Andrew Doyle, the comedian, broadcaster and writer, joins Dr Gavin Ashenden for the 37th episode of Merely Catholic, the podcast series for The Catholic Herald, to discuss the rise of new ideologies broadly described as “wokery”.

Doyle, author of the 2022 book The New Puritans, compares the followers of destructive new ideologies with old school religious fundamentalists, particularly of the 17th century, noting such shared characteristics as social hysteria, uncompromising moral self-righteousness and the total refusal to tolerate any dissent.

He tells of how “vicious” activists, who “lack human empathy”, routinely use fear, intimidation, threats and the cancel culture to impose their world view and to gradually dismantle the apparatus of liberal democracy and Christian civilisation.