Hearts of Oak Podcast

Greg Swenson, chairman of Republicans Overseas UK, joins Peter to examine the scale of Republican midterm losses, including Democratic gains in Texas statewide offices and the legislature, alongside continued Republican strength in states such as Florida and Tennessee. He identifies the Iran conflict and higher fuel prices as primary drivers of voter backlash, tied to affordability concerns, and argues that President Trump should acknowledge the economic effects, demonstrate empathy, and outline corrective steps. Swenson reviews the administration’s response to the results, including the Senate’s failure to advance the Save America Act, the emphasis on loyalty within the team, and constraints on military options in Iran. He discusses the difficult 2028 Senate map, the need to focus messaging on the cost of living and economic policy, lower fuel prices as a key priority, and J.D. Vance’s proposed agenda, endorsing three of its four points while raising reservations about altering the U.S. relationship with Israel.

Greg Swenson is chairman of Republicans Overseas UK and founding partner of Brigg Macadam Ltd, a London-based emerging-markets investment banking firm. He previously held senior roles at HSBC Global Banking and Markets and Lehman Brothers, with more than twenty years of experience in banking, alternative investments, and global markets. He holds a BA from Boston College and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, divides his time between the United States and the United Kingdom, and regularly comments on markets, economics, and politics.

Connect with Greg...
X                                    @_GregSwenson  https://x.com/_GregSwenson
WEBSITE                        gregswenson.org

 

Connect with Hearts of Oak...
𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK
WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/
PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/
SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/
SHOP                 heartsofoak.org/shop/

DONATE              givesendgo.com/heartsofoak
                            donorbox.org/hearts-of-oak-fundraising

*Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast.

Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

Professor Norman Fenton returns to discuss his book The Capture of Academia, exploring how universities use EDI (DEI) policies, research funding requirements, and peer review to enforce ideological conformity and silence dissent. Drawing on his own career in mathematics and risk assessment, he recounts mandatory DEI statements for grants (even in hard sciences), unconscious bias training, and the dominance of identity politics over merit. He also covers the corruption of peer review—illustrated by his experiences challenging COVID-19 narratives and a high-profile Lancet paper—alongside broader issues of antisemitism, anti-Israel double standards, climate change orthodoxy, and the long-term capture of institutions by cultural Marxism, globalism, and allied ideologies. Norman also shares personal background from his family’s Holocaust and post-war experiences to his disillusionment with hard-left politics while a student at LSE.

The Capture of Academia by Norman Fenton on Amazon amazon.co.uk/dp/B0HBGCDQHG#

Norman Fenton is Professor Emeritus of Risk at Queen Mary University of London. A mathematician and a pioneer in the use of Bayesian networks, he has spent decades researching risk, uncertainty, and decision-making, helping governments, businesses, and courts apply probabilistic reasoning to complex real-world problems.
He is the author or co-author of eight books and more than 300 peer-reviewed publications. His work spans maths, medicine, law, forensic science, computing, finance, and public policy. Since 2020 he has written extensively on COVID-19 data, scientific evidence, and public policy, becoming well known for his independent analyses and advocacy of open scientific debate.
His latest book, The Capture of Academia, draws on nearly half a century in higher education to examine how ideological activism, funding incentives, and institutional pressures have transformed academic culture and, he argues, weakened the pursuit of truth.

Connect with Prof Fenton...
𝕏                       https://x.com/profnfenton?s=20
WEBSITE           https://www.normanfenton.com/ 
SUBSTACK        https://wherearethenumbers.substack.com/

 

Connect with Hearts of Oak...
𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK
WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/
PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/
SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/
SHOP                 heartsofoak.org/shop/

DONATE              givesendgo.com/heartsofoak
                            donorbox.org/hearts-of-oak-fundraising

*Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast.

Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

Brian of London - Israel Election: High Arab Turnout Complicates Netanyahu Coalition Formation Brian of London joins Peter to unpack Israel’s latest election results and the messy path to a new coalition.

He describes the unusually high turnout (including a packed polling station in his local school), the gap between exit polls and the final count that left Likud ahead but without an easy majority, and why the campaign boiled down almost entirely to “Bibi or not Bibi.” Brian covers the surge in Arab turnout, the absence of a clear successor to Netanyahu, ongoing security realities in Gaza and Lebanon, the decline of the old two-state mindset, and domestic flashpoints such as the judiciary, army service, and demography.

He also reflects on why the world remains so fixated on Israeli politics and how the country is quietly reducing its dependence on external support while still facing perpetual threats. Brian of London completed a PhD in Computational Fluid Dynamics just as the Web was emerging. But then he left academia to do management consulting and eventually moved to Israel to do business. Brian's working on the cutting edge of the new Podcasting 2.0 to make sure this relic of the early web, stays free from capture by the centralising forces of Web 2.0 and their dangerous desire to turn us all into dairy cows. Brian was also the admin on Tommy Robinson's Facebook account that had over a million followers before it was nuked!

In his spare time, he assists with a gigantic class action lawsuit in Australia on behalf of the entire crypto industry.

 

Connect with Brian...

𝕏 @brianoflondon https://x.com/brianoflondon

 

Connect with Hearts of Oak...
𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK
WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/
PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/
SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/
SHOP                 heartsofoak.org/shop/

DONATE              givesendgo.com/heartsofoak
                            donorbox.org/hearts-of-oak-fundraising

*Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast.

Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

Callum Smiles joins us once again after filming the recent protests and clashes in Paris. He talks about separating real footage from misleading videos circulating online, what he actually saw on the ground (student-led socialist/communist marches that drew in other groups, organised violence, and targeted shop-smashing), the police response, the heavy rain that eventually shut things down, and the broader mood of tension and anti-Macron feeling. We also cover Marine Le Pen’s rising odds, France’s political and financial pressures, and why Callum thinks similar scenes are unlikely to play out the same way in the UK.

Callum Smiles is an independent British journalist, formerly with Rebel News UK and now working under Callum Smiles Media while being lead reporter for Vox Populi. Known as “the unconventional journalist,” he specialises in on-the-ground reporting of mass migration, the World Economic Forum in Davos (where he has confronted figures including Tony Blair, Larry Fink and Greta Thunberg), and related issues across Europe and beyond. Based in the south of England, he self-films and edits his own work.

Connect with Callum...
𝕏              @FranklySpeakP  x.com/FranklySpeakP
                 @vpopulimedia   x.com/vpopulimedia

WEBSITE     callumsmilesmedia.com

Connect with Hearts of Oak...
𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK
WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/
PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/
SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/
SHOP                 heartsofoak.org/shop/

DONATE              givesendgo.com/heartsofoak
                            donorbox.org/hearts-of-oak-fundraising

*Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast.

Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin

Rikki Doolan joins Peter to share his remarkable journey from teenage drug use and homelessness on the streets of Northern England to becoming a pastor in 2015. He recounts the moment he prayed for help inside Manchester Cathedral, his discovery of gospel music, and how faith transformed his life.

Rikki discusses his involvement with the Unite the Kingdom rallies, leading the crowd in Amazing Grace, and his personal role in Tommy Robinson’s exploration of Christianity, including the prayer of salvation they shared in prison. He also responds to an Observer profile, offers practical advice on finding a church, and previews the Christmas carol event planned for 12 December in central London, which will focus on the birth of Jesus and Britain’s Christian heritage.

Rikki Doolan is a British musician, pastor, and public figure based in Middlesbrough, UK. He is known for his work as a Christian gospel and rock artist, blending rock and pop elements with spiritually inspired lyrics.

Connect with Rikki...

𝕏 @realrikkidoolan x.com/realrikkidoolan

WEBSITE www.rikkidoolan.com

INSTAGRAM instagram.com/realrikkidoolan

YOUTUBE youtube.com/@realrikkidoolan

MUSIC https://open.spotify.com/artist/35Obv6GhBkvu7izRAM76Rt

 

Connect with Hearts of Oak...
𝕏                         x.com/HeartsofOakUK
WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/
PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/
SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/
SHOP                 heartsofoak.org/shop/

DONATE              givesendgo.com/heartsofoak
                            donorbox.org/hearts-of-oak-fundraising

*Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast.

Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on 𝕏 x.com/TheBoschFawstin