Best of the Spectator

Should Confucius Institutes be shut down? There are hundreds of these centres across six continents, funded by the Ministry of Education, with the stated goal of public education on and cultural promotion of China. They offer classes on language, history and culture of China, and some would say they help to plug a crucial shortage of Chinese language skills in host countries, especially across the West. And yet, these have become deeply controversial. Criticism of the institutes range from their CCP-sanctioned curriculum which do not include sensitive topics, to allegations of espionage and erosion of academic independence with Confucius Institutes as the core. Sweden closed all of its CIs two years ago, and universities in countries including the US and Japan have also shut their centres down.This is a live debate in the UK right now. Last November, security minister Tom Tugendhat confirmed that the government would be seeking to ban Confucius Institutes in the UK, repeating a pledge that Rishi Sunak had made during the Tory leadership race. But is this the right decision?In this episode, Cindy is joined by Charles Parton, senior associate fellow at the thinktank RUSI, who worked in or around China as a diplomat for two decades. He is an expert on Chinese interference and espionage in the UK. My interview with Raffaello Pantucci on how Confucius Institutes play a role in central Asia: https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast/the-new-great-game-how-china-replaced-russia-in-kazakhstan-and-beyond/. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin McCarthy’s hopes to be voted House Speaker reaches day four still without a resolution. How much will he have to concede in order to win over the Republican rebels? Freddy Gray speaks to Amber Athey, The Spectator’s Washington Editor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week: Stuart Ritchie asks how worried we should be about falling sperm counts (0:29). Mary Wakefield wants to end the term ‘making memories’. (9:00), and Toby Young shares his disastrous Airbnb experience (15:10).Produced and presented by Natasha Feroze. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the podcast this week: The Spectator’s deputy editor Freddy Gray writes the cover piece looking ahead to the possibility of another 6 years of President Biden. He is joined by Amie Parnes, senior staff writer at The Hill and co-author of Lucky: How Joe Biden barley won the presidency, to discuss whether anyone can stop Biden running in 2024 (01:00). Also this week: In the magazine Fr Patrick Burke writes a moving tribute to Pope Benedict XVI. He joins the podcast to discuss Benedict’s intellectual legacy and what the Church gained from his theological work (16:05). We are also very lucky to have a special recording from Melanie McDonagh who dials in from St Peter’s Square to give her reflections on the late Pope’s funeral (29:43). And finally: In her article for The Spectator this week Tanith Carey, author of Never Kiss a Man in a Canoe: Words of Wisdom from the Golden Age of Agony Aunts, writes in celebration of the high-handed and unflinching advice of Victorian agony aunts. She is joined by The Spectator’s own agony aunt Mary Killen – aka Dear Mary – to consider whether today’s agony aunts are going soft (33:32). Hosted by William Moore. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amber Guinness is a cook, author, journalist and co-founder of The Arniano Painting School. Her first book, A House Party in Tuscany, is out now. On the podcast she discusses growing up in Tuscany, how to host a successful Tuscan dinner party and the best places to eat in Florence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Covid 19 has been a crisis without borders. In a highly interconnected world, every country has felt the impacts of the pandemic, from supply chain disruption to low productivity and high inflationary pressures. Should the post-pandemic economic recovery be a global project? For decades, the UK has been a key player on the economic world stage, but is this still relevant today at a time when the UK faces domestic financial challenges and global supply chains are decoupling? Or can the ripple effect of lending a hand to one economy, become a good investment for Britain's future?The Spectator’s economics editor, Kate Andrews speaks to Simon Clarke, MP for Middlesborough South and East Cleveland who was chief secretary to the Treasury at the start of the pandemic; Professor Nouriel Roubini, economics expert and author of the book MegaThreats: The ten threats the imperil our future and how to survive them; Megan Greene, the global chief economist at the Kroll Institute and Michael Jacobs, who is a professor of political economy at the University of Sheffield.This podcast is kindly sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the pandemic, the nature of working has changed, and in some cases, revealed the weaknesses in the experience of work for women. With some companies eager to get back to business as usual, women are now demanding more from work, and they are leaving jobs in unprecedented numbers to get it. Women could benefit from the flexibility that comes with a hybrid office policy. At the same time, it could present challenges for those with caring responsibilities or disabilities who may wish to stay home when other employees would happily go into the office. How can businesses create a working environment that supports women in work? And with that, offer opportunities for women to expand their career potential.To discuss this Katy Balls is joined by Caroline Nokes, MP for Romsey and Southampton who also chairs the Women and Equalities Committee; Fiona Cannon, who is the Group Sustainable Business Director for Lloyds Banking Group; and Tulip Siddiq, Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn who is the Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury and Shadow Minister for Cities.This podcast is kindly sponsored by Lloyds Banking Group.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dame Rachel de Souza is the Children’s Commissioner for England. Having spent more than 30 years in education, she grew a reputation for her unconventional but effective ways of turning poor-performing schools around and increasing pupil attendance. She was selected as Children’s Commissioner in December 2020, weeks before the Covid 19 pandemic. Since this time, she has been tracking down absent children, working on the Online Harms Bill in Westminster, and is conducting a nationwide study of the impacts of the pandemic on young people.On the podcast, Rachel tells Katy about growing up in Scunthorpe where she came from an Irish Catholic/Ukrainian background. Being educated by the nuns in a local comprehensive school, Rachel remembers her career advice; that she ‘couldn’t wash up and would never get a husband. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freddy Gray and Jacob Heilbrunn reflect on an eventful year, looking back at the response to the invasion of Ukraine, the American economy and the makeup of the new Congress. Plus, will Joe Biden or Donald Trump be making a return to the White House? And will Jacob be buying a Trump NFT..? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Putin’s invasion of Ukraine shocked the world. Whilst fighting is happening in Europe, repercussions have been felt around the globe. Disruption to trade and supply chains means a rapidly worsening outlook for international development, making it harder to reach those that need support the most. Meanwhile the UK’s Covid recovery and the growing fiscal blackhole have forced Britain to make tough decisions on where our money goes, throwing into question our position as a world leader when it comes to international development and, with it, the reputation of ‘global Britain’.  Britain has always been a nation with a global mindset. But in times of crisis, do we need to reprioritise our commitments? What does the future look like for international development projects around the world?On this special podcast from The Spectator, economics editor Kate Andrews has spoken to some of those on the frontline of international development. She's joined by Rory Stewart, former secretary of state for international development who is currently the CEO of the NGO Give Directly; David Davis, former Conservative party leader; Daniel Hannan, former Conservative MEP and now advisor to the government's Board of Trade; Degan Ali, CEO of Kenya-based NGO Adeso; and Professor Zulfiqar Bhutta, a global health expert at the University of Toronto.This podcast is the second of a mini-series taking a look at Britain in the world, sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. You can listen to the first episode here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.