The Prospect Podcast

Are Jews white? Is criticism of Israel antisemitic? Why is the “Judeo-Christian” grouping a myth? To unpack these big questions, Ellen and Alona are joined by journalist Rachel Shabi, whose new book  Off-White: The Truth About Antisemitism  was released earlier this month. Rachel explores the rising tensions of the past year, including the impact of Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and...

This month we introduce a new Lives columnist, Kiran Sidhu, who writes about the rural Welsh village where she lives. Kiran celebrates the power of nature, as does actor and writer Sheila Hancock, who welcomes a robin to her roof garden. Alice Garnett asks whether Gen Z have killed the office romance, while Anglican priest Alice Goodman explains her secret love of weightlifting. Hosted on Acast. S...

Families are spending years living in hotels, households are being moved miles across the country, and government is spending billions on a system that harms those it is designed to protect. What can be done? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by researcher and local government expert Jack Shaw to talk about his exclusive investigation into the growing scandal of temporary accommodation. This f...

Why do some women like tradwife videos? And why does it even matter? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by writer Sarah Manavis to discuss the small but significant group of women who promote anti-feminist values online—and why so many others watch their videos. Sarah argues that the success of right-wing young men with large social media followings has distracted from a boom in similarly react...

Would legalising assisted dying end unnecessary suffering? Or would it instead enable the abuse of some of society’s most vulnerable people? As parliament discusses assisted dying once again,  Prospect  invited two of our most profound thinkers—Rowan Williams and Brenda Hale—to debate the issue. As archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams led a Church that publicly opposes any form of as...

For the first time, Ellen and Alona host a special Q&A episode, recorded with a live audience. They’re joined by Jill Abramson, former executive editor of the  New York Times , who has been has been covering the presidential election for  Prospect . Jill describes how this American election compares to what she’s seen in the past, and answers listeners’ questions. What’s the mood in...

As Halloween approaches, Ellen and Alona are joined by journalist Gabriel Gatehouse to discuss his plunge into the world of conspiracy theories, QAnon and the extreme fringes of US politics. What have witches in the dark ages got to do with American democracy? How has the internet destabilised state power? And what does that mean for this November’s election? Conspiracy theories about satanic caba...

This week, Ellen and Alona look ahead to COP29, the annual climate summit, hosted this year in Baku, Azerbaijan. They are joined by Isabel Hilton,  Prospect ’s contributing editor who shares her experiences at COP, and Sam Alvis, a policy advisor and director of energy and environment at Public First. 25 out of the 35 key “planetary vital signs” are out of bounds, and biodiversity is rapidly...

This week, Ellen and Alona talk to investigative journalist Peter Geoghegan. Peter is the former editor-in-chief of the award-winning website openDemocracy and is the author of  Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics . Public faith in democracy has been undermined by hidden influence and undisclosed donations—but how susceptible is the new government to this? In an entertaining con...

This month, our columnists are busy with new difficult tasks. Sarah Collins, our Mindful life columnist, boards the emotional rollercoaster that comes with preparing to live abroad, while Anglican Priest Alice Goodman composes her first carol. Farmer Tom tries to rescue seven baby pheasants, while Alice Garnett is moving out of her shared house and navigating London’s rental hellscape.  Hoste...

Baroness Warsi, former Conservative cabinet minister and lawyer, joins Ellen and Alona to talk about her new book  Muslims Don’t Matter, about “the silencing, stereotyping and stigmatising of Muslims by the British press and political parties.” Politicians, media outlets, think tanks and even the entertainment industry have poisoned public discourse about Muslims, culminating in this summer’s...

This week,  Prospect ’s commissioning editor Emily Lawford joins Ellen and Alona to discuss a dark side of the internet: the “manosphere”. Emily spent months reporting “The incel trap” for this month’s issue of the magazine, meeting with self-proclaimed misogynists in real life. On the podcast, Emily shares what she learned about why young men are radicalised—including the role of mental heal...

Jon Sopel, co-host of the News Agents podcast and a former BBC North America editor, joins Ellen Halliday and Alona Ferber to discuss his new book,  Strangeland: How Britain Stopped Making Sense.  He reflects on his time covering the Trump administration—including what he saw unfold on 6th January—and on the upcoming US election. Jon also shares his view on the problems with Robbie Gibb...

This week, journalist and author Oliver Burkeman joins  Prospect ’s Ellen Halliday and  Mindful life  columnist Sarah Collins to talk mental health and building a meaningful life—and why his new book,  Meditations for Mortals , really isn’t self-help. Plus, freelance political journalist Jonn Elledge dials in from the Lib Dem conference in Brighton to help us decide whether Ed...

This week Ellen Halliday and Alona Ferber discuss a vital question: what is the reality of life under occupation for Palestinians? And how much longer can the world ignore it?  They are joined by Nathan Thrall, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of  A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy,  which follows the life of a Palestinian man whose son Milad died in a...

In February 2022, invading Russian forces on their way to Kyiv also occupied the site of Europe’s biggest nuclear disaster—Chernobyl. The response of the Ukrainians running the site, and of the International Atomic Energy Agency, would prove decisive. But who would be honoured as a hero, and who would be branded a traitor?   In this episode of the Prospect Podcast, deputy editor Ellen Hallida...

In a brand-new season of the Prospect Podcast, Ellen Halliday welcomes aboard her new co-host Alona Ferber. They are then joined by leading print and broadcast journalist Paul Mason—an expert on the far-right—to tackle this week's big question: what is the new face of fascism? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This months Gen Z-er Alice Garnett and former England cricket Captain Mike Brearley are exploring the value of imitating one's idols, while farmer Tom Martin returns from Rugen in Germany, where he learns from local farmers on the island. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special partnered podcast, RCEM President Dr Adrian Boyle and Mary Watkins, a crossbench peer, discuss one of the most problematic areas in the NHS: urgent care. Labour has promised an NHS "fit for the future" and “to get a grip on the record waiting list” of 7.6 million people that is blighting the health service. But aside from long waits for GP appointments, referrals and trea...

In a rare conversation about what happens once the fighting in Gaza is over—and how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could end—Ehud Olmert, Israel’s prime minister from 2006-2009, and Dr. Nasser Alkidwa, who was Palestinian foreign affairs minister from 2005-2006 join Alona Ferber.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Home Office housing contracts have turned Clearsprings founder Graham King into one of the UK’s richest men. Meanwhile, the asylum seekers living in his business empire of taxpayer-funded hotels have compared living in them to being in prison, with reports of physical assault, racist abuse and confiscated belongings. Mark Wilding from Liberty Investigates joins Ellen Halliday to discuss what...

In the post-Brexit years, Britain has become increasingly irrelevant on the global stage. After Thursday's historic election, what can Keir Starmer and David Lammy do to put it back on the map? Senior Editor Alona Ferber is joined by international affairs expert, and  Prospect  contributing editor, Isabel Hilton to discuss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month, the lives writers feel compelled—in their own different ways—to take action in challenging circumstances. Tom Martin has to make the most difficult decision any farmer could face when one of his ewes experiences pain during labour.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the country heading to the polls this week, legendary pollster and former president of YouGov Peter Kellner gives his predictions for what the split of seats will look like, while contributing editor Tom Clark explains the six trip hazards he thinks Starmer might face in his first term.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode of the Prospect podcast, Emily Lawford quizzes Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London, on the gambling scandal, election culture wars and who, out of all the candidates, has had the best campaign so far.   After the break—is Britain ready to for Putin? Ellen Halliday speaks with Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general of the defence and se...