Free Speech vs. Social Control

This week Mark Leonard is joined by Rod Dreher, a visiting fellow and Network Project director at the Danube Institute in Budapest, and former senior editor at The American Conservative. Draher is also a writer—his latest book, “Live Not By Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents” is based on the experiences of Christians persecuted in Soviet Russia.

Together, Mark and Rod discuss the shifting political landscape as characterised by a backlash against liberalism, the rise of right-wing movements, economic discontent among the working class, the implications of “forever wars”, and the challenges of supporting the idea of free speech in contemporary society.

But which main factors are driving this shift? What impact do culture and religion have on political discourse? And could liberal democratic values survive a global move towards right-wing movements?

This episode was recorded on 13th August 2025

Bookshelf:

Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America by Christian Smith

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