still being determined. This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Sarah O’Connor, award-winning reporter and associate editor at the Financial Times , whose new book We Are Not Machines charts how AI is shaping the workplace. Sarah shares her experience work...

From nurseries to nursing homes, private equity increasingly affects all of us. This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by journalist Hettie O’Brien, who investigates the rise of private equity in her book The Asset Class: How Private Equity Turned Capitalism Against Itself . Hettie traces the rise of private equity partnerships and their profound impact on our economy. She tells the story of how th...

Although the world seems full of war and conflict, love—of all kinds—is everywhere. This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Sally Hayden, award-winning journalist and author of This is Also a Love Story: Searching for Good in a Divided World. As a reporter, Sally has witnessed first-hand the consequences of human brutality, as well as moments of hope. She shares stories from across the globe, fro...

This month our family of writers is in a whimsical mood: Vitali Vitaliev reflects on the very different purpose toilet paper once had in Soviet Ukraine, while Anglican priest Alice Goodman laments the poor quality of the Church’s Cheeky Pandas cartoons for children. Actor and writer Sheila Hancock suffers terrible stage fright, while Sarah Collins celebrates the human antidepressants in her local...

It’s been a nightmare week for Keir Starmer. After devastating results for Labour in the 7th May elections, pressure has this week mounted on the prime minister to resign. He has said that he will stay, and that he wants to lead Labour into the next general election—but how long can he hang on, and what would it mean for Labour’s fortunes if he did? Ellen and Alona are joined by veteran pollster a...

It’s the week every political nerd has been waiting for. Tomorrow, voters go to the polls in England, Scotland and Wales to elect local councils, Holyrood and the Senedd.  Just how bad do things look for Labour—and Keir Starmer? Why are Reform UK and the Greens surprisingly similar? And how come Kemi Badenoch, whose Tories are a mere shadow of their former selves, isn’t facing a leadership ch...

Twenty years ago, Tharik Hussain moved from the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia with a sense that he and other Muslims didn’t belong in Europe. But, as he explains today on the podcast, he has since been on a journey to uncover some 1,400 years of rich Muslim history and culture on the continent. Tharik joins Imaan and Ellen to discuss how Europeans forgot the contributions of Muslims in Europe—and...

After the explosive revelation that Peter Mandelson had “failed” his vetting before being waved through as US ambassador, Alona and Imaan are joined by contributing editor Tom Clark to discuss the root cause of this political disaster. It wasn’t the vetting process, argues Tom, but the power struggles at the heart of the Labour party. Why weren’t Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein and Russian ol...

This month, actor and writer Sheila Hancock is grateful to be reunited once more with daffodils, while Anglican priest Alice Goodman laments the lack of Church wardens in her parish. Meanwhile, Vitali Vitaliev explains why he thinks AI is rubbish at writing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The term “far right” is frequently invoked in British political discourse. But who really fits the bill? This week, journalist and author Daniel Trilling joins Ellen and Alona to discuss how previously fringe positions have gained traction and entered mainstream politics. Daniel defines the far right and explores its increasingly influential place in British politics, drawing from his upcoming boo...

Facial recognition technology is being rolled out by police forces across the country—and there are no clear limits on how it can be used. This week, Ellen is joined by Mark Wilding, investigative journalist at Liberty Investigates, who discusses how artificial intelligence is being used to tackle crime in the UK. He shares the startling story of a young man arrested for a crime he didn’t commit,...

The UK has chosen not to follow Trump into the war on Iran. Has Starmer damaged the “special relationship”—or was it the right call? This week Philip and Ellen are joined by Kim Darroch, former national security adviser and UK ambassador to the United States. He analyses the US-Israel war with Iran, the reactions of foreign governments and why Europe has chosen not to respond to Trump’s calls for...

Is capitalism inevitable? This week,  Prospect  contributing editor Tom Clark is joined by Sven Beckert, Harvard professor and author of  Capitalism: A Global History . Sven discusses the evolution of capitalism, from its development by Arab, African and Chinese traders, to its place in the modern western nation states of today. He argues that the economic system that rules our live...

The Gorton and Denton byelection was a sensation for the Greens—and it hurt Labour’s pride. With the May elections approaching, the UK’s governing party looks set for a beating. But what about Reform? Peter Kellner, former director of polling company YouGov, joins Ellen and Alona on the podcast to discuss how Labour and its competition are faring. After coming second in Gorton and Denton, Reform m...

This month, Gen Z-er Alice Garnett commands her peers to get down to the pub, while Rural life writer Kiran Sidhu recounts the mystery disappearance of a statue from her neighbouring village. Actor and writer Sheila Hancock celebrates television adverts, while Vitali Vitaliev cherishes the small things in life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump said the Iran war was “very complete”—but is it?  Renad Mansour, a senior research fellow in the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the Chatham House thinktank, joins Ellen and Alona to make sense of the latest from Iran. As US-Israeli strikes continue, Mansour explains that Washington might not have control over the conflict’s end and Iran is prepared for the long haul.&n...

This week, Ellen is joined by journalist David Aaronovitch, who warns about the extreme wealth and unaccountable power of America’s new elite. From John D Rockefeller to Jeff Bezos, David explores the parallels between the “robber barons” of the late 19th century and today’s tech titans. He argues that the US is experiencing a second Gilded Age, in which the elite enjoy lavish lifestyles—as well a...

This week, Alona is joined by contributing editor Tom Clark and political columnist Ben Ansell to discuss what’s at stake in the upcoming Manchester byelection. With the polls showing a three-way-race between the Greens, Labour and Reform, the area has become a microcosm for wider political trends, with the position of the establishment parties more uncertain than ever. Tom shares the mood in the...