Exception and Exceptionalism with Dr Helene von Bismarck

A dip into The Spectator Magazine’s face-to-face debate on free speech. The motion: ‘This house believes Britain no longer has free speech'.What came out of it was that the proposers and opponents of the motion were, at some level, talking past each other. Unpick that and you unpick why many have complained about free speech being limited in recent years. It is not true in law.... and yet it is true in law. It depends what level or experience of law one is looking at. Note there are some quotes in here that are lifted directly from the debate. Some are grim and deeply offensive, but I use the quotes to make the point about us needing to tolerate speech we don’t like, while also wondering where the line of illegality is now. https://rolandmcs.substack.com/

A discussion with widely respected Professor Jonathan Portes, on the big areas of welfare, pensions and immigration and what the data tells us is really going on.Is welfare spending running out of control? Does immigration benefit the economy? Do the Right have a point with some of their complaints?Also: Why affordability is the wrong way of starting to look at fixing a system of distorted welfare incentives; Putting the state pension into perspective; Putting ‘small boat’ immigration into perspective; And how some legal regular migrants accidentally become irregular migrants.https://rolandmcs.substack.com/

A session with journalist, author, blogger, podcaster and top liberal thinker Ian Dunt. Ian’s output is huge across multiple channels/media, including the i newspaper, the Origin Story podcast, Substack and other social media, and he also sometimes pops up on TV screens, especially Sky News. In a wide-ranging discussion, we delve into both liberalism as it exists today and also its sworn opponent - anti-liberal populism.Topics include: Andy Burnham; patterns of liberal and populist thinking; the need for belonging and group identities; Trump's America; and even modern men who cry at rom-coms and DIY SOS.https://rolandmcs.substack.com/

Roland Smith meets German historian Dr Helene von Bismarck, author of 'Fantastic Kingdom - A Stranger’s Notes on a Contrary Country'.We discuss Helene's observations (captured in the book) of Britain from an outsider's perspective. Topics include Britain's 'Island Story', Northern Ireland, The Second World War, conventions, constitution, contradictions, and monarchy, among others.https://rolandmcs.substack.com/

Roland Smith meets Lewis Baston, author of 'Borderlines - A History of Europe in 29 Borders'.The discussion is all about borders and their effects on societies, identities and psychologies, covering: the Germanic/Romance linguistic divide and its related national and sub-national borders (up to about 20 mins in); Eastern Europe - the Germanic/Slavic divide and also the Russian border (up to about 40 mins in); and then the UK and its own special take on borders.... and perhaps what border psychology is doing to us...https://rolandmcs.substack.com/

Roland Smith meets Professor Chris Grey, author of the much acclaimed book 'Brexit Unfolded' and the equally acclaimed & respected 'Brexit & Brexitism' blog. A wide-ranging discussion on where we are with Brexit, ten years after the 2016 vote. Also: Brexitism defined; the prospects for Rejoin; future referendums; the immigration ‘debate’ and its effects; and more

An Introduction by Roland Smith