Best of the Spectator

Which are the companies that will rewrite the rules and help rebuild the economy in 2020 and beyond? The Spectator and Julius Baer have come together once again to celebrate creative entrepreneurship across the UK. On this podcast, The Spectator's business columnist Martin Vander Weyer talks to a panel of high profile judges from the business world about the finalists in the West and the South West - from contactless payment for the charities sector to 'haptic' technology which allows users to touch virtual screens.The guest judges were Angela Luger, a newcomer to these Awards who has had a long career in consumer-facing businesses, latterly as chief executive of the online retailer N Brown until 2018 and currently as a non-exec at New Look and chair of Edinburgh-based The Paint Shed. Hugh Campbell, founder and managing partner of investment bank GP Bullhound — which advises and invests in ‘future unicorns’ — rejoined us for the third year. And the panel was completed by Dawn Li Wan Po, an executive director of Julius Baer and senior portfolio manager there.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

China is the world's largest polluter. At the same time, it accounts for a quarter of international investment into renewable energy, and it's the leading exporter of solar panels. So are ideas of China's eco-unfriendliness outdated? Journalist Isabel Hilton, who received an OBE for her contribution to raising environmental awareness in China, joins the podcast. She paints a complicated picture: of a country undergoing rapid industrial revolution; of a one-party state divining public opinion to solve public health issues; and of a country trying to use climate change as a jumping board into global leadership.Chinese Whispers is a fortnightly podcast on the latest in Chinese politics, society, and more. Presented by Cindy Yu. Listen to past episodes here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode, Jeff Fynn-Paul argues that land taken over by European colonialists in North America wasn't 'stolen'; Christopher Snowdon says the economic scars of coronavirus will define the decade; and Jo Deacon explains the drink being hailed as a Covid cure by Madagascar's president.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily Sheffield is the editor of the Evening Standard. She was formerly deputy editor at Vogue, and has started her own journalistic venture at This Much I Know. She also happens to be sister of Samantha Cameron. On the podcast, she talks about the real story behind why she was kicked out of Marlborough as a teenager (spoiler: it was unrequited love gone wrong); battling sexism on her first day at the Guardian; and her two pennies on Sasha Swire's diary.Presented by Katy Balls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another Conservative civil war threatens to bubble over, so will the government start taking its backbenchers seriously? (00:55) Plus, the contentious fight over the next Supreme Court nominee (15:25) and what is it like to be in Madagascar during the pandemic? (29:05)With Political Editor James Forsyth; Chair of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers Sir Graham Brady; Professor Charles Lipson from the University of Chicago; USA Editor Freddy Gray; and writer Jo Deacon.Presented by Cindy Yu.Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Book Club podcast, Sam's guest is Kate Summerscale, here to talk about her latest book The Haunting of Alma Fielding: A True Ghost Story. Kate uses the true story of an eruption of poltergeist activity in 1930s Croydon to give what turns into a thoughtful and poignant look at the mental weather of interwar Britain, and the shifting meanings of the occult in light of new ideas about physics and the psychology of trauma. She tells Sam about the story's enduring mysteries and ambiguities, how spookily it chimed with its historical background - and about flying Bovril and a talking mongoose called Gef. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Which are the companies that will rewrite the rules and help rebuild the economy in 2020 and beyond? The Spectator and Julius Baer have come together once again to celebrate creative entrepreneurship across the UK. On this podcast, The Spectator's business columnist Martin Vander Weyer talks to a panel of high profile judges from the business world about the finalists in the Midlands and the North East - from desks made out of honeycomb paper to batteries that can sustain entire fleets of electric buses.Our guest judges on this occasion were all veterans of these Awards. Representing the Midlands, Clive Bawden is COO of past regional winner Warwick Music and has a hand in a wide range of entrepreneurial and social projects. From Yorkshire, Gordon Black is former chairman of his family’s manufacturing business, Peter Black, and an active venture capitalist. And from Newcastle, Caroline Theobald is chair of Northumbria University’s business school and founder of First Face to Face, which connects early-stage entrepreneurs to money and markets. Representing Julius Baer was Martin Cuthbert, head of region for the North East. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Pompeo has guided Donald Trump's foreign policy, and has been hailed with bringing the president's ideology to life. In the latest US edition of the Spectator, Dominic Green interviews the secretary of state. Freddy Gray speaks to Dominic about Pompeo's Middle East strategy, and the philosophy that guides his decisions.Americano is a series of in-depth discussions on American politics with the best pundits stateside. Presented by Freddy Gray, editor of Spectator USA. Click here to listen to previous episodes.Subscribe to The Spectator's first podcast newsletter here and get each week's podcast highlights in your inbox every Tuesday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode, Swedish journalist Paulina Neuding talks about Sweden's crime surge; Toby Young on why he has given up on Boris; and Lloyd Evans on going to the theatre in the age of Covid. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Covid to Brexit to even the culture wars, Boris's performance seems to have been lacklustre. Where is the effervescent leader he was promised to be? (00:45) Sweden's violent crime is spiking - and are politicians afraid to say why? (16:45) And on the other side of the world, why are the Japanese so much happier to wear masks? (27:55)With Spectator Editor Fraser Nelson; Director of Political Insight Stewart Jackson; journalist Paulina Neuding; the FT's Nordic Bureau Chief Richard Milne; Professor Jordan Sand; and Spectator Assistant Editor Lara Prendergast.Presented by Cindy Yu.Produced by Cindy Yu and Max Jeffery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.