Best of the Spectator

With Katy Balls and James Forsyth.Presented by Fraser Nelson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An earlier version of this podcast had an audio problem that meant listeners were unable to hear it. This has now been fixed. Apologies for any inconvenience In this episode of Spectator Books, Sam talks to the American journalist David Wallace-Wells about his new book The Uninhabitable Earth: A Story of the Future. In it, he uses the best available scientific projections to underpin a picture of what the world would look like if it heats up by four degrees or more. Not pretty, is the conclusion he comes to. But what’s he trying to achieve with this book? Why, in his view, do we not take climate change seriously enough? And is this Project Fear — or Project Damn Well Pay Attention? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Katy Balls talks to Leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, about her childhood ambitions to prevent nuclear war, giving birth the night before a selection meeting, and going head to head with John Bercow in the Commons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, a new centrist party has finally been formed. So what does this mean for British politics (00:30)? Plus, we talk about the merits of artificial intelligence and ask, is it something to fear (21:55)? And last, do hen parties have to be so crass (32:15)?With Katy Balls, James Forsyth, Gavin Shuker MP, Joe Twyman, Chris Duffey, Jamie Bartlett, Sophia Money-Coutts and Dan Harley.Presented by Lara Prendergast.Produced by Cindy Yu and Siva Thaganrajah. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freddy Gray talks to John Rick MacArthur, President of Harpers Magazine, on Bernie's presidential bid and why the Democrats are out to get him. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With James Forsyth and Katy Balls.Presented by Lara Prendergast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lara and Livvy talk to broadcaster and writer Iain Dale about his life through food and drink. Or rather, the food and drink he doesn't like. It turns out that Iain is the fussiest eater to come on the podcast, but he tells us about the food and drinks that he does like (chicken fajitas, German schnitzels, and Lilt) as well as about what it was like to grow up on a farm, being food poisoned in Russia, and why he buys his crisps from eBay.In our Table Talk series, Lara Prendergast and Olivia Potts talk to a celebrity guests about their life story, through the food and drink that has come to define it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amazon cancelled plans to build a New York headquarters this week. Have tech giants like Amazon and Google been allowed to get away with too much, for too long? Freddy Gray talks to Barry Lynn, Director of the Open Markets Institute, who campaigns to limit their powers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite the shambolic Tory government, Labour is still trailing in the polls. This week we ask: is Corbyn cracking up (00:30)? Plus, is wearing a hijab necessarily oppressive (17:15), and last, have younger members of the Royal family bought in to a narrative of victimhood (22:25)?With Nick Cohen, Stephen Bush, Soutiam Goodarzi, Jan Moir, and Victoria Murphy.Presented by Isabel Hardman.Produced by Cindy Yu and Siva Thangarajah. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's Spectator Books, Sam is joined by Deborah Lipstadt -- the historian who herself made a piece of history when she defeated the Holocaust denier David Irving in court. In her new book Antisemitism Now, Professor Lipstadt returns to the fray to look at the worldwide uptick of antisemitism in our own day and age. Sam asks her why she felt the need to write this book and frame it in the way she did, how antisemitism differs from other forms of prejudice, and what you can and can't say about Israel. Presented by Sam Leith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.