The Spectator's flagship podcast featuring discussions and debates on the best features from the week's edition. Presented by Lara Prendergast and William Moore...
Britain’s bureaucratic bloat, debating surrogacy & is smoking ‘sexy’?
This week: The Spectator launches SPAFF
The civil service does one thing right, writes The Spectator’s data editor Michael Simmons: spaffing money away. The advent of Elon Musk’s DOGE in the US has inspired The Spectator to launch our own war on wasteful spending – the Spectator Project Against Frivolous Funding, or SPAFF. Examples of waste range from the comic to the tragic. The Department for Work and Pensions, Michael writes, ‘bought one Universal Credit claimant a £1,500 e-bike after he persuaded his MP it would help him find self-employment’. There’s money for a group trying to ‘decolonise’ pole dancing; for a ‘socially engaged’ practitioner to make a film about someone else getting an MBE; and for subscriptions to LinkedIn. Lord Agnew, who used to hold the ‘Pythonesque’ title of ‘minister of state for efficiency and transformation’, backs The Spectator’s new SPAFF campaign and says total reform is the only option. Michael and Theo joined the podcast to discuss. (1:04)
Next: is surrogacy a blessing or a sham?
Debates about surrogacy have raged again following the announcement that the actress Lily Collins has had a baby via surrogate. Mary Wakefield says that there is a ‘sadness’ behind surrogacy, and that babies could be affected by being separated from their birth mother. Surrogacy is illegal in many countries, such as Spain and Italy, and Mary worries about potential legal changes that would make it easier to pursue here in the UK. So, is surrogacy a lifeline for many couples looking to conceive, or is it a practice that we should be more concerned about? Mary joined the podcast to discuss alongside Sunshine Hanson. Sunshine is the president and co-founder of the US-based surrogacy agency Surrogacy Is, and has also been a gestational surrogate three times. (16:26)
And finally: is smoking sexy again?
Flora Watkins revels at the news that Generation Z are shedding their vapes and taking up ‘real’ smoking, saying that everyone looks ‘hotter with a fag in their mouth’. Disregarding familial disapproval, Flora says that smoking makes her feel cool, young and attractive. Does this mean that smoking is sexy again? And why is smoking proving more popular with younger generations? It appears that the proposed smoking ban, proposed by both the Conservatives and now Labour, is having the opposite effect. Flora joined the podcast - with a cigarette in hand - to discuss, alongside the writer Zak Asgard. (29:35)
Presented by Lara Prendergast and William Moore.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
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39:14
Labour's Irish insurgent, Germany's 'firewall' falls & finding joy in obituaries
This week: Morgan McSweeney, the insurgent behind Keir Starmer’s premiership
As a man with the instincts of an insurgent, Morgan McSweeney, Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, has found Labour’s first six months in office a frustrating time, writes The Spectator’s editor Michael Gove. ‘Many of his insights – those that made Labour electable – appeared to have been overlooked by the very ministers he propelled into power.’ McSweeney is trying to wrench the government away from complacent incumbency: there is a new emphasis on growth, a tougher line on borders, an impatience with establishment excuses for inertia. Will McSweeney win his battle? And what does this mean for figures in Starmer’s government, like Richard Hermer and Ed Miliband? Michael joined the podcast alongside Starmer’s biographer Tom Baldwin. (1:04)
Next: can the AfD be stopped?
Lisa Haseldine writes about an earthquake that hit German politics last week; the much feted ‘firewall’ – the agreement by mainstream political parties not to work with the far-right – appeared to fall. Freidrich Merz, tipped to be Chancellor after the upcoming German elections, relied upon the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) for two votes on immigration. Cue protests and denouncements; Merz’s most high-profile predecessor as CDU leader, Angela Merkel, even made a rare, political intervention to denounce the decision. Has the vote helped or hindered Merz? And has the German firewall fallen permanently? Lisa joined the podcast alongside Elisabeth Dampier. Elisabeth has interviewed the controversial AfD MEP Maximilian Krah for the magazine and writes about the man who calls himself ‘the German Donald Trump’. (21:02)
And finally: the curious life of an obituary writer
Mark Mason provides his notes on obituaries for the magazine this week, stating that ‘there’s nothing as inspiring or instructive or entertaining about reading a few hundred words about someone’s time on his planet’. What’s the process behind putting an obituary together? The Times' longest serving obituary writer Damian Arnold once said, ‘The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is check to see who's dead.’ Mark and Damian joined the podcast to discuss who makes for the best obituary, if there is joy to be found in celebrating death, and whether they’ve ever published an obituary of someone who isn’t actually dead… (33:48)
Presented by Lara Prendergast and William Moore.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
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47:44
Migration mystery, Ipso’s trans muddle & are you a ‘trad dad’?
This week: why don’t we know how many people are in Britain?
How many people live in the UK? It’s a straightforward question, yet the answer eludes some of the nation’s brightest statistical minds, writes Sam Bidwell for the cover this week. Whenever official figures are tested against real-world data, the population is almost always undercounted. For example, in England alone, nearly 64 million patients are registered with GP practices – higher than the Office for National Statistics (ONS)'s estimated population of 58 million. Sam argues there are serious consequences for our society at large, including for tax, housing and our utilities. Who is to blame for this data deficiency? And why is Britain so bad at tackling illegal migration? Sam joined the podcast alongside the broadcaster Trevor Phillips. (1:03)
Next: has gender ideology taken over the press regulator?
Two months ago, the press regulator Ipso upheld a complaint against The Spectator for the way in which writer Gareth Roberts referred to transgender author Juno Dawson. One person who wasn’t surprised by the ruling was Conrad Roeber, who was lead author of a report for the regulator examining how the press treats trans-related issues. In the magazine this week, he argues: ‘It effectively asked me to mark its homework,’ and he worries that the case demonstrates that a contentious ideology has taken over the regulator. What does this case mean for the intersection of equality, free speech and a free press? Conrad joined us to discuss, alongside The Spectator’s editor Michael Gove. (21:35)
And finally: trad dads vs female breadwinners
Arabella Byrne argues in favour of ‘trad dads’, saying that she is quite happy with her traditional family life with her husband as the main breadwinner. Her piece was (in part) a response to an article by Theo Hobson, published in The Spectator several weeks ago, where he shared his conflicting feelings about his wife being the main earner in his family. How much have societal norms really changed? What impact is there on a spouse who isn’t the breadwinner? And for all the talk of gender parity professionally, can it ever truly be achieved in the familial home? Both Arabella and Theo joined us to discuss. (36:00)
Hosted by Lara Prendergast and William Moore.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
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45:38
Industry tragedy, Trump vs the Pope & the depressing reality of sex parties
This week: the death of British industry
In the cover piece for the magazine, Matthew Lynn argues that Britain is in danger of entering a ‘zero-industrial society’. The country that gave the world the Industrial Revolution has presided over a steep decline in British manufacturing. He argues there are serious consequences: foreign ownership, poorer societies, a lack of innovation, and even national security concerns. Why has this happened? Who is to blame? And could Labour turn it around? Matthew joined the podcast, alongside the head of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Paul Nowak. (1:05)
Next: the Pope takes on President Trump
The Pope has nominated Cardinal Robert McElroy to be the new Archbishop of Washington. Damian Thompson writes that on the face of it, this might sound like a routine appointment, but the reality is that this is retaliation against the Trump administration. for the nomination of an arch-MAGA loyalist, and uncompromising Catholic, as the new ambassador to the Holy See. Subsequently, the Vatican has appointed an outspoken liberal. What does this tell us about the power of both the Papacy and the President? And how much sway does the Catholic hierarchy really have in Trump’s America? Damian joined us to reveal more, alongside our deputy editor Freddy Gray, who has been in D.C. for Trump’s inauguration. (19:02)
And finally: what are sex parties really like?
Far from being a sexy affair, sex parties are depressing, with most attendees leaving unfulfilled and rather disappointed, writes James Innes-Smith. He says that he spent more time in the kitchen at a recent party than in the bedroom. So, what makes them appealing in the first place? Are people looking for connection in all the wrong places? James joined the podcast alongside Sophia Money-Coutts, who has written about the subject for Tatler magazine. (30:35)
Hosted by Lara Prendergast and William Moore.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.
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42:01
Empire of Trump, the creep of child-free influencers & is fact-checking a fiction?
This week: President Trump’s plan to Make America Greater
In the cover piece for the magazine, our deputy editor and host of the Americano podcast, Freddy Gray, delves into Trump’s plans. He speaks to insiders, including Steve Bannon, about the President’s ambitions for empire-building. Could he really take over Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal? And if not, what is he really hoping to achieve? Academic and long-time friend of J.D. Vance, James Orr, also writes in the magazine this week about how the vice president-elect could be an even more effective standard-bearer for the MAGA movement. Freddy and James joined the podcast, just before Freddy heads off to cover Trump’s inauguration. (1:00)
Next: the child-free influencers waging war on motherhood
Kara Kennedy also writes in the magazine about the popularity of social media influencers advocating child-free lives. It’s well documented that more and more young people are choosing not to have children. However, while some might think this is about championing different lifestyles, Kara writes that many of these influencers are, in fact, shaming those who choose to have children. What motivates them? Kara joined the podcast alongside Brittany Brantley, an influencer who started out in the child-free community, before choosing to have a child. (16:58)
And finally: can fact-checking ever be objective?
Following the news that Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta will reduce its fact-checking service, Matt Ridley examines the world of fact-checking and declares the practice ‘corrupted’. Matt argues that fact-checking is riddled with bias – can it ever be objective? Matt joined the podcast alongside The Spectator’s very own fact-checking team, Sam McPhail and Michael Simmons – who get a positive mention in Matt’s piece. They lift the lid on how the magazine approaches fact-checking. (26:58)
Hosted by Lara Prendergast and William Moore.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.
The Spectator's flagship podcast featuring discussions and debates on the best features from the week's edition. Presented by Lara Prendergast and William Moore.