Trump, MAGA, and US foreign policyKate Andrews speaks to Damir Marusic, assignment editor at The Washington Post and co-founder of Wisdom of Crowds. They examine Donald Trump’s surprising foreign policy moves in his second term: his position on the Israel-Gaza conflict, why he's armed Ukraine despite MAGA frustration, and whether his instincts are reshaping Republican foreign policy for good.
--------
23:53
--------
23:53
Coffee House Shots: why can't we agree on data?
John O’Neill and Sam McPhail, the Spectator’s research and data team, join economics editor Michael Simmons to re-introduce listeners to the Spectator’s data hub. They take us through the process between the data hub and how their work feeds into the weekly magazine. From crime to migration, which statistics are the most controversial? Why can’t we agree on data? Plus – whose data is presented better, the Americans or the French?For more from the Spectator’s data hub – which may, or may not look like the thumbnail photo – go to: data.spectator.co.ukProduced by Patrick Gibbons and Megan McElroy.
--------
11:13
--------
11:13
Spectator Out Loud: Michael Simmons, Kapil Komireddi, Margaret Mitchell, David Abulafia and Melissa Kite
On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Michael Simmons argues that Trump is winning the tariff war with China; Kapil Komireddi reviews Robert Ivermee’s Glorious Failure: The Forgotten History of French Imperialism in India; Margaret Mitchell watches a Channel 4 documentary on Bonnie Blue and provides a warning to parents; David Abulafia provides his notes on wax seals; and, Melissa Kite says that her B&B is the opposite of organic. Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.
--------
26:30
--------
26:30
Holy Smoke: Massacres in Syria and the Congo
Massacres in Syria and the Congo: why aren't Western elites, including the Churches, drawing attention to religious persecution?After the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, many people voiced fears that the religious minorities in the country could face increased persecution. This could be at the hands of the new government’s supporters, or simply because the new regime can't protect them. Now those fears appear to have been realised. There is rising sectarian violence against Christians, the Alawites and the Druze (pictured). There are also frequent barbaric attacks on Christians in parts of Africa: more than 40 Christians have just been murdered by Islamists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo while attending church.Fr Benedict Kiely joins Damian Thompson on this episode of Holy Smoke to discuss the background to this violence, the role of inter-faith score-settling, and why the global West – including leaders of the Catholic Church – seem more interested in migration than the slaughter of Christians and other people of faith.A Catholic priest of the Ordinariate, Fr Ben is a leading campaigner for religious believers around the world, and especially in the Middle East, and the founder of the charity nasarean.org.Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
--------
27:25
--------
27:25
Coffee House Shots: the Online Safety Act vs free speech
Is the Online Safety Act protecting children – or threatening free speech? Michael Simmons hosts John Power, who writes the Spectator's cover piece this week on how the Act has inadvertently created online censorship. Implemented and defended by the current Labour government, it is actually the result of legislation passed by the Conservatives in 2023 – which Labour did not support at the time, arguing it didn’t go far enough.Michael and John joined by former Conservative MP Miriam Cates who defends the core aims and principles at the heart of the Act. They debate the principles of Big Tech, the risks of government overreach and whether freedom of expression is under threat.Produced by Megan McElroy and Patrick Gibbons.
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.
New Zealand