Best of the Spectator

What level of control does China have at Cambridge University? (00:48) Also on the podcast: Will the Church of England’s new plans for modernisation leave us with an institution we even recognise? (10:26) And finally let's talk about Streaking, indecent exposure or proud British pastime of joy and humour? (27:26)With Ian Williams author of ‘every breath you take, a study of China’s surveillance state’; Harry Goodwin, Editor in Chief of The Cambridge Student; Priest Marcus Walker; Dave Male Director of Evangelism and Discipleship for the CoE; writer and amateur streaker Poppy Royds and professional streaker Mark Roberts.Presented by Lara PrendergastProduced by Sam Holmes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who is John Galt? This week's Book Club podcast looks at the life, work and personality of Ayn Rand, probably the most influential writer you've never read. A favourite of our new Health Secretary, the author of Atlas Shrugged -- and the most strident advocate of the idea that "greed is good" -- continues to be revered and reviled four decades after her death. What was it that made her work speak so powerfully to so many? Does her philosophical system add up? How was she shaped -- first by the Russian Revolution and then by Hollywood? And where does prog rock come into it? I'm joined by Professor Lisa Duggan -- author of Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed, and Adam Roberts, the science fiction writer and professor of English at Royal Holloway, University of London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jack Whitehall is an actor and comedian, however during the pandemic he has also started a food blog, FoodSlut. On the episode, he talks to Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts about his public love of McDonalds, his secret love of The Ivy and the time he once saw a man attempt to make a grilled cheese with his feet.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Building Back is a limited series by award winning journalist Isabel Hardman. In every episode she asks how we can fix the damage caused by the pandemic to a different part of British society. In this episode, Isabel talks to those working front line in the NHS and the politicians in Westminster who decide its future. Featuring: Head of the independent health think tank, The Kings Fund Richard Murray; Sri Kalidindi, a psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; breast surgeon Julie Doughty; chair of the Health and Care Women Leaders Network Sam Allen; Jeremy Hunt, who was the longest-serving health secretary, and now chair of the Commons health select committee; Chris Hopson chief executive of NHS Providers; and Rob Findlay, an expert on waiting lists at Insource Ltd. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode: Journalist Isabel Oakeshott on how she let the Matt Hancock scandal slip through her fingers a week before it turned up in The Sun (00:59). We’ll also be joined by Melanie McDonagh who's written about how high tea has gone from an affordable British staple to and oversized and overpriced, still delicious monstrosity (06:17). And finally Jon Day takes us into the wonderful world of competitive pigeon racing (11:18). Presented by Sam Holmes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 July is approaching but what will life after ‘freedom day’ will look like? (01:19) Also on the podcast: what will Angela Merkel's departure mean for the EU? (14:12) And as many people fled the cities to the countryside during the pandemic, can a case still be made for urban life? (27:26)With The Spectator’s sketch writer and theatre critic Lloyd Evens; playwright James Graham; director of Eurointelligence Wolfgang Munchau; Independent columnist Mary Dejevsky; writer Ysenda Graham and Rory Sutherland, The Spectator’s Wiki Man columnist.Presented by William Moore.Produced by Sam Holmes, Natasha Feroze and Max Jeffery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s Book Club podcast Sam's guest is Anne Sebba - whose Ethel Rosenberg: A Cold War Tragedy tells the story of the first woman in US history to be executed for a crime other than murder. On the podcast, she talks about how attitudes to this notorious espionage case changed over the years; and why, while not wanting to relitigate the case, she thinks it’s important to get to a sense of who Ethel really was. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From jabs for joints, to peer pressure in schools, to free lap dances, it seems the power that be are getting more and more aggressive in their mission of getting everyone jabbed as quickly as possible. To discuss this unprecedented vaccination campaign Freddy Gray talks to author of A State of Fear: How the UK government weaponised fear during the Covid-19 pandemic, Laura Dodsworth.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 12 months since the enactment of the National Security Law on Hong Kong, opposition leaders, journalists and activists have been arrested; reforms on education and elections begun; and last week saw the emotional closure of the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily.On this episode, I speak to Jennifer Creery, who works for the Financial Times in Hong Kong, about the situation on the ground; and Professor Jeff Wasserstrom, a historian of China at the University of California, about the last year and the city's future. We reflect on the strategic erosion over time of Hong Kong's autonomy, the importance of education that the CCP places on its Hong Kong policy, and whether the 2019 protests actually expedited the choking off of the city. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode, Jessica Douglas-Home wants to know why modern British architecture is just so ugly. (01:03) After, Paul Wood warns what Western withdrawal means for Afghanistan (09:23) and finally Andrew Watts explores the history of the ever-updated Pride flag. (19:23)Presented by Cindy Yu Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.