Free minds and free markets, with Nick Gillespie

Earlier this week, Will joined comedian and GB News host Nick Dixon on his podcast, ‘The Current Thing.’ They chatted about the news of the week in the UK, including a poll from The Sun revealing the depths of despair in the country, Ben Habib’s new party, the Birmingham bin crisis, anti-white racism in the West Yorkshire police, Douglas Murray’s debate with Dave Smith on Joe Rogan’s podcast, and several detours this way and that.Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here.Read The Spectator Australia here.Subscribe to Nick's YouTube channel here.

If there’s one theme that cuts across Western politics in 2025, it is the rise of right-wing populist parties and politicians, tapping into a well of resentment towards establishment politics. Trump, Farage, Le Pen, and Wilders, to name a few. Some would argue they were all late to the game, trailing an unlikely figure; a female fish and chip show owner from the Queensland town of Ipswich.After first entering the Federal Australian parliament in 1996, Pauline Hanson has been one of the most consequential and enduring political figures in modern Australian political history. And to pinch a quote from her one-time nemesis John Howard, in 2025, the times may just suit her.Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here.Read The Spectator Australia here.Watch Pauline Hanson's 'Please Explain!' series here.

Freedom is under assault across the West. The US is reverting to 18th century economic protectionism, the UK are jailing people for tweets, and Australia gave up on the pretense of rugged individualism a long time ago.How do we fight for freedom in a world that is becoming less free? To help Will with that question, he is joined by Nick Gillespie. Nick is an Editor-at-large at Reason, the libertarian magazine of free minds and free markets, and host of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie.Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here.Read The Spectator Australia here.Visit Reason here.Follow Nick on X here.

The UK is in a dark place, but surely it couldn't reach the point of civil war? Don't be so sure. To discuss the possibility of a looming conflict, Will is joined by David Betz. David is Professor of War in the Modern World at King’s College London and a Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute.Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here.Read The Spectator Australia here.

If you turn on the news in the UK, the chances are the stories will be negative. Mass migration, two-tier justice, woeful economic forecasts, net zero lunacy, and a complete inability of politicians to fix these problems. Are things really as bad as they appear?To help Will understand the real state of the United Kingdom in 2025, he is joined by the host of The Saturday Five (6-9pm Saturday, GB News), Alex Armstrong.Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here.Read The Spectator Australia here.

We often think of the modern era as the age of American power. In reality, we’re living in a long, violent Eurasian century. Eurasia is a strategic prize without equal—which is why the world has been roiled, reshaped and nearly destroyed by clashes over the supercontinent.To discuss the fight for Eurasia in 2025 and beyond, and how to compete with China, Russia, and Iran, Will is joined by one of the world’s most respected foreign affairs experts, Hal Brands. Hal is the author of the new book, 'The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World.'Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here.Read The Spectator Australia here.

Will recently attended the ARC conference in London, which was basically Coachella for conservatives. During the conference, he sat down with Australia’s 28th Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, to discuss the small matter of the future of Western civilization. The interview was released on Spectator TV, the Spectator’s YouTube channel. You can watch the interview on YouTube here. Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here.Read The Spectator Australia here.

The conversation that surrounds the conflict in Ukraine has become, for the most part, a political Rorschach Test. That’s a problem, because there are shades upon shades of grey in this conflict. Whilst principles and moral culpability still matter, “Good Guy v Bad Guy” morality tales don’t necessarily get us closer to the truth.As we move into the fourth year of this conflict, it’s never been more important to know what’s really happening on the battlefield, and how it could end. To understand the state of play, Will is joined by perhaps the best pundit on the war from its inception, Francis Dearnley. Francis is an Executive Editor at the Telegraph, and host of the brilliant daily podcast, 'Ukraine: The Latest'.Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here.Read The Spectator Australia here.Listen to the 'Ukraine: The Latest' podcast here.Follow Francis on X here.

Politics shouldn’t be a team sport, but it has become one. Far too many of us blindly support politicians or parties as opposed to critically assessing ideas and policies. Where has this tribalism come from, how has it got so bad, and what do we do about it? To help Will answer those questions, he is joined by comedian, political satirist and author, Andrew Heaton. Andrew's new book is titled, "Tribalism is Dumb: Where It Came from, How It Got So Bad, and What to Do about It.”Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here.Read The Spectator Australia here.

The Economist recently described Germany as "the hole at the heart of Europe". That’s a reasonable description, particularly given it accounts for a quarter of the EU’s output, but it has been in recession for the past two years. Another way to look at it is that Germany is a representation of Europe, and all of its challenges. Mass migration has ripped at the social fabric, with devastating consequences. Bureaucracy has strangled growth. Widespread discontent has given rise to right wing populist politics. And it can no longer rely on American security to make up for its own defence deficiencies.The Germans will go to the polls next week. To discuss what it will mean for the country, and for Europe, Will is joined by the Head of The Centre for Applied History at MCC Budapest, and host of the Hammer Time podcast and YouTube show, Dr Ralph Schoellhammer.