Best of the Spectator LIVE: Reasons to be optimistic | with Michael Gove, Tim Stanley, Steve Baker & David Goodhart
9 snips
Jan 26, 2026 
Michael Gove introduces David Goodhart, journalist on demography and identity; Tim Stanley, historian and cultural commentator; and Steve Baker, former MP focused on economics and tech. They discuss AI-driven medical advances and global trade, fertility and social media harms, the limits of the managerial state and the rise of individual empowerment. The panel frames reasons for optimism about 2026.
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Global Progress Is Real And Measurable
- Steve Baker argues global progress is measurable via technology, trade, and falling violence.
- He says rational optimism requires effort and attention to data sources like Our World in Data.
Lost Glasses Led To A Stark Encounter
- Tim Stanley recounts losing his glasses and meeting an evicted man on the street.
- He uses this encounter to argue rising pessimism can prompt social awakening and change.
Fertility And Family As Central Issues
- David Goodhart highlights fertility and family as key national challenges and opportunities.
- He suggests cultural figures and social policy shifts could make having children more feasible and fashionable.
