The Sceptic

Charles Talbot on how the Blob is stifling democracy in Britain and turning the state against itself.

In Episode 83 of the Sceptic, guest host Michael Murphy speaks to Charles Talbot, author of the new Cambridge Circus Research report ‘Breaking the Blob’, about how a sprawling ecosystem of activist charities, quangos and captured institutions exerts a powerful chokehold on British political life, undermines government policy and leaves Britain feeling increasingly like a state at war with itself.

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Read ‘Breaking the Blob’ here.

Produced by Richard Eldred.

Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.

 

00:00 Intro

00:00:47 Charles Talbot on the Blob

00:03:35 The Blob's Left-Wing Bias

00:05:16 A State at War with Itself

00:07:41 Why Government Funds Its Own Opponents

00:10:17 How the Blob Kills Policies it Doesn't Like

00:14:15 The Rwanda Scheme

00:16:17 Can Any Policy Survive the Blob?

00:18:19 Laws That Must Change

00:20:20 The Funnel Model & Weak Regulation

00:24:37 Charity vs Political Activism

00:27:12 Should Government Track Undermining Spending?

00:29:11 The Media’s Role in Aiding the Blob

00:36:08 What a Serious Government Must Do

00:39:05 Radical Reforms

00:42:29 Conspiracy or Ideological Alignment?

00:45:52 Future Work from Cambridge Circus Research

00:52:15 Where to Find the Report

Dr Ben Jones on how 30 years of mass migration have created the conditions for rising unrest, and Dr Gwythian Prins on why green zealotry weakens Britain in a dangerous world.

In Episode 82 of the Sceptic, host David Shipley speaks to Dr Ben Jones, Director of Cases at the Free Speech Union and author of Island of Strangers, on how 30 years of mass migration and hyper-diversity have transformed Britain into a fragmented “society of societies”, eroded free speech, fuelled cancel culture and created the conditions for two-tier policing and rising unrest.

And for our premium subscribers, David speaks to Dr Gwythian Prins, Emeritus Professor at the London School of Economics and convenor of the Hartwell Group, on the fatal technical, economic and security flaws of Net Zero, why climate models are fundamentally broken, the impossibility of a renewables transition and how this green madness weakens Britain in a dangerous world.

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Read Gwythian’s article on the Daily Sceptic here.

Produced by Richard Eldred.

Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.

 

00:00 Intro

00:01:36 Ben Jones on His New Book 'Island of Strangers'

00:03:23 The Link Between Multiculturalism and Free Speech Restrictions

00:06:41 How US Woke Ideology Invaded UK

00:09:02 Why Are the Elite So Wedded to These Worldviews?

00:12:36 What Is the Solution to UK’s Free Speech Crisis?

00:15:44 Two-Tier Policing and Division

00:19:56 Prof Gwydion Prins on the Problems With Climate Modelling

00:24:32 Why Renewables Cannot Power a Stable Grid

00:28:27 The Security Implications of Net Zero

00:32:33 Can Sanity Return?

Ex-cop Paul Birch on the gross failures of the Nowak arrest and Jack Hadfield on the protests. Plus: Blair’s shameless green U-turn.

In Episode 81 of the Sceptic, host Laurie Wastell speaks to Paul Birch, former Metropolitan Police officer and commentator, on the police’s gross failures over the arrest of Henry Nowak after he was stabbed – and exactly how anti-racist ideology warps day-to-day policing.

Jack Hadfield, independent journalist, on the fierce protests and political fallout over the Nowak outrage and whether there’s more to come.

And for our premium subscribers, Laurie speaks to Ben Pile, journalist and Daily Sceptic regular, on Tony Blair’s latest intervention criticising Net Zero, his baleful legacy and why our dimwitted political class, incredibly, still takes him seriously.

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Read Paul’s article on the Daily Sceptic here.

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Read his article on the Daily Sceptic here.

Produced by Richard Eldred.

Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.

00:00 Intro

00:02:24 Paul Birch on Henry Nowak Arrest

00:05:03 Why Was Henry Nowak Handcuffed?

00:09:20 Did Anti-Racism Training Shape the Response?

00:14:46 Individual Failures or Institutional Culture?

00:20:58 Poor Training and Woke Ideology

00:23:51 Will the IOPC Deliver Real Accountability?

00:28:59 What Real Police Reform Looks Like

00:34:00 Jack Hadfield on Southampton Protests

00:39:35 Disorder and Crowd Sentiment

00:43:54 Wider Protests This Summer?

00:46:53 Should Henry Nowak’s Murder Be Politicised?

00:51:24 Ben Pile on Blair’s Net Zero Intervention

00:55:44 Why Blair is Shameless

00:59:42 Ideological Roots of Failures

Doug Stokes on whether peace is possible in Ukraine, America’s fading global dominance, the future of NATO and why Britain’s rush to rearm could spell trouble for Net Zero.

The Sceptic is away this week, so we’re bringing you an episode from the archive.

In May 2025, host Laurie Wastell caught up with Doug Stokes, Professor of International Security and Strategy at Exeter University, Senior Advisor at the Prosperity Institute and author of books including Against Decolonisation: Campus Culture Wars and the Decline of the West.

Professor Stokes’s insight into the undercurrents to America’s changing global position remain as relevant as ever. Doug and Laurie discuss whether peace is on the cards in Ukraine, the effect of the war on Russia’s geopolitical position, whether MAGA is right to lament America’s position as global superintendent, the future of NATO and what the war means for Europe and Trump’s trade war and whether it will spell the end of dollar hegemony.

They also consider the long-term possibility of detente with Russia, whether the need to re-arm will mean the end of the Net Zero here in Britain and the roots of the free-speech crisis in Britain's universities.

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00:00 Intro
00:40 Ukraine Ceasefire
07:03 Russia and China
07:25 NATO’s Future
11:04 Europe and Dependency
18:57 Trump’s Trade War
23:14 Europe’s Role
27:19 Rearming Europe
27:31 Nord Stream Fallout
38:26 Defence and Net Zero
40:58 Britain’s Industrial Decline
41:13 Free Speech Crisis
46:54 Kathleen Stock Case
47:19 Universities and Trans Ideology

Andrew Orlowski on Palantir, AI and the truth about UK phone signal. Plus: vaccine injuries in Canada.

In Episode 80 of the Sceptic, host Laurie Wastell speaks to Andrew Orlowski, business and technology columnist at the Telegraph, on the truth about Palantir and the NHS, the latest AI stumbling blocks and the real problem with Britain’s phone signal.

And for our premium subscribers, Laurie catches up with Canadian filmmaker Dean Rainey, on his latest documentary outlining the overlooked effects of vaccine injuries.

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Visit Dean’s website here. 
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Watch Why Can’t We Talk About This? Parts 1 & 2 here.

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Support Sean here.

Produced by Richard Eldred.

Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.