The Prospect Podcast

Are we all being manipulated? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Cass Sunstein–one of the scholars behind “nudge” theory–who explains how companies exploit our cognitive biases for their own profit. Cass is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard, and author of  Manipulation: What It Is, Why It’s Bad, What to Do about It.  He exp...

The question of what is antisemitic and what is legitimate criticism of the state of Israel has long been a difficult question—but it has become even more fraught since 7th October 2023 and the continuing atrocities in Gaza. On 31st July 2025,  Prospect  brought two experts together to debate and discuss which kinds of speech and criticism are acceptable. Jo Glanville is the editor of&nb...

On the podcast this month, Ukrainian journalist and Second Life writer Vitali Vitaliev explains why he hates book signings, while sex worker Tilly Lawless argues that porn doesn’t make her clients more violent. Meanwhile Anglican Priest Alice Goodman celebrates the power of hope in the face of climate despair.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Labour tanks in the polls, left and right-wing populists are on the rise. This week, Ellen and Alona and are joined by  Prospect ’s political columnist Ben Ansell, whose cover essay in this month’s magazine explored the government’s big challenge. From Zohran Mamdani to Zack Polanski, left populists are attracting votes and attention. Should Keir Starmer follow their lead? On the podcast,...

Is Britain becoming a police state? This week, Ellen and Imaan are joined by Conor Gearty, a barrister and professor of human rights law at LSE, who explains how his views on the future of protest have changed.  As hundreds have been arrested for supporting the recently proscribed group Palestine Action, Conor discusses his reaction to the ban. He criticises the Labour government’s...

From country walks to telephone box libraries, our  Prospect Lives  writers are enjoying the summer. Sex Worker Tilly Lawless reflects on the fragmentation of the sex industry in the age of OnlyFans, and Alice Goodman explores memory, homeland, and the meaning of Passover. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The government is considering introducing digital ID cards as a way to curb illegal immigration and improve the administration of public services. But is it a good idea?   In this week’s  Prospect Podcast,  former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett debates Rebecca Vincent, from the civil liberties group Big Brother Watch.    Blunkett oversaw the introduction of identity...

Privatisation was meant to revitalise a public good. Instead, it left us with leaky pipes, sewage spills and rivers not fit to swim in. Ellen and Alona are joined by journalist and writer Oliver Bullough, whose books include  Moneyland: Why Thieves And Crooks Now Rule The World And How To Take It Back. He explains how water companies, sold off under Thatcher with promises of efficiency and in...

This week, Alona and Imaan are joined by Stewart Home, novelist, filmmaker and art historian, whose new book  Fascist Yoga  traces the unsettling links between yoga, wellness culture and the far right. Stewart’s research uncovers yoga’s strange story: from its reinvention in the early 20th century by a Californian escapologist, to its appropriation by occultists, grifters and even Nazis....

This week, writer and activist Laura Bates joins Ellen and Alona to discuss her latest book  The New Age of Sexism.   Best known for founding the Everyday Sexism project in 2012, Laura has spent more than a decade documenting the realities of gender-based discrimination. In her new book, she turns her attention to the digital world—where artificial intelligence is giving rise to disturbi...

There’s been a buzz in Westminster about Blue Labour, the socially conservative group led by peer Maurice Glasman. But where did Blue Labour come from—and how much influence does it really have over government? This week on the  Prospect Podcast , Ellen and Alona are joined by political theorist and director of the UCL policy lab Marc Stears, who was one of the founding members of Blue Labour...

The world’s richest man has fallen out with Donald Trump, but his story isn’t over. This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Faiz Siddiqui, technology reporter at the  Washington Post  and author of  Hubris Maximus: The Shattering of Elon Musk.  He has closely followed Musk’s rapid rise and fall, from visionary entrepreneur to Washington exile, mired in political controversy, l...

Have you ever wondered where Andrew Tate came from? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by journalist James Bloodworth to discuss his new book  Lost Boys: A personal journey through the manosphere . From attending a pick-up artist bootcamp himself in 2006, to reporting on the rise of red pill and incel ideologies, James traces how online misogyny has evolved—and why so many young men are dr...

This month, actor and writer Sheila Hancock reflects on what she has gained since losing her hearing, while journalist and second life writer Vitali Vitaliev reminisces on the best and worst meals of his life. Sex worker and author Tilly Lawless describes her complicated feelings about orgasming on the job, while Mindful life writer Sarah Collins has a public cry in the Byzantium Christian museum...

Since 13th June, Israel has launched strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, assassinated scientists and commanders, and bombed infrastructure. Iran has responded with ballistic missiles and drones. The death toll is rising, and there’s no sign of a ceasefire. This week, Arash Azizi joins Alona to unpack the war now underway. Arash is the author of  The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the U.S., a...

How do you resist the ‘enshittification’ of the internet? This week,  Prospect  tech columnist Ethan Zuckerman joins Ellen and Alona to talk about artificial intelligence, social media and the state of the online world. Ethan, who teaches at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, shares how AI has shaped his students—and how his teaching has had to adapt. Ethan discusses the dystopian...

The world’s richest man and the world’s most powerful man have had a very public fall out—but what does it mean for American government? In a short, bonus episode, Ellen and Alona speak with Jill Abramson, former executive editor of the New York Times , about the long predicted clash. Jill explains the implications for US space policy, and reviews how the US media has covered Musk since he first c...

Everyone wants to live a long and healthy life—so what’s the best way to do it? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at Edinburgh University and personal trainer, whose new book,  How Not to Die (Too Soon) , is a guide to living longer and better, and challenges everything we think we know about personal health. Devi argues that air quality,...

Can Labour afford to keep ignoring its left? This week on the   Prospect Podcast , Alona and Imaan are joined by Carys Afoko, writer and podcast host of  Over the Top, Under the Radar . Carys discusses whether Starmer’s rightward shift will pay off. She analyses why the last general election was a “breakaway election” away from the major parties—with the rise of progressive independents,...

This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by journalist Nicola Kelly, whose new book  Anywhere But Here  investigates the UK’s broken asylum system. Nicola used to work for the Home Office as a press officer on the immigration desk. But why did she leave? On the podcast, she unpacks Labour’s controversial new immigration white paper and why the party is embracing tough rhetoric. She exposes...

This month, Vitali Vitaliev recalls love and magic in Kyiv, Sheila Hancock embraces the word “valour,” Alice Garnett celebrates deep friendships, and Alice Goodman wonders—what if the teenagers are actually alright? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Canadian historian Quinn Slobodian. The rise of the populist right is often framed as a backlash against neoliberalism—a revolt by those “left behind” by globalisation. But in his new book  Hayek’s Bastards , Quinn argues the opposite: that movements like Maga are not a reaction to neoliberalism, but its latest iteration. Tracing the intellectual linea...

This week, poet and nature writer Robert Macfarlane joins Prospect’s Ellen Halliday and Imaan Irfan to explore the ideas in his new book Is a River Alive ? They each share what ‘their rivers are’ and the waterbodies they feel most connected to. Robert discusses his travels to Ecuador, India and the Canadian wilderness: places that rivers are being defended from threat, and where our relationship w...

Has the United States become an autocracy? As Donald Trump marks his 100th day in office, Ellen and Alona are joined by Ruth Ben-Ghiat, scholar of authoritarianism and author of  Strongmen: from Mussolini to the present  (2020). She also writes a Substack called “Lucid” which focuses on autocracy. Ruth analyses the Trump administration’s rapid shift towards authoritarianism. She talks ab...

Could a populist right-wing party take power in the UK? And if one did, what would it do? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Prospect’s contributing editor Philip Collins who analyses Reform UK’s strategy for the local elections taking place in parts of England next week. With Labour, the Tories and Reform neck-and-neck in the polls, will these be the most consequential local elections in de...