Best of the Spectator

On the show, journalist Petronella Wyatt and historian David Abulafia discuss Prince Harry’s new book, Spare, journalist Owen Matthews explains why Putin’s plan to freeze Europe failed, Spectator editor and academic Matthew Goodwin discuss whether a Keir Starmer government is something to be afraid of, political editor Katy Balls and Financial Times journalist Stephen Bush discuss Sunak's plan to save the Tories, and critic John Maier says Quentin Tarantino’s writing isn’t quite as good as his directing.00:00 – Welcome from John Connolly01:42 – Why fear Keir? With Fraser Nelson and Matthew Goodwin13:52 – Can the Tories stop the boats? With Katy Balls and Stephen Bush26:24 – What on earth his Prince Harry thinking? With Petronella Wyatt and David Abulafia41:24 – Why Putin's plan to freeze Europe failed, with Owen Matthews52:09 – Can Quentin Tarantino write? With John Maier 

This week: Lionel Shriver asks whether we are kidding ourselves over Ukraine (00:56), Theo Hobson discusses Martin Luther King and the demise of liberal Protestantism (09:28), and John Maier reads his review of Quentin Tarantino's new book Cinema Speculation (18:11).Produced and presented by Oscar Edmondson.

This week:Who's afraid of Keir Starmer?In his cover piece for the magazine, The Spectator's Editor Fraser Nelson says that without a Labour demon to point at the Tories stand little chance in the next election. He joins the podcast alongside journalist Paul Mason, to discuss why Keir Starmer is so hard to vilify (01:10). Also this week:In the magazine, The Spectator's newsletter editor Hannah Tomes exposes the social media campaign targeting young women, such as herself, to freeze and donate their eggs. She joins the podcast alongside Sophia Money-Coutts, host of the Freezing Time podcast, to consider whether it is right to market this as an altruistic undertaking (16:58).And finally:This week saw Prince Harry's bombshell memoir Spare hit the shelves. Novelist and critic Philip Hensher writes a scathing review for the magazine and is joined by Kara Kennedy, staff writer at the Spectator World, to go through the best  – or perhaps the worst – details in the book (26:39).  Hosted by William Moore. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. 

In this week's Book Club podcast, my guest is the distinguished poet A. E. Stallings, whose new selected poems This Afterlife marks her first UK publication in book form. She tells me why the idea that formal verse is stuffy is wrong, how she thinks Greek myth is a living tradition, and why women poets have to be both Orpheus and Eurydice.

President Biden is visiting Mexico this week to meet with President Obrador, and Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada. Biden is expected to bring up illegal immigration with Obrador, and hopes that he can offer him some way out of what is becoming a spiralling crisis. But is any help coming? Freddy Gray speaks to Todd Bensman, author of the upcoming book Overrun: How Joe Biden Unleashed the Biggest Border Crisis in US History. 

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/.

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.

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.

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. 

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.