This weekend’s Coffee House Shots digs into the growing debate over whether Keir Starmer should tack left on the economy as voters peel away to the Greens and Lib Dems – and why some in Labour think its migration stance is now more popular with their own voters than ever. Are Labour tacking left?But beyond policy, a deeper question looms: is Westminster’s obsession with ‘super-advisers’ drowning out the government’s message? Tom Baldwin argues that leaks, briefing wars and the hunt for the next ‘power-behind-the-throne’ are undermining Labour’s ability to tell a coherent story, while Tim Shipman asks why Starmer still struggles to communicate the values that drive him.James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman and Tom Baldwin, Keir Starmer's biographer.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
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23:42
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23:42
The Edition: Benefits Britain, mental health & what’s the greatest artwork of the 21st Century?
‘Labour is now the party of welfare, not work’ argues Michael Simmons in the Spectator’s cover article this week. The question ‘why should I bother with work?’ is becoming harder to answer, following last week’s Budget which could come to define this Labour government. A smaller and smaller cohort of people are being asked to shoulder the burden – what do our Spectator contributors think of this? For this week’s Edition, host Lara Prendergast is joined by opinion editor Rupert Hawksley, arts editor Igor Toronyi-Lalic and columnist Matthew Parris. Rupert points out the perceived lack of fairness across the Budget, Matthew thinks we shouldn’t be surprised that a Labour government delivered a Labour Budget and Igor makes the case that artists thrive as a consequence of an inefficient state.As well as the cover, they discuss: the compassionate balance needed on mental health; how society seems to be approaching a ‘climbdown’ over climate change; the best party tricks they’ve seen; and finally, their reflections on Tom Stoppard, following his death at the weekend.Plus: what is the greatest artwork of the 21st century so far – and how should we define it? The columnists discuss our various submissions from Christian Marclay’s The Clock, television show Succession, album Original Pirate Material by The Streets – and even the Just Stop Oil movement.Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
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22:26
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22:26
The Book Club: A Brief History of the Aphorism
My guest in this week’s Book Club podcast is James Geary, talking about the new edition of his classic The World in a Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism. He tells me about what separates an aphorism from a proverb, a maxim or a quip; about the long history of the form and his own lifelong infatuation with it; and about whether – given our dwindling attention span and appetite for zingers on social media – we can expect to be living through a new golden age of aphorism.
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43:29
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43:29
Quite right!: should Rachel Reeves go?
This week: Rachel Reeves reels as Labour’s Budget unravels – and a far-left Life of Brian sequel plays out in Liverpool.After a bruising seven days for the Chancellor, Michael and Maddie ask whether Reeves’s position is now beyond repair. Did Keir Starmer’s bizarre nursery press conference steady the ship – or simply confirm that the government is panicking? And is the resignation of the OBR chair a shield for Reeves – or a damning contrast with her refusal to budge?Then: the inaugural conference of Your Party delivers pure comic gold. As Zarah Sultana’s collective-leadership utopians clash with Corbynite diehards and Islamist independents, Michael explains why the far left’s civil war matters more than Westminster thinks. Could independents erode Labour’s urban base? And with Jeremy Corbyn now looking like the centrist dad of the movement, what does this chaos tell us about the future of the British left?And finally: Christmas is coming. Maddie and Michael share their rules for 'sound' gift-giving and give their book recommendations.Produced by Oscar Edmondson.To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, go to spectator.co.uk/quiteright
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20:42
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20:42
Americano: why is the US obsessed with British 'decline'?
Why are Americans so interested in Britain's decline? While visiting London, Tucker Carlson has said that the country has ‘shrunken’ and its culture ‘destroyed’, particularly because of mass immigration. Freddy Gray is joined by Tim Stanley and Ed West to discuss whether Britain has become ‘ground zero in the decline of western civilisation’ and if the US has always viewed the UK this way.
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Home to the Spectator's best podcasts on everything from politics to religion, literature to food and drink, and more. A new podcast every day from writers worth listening to.
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