Best of the Spectator

Freddy sits down with Casey Michel, author of the book American Kleptocracy. On the podcast Casey talks about the curious and rather shady financial ties between Ukraine and America.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode of Marshall Matters, Winston speaks with Svyatoslav Vakarchuk in Ukraine. Svyatoslav is the lead singer of Ukraine’s biggest band, Okean Elzy. He has also served in the Ukrainian parliament. Speaking to him on the eleventh day of conflict he describes his experience so far, the atmosphere of his invaded country and what he hopes for looking forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Chinese Whispers is slightly different – instead of taking a look at a theme within China, Cindy and her guest see China through the eyes of the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Professor Craig Clunas, chair of art history at Oxford University, has curated a new exhibition at London’s Freud Museum, which displays Freud’s collection of Chinese antiquities. On this episode, Cindy talks to Craig about what these pieces – jades and figurines – meant to Freud, especially in the context of 20th century Europe, where there was appreciation of Chinese art but, as they discuss, not quite the matching level of knowledge. They also chat about the reception of Freud’s theories in China, especially given the country’s turbulent intellectual history since the May Fourth Movement a hundred years ago. Craig sums up the love affair between Freud and China nicely:‘Just like Freud is using his Chinese things to think with, Chinese thinkers are using Freud to think with.’The exhibition itself is small but fascinating, and runs until 26 June.As mentioned in the episode, here is the link to a previous edition of Chinese Whispers with Rana Mitter, for those who want to hear more about China since the May Fourth Movement: https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast/china-s-long-history-of-student-protests. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode, we'll hear from Freddy Gray on his time spent on the Poland–Ukraine border. (00:52)Next, Lionel Shriver on the return of actual badness. (06:28)And finally, Philip Patrick on the strange east Asian practice of hiring a ‘White Monkey’. (15:13)Produced and presented by Sam HolmesSubscribe to The Spectator today and get a £20 Amazon gift voucher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode: What’s the mood on the ground in Ukraine and Russia?For this week’s cover piece, Owen Matthews asks whether the invasion of Ukraine will mean the end of Putin’s regime. And in this week’s Spectator diary, Freddy Gray reports on pride and paranoia on the streets of Lviv. They join the podcast, to talk about Russia’s future and Ukraine’s present. (00:49)Also this week: Is Germany ready to tackle its dependence on Russian gas?In response to Russia’s invasion, Germany has abandoned its Nord Stream 2 pipeline, sent lethal weapons to Ukraine and, most strikingly of all, has committed to the Nato target of spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence - a €100 billion fund. James Forsyth, who writes about Germany’s new reality in this week’s magazine, joins the podcast along with Stefanie Bolzen, a journalist for Welt. (17:18)And finally: Are traditional British brands losing their soul?Harry Wallop, in this week’s Spectator, wonders why some of Britain's oldest and most distinctive brands are trashing their reputation. They are selling out, changing the very thing that made them special in order to appeal to foreign millionaires. He joins the podcast along with a popular culture expert. Nick Ede.(29:40)Hosted by Lara Prendergast and William MooreProduced by Sam HolmesSubscribe to The Spectator today and get a £20 Amazon gift voucher:www.spectator.co.uk/voucherListen to Lara's food podcast Table Talk: https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/table-talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam is joined by the historian Christopher de Bellaigue to talk about The Lion House, his scintillating and idiosyncratic new book about the great Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. It’s all here: massacres, sieges, over-mighty viziers, Venetian perfidy, and… true love? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode of Marshall Matters, Winston speaks with Russian author, journalist and culture and music historian Artemy Troitsky. Troitsky has had a long history of being anti-establishment. In the 80s he was blacklisted by the Soviet Union. But it wasn’t until Putin's rule that he felt he finally had to leave his motherland. We discuss the current conflict, Putin and the mindset of Russians today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode, we’ll hear from John Keiger on Emmanuel Macron’s brand of performative diplomacy. (00:53)Next, Mary Wakefield on the few pros and many cons of the lady carriage. (10:30)And finally, Sean Thomas on how learning to work from home opens the door to working in paradise. (16:17)Produced and presented by Sam HolmesSubscribe to The Spectator today and get a £20 Amazon gift voucher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode: What does Putin really want for Russia?For this week’s cover story, Niall Ferguson writes about how Putin seems to be trying to recreate the Russia of the Past, while this week's diary by Timothy Garton Ash says the West has misunderstood his intentions, Niall and Timothy join the podcast along with Mary Dejevsky a columnist for the Independent. (00:48)Also this week: Should there be women-only spaces on trains?Jeremy Corbyn suggested it when he was Labour party leader and now Scotland seems to be flirting with the idea. Mary Wakefield says in this week’s Spectator that although she enjoys the idea of lady carriage, it doesn’t make much sense. She joins the podcast along with women's rights activist Kelly Given, one of Young Women’s Movement Scotland, 30 under 30. (15:15)And finally: Should we all get naked?Cosmo Landesman believes that once men reach a certain age, they quite enjoy taking their clothes off no matter where. He has written about his theory in this week’s magazine and he joins the podcast along with Andrew Welch from British Naturism. (23:31)Hosted by Lara Prendergast and William MooreProduced by Sam HolmesSubscribe to The Spectator today and get a £20 Amazon gift voucher:www.spectator.co.uk/voucherListen to Lara's food podcast Table Talk: https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/table-talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Book Club podcast, we're going back 100 years to 1922 – the year which is usually seen as heralding the birth of literary Modernism. Sam's guests are Richard Davenport-Hines, author of A Night At The Majestic: Proust and the Great Modernist Dinner Party, and the scholar and critic Merve Emre, who has worked extensively on Joyce and Woolf. Sam asked them how much Modernism really did represent a break with the past, and how much it looked like a coherent movement at the time. Along the way we learn what Proust and Joyce found to discuss when they met, why Virginia Woolf was so rude about Ulysses, and what the mainstream story of Modernism left out...    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.