New Culture Forum

In the earliest stages of Covid-19, Peter Hitchens was one of the few public voices who was opposed to the lockdown and the tactics that were being employed. As time has proved him correct, he regrets but is not surprised that he has not been afforded greater media exposure during this crisis. He thinks it absurd that there has been so little proper criticism or opposition to the government's measures and that journalists are so placid in their questioning of ministers. Most of these meausres are neither proportionate nor of much use, yet the public have embraced them wholeheartedly. This he believes is akin to doing things out of supersitition. The government, he argues, has embarked on the biggest and most expensive propaganda campaign in peacetime, to concince the British public to commit acts of enormous self harm that were wholly disproportionate and unjustifiable in relation to the severity of the pandemic. He wonders what lies ahead for transport and big cities if people are no longer commuting in to city centres and if office space declines, with all the knock-on effects that will have for businesses that depend on offices and office workers. He points out that no-one should be surprised by public institutions such as the National Trust and British Library becoming involved in political controversies such as Black Lives Matter. This was always going to be the result once the left had completed its "Long March" through the institutions. The left's silent revolution is a fait accompli, and now they are enacting and reacting in accordance with their ideology. He explains that much of the current "social justice" and culture war problems we see today originates in the Equalities Act of 2010, an Act brought in by the Labour Government but one which the Conservative Party -- which by this point had become a Blairite Party led by the Blairite David Cameron -- did little to oppose. "If I were under 30 I'd have left (Britain) long ago", Hitchens states. "I've never seen a country more finished -- and I've seen some finished countries." The problem Britain faces is that with our 2 party system (which Hitchens supports), it is impossible for a new party to rise up until there is a vacancy. This is how the Labour Party emerged to replace the Liberal Party -- and this is the only way that the Conservative Party or Labour Party will in turn be replaced. --------------- SUBSCRIBE: If you are enjoying the show, please subscribe to our channel on YouTube (click the Subscribe Button underneath the video and then Click on the Bell icon next to it to make sure you Receive All Notifications) AUDIO: If you prefer Audio you can subscribe on itunes or Soundcloud. Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-923838732 itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/s... SUPPORT/DONATE: "So What You're Saying Is.." is still very new and to continue to produce quality programming we need your support. Your donations will help ensure the show not only continues but can grow into a major online platform challenging the cultural orthodoxies dominant in our institutions, public life and media. PAYPAL/ CARD PAYMENTS - ONE TIME & MONTHLY: You can donate in a variety of ways via our website: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk/#do... It is set up to accept one time and monthly donations. ABOUT THE SHOW: So What You're Saying Is... (SWYSI) is a weekly discussion show with experts and significant figures from the political, cultural and academic worlds. The host is Peter Whittle (@PRWhittle), Founder & Director of The New Culture Forum, a Westminster-based think tank that seeks to challenge the cultural orthodoxies dominant in the media, academia, and British culture / society at large. JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Web: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk F: https://www.facebook.com/NCultureForum/ Y: http://www.youtube.com/c/NewCultureForum T: http://www.twitter.com/NewCultureForum (@NewCultureForum)

On this week's #NCFCounterCulture we provide an update on the "Save Our Statues" campaign, which was launched during the summer of Black Lives Matter attacks on historic British statues. Topics discussed include various official "audits" of collections in order to identify individuals with alleged links to slavery and the slave trade, however tenuous or risible these might be. These range from the Welsh Government's survey of historic statues to the British Library's review of figures including such unlikely -- and implausible -- characters such as Oscar Wilde, George Orwell and the poet Ted Hughes. In London it has been revealed that Sadiq Khan's commission on statues etc. has already cost £250,000. This means that Londoners are footing the bill for these politicized reviews. On the positive side: The National Trust has had a huge decline in revenue due to collapse in both new and renewing memberships. The National Trust's review was also criticized by the head of the Charity Commission, who said that charitable organisations should not involve themselves in such divisive issues. The application to remove the listed statues of Thomas Guy & Sir Robert Clayton at, respectively, Guy's & St. Thomas's Hospital have been removed following receipt of some 600 public complaints (due in part to the campaigning of Save Our Statues). Government ministers have been speaking a bit more vocally and positively on these cultural issues. What we need to see now is some form of legislation or other means of formal protection. The panel: Peter Whittle, Founder & Chairman of Save Our Statues Richard Bingley, General Secretary of S.O.S. Robert Poll, Online & Social Media Coordinator for S.O.S. Emma Webb from Civitas, Executive Member of S.O.S. --------------- SUBSCRIBE: If you are enjoying the show, please subscribe to our channel on YouTube (click the Subscribe Button underneath the video and then Click on the Bell icon next to it to make sure you Receive All Notifications) AUDIO: If you prefer Audio you can subscribe on itunes or Soundcloud. Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-923838732 itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/s... SUPPORT/DONATE: "So What You're Saying Is.." is still very new and to continue to produce quality programming we need your support. Your donations will help ensure the show not only continues but can grow into a major online platform challenging the cultural orthodoxies dominant in our institutions, public life and media. PAYPAL/ CARD PAYMENTS - ONE TIME & MONTHLY: You can donate in a variety of ways via our website: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk/#do... It is set up to accept one time and monthly donations. ABOUT THE SHOW: So What You're Saying Is... (SWYSI) is a weekly discussion show with experts and significant figures from the political, cultural and academic worlds. The host is Peter Whittle (@PRWhittle), Founder & Director of The New Culture Forum, a Westminster-based think tank that seeks to challenge the cultural orthodoxies dominant in the media, academia, and British culture / society at large. JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Web: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk F: https://www.facebook.com/NCultureForum/ Y: http://www.youtube.com/c/NewCultureForum T: http://www.twitter.com/NewCultureForum (@NewCultureForum)

On this week's "So What You're Saying Is..." (#SWYSI), journalist & broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer joins Peter Whittle to discuss the lockdown & the Government's response to Covid, the curtailment of civil liberties, media bias, free speech, the Met Police investigation into David Starkey & Darren Grimes, the proposed expansion of hate speech laws to private residences, and Boris Johnson's weak leadership on all these issues. --------------- SUBSCRIBE: If you are enjoying the show, please subscribe to our channel on YouTube (click the Subscribe Button underneath the video and then Click on the Bell icon next to it to make sure you Receive All Notifications) AUDIO: If you prefer Audio you can subscribe on itunes or Soundcloud. Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-923838732 itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/s... SUPPORT/DONATE: "So What You're Saying Is.." is still very new and to continue to produce quality programming we need your support. Your donations will help ensure the show not only continues but can grow into a major online platform challenging the cultural orthodoxies dominant in our institutions, public life and media. PAYPAL/ CARD PAYMENTS - ONE TIME & MONTHLY: You can donate in a variety of ways via our website: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk/#do... It is set up to accept one time and monthly donations. ABOUT THE SHOW: So What You're Saying Is... (SWYSI) is a weekly discussion show with experts and significant figures from the political, cultural and academic worlds. The host is Peter Whittle (@PRWhittle), Founder & Director of The New Culture Forum, a Westminster-based think tank that seeks to challenge the cultural orthodoxies dominant in the media, academia, and British culture / society at large. JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Web: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk F: https://www.facebook.com/NCultureForum/ Y: http://www.youtube.com/c/NewCultureForum T: http://www.twitter.com/NewCultureForum (@NewCultureForum)

On this week's "So What You're Saying is..." #SWYSI, Peter Whittle has a wide-ranging discussion with The Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe, covering everything from Brexit & Nigel Farage's Reform Party to the culture wars & the Law Commission's terrifying proposal to expand anti-hate speech laws to private residences. Brexit: Ms. Widdecombe's fear since 2016 has been a "half Brexit", with the UK officially out of the EU, but remaining tied and bound by its rules without any representation. Now, with the Brexit deadline looming, the veteran politician believes any true Brexit is very seriously in peril. From the government of Therea May to Boris Johnson, we have reached this point through a combination of incompetence, lack of will and a degree of institutional resistance. Boris Johnson: For Ms. Widdecombe, a former Conservative MP & minister, the problem with Boris Johnson is that he is chaotic and entirely reliant on others to keep him and the show on the road. She believes he is genuinely pro-Brexit and a libertarian but has been captured by the other side, especially after falling ill with Covid. Covid-19: The country requires strong, firm leadership in the face of adversity yet, instead, the Johnson Government has flip-flopped throughout the coronavirus crisis, appearing timid at best. Whilst she dismisses conspiracy theories alleging there is a plot to permanently remove civil liberties in the UK, Ms. Widdecombe believes Britons' temporary loss of liberties was and is entirely unnecessary as the UK should have followed a Swedish-style approach in its response to Covid. Ms. Widdecombe believes churches should have remained open in the first lockdown but is pleased that, having had time to get safety procedures in place, the churches have now adopted a more common-sense approach to the second lockdown. Ms. Widdecombe is extremely concerned about the Law Commission's recommendation that anti-hate speech laws should be applied to conversations in our own homes. This, she argues, is the sort of totalitarian measure one has hitherto only seen in regimes such as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union -- certainly not in a country famed for the old adage: "an Englishman's home is his castle". Woke Culture Wars: From cancel culture to the toppling of statues, Ms. Widdecombe is deeply concerned about the radical woke iconoclasts who seek to undermine British identity by attacking its history and culture. She does not understand why the Government, police and other institutions are so placid and reluctant to stand up and defend Britain. Reform Party: Asked about Nigel Farage's new "Reform Party", the former Brexit Party MEP stated that she supports the new party's 2 principal aims: securing a proper Brexit and avoiding further national lockdowns. Once Brexit is concluded and Covid-19 has been dealt with, however, the party's principal aim will be electoral reform -- and whilst she is in favour of a smaller House of Lords and House of Commons, Ms. Widdecombe will oppose any attempt to abolish the "First Past The Post" system.

What impact will the defeat of Donald Trump & the resignation of Dominic Cummings have in the so-called "culture wars"? Both individuals were seen as the torchbearers for their nations' conservative pushback and the attempt to reverse the Left's "long march through the institutions". Does the election of Joe Biden in the USA and the growing influence in the Conservative Party of progressive figures such as Boris Johnson's wife, Carrie Symonds, mean that the right has lost the culture wars for the forseeable future? To discuss this on #NCFCounterCulture this week we are joined by: * Prof. Frank Furedi, emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Kent and "the UK's most widely-quoted sociologist". * Rafe Heydel-Mankoo of the New Culture Forum, historian, author and commentator. --------------- SUBSCRIBE: If you are enjoying the show, please subscribe to our channel on YouTube (click the Subscribe Button underneath the video and then Click on the Bell icon next to it to make sure you Receive All Notifications) AUDIO: If you prefer Audio you can subscribe on itunes or Soundcloud. Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-923838732 itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/s... SUPPORT/DONATE: The New Culture Forum channel is still very new and to continue to produce quality programming we need your support. Your donations will help ensure the show not only continues but can grow into a major online platform challenging the cultural orthodoxies dominant in our institutions, public life and media. PAYPAL/ CARD PAYMENTS - ONE TIME & MONTHLY: You can donate in a variety of ways via our website: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk/#do... It is set up to accept one time and monthly donations. ABOUT THE SHOW: So What You're Saying Is... (SWYSI) & #NCFCounterCulture are weekly discussion shows with experts and significant figures from the political, cultural and academic worlds. The host is Peter Whittle (@PRWhittle), Founder & Director of The New Culture Forum, a Westminster-based think tank that seeks to challenge the cultural orthodoxies dominant in the media, academia, and British culture / society at large. JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Web: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk F: https://www.facebook.com/NCultureForum/ Y: http://www.youtube.com/c/NewCultureForum T: http://www.twitter.com/NewCultureForum (@NewCultureForum)

Masculinity has reached a moment of crisis. From the erosion of unifying institutions such as marriage to a rise in male suicide rates, these are particularly turbulent times to be a man. Increasing numbers of men are finding themselves anchorless, uprooted from the conventions and certainties of their forefathers. Today masculinity itself has come under attack, relentlessly maligned in the media. Now, more than ever, the long and perilous journey from infant to old age is fraught with strange complexities, moral dichotomies and maddening contradictions. So, what does it mean to be a man in the twenty-first century? How can today's men lead a more fulfilling existence? Joining Peter Whittle on this week's "So What You're Saying is..." to discuss these subjects is James Innes-Smith, author of the new book "The Seven Ages of Man: How To Live A Meaningful Life". (https://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Masculin...) James Innes-Smith is a British author and journalist. He has written for a number of publications including the Daily Telegraph, Spectator, The Times, Evening Standard, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Standpoint and The Oldie. --------------- SUBSCRIBE: If you are enjoying the show, please subscribe to our channel on YouTube (click the Subscribe Button underneath the video and then Click on the Bell icon next to it to make sure you Receive All Notifications) AUDIO: If you prefer Audio you can subscribe on itunes or Soundcloud. Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-923838732 itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/s... SUPPORT/DONATE: "So What You're Saying Is.." is still very new and to continue to produce quality programming we need your support. Your donations will help ensure the show not only continues but can grow into a major online platform challenging the cultural orthodoxies dominant in our institutions, public life and media. PAYPAL/ CARD PAYMENTS - ONE TIME & MONTHLY: You can donate in a variety of ways via our website: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk/#do... It is set up to accept one time and monthly donations. ABOUT THE SHOW: So What You're Saying Is... (SWYSI) is a weekly discussion show with experts and significant figures from the political, cultural and academic worlds. The host is Peter Whittle (@PRWhittle), Founder & Director of The New Culture Forum, a Westminster-based think tank that seeks to challenge the cultural orthodoxies dominant in the media, academia, and British culture / society at large. JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Web: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk F: https://www.facebook.com/NCultureForum/ Y: http://www.youtube.com/c/NewCultureForum T: http://www.twitter.com/NewCultureForum (@NewCultureForum)

On this week's #SWYSI, Peter Whittle is joined by Paul Embery a firefighter, trade union activist, pro-Brexit campaigner. columnist and 'Blue Labour' thinker from Dagengham. Paul may be followed on Twitter: @PaulEmbery --------------- SUBSCRIBE: If you are enjoying the show, please subscribe to our channel on YouTube (click the Subscribe Button underneath the video and then Click on the Bell icon next to it to make sure you Receive All Notifications) AUDIO: If you prefer Audio you can subscribe on itunes or Soundcloud. Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-923838732 itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/s... SUPPORT/DONATE: "So What You're Saying Is.." is still very new and to continue to produce quality programming we need your support. Your donations will help ensure the show not only continues but can grow into a major online platform challenging the cultural orthodoxies dominant in our institutions, public life and media. PAYPAL/ CARD PAYMENTS - ONE TIME & MONTHLY: You can donate in a variety of ways via our website: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk/#do... It is set up to accept one time and monthly donations. ABOUT THE SHOW: So What You're Saying Is... (SWYSI) is a weekly discussion show with experts and significant figures from the political, cultural and academic worlds. The host is Peter Whittle (@PRWhittle), Founder & Director of The New Culture Forum, a Westminster-based think tank that seeks to challenge the cultural orthodoxies dominant in the media, academia, and British culture / society at large. JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Web: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk F: https://www.facebook.com/NCultureForum/ Y: http://www.youtube.com/c/NewCultureForum T: http://www.twitter.com/NewCultureForum (@NewCultureForum)

On this week's #SWYSI, Prof. Matthew Goodwin joins Peter Whittle to discuss topics including: * academic freedom & free speech / cancel culture * "White Privilege" v the poor educational outcomes of "left behind" white working-class Britons * populism as a reaction to "liberal over-reach" * the culture wars & the UK's new, values-based political divide * potential paths to finding a political settlement/compromise to unite the nation * the US presidential election and America's political polarisation * the economic and health consequences of the pandemic over the next decade * the ongoing problems of immigration, economic divergence, and political leadership * public perceptions of the degree to which Boris Johnson and the Government are truly "conservative". "National Populism: The Revolt Against Liberal Democracy" by Matthew Goodwin and Roger Eatwell: https://www.amazon.co.uk/National-Pop... --------------- SUBSCRIBE: If you are enjoying the show, please subscribe to our channel on YouTube (click the Subscribe Button underneath the video and then Click on the Bell icon next to it to make sure you Receive All Notifications) AUDIO: If you prefer Audio you can subscribe on itunes or Soundcloud. Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-923838732 itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/s... SUPPORT/DONATE: "So What You're Saying Is.." is still very new and to continue to produce quality programming we need your support. Your donations will help ensure the show not only continues but can grow into a major online platform challenging the cultural orthodoxies dominant in our institutions, public life and media. PAYPAL/ CARD PAYMENTS - ONE TIME & MONTHLY: You can donate in a variety of ways via our website: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk/#do... It is set up to accept one time and monthly donations. ABOUT THE SHOW: So What You're Saying Is... (SWYSI) is a weekly discussion show with experts and significant figures from the political, cultural and academic worlds. The host is Peter Whittle (@PRWhittle), Founder & Director of The New Culture Forum, a Westminster-based think tank that seeks to challenge the cultural orthodoxies dominant in the media, academia, and British culture / society at large. JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Web: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk F: https://www.facebook.com/NCultureForum/ Y: http://www.youtube.com/c/NewCultureForum T: http://www.twitter.com/NewCultureForum (@NewCultureForum)

On the eve of the 2020 US Presidential Election, #NCFCounterCulture brings together 4 experts to discuss the significance of the election and what a Trump or Biden victory might mean for the USA and the rest of the world -- including the culture wars currently engulfing the Anglosphere. The panel: * Tim Stanley, historian, columnist and leader writer for The Telegraph * Sarah Elliott, Chairman of Republicans Overseas UK * Oliver Wiseman, US Editor of The Critic magazine * Rafe Heydel-Mankoo of the New Culture Forum, historian & commentator --------------- SUBSCRIBE: If you are enjoying the show, please subscribe to our channel on YouTube (click the Subscribe Button underneath the video and then Click on the Bell icon next to it to make sure you Receive All Notifications) AUDIO: If you prefer Audio you can subscribe on itunes or Soundcloud. Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-923838732 itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/s... SUPPORT/DONATE: The New Culture Forum channel is still very new and to continue to produce quality programming we need your support. Your donations will help ensure the show not only continues but can grow into a major online platform challenging the cultural orthodoxies dominant in our institutions, public life and media. PAYPAL/ CARD PAYMENTS - ONE TIME & MONTHLY: You can donate in a variety of ways via our website: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk/#do... It is set up to accept one time and monthly donations. ABOUT THE SHOWS: So What You're Saying Is... (SWYSI) & NCF CounterCulture are weekly discussion showss with experts and significant figures from the political, cultural and academic worlds. The host is Peter Whittle (@PRWhittle), Founder & Director of The New Culture Forum, a Westminster-based think tank that seeks to challenge the cultural orthodoxies dominant in the media, academia, and British culture / society at large. The resident guest is Rafal Heydel-Mankoo. JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Web: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk F: https://www.facebook.com/NCultureForum/ Y: http://www.youtube.com/c/NewCultureForum T: http://www.twitter.com/NewCultureForum (@NewCultureForum)

The erosion of civil liberties such as freedom of speech was a great concern to some prior to the Covid-19 pandemic -- however the actions of governments since the outbreak, including curtailing freedom of movement and freedom of assembly, have caused a much wider swathe of society to express extreme concern about Britain's direction of travel. Are people right to be concerned or is this an over-reaction? Should we be prepared to give up some civli liberties for the greater good or do we need to defend these above all else? If lost, are they gone forever or can they be retrieved in their full form? This week's panel on #NCFNewspeak: * Nigel Jones, historian & author * Dr. Kevin Corbett, health scientist and retired nurse * Rafe Heydel-Mankoo of the New Culture Forum, historian & broadcaster * Marc Sidwell, journalist, Deputy Editor of "Smith" Magazine and author of "The Long March Through The Institutions" (published by the New Culture Forum) --------------- SUBSCRIBE: If you are enjoying the show, please subscribe to our channel on YouTube (click the Subscribe Button underneath the video and then Click on the Bell icon next to it to make sure you Receive All Notifications) AUDIO: If you prefer Audio you can subscribe on itunes or Soundcloud. Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-923838732 itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/s... SUPPORT/DONATE: "So What You're Saying Is.." is still very new and to continue to produce quality programming we need your support. Your donations will help ensure the show not only continues but can grow into a major online platform challenging the cultural orthodoxies dominant in our institutions, public life and media. PAYPAL/ CARD PAYMENTS - ONE TIME & MONTHLY: You can donate in a variety of ways via our website: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk/#do... It is set up to accept one time and monthly donations. ABOUT THE SHOW: So What You're Saying Is... (SWYSI) is a weekly discussion show with experts and significant figures from the political, cultural and academic worlds. The host is Peter Whittle (@PRWhittle), Founder & Director of The New Culture Forum, a Westminster-based think tank that seeks to challenge the cultural orthodoxies dominant in the media, academia, and British culture / society at large. JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Web: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk F: https://www.facebook.com/NCultureForum/ Y: http://www.youtube.com/c/NewCultureForum T: http://www.twitter.com/NewCultureForum (@NewCultureForum)