Q&A: Should Ukraine join the Commonwealth?

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Dec 12, 2025

The hosts delve into whether Ukraine should be invited to join the Commonwealth, debating its relevance in today's geopolitical landscape. They explore the implications of a Jeremy Corbyn victory in 2019, envisioning a chaotic lockdown and a drastically different Brexit. The conversation shifts to art, with one championing a modern choral piece while the other defends 'The Lord of the Rings' as a masterpiece. They also share personal musical tastes and insights into contemporary literature, highlighting Michel Houellebecq's work.

32:17

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INSIGHT

Commonwealth As Values-Based Bloc

The Commonwealth can unite countries by shared values and legal traditions rather than geography or a single purpose.
Michael Gove argues it still offers strategic soft-power advantages despite its imperial baggage.

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ADVICE

Treat Commonwealth Relations Reciprocally

Make Commonwealth reciprocal in rights and benefits rather than one-sided generosity.
Madeline Grant recommends at least reciprocal voting rights and clearer national-interest-driven engagement.

insights

INSIGHT

France Uses Language Diplomacy Aggressively

France deploys Francophonie hard power to maintain influence in former territories.
Gove warns Britain has ceded space to rivals by being reticent in similar strategic outreach.

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Question on expanding the Commonwealth

01:04 • 52sec

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Is the Commonwealth still relevant?

01:56 • 2min

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Critique of current Commonwealth leadership

03:28 • 2min

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France's hard‑headed diplomacy compared

05:22 • 59sec

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Geopolitics and African opportunities

06:21 • 1min

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Proposing Ukraine for Commonwealth membership

Counterfactual: Corbyn winning 2019

10:20 • 11sec

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How a Corbyn lockdown might differ

10:32 • 2min

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Brexit, economic strength and Ukraine under Corbyn

Gove: Macmillan's funeral composition

17:26 • 1min

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Grant: Lord of the Rings as Gesamtkunstwerk

18:41 • 1min

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Hosts on music, instruments and taste

20:11 • 8min

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Literature picks: Michel Houellebecq

27:55 • 3min

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Grant on Welbeck's recurring themes

30:44 • 2min

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Gove's reading and listening recommendation

'Atomised' is a novel by Michel Houellebecq that explores themes of societal decay, sexual alienation, and the search for meaning in a modern world. The story follows the lives of two half-brothers, Michel and Bruno, as they navigate their dysfunctional relationships and existential crises. Houellebecq's provocative and often controversial prose delves into the darker aspects of human nature. The novel critiques contemporary values and explores the consequences of technological advancement on human connection. 'Atomised' is a bleak and unsettling portrayal of a world where traditional sources of meaning have eroded, leaving individuals feeling isolated and disconnected.

#10453

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

Map and the Territory

Michel Houellebecq

The novel follows Jed Martin, a French artist who gains fame by photographing Michelin maps and later painting scenes of professional activities. The story spans several decades, including his relationship with a Russian executive from Michelin and his encounter with Michel Houellebecq, who appears as a character in the novel. Houellebecq's character is eventually brutally murdered, drawing Jed into the investigation. The book explores themes such as aging, the relationship between father and son, and the representation of reality through art, while also satirizing contemporary art and society.

#207

• Mentioned in 94 episodes

The Road

Tom Stechschulte

Cormac McCarthy

The Road is set in a world that has been devastated by an unspecified cataclysmic event, resulting in the extinction of nearly all life on Earth. The story follows an unnamed father and his young son as they travel south along the road, carrying their meager possessions and a pistol with only two bullets. The father, suffering from a worsening respiratory condition, is determined to protect his son from the dangers of their new world, including cannibalistic marauders. Along their journey, they encounter various survivors, some of whom are cruel and others who show kindness. The novel explores themes of love, survival, and the preservation of humanity in a world devoid of hope. Ultimately, the father's health fails, and he dies, but not before ensuring his son's safety with a new family who may offer a chance for a better future.

#134

• Mentioned in 124 episodes

Paradise Lost

John Milton

Published in 1667, 'Paradise Lost' is an epic poem in blank verse that follows the biblical story of the Fall of Man. The poem begins in medias res, detailing the descent of Satan and his followers into Hell after their rebellion against God. It explores two main narrative arcs: one focusing on Satan's actions and the other on Adam and Eve's story in the Garden of Eden. The poem delves into themes such as free will, obedience, revenge, and pride, and it portrays the complex characters of Satan, Adam, and Eve. Milton's work is known for its rich language, classical structure, and profound theological and philosophical insights.

#189

• Mentioned in 99 episodes

The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood

The novel is set in a near-future New England in the Republic of Gilead, a patriarchal, totalitarian state that has overthrown the United States government. Offred, the narrator, is one of the 'Handmaids', women who are forcibly assigned to produce children for the ruling class, known as 'Commanders'. The story explores themes of powerless women, loss of female agency and individuality, and the suppression of women's reproductive rights. Offred's life is marked by her restrictive routine, her memories of her past life, and her interactions with the Commander, his wife Serena Joy, and other Handmaids, including her friend Ofglen who is part of an underground resistance movement. The novel is a scathing satire, an ominous warning, and a tour de force of narrative suspense.

#3645

• Mentioned in 11 episodes

Submission

Michel Houellebecq

In 'Submission', Michel Houellebecq presents a dystopian vision of France in 2022 where an Islamic party, led by the moderate Ben Abbas, comes to power in an alliance with the Socialists. The novel follows François, a middle-aged literature professor at the New Sorbonne University, who is an expert on J.K. Huysmans. As Islamic law is instituted, François is offered academic advancement on the condition that he converts to Islam. The book delves into themes of personal decadence, the decline of Western civilization, and the complexities of human happiness through submission. It is a darkly comic masterpiece that blends realism and fantasy, prompting reflections on the current cultural climate of the West and the validity of its liberal, atheistic project.

#1235

• Mentioned in 26 episodes

Wolf Hall

Hilary Mantel

Set during the English Reformation, 'Wolf Hall' brings to life the opulent and brutal world of the Tudors. The novel focuses on Thomas Cromwell, who rises from humble origins to become a powerful advisor to King Henry VIII. It explores themes of ambition, power, politics, religion, identity, and loyalty and betrayal, all set against the backdrop of Henry VIII's desire to marry Anne Boleyn and break from the Roman Catholic Church. Mantel's vivid imagery and sensory details create a rich sense of time and place, making historical characters relatable to contemporary readers.

Submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie at spectator.co.uk/quiteright.

This week on Quite right! Q&A: should Britain reinvent the Commonwealth – and should Ukraine be invited to join? Is the Commonwealth an embarrassing relic… or an untapped strategic asset?

Then: what if Jeremy Corbyn had actually won in 2019? Maddie and Michael sketch the counterfactual Britain – from a Jezza-led lockdown to vaccine chaos, union-driven school closures and a very different Brexit.

Plus: the greatest artwork of the 21st century. Michael champions a modern choral masterpiece, Maddie defends The Lord of the Rings as the true Gesamtkunstwerk, and both confess their musical shortcomings (including Michael’s rogue childhood instrument).

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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