172: Progressive realism

Actor James Dreyfus joins Jo Bartosch to discuss the gender wars, cancel culture and the stifling of individuality in art.

Can Labour's new foreign policy doctrine work in our troubled world? Professor Patrick Porter joins Sebastian Milbank to discuss this, the Chagos Islands, Lebanon and the future of Britain in an increasingly isolated Europe. 

In an age of globalisation could world government be on the horizon? Gal Treger joins Sebastian Milbank to discuss his recent article, and how deeper forms of identity and belonging will always take their revenge on dreams of worldwide hegemony.

Three very sleepy men discuss the election result. In an heroic bit of Critic broadcasting, Richard Johnson, a senior lecturer in politics at Queen Mary University and Sam Bidwell, a Parliamentary researcher and freelance writer join executive editor Sebastian Milbank to talk Reform, sectarian voting, first past the post, and Labour's constitutional plans. 

As Britain goes to the polls, we look at one of the election's untold stories — the emergence of a revived SDP (Social Democratic Party), carrying forwards an Owenite, socially conservative and economically left wing message to British voters. The SDP's leader, William Clouston, joined Executive Editor Sebastian Milbank to explain the party's vision. 

In our latest Critic podcast, we peer over the pond to the American elections. Last night saw the first (and perhaps last) debate between Trump and Biden. Executive Editor Sebastian Milbank was joined by Will Upton, a former US Treasury official and an editor of the National Pulse, to talk about the sorry sight of a man far too frail to run for office. 

The publication of the Cass Review validated many of the concerns that “gender-critical” commentators and activists had expressed about transgenderism and transitioning. In this series, Jo Bartosch will explore how we got here — interviewing some of the people who helped to make it happen. In this episode, Jo speaks with Lord Moonie, a man of the left and a self-described “awkward sod” who resisted the rise of gender ideology and the medicalisation of children.

On the latest Critic election podcast, we're talking Tories. Sebastian Milbank is joined by Henry Hill, Deputy Editor of Conservative Home, and Fred de Fossard, Director of Parliamentary Affairs for the Legatum Institute, to discuss Conservatism past, present and future.  On the agenda are the credibility of the party manifestos, the possible collapse of the Conservative ground game, the likely result of a post-defeat leadership election, and the potential role of Reform as Tory nemesis. 

As populists make gains in the EU elections, and Reform rises in the polls in Britain, we ask if Europe's future, on both sides of the channel, is with the dissident right?  In our latest Critic election special, Sebastian Milbank is joined by Harrison Pitt, a Senior Editor at The European Conservative, and Political Commentator at the New Culture Forum, and by Sam Bidwell, a Parliamentary Researcher and freelance writer, to discuss the EU elections, Friday's TV debate, and whether populism can make the shift from insurgent movement to governing project. 

According to a recent report, 40 per cent of Labour voters can be descried as "blue values voters" — economic and social conservatives who want greater state investment in public services, but also law and order, migration restrictions and a patriotism from their political leaders.  In our first Critic election special, Executive Editor Sebastian Milbank is joined by Professor Adrian Pabst, a writer, academic and Deputy Director of the NIESR (National Institute of Economic and Social Research), and Liam Stokes, an experienced environmentalist and countryside campaigner, to ask if Starmer can take these voters with him, or if he's likely to leave them behind.