Best of the Spectator

<div>The new Holy Smoke episode is a significant departure from our usual formula. It’s a discussion about the profound and neglected meaning of Christian art. Professor Ben Quash of King’s College London is interviewed not by me but by Carmel Thompson – my sister, who has appeared twice on Holy Smoke to talk about her battle with ovarian cancer but is determined not to be defined by her illness.<br><br></div><div>This is a truly engrossing episode inspired by Carmel’s conviction that art depicting Christian subjects – and that includes most of the great art produced in the West up to and including the Renaissance – is too often examined from a purely aesthetic point of view.<br><br>Obviously you’ll get far more out of this discussion if you can see what Carmel and Ben are talking about with such infectious enthusiasm, so <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast/how-a-biblically-illiterate-generation-can-discover-christian-art">here</a> are the artworks chosen by Ben.<br><br>Holy Smoke is hosted by Damian Thompson, who dissects the most important and controversial topics in world religion, with a range of high profile guests. Click <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/holy-smoke">here</a> to find previous episodes.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Freddy Gray talks to the journalist and author Nancy Rommelmann about the ongoing protests in Portland, Oregon as Trump begins to send in federal forces.<br><br>Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of the Spectator's US edition. Click <a href="https://audioboom.com/channel/americano">here</a> to listen to previous episodes.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Owen Matthews on Russia's plan to unleash chaos in the West (00:50); Lionel Shriver on the peculiar similarities between the open letter and the ransom note (11:00); and Peter Hitchens on why he won't be wearing a mask when he's giving blood (19:40).<br><br>Spectator Out Loud is a weekly podcast featuring some of the writers from the issue that week, reading out their pieces. Click <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/Spectator-Out-Loud">here</a> for previous episodes.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Archbishop Stephen Cottrell made the headlines even before he was enthroned last week, when he ‘revealed’ that Jesus was black. This came as news to everyone except the far left, race-baiting fanatics of Black Lives Matter.</div><div><br></div><div>This week, I talk to Dr Gavin Ashenden, a former chaplain to the Queen, about the implications of this disastrous appointment, which means that for the first time in the history of the Established Church the sees of Canterbury York and the London are all occupied by intellectually challenged bureaucrats with an adolescence enthusiasm for wokeness.<br><br><em>Subscribe to the Spectator's first podcast newsletter </em><a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights"><em>here</em></a><em> and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>As the long-awaited Russia report is released this week, we discuss Russia's plan to unleash chaos (00:45). Plus, does Boris Johnson have a management problem with his new MPs? (14:30) And last, the pains of dating during lockdown (28:30).<br><br>With Russia journalists Owen Matthews and Mary Dejevsky; the Spectator's deputy political editor Katy Balls; Conservative Home's editor Paul Goodman; Sunday Telegraph columnist Madeline Grant; and author James Innes-Smith.<br><br>Presented by Cindy Yu.<br><br>Produced by Cindy Yu and Pete Humphreys.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>On this week's books podcast, my guess is Oxford University's Professor of European Archaeology, Chris Gosden. Chris's new book <em>The History of Magic: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, From the Ice Age to the Present. </em>opens up what he sees as a side of human history that has been occluded by propaganda from science and religion. Accordingly, he delves back to evidence from the earliest human settlements all over the world to learn about our magical past -- one thread in what he calls the "triple-helix" of our cultural history. He tells me why John Dee got a bad rap, where magic wands came from -- and why, unusually as an academic, he argues that magic isn't just an anthropological curiosity but might, in fact, have something useful to teach us.<br><br><em>Subscribe to the Spectator's first podcast newsletter </em><a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights"><em>here</em></a><em> and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Freddy Gray interviews Thomas Frank in Spectator USA's second online event. Frank argues that populism isn't frightening, but rather an account of enlightenment and liberation; it is the story of American democracy itself, of its ever-widening promise of a decent life for all.<br><br>To catch Freddy's next event, subscribe to Spectator USA <a href="https://spectator.us/subscribe/">now</a>.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>The days of tightly controlled state economy are gone in China - but are they returning? In recent months, Chinese companies from Huawei to TikTok have caused concern in the West for fear that they don't really work for shareholders or themselves - but for Beijing. On this episode, I speak to Duncan Clark, a China expert who advises western investors on the Chinese economy, and author of <em>Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built. </em>So how independent are Huawei, TikTok and even Alibaba? More than you may think - but less and less so these days.<br><br>A fortnightly podcast on the latest in Chinese politics, society, and more. Presented by Cindy Yu. Listen to past episodes <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/chinese-whispers">here</a>.<br><br><em>Subscribe to the Spectator's first podcast newsletter </em><a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights"><em>here</em></a><em> and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Christopher Snowdon on Britain's lost demographic; this week's leading article on the Government's mixed messaging; and Toby Young on why he's in Jeffrey Epstein's little black book. <br><br><em>Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter </em><a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights"><em>here</em></a><em> and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>As technology becomes ever more part of our daily lives, banking is no different. You might have already used some ‘fintech’ innovations like Monzo and Klarna. The flexibility of fintech can particularly help women in their day-to-day lives, but if that’s the case, why is some fintech mostly used and created by men? In this special episode of Women With Balls, Katy Balls is joined by her panel to discuss these issues and more. </div><div> </div><div>With Nicky Morgan, Baroness of Cotes, a former Conservative Cabinet Minister and chair of the Treasury Select Committee; Chi Onwurah, a shadow Science minister, who was head of telecoms at Ofcom; Gill Wylie, Transformation Director at Lloyds Banking Group.<br><br>Sponsored by Lloyds Banking Group.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>White working class boys consistently perform worse than other demographics in the UK's education system - why? (00:45) What is it like to be 'cancelled'? (14:20) And is it time to return to the office? (24:50)<br><br>With the IEA's Christopher Snowdon; former Ucas head Mary Curnock Cook; journalist Kevin Myers; the Spectator's columnist Lionel Shriver; editor of the Oldie, Harry Mount; and Director of UK in a Changing Europe Anand Menon.<br><br>Presented by Cindy Yu.<br><br>Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>This week's Book Club podcast is brought to you rather later than we'd planned. In spring this year, the explorer and writer Robin Hanbury-Tenison was due to be talking to me about his new book <em>Taming The Four Horsemen: Radical Solutions to Defeat Pandemics, War, Famine and the Death of the Planet. </em>We'd been excited to have him on, not least because his book's interest in pandemic disease was starting to seem strangely prescient. The day before we were due to record, Robin emailed me to say that he had developed a terrible cough that would make recording impossible so we agreed to postpone our conversation. The next I heard was from Robin's son Merlin: Robin had been taken into hospital with Covid and the prognosis was grim. He'd been given only a 20 per cent chance of survival. But survive he did -- and once his health permitted we finally had our encounter. Listen to Robin talk about what the collapse of ancient civilisations can teach us about our own, how he sees the future of agriculture and medicine... and about what he remembers of his latest expedition to the gates of the beyond.<br><br>The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club">here</a>.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>The Coronomics series has come to an end after starting in mid-April, at a time when Hong Kong, Britain, the US, and Italy were at much more serious points of the pandemic. On this final episode, Kate Andrews talks to Nick Gillespie, Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli, and Jennifer Creery about what their respective governments have learnt during the crisis, and where they went wrong.<br><br><em>Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter </em><a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights"><em>here</em></a><em> and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Skye McAlpine is a Sunday Times columnist and the author of two cookbooks. She joins Lara and Olivia down the line from Venice, where she grew up. On the podcast, she talks about moving to the city as a child, her favourite Venetian meals, and why, despite being a dinner party maestro, she doesn't believe in starters.<br><br>Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to high profile guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes <a href="https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181">here</a>.<br><br><em>Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter </em><a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights"><em>here</em></a><em> and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Liam Halligan on the inflationary dangers of the Bank of England's quantitative easing; Lionel Shriver on the vanity of white guilt; and Ysenda Maxtone Graham on the existential danger that choirs are facing.<br><br><em>Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter </em><a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights"><em>here</em></a><em> and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Douglas Murray writes in the Spectator this week that Trump's speech at Mount Rushmore defended all the right bits of American history. He joins the podcast with Freddy this week to talk cancel culture and how Trump is taking on the left in the right way.</div><div><br><em>Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter </em><a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights"><em>here</em></a><em> and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>We've been told for years that the magic money tree doesn't exist - but has the Chancellor just found it? (00:55) Now that Hong Kong has come into closer orbit with Beijing, is Taiwan next? (21:15) And finally, we find out a little about the weird and wonderful world of hotel carpets - see them <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-weird-and-wonderful-world-of-hotel-carpets">here</a>! (32:35)<br><br>With The Spectator's Economics Correspondent Kate Andrews; Miatta Fahnbulleh from the New Economics Foundation; security expert Alessio Patalano; Taiwan expert Shelley Rigger; pilot and carpet connoisseur Bill Young; and journalist Sophie Haigney.<br><br>Presented by Cindy Yu.<br><br>Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery.<br><br><em>Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter </em><a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast-highlights"><em>here</em></a><em> and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>In this week's Book Club podcast Sam's guest is the Argentine-born novelist Andrés Neuman, who was acclaimed by the late Roberto Bolano as the future of Spanish-language fiction. They talk about boundary-crossing in literature, historical trauma, multilingual jokes - and his dazzling new novel <em>Fracture, </em>which sees a survivor of Hiroshima and Nagasaki grappling with the Fukushima nuclear disaster.<br><br><em>Click </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em> to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.<br><br></em>The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club">here</a>.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>In this episode, Mauricio Savarese reports on the latest from Brazil where the battle between the President Jair Bolsonaro and the media heats up. Kate Andrews updates on Britain's Covid situation with a report from the Times on an estimate for excess cancer deaths in 2021, and Cindy Yu reports on how Beijing's cluster infection has further damaged business and consumer confidence.<br><br><em>Click </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em> to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>The year-long Hong Kong protests seem to have come to an abrupt end - as China introduces a draconian national security law that punishes criticism of the Chinese government. On the podcast, Cindy Yu talks to academic and former diplomat Kerry Brown and Hong Kong journalist Jennifer Creery about what China wants with the city, and where this will end.<br><br>Chinese Whispers is a new fortnightly podcast from the Spectator on the latest in Chinese politics, society, and more, hosted by Cindy Yu.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>On this week's episode, James Forsyth talks about Boris Johnson's impossible mission - to rewire Whitehall (01:00), Douglas Murray on woke books (09:00), and Leaf Arbuthnot on the underground world of lockdown speakeasies and theatre (17:15).<br><br><em>Click </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em> to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Chloe Smith is the Conservative MP for Norwich North and minister at the Cabinet Office. She entered parliament at the age of 27 and rose through the ranks quickly. In 2012, she was interviewed by Jeremy Paxman in what has been described as a 'car crash interview' when she was sent out to defend then-Chancellor George Osborne's U-turn on fuel duty. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about what it was like to do that interview and the aftermath, why she proposed to her husband, and what it was like to receive a fake anthrax package.<br><br>Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit <a href="http://spectator.co.uk/balls">spectator.co.uk/balls</a>.<br><br><em>Click </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em> to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>The Prime Minister is trying to reform the civil service. He's not the first to try - so will he succeed? (00:50) The stakes for success are high, as his opponent is no longer Jeremy Corbyn, but the more impressive Keir Starmer. How have Starmer's first almost 100 days gone? (15:45) And last, how widespread is loneliness? (29:45)<br><br>With the Spectator's political editor James Forsyth; Jill Rutter from UK In a Changing Europe; our deputy political editor Katy Balls; former C4 Economics Editor Paul Mason; author Leaf Arbuthnot; and Andy Nazer from the Campaign to End Loneliness.<br><br>Presented by Cindy Yu.<br><br>Produced Cindy Yu and Beth Stamp.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>In this week's books podcast I'm joined by Alan Johnson and Andrew Adonis to talk about the latter's new biography of a neglected great of British political history: <em>Ernest Bevin: Labour's Churchill</em>. He was, in Andrew's estimation, the man who did most to save Europe from Stalin. So why has Bevin been so forgotten? In what way was he Churchillian? What would he have made of the current state of the Labour party? And will we ever see his like again?<br><br><em>Click </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em> to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Reporter at Canada's Globe and Mail, <strong>Robyn Doolittle</strong>, joins the panel this week to discuss what went wrong in Canada. Speaking to a series of infectious-disease experts, health officials and politicians, Robyn and her team pieced together an image of the 'lost months' - a period between January and March when more should have been done to prevent the pandemic. Also on the podcast: <strong>Kate Andrews</strong> gives an update on the latest in Leicester; <strong>Jennifer Creery</strong> reports on Hong Kong's latest worry - an influx of migrant workers; and <strong>Fredrik Erixon</strong> reflects back on Sweden's laissez-faire approach.<br><br>Read the articles discussed here:<br>Hong Kong: <a href="https://asiatimes.com/2020/06/hold-quarantine-centre-plea-as-domestic-workers-return/">https://asiatimes.com/2020/06/hold-quarantine-centre-plea-as-domestic-workers-return/</a></div><div>Sweden: <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sweden-self-isolation-in-the-country-that-didnt-do-lockdown-jdjdsc8mm">https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sweden-self-isolation-in-the-country-that-didnt-do-lockdown-jdjdsc8mm</a></div><div>Canada: <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/investigations/article-canadas-lost-months-when-covid-19s-first-wave-hit-governments-and/">https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/investigations/article-canadas-lost-months-when-covid-19s-first-wave-hit-governments-and/</a></div><div>UK: <a href="https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/hundreds-more-people-diagnosed-covid-4272970">https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/hundreds-more-people-diagnosed-covid-4272970</a><br><br><em>The Spectator is looking for the UK's brightest entrepreneurs for our Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by private bank Julius Baer. If you run a business that brings radical positive change and is capable of achieving national or international impact, we want to hear from you. Apply by 1 July at </em><a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/innovator"><em><a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/innovator">www.spectator.co.uk/innovator</a></em></a><em>.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Rory Sutherland is the vice-chairman of the renowned advertising firm, Ogilvy, and the Spectator's 'Wiki Man' columnist. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Olivia about everything and anything from the dreadful British food of the 70s, why he loves chain restaurants, and the best and worst kitchen gadgets. As well as his incredibly eclectic and international death row meal.<br><br>Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to high profile guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes <a href="https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181">here</a>.<br><br><em>The Spectator is looking for the UK's brightest entrepreneurs for our Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by private bank Julius Baer. If you run a business that brings radical positive change and is capable of achieving national or international impact, we want to hear from you. Apply by 1 July at </em><a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/innovator"><em><a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/innovator">www.spectator.co.uk/innovator</a></em></a><em>.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>On this week's episode, former police officer Kevin Hurley reads his piece on how top police officers get disillusioned in the job; Alicia Munckton talks about the private-state divide in education during this lockdown; and James Delingpole reviews Alan Bennett's new Talking Heads, and explains why he's not a fan.<br><br><em>The Spectator is looking for the UK's brightest entrepreneurs for our Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by private bank Julius Baer. If you run a business that brings radical positive change and is capable of achieving national or international impact, we want to hear from you. Apply by 1 July at </em><a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/innovator"><em><a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/innovator">www.spectator.co.uk/innovator</a></em></a><em>.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Fans of nuclear energy say that it is efficient, reliable, and greener than fossil fuels. The government's Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050 target may not be achievable without a helping hand from nuclear. But its critics say that it's costly for the taxpayer, prone to delays, and damaging for local ecosystems. What's more, Hinkley Point demonstrated the risk of foreign investment in key infrastructure. Is Britain going to need more nuclear power plants, or is there a better way? Kate Andrews speaks to a panel of guests to discuss this and more:<br><br>Bim Afolami, Conservative MP for Hitchin and Harpenden<br>Professor Simon Taylor, author of <em>The Fall and Rise of Nuclear Power in Britain<br></em>Julia Pyke, Nuclear Development Director at EDF Energy<br><br>This podcast is sponsored by EDF Energy.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>On the podcast this week, a former police officer gives his take on why black youths loathe the police (01:05); we discuss why Downing Street would prefer Joe Biden to win (17:25); and will anything really change after the pandemic? (30:50).<br><br>With former Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Kevin Hurley; campaigner Katrina Ffrench; the Spectator's Political Editor James Forsyth; the Spectator's Economics Correspondent Kate Andrews; and our columnists Matthew Parris and Rory Sutherland.<br><br>Presented by Cindy Yu.<br><br>Produced by Cindy Yu and Beth Stamp.<br><br><em>Click </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em> to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>In this week’s Book Club podcast my guest is the historian Rutger Bregman. In his new book <em>Humankind</em>, Rutger argues that practically every novelist, psychologist, economist and political theorist has got it all wrong: humans are naturally caring, sharing and altruistic... and far from being the one thing that stands in the way of a Hobbesian war of all against all, 'civilisation' is actually what makes us behave badly. You’re probably thinking: 'Come off it, hippy.' Why not see if he can change your mind?<br><br>The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club">here</a>.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Germany has launched its contact tracing app, but is it the only way to get out of lockdown? Kate Andrews talks to a panel of international guests and hears about the situation from Italy, where concerns over tourism and getting their cities back are conflicting the residents of Venice and Rome; from Germany, where uptake on the new app has been good; and from America, on how even 'science' is becoming partisan.<br><br>With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli from Rome, Nick Gillespie from New York, and Constantin Eckner from Berlin.<br><br>Presented by Kate Andrews.<br><br><em>The Spectator is looking for the UK's brightest entrepreneurs for our Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by private bank Julius Baer. If you run a business that brings radical positive change and is capable of achieving national or international impact, we want to hear from you. Apply by 1 July at </em><a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/innovator"><em><a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/innovator">www.spectator.co.uk/innovator</a></em></a><em>.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Leo Kearse is a Scottish comedian and writer. On the podcast, he talks to Ben and Andy about the irony of alt-right protestors making Nazi salutes in central London; the difficulty in pinning down the changing definition of a 'racist'; and why Patrick Hutchinson, the BLM protestor who carried a man out of a protest getting violent, was his man of the month.<br><br>Presented by Andy Shaw and Benedict Spence.<br><br><em>Click </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em> to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>This week's episode features actor Laurence Fox on the pitfalls of wrongthink; teacher Lucy Kellaway on the true cost to students of classroom closures; and Toby Young on what happened when he tested negative for antibodies.<br><br><em>The Spectator is partnering with private bank Julius Baer to find the UK's brightest entrepreneurs for our Economic Innovator of the Year Awards. If you run a business that brings radical positive change and is capable of achieving national or international impact, we want to hear from you. Apply by 1 July at </em><a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/innovator"><em><a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/innovator">www.spectator.co.uk/innovator</a></em></a><em>.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Joanna Trollope is an award-winning novelist, whose books have sold more than eight million copies worldwide. She's known best for her novel, <em>The Rector's Wife</em>, which was adapted into a TV series. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about the expectations on her as a girl growing up in the 40s, how stay at home mums can still be feminists, and how, as she gets older, she finds she gets her way more.<br><br><em>Click </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em> to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.<br><br></em>Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit <a href="http://spectator.co.uk/balls">spectator.co.uk/balls</a>.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Schools have been closed for almost three months - what is the true cost of these closures on pupils (1:00)? Plus, have Brexit negotiations started looking up (13:15)? And last, are the statue-topplers of Rhodes Must Fall going about their mission the wrong way (22:45)?<br><br>With teacher Lucy Kellaway; the IFS's Paul Johnson; the Spectator's political editor James Forsyth; the FT's public policy editor Peter Foster; journalists Tanjil Rashid and Nadine Batchelor-Hunt.<br><br>Presented by Cindy Yu.<br><br>Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.<br><br><em>Click </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em> to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>In this week's Book Club podcast, my guest is the writer Susanna Moore. Best known for her pitch-black erotic thriller <em>In The Cut, </em>recently republished to huge acclaim, Susanna has just published a superb memoir of her young womanhood in Hawaii and Los Angeles - from shopgirl at Bergdorf's to model and actor, script reader for Warren Beatty and lover to Jack Nicholson - called <em>Miss Aluminium</em>. She talks about writing the past, sexual violence, the rage that inspired <em>In The Cut</em>, the young Roman Polanski - and why clothes matter.<br><br><em>Click </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em> to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.<br><br></em>The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club">here</a>.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>With post-Covid life a bit closer for some countries around the world than others, this week's panel takes a look at how businesses are navigating their way out of the pandemic. Jennifer Creery, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press, takes a look at the government bailout to Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong's airline; Peter Griffin, a science and tech journalist based in New Zealand, talks about balancing contact tracing with the demands of reopening businesses; while Cindy Yu, the Spectator's Broadcast Editor, kicks off the episode by taking a look at China's candidates in the vaccine race.<br><br>Coronomics is a series of podcasts taking a look at how coronavirus has turned the world upside down, with an international panel each week. Presented by Kate Andrews. Click <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/coronomics">here</a> for previous episodes.<br><br><em>Click </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em> to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Greta Bellamacina is an actress and poet, who has published numerous collections and made her acting debut in Harry Potter. On the podcast, she talks to Lara and Olivia about what it was like to be on set for Harry Potter, growing up with four siblings, and why her favourite restaurant is an over-priced Chinese restaurant in Paris.<br><br><em>Click </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A521B&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em> to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.</em><br><br>Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to high profile guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes <a href="https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181">here</a>.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Douglas Murray reads his cover piece in which he argues that liberalism is under threat; Matthew Parris rejoices in the toppling of Bristol’s Edward Colston statue, calling it a thrilling act of history; and Kate Andrews explains the problems of policing back in her home country of America. </div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>The Merriam-Webster dictionary has updated its definition of racism – so what does racism in America actually mean? Spectator USA editor Freddy Gray speaks to writer Coleman Hughes. </div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Are we witnessing the death of the liberal ideal? (01:02) Next, what's behind the government U-turn on primary schools and what effect could it have on the poorest students? (20:14) And finally, Britain's ash trees are facing a pandemic of their own, with so-called ash dieback sweeping the nation. Can Britain's ash trees be saved? (30:12)<br><br>With Douglas Murray; The Spectator's economics editor Kate Andrews; Coffee House contributor Melanie McDonagh; political editor James Forsyth; associate editor of the Evening Standard Julian Glover; and professor at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona Valerie Trouet. <br><br>Presented by Katy Balls.<br><br>Produced by Gus Carter and Matthew Taylor.<br><br><em>Get a subscription to </em>The Spectator<em> as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A571G&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em> </div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Freddy Gray talks to the author and President of the National Association of Scholars Peter Wood about the prevalence of anger in modern America. </div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>My guest on this week's Book Club podcast is the biographer Adam Begley. Adam's work includes biographies of John Updike and the Belle Epoque photographer, cartoonist and aeronaut Felix Tournachon, aka Nadar. In his new book he turns his attention to the great escapologist Harry Houdini. I asked him what it was that made Houdini special, what challenges a lifelong myth-maker (aka inveterate liar) poses to the biographer, and how Adam tends to get on with his subjects. As Adam describes in our talk, you can watch a video of Houdini in action <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_HHFMSmHCQ">here</a>.<br><br>The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club">here</a>.</div><div><br><em>Get a subscription to </em>The Spectator<em> as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A571G&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>In this week's episode, the Coronomics panel discuss Brazil’s unknown death toll, Sweden’s cautious optimism for employment, the UK’s crawl out of lockdown restrictions, and the double standards uncovered in America’s lockdown rules. Kate Andrews is joined by Fredrik Erixon in Sweden, Nick Gillespie in New York City, and Mauricio Savarese in Brazil.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Thousands of protesters took to the streets this weekend as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. In Bristol, a statue of the slaver Edward Colston was toppled and thrown into the city's docks. But are we now seeing a change in the government's response? Katy Balls speaks to Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth. <br><br><em>Get a subscription to </em>The Spectator<em> as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A571G&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em></div><div><br></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Fraser Nelson reads his <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/our-duty-to-hong-kong-the-case-for-granting-full-british-citizenship">cover piece</a> campaigning for the British government to offer citizenship to the Hong Kong Chinese; Douglas Murray <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-are-street-protestors-exempt-from-the-corona-clause">asks</a> - why do the Black Lives Matter protestors get to be exempt from the lockdown? And Tanya Gold <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/repulsive-depraved-and-oddly-political-monster-munch-crisps-reviewed">reviews</a>: Monster Munch.<br><br><em>Get a subscription to </em>The Spectator<em> as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A571G&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Sunetra Gupta is Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford. An expert in the fight against infectious diseases, she is the lead scientist behind the Oxford study that disputed Imperial College's dire coronavirus predictions. She is also a novelist and translator. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about her writing and how it was inspired by her intellectual father; her dispute with the mentor of Imperial College's Neil Ferguson; and how she has found being in the public eye.<br><br><em>Get a subscription to </em>The Spectator<em> as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A571G&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em>.<br></em><br>Women With Balls is a podcast series where Katy Balls speak to women at the top of their respective games. To hear past episodes, visit <a href="http://spectator.co.uk/balls">spectator.co.uk/balls</a>.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>As China looks to push through its national security law, is it time to offer Hong Kongers a way out? (01:00) And with the Black Lives Matter protests continuing to rage in America, can they unseat Donald Trump? (15:30) And last, do animals have culture? (29:10)<br><br>With Spectator Editor Fraser Nelson; Hong Kong expert Jeffrey Wasserstrom; Spectator USA Editor Freddy Gray; our Economics Correspondent Kate Andrews; writer and journalist Simon Barnes; and ecologist Carl Safina.<br><br>Presented by Cindy Yu.<br><br>Produced by Cindy Yu and Gus Carter.<br><br><em>Get a subscription to </em>The Spectator<em> as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A571G&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em></div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Is there life, as David Bowie wondered, on Mars? In this week's Book Club podcast my guest is the astrobiologist Kevin Peter Hand, author of a fascinating new book <em>Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space. </em>Kevin explains how and where we're currently looking for extraterrestrial life in our own solar system - and why on the basis of sound science he's optimistic that we'll find it. He tells us about the brilliantly ingenious scientific deduction that has established that there exist oceans of liquid water deep under the icy shells of moons of Saturn and Jupiter, why it's quite possible to suppose that aliens might be living in those oceans - and how we can even speculate about what those aliens might look like. And if Kevin's old schoolmate Elon Musk is listening, he has a favour to ask...<br><br><em>Get a month's free trial of The Spectator and a free wireless charger </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A558G&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em>.<br><br></em>The Book Club is a series of literary interviews and discussions on the latest releases in the world of publishing, from poetry through to physics. Presented by Sam Leith, The Spectator's Literary Editor. Hear past episodes <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/book-club">here</a>.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<div>Rhik Samadder is an actor and columnist for the Guardian, where his column <em>Wellness or Hellness? </em>reviews kitchen gadgets and life hacks. On the podcast, he talks to Lara and Livvy about his mother's adventurous dinner table, his teenage battles with anorexia, and the worst kitchen gadgets he ever reviewed (including a mug which had a biscuit compartment). <br><br><em>Click </em><a href="https://subscription.spectator.co.uk/?prom=A558G&pkgcode=03"><em>here</em></a><em> to try a month of the Spectator for free and get a free wireless charger.</em><br><br>Table Talk is a series of podcasts where Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to high profile guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Listen to past episodes <a href="https://audioboom.com/channels/4985181">here</a>.</div> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>