
Fire at Will
A safe space for dangerous conversations, from The Spectator Australia. The Spectator is the world’s longest-running magazine of news, arts and ideas. Hosted by Will Kingston.
Latest episodes

May 8, 2024 • 1h 1min
Fighting cultural socialism, with Eric Kaufmann
Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations.Across the western world, cosplay protests are ongoing in some of the most elite academic institutions. They point to a deeper malaise in places of higher education. That's a real problem. The illiberal dogmas that have infiltrated our social institutions have their roots in the cultural rot in western education systems.To discuss how this happened, and what can be done, Will is joined by Eric Kaufmann. Eric is Professor of Politics at the University of Buckingham. His next book is out soon. It is titled 'Taboo: How making race sacred produced a cultural revolution.'Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here.Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here.

May 6, 2024 • 2min
Ready... Aim... Fire at Will.
Introducing your safe space for dangerous conversations.Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here.Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here.

May 1, 2024 • 1h 10min
"Conservatism is gratitude" – Jonah Goldberg
Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations.Western liberal democratic capitalism has created more prosperity, and enabled more human flourishing, than any other social system. It is something we should be proud of. And yet, Jonah Goldberg argues it is under attack, both from illiberal progressive identity politics, and right-wing populism.Jonah is one of America's most esteemed political pundits. He was the first editor of National Review Online, before founding The Dispatch - a digital media company providing engaged citizens with fact-based reporting and commentary on politics, policy and culture. He is a regular contributor to CNN and The Los Angeles Times, and a #1 New York Times bestselling author.Follow Australiana on social media here.Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here.Visit The Dispatch here.

Apr 24, 2024 • 49min
Debunking Australia's housing crisis myth, with Cameron Murray
Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations.There’s a common refrain when it comes to housing in Australia today: ‘it’s never been harder to enter the housing market’. Housing affordability has been labelled by politicians, the media, and aspiring homeowners as a historic crisis.What if that’s just not the case? What if we’ve seen the same story countless times before? What the markets are doing what they have always done, and what they should be doing? Perhaps, as Cameron Murray suggests, the market isn’t the answer? Cameron is an economist and Australia’s leading expert on housing. His new book is titled, ‘The Great Housing Hijack: The Hoaxes and Myths Keeping Prices High for Renter and Buyers in Australia’.Follow Australiana on social media here.Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here.Subscribe to Cameron’s Substack here.

Apr 17, 2024 • 51min
In defense of journalism, with Anthony De Ceglie
Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations.It’s easy to forget that journalists were once invested with immense trust by citizens. This is no longer the case. Journalists are amongst the least trusted members of society, and it has been largely self-inflicted. The rise of activist journalism over objective journalism, the rush for online clicks, and the narcissistic desire of too many to transition from being journalists to media personalities has blighted the profession. The question is, is journalism beyond saving? Anthony De Ceglie is well placed to answer the question. Anthony was the Deputy Editor at the Daily Telegraph, and is now Editor in Chief of West Australian newspapers, including The West Australian, and the editor in chief of Seven West Media’s new evening digital newspaper, The Nightly.Follow Australiana on social media here.Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here.Visit The Nightly here.

Apr 10, 2024 • 54min
"Gen Z is the most conservative generation since WW2" - Isabel Brown
Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations.Gen Z has developed quite a reputation. Lazy. Difficult to work with. Technology-addicted. And of course, insufferably woke. What if that reputation is ill-founded? What if, in fact, Gen Z is the most culturally conservative generation since World War Two? What if Gen Z are the saviours-in-waiting of western civilisation?That’s the opinion of content creator, author and Gen Z-er, Isabel Brown. Isabel’s new book is titled, ‘The End of the Alphabet: How Gen Z Can Save America’.Follow Australiana on social media here.Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here.

Apr 3, 2024 • 56min
The short march through the institutions, with Yascha Mounk
Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations.Sometimes it feels like the tidal wave of ‘wokeness’ (or identity politics) washed over the western world almost overnight. It has captured more or less every societal institution in a remarkably short period of time.However, the intellectual roots of the movement can be traced back over fifty years. The best analysis on how it has achieved such incredible influence comes from the German-American political scientist, Yascha Mounk. Will and Yascha discuss his latest book, ‘The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time’.Follow Australiana on social media here.Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here.

Mar 27, 2024 • 54min
Tales of a Hollywood dissident, with Matthew Marsden
Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations.Politics is downstream from culture. To change politics, one must first change culture. The left intrinsically understands this in a way that the right simply does not. The arts have been captured by a toxic mixture of identity politics, social justice ideology, and cancel culture.Matthew Marsden has seen this ideological takeover firsthand. He rose to fame from his role on the iconic British TV series Coronation Street, and has subsequently starred in a long list of Hollywood films, including Black Hawk Down, Resident Evil: Extinction, Rambo and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.Follow Australiana on social media here.Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here.Subscribe to Matthew's YouTube channel here.

Mar 20, 2024 • 53min
The real State of the Union, with Charles C.W. Cooke
Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations.There are two ways to look at American politics in 2024. There’s the prevailing pessimistic view. Many people think democracy is under threat, the economy is structurally vulnerable, the military is stretched, and for many, the looming election represents a choice between two geriatric evils.There is another perspective. What incredible fun! American politics has never been so entertaining. And as we look forward to the election, no one knows what will happen.If anyone can make sense of it all, it’s Charles C.W. Cooke. Charles is a senior writer at National Review, the host of the Charles C.W. Cooke Podcast, and the author of The Conservatarian Manifesto.Follow Australiana on social media here.Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here.Visit Charles' website here.

Mar 13, 2024 • 41min
In conversation with Douglas Murray
In this episode, Douglas Murray discusses the importance of defending Western civilization and the rise of anti-West rhetoric. They explore societal fears of addressing extremism, the influence of ideology on science, and evolving attitudes towards virtues. Reflecting on the impact of societal shifts and the value of gratitude in modern society.
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.