The Prospect Podcast

Prospect Editor Tom Clark sits down with Steven Pinker, the Harvard scientist, to discuss his new book on the Enlightenment and how that period in the development of human thought continues to shape our world.The ideals of reason and tolerance are winning out, he says, and the result is immense material progress. Things are quite simply getting better all the time—contrary to popular belief.That’s the argument. But is the division of history into pre- and post-Enlightenment as clear-cut as his book suggests? And really, was the Enlightenment quite as enlightened as we might think? Sameer Rahim, Prospect’s Arts and Books Editor and Philip Ball, the science writer and Prospect contributor, also give their thoughts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lionel Shriver, Afua Hirsch and Mary Beard talk freedom of speech, power and the new culture wars. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prospect today publishes an exclusive podcast interview with John Sawers, head of MI6 from 2009-2014. 

Sawers raises deep concerns over the security and intelligence consequences of Brexit. He says: “My concern on the intelligence and security front is over the exchange of data. Data is now central to the way in which security services in particular monitor threats. Track people who might pose a threat to UK security—and the rules on exchange of data are going to be set in the EU and we won’t be round the table with our voice with our weight stressing the vital importance of these data exchanges to our national security.”
On Theresa May, Sawers says: 

“I don’t think she’s a natural at engaging on these big political issues with foreign leaders.” On Britain in the world: 
“We have made less impact in the world in the last ten years than we did in the 30 years before that.” Sawers goes on to discuss the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, Britain’s failure to intervene in Syria, Russian meddling in western elections and relations between Britain and the US. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The immense political, constitutional and legal challenge posed by Brexit becomes clearer by the day. With talks now stepping up a gear and turning to the future relationship, Prospect Editor Tom Clark and Deputy Digital Editor Alex Dean sat down with representatives from either side of the debate. Gisela Stuart, the Labour politician who chaired Vote Leave, clashed with Ian Dunt, Remainer and editor of politics.co.uk. Prospect’s Executive Editor Jay Elwes spoke to polling extraordinaire John Curtice. Where does public opinion now stand on this defining issue of our times? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prospect’s Editor, Tom Clark, spoke to the writer and academic Shahidha Bari about her recent essay on the problem of art made by terrible men. What should our attitude be to their work and does history give examples of how those views might change over time? Stephanie Boland, Digital Editor and Sameer Rahim, Arts and Books Editor were on hand to offer their insights, in the first in a new series of weekly podcasts from Prospect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not so long ago the web was on the quirky edges of life, but today it is at its heart. John Naughton started out as an enthusiast, but today he joins Tom Clark to explain why it has fallen prey to corporate capture and bred a new surveillance capitalism. James Ball explains how social media has been used to brainwash voters. Meanwhile, Samira Shackle comes back from a trip to Mosul, the Iraqi city until recently under IS control, and explains how blameless citizens there are today paying the price for having been unwilling appendages to the jihaddi killing machine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not long ago, Tony Blair and Bill Clinton said there was no more point in arguing with globalisation than the weather: it was an unstoppable wind of change. No longer. It has spun into reverse. Dani Rodrik joins Tom Clark and explains why good economics always made hyper-globalisation a dubious proposition. Meanwhile, Keynes biographer Robert Skidelsky reappraises the record of one thoughtful globaliser: Gordon Brown. And feminist Lynne Segal takes on another sell from the economics profession: the “happiness industry." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Britain’s business leaders are increasingly jittery about a “cliff edge” Brexit. But is leaving Europe necessarily a threat for UK PLC, rather than an opportunity? Economists Adam Posen and Diane Coyle join Tom Clark and give the low-down, both on the scale of the coming shock as they see it, and the pre-existing frailty of the low-productivity British economy. Meanwhile, Andrew Dickson has taken a trip to Bilbao and asks whether culture is the key to restarting an economy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dutchman Joris Luyendijk imagined he was moving in with European cousins when he arrived in London; six years later he was cheering on Brexit. He tells Tom Clark how he learned to loathe England. At least Britain can laugh at itself—Sameer Rahim has been talking to our greatest living satirist, Armando Iannucci. All nations are defined by the stories they tell about themselves, and Daniella Peled reviews the work of the new Palestinian Museum in putting twists in the tale of a people without a land. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prospect has a new podcast series starting this week, called How To Fix... - and we'd like to share it with our Headspace listeners. In the first episode, Steve Bloomfield was joined by Andrew Dilnot, Liz Kendall and Daniel Drepper to discuss social care—what's wrong with it, and how we could make it better.You can subscribe now to hear future episodes at: http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/howtofixShow notesHere’s Andrew Dilnot’s report on Funding of Care and Support. webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/2013022…report/Liz Kendall mentioned the Barker report. Here it is. www.kingsfund.org.uk/projects/commi…l-care-englandHere’s Daniel Drepper’s book on Amazon. www.amazon.de/Jeder-pflegt-allei…1740017/ref=sr_1_1And if you’d prefer something in English, here’s a piece on Correctiv: correctiv.org/en/investigations/…-home-care-system/, the non-profit Daniel co-founded, that dealt with the same issue.In April 2015, Liz Kendall spoke to the Guardian about social care. www.theguardian.com/society/2015/ap…care-health-nhs Here are the manifestoes from 2017. Labour’s bit on social care begins on page 71, the Conservatives infamous policy is recorded for posterity on page 64: www.labour.org.uk/page/-/Images/ma…festo%202017.pdf, while the Lib Dems’ section is here: www.libdems.org.uk/health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.