New Culture Forum

Peter's guest this week is Conservative journalist and commentator, Tim Montgomerie. The pair discuss Theresa May's legacy, grassroots media and of course the ongoing Conservative leadership battle. SUBSCRIBE: If you are enjoying the show, please subscribe to our channel on YouTube, iTunes or Soundcloud: You can also find us on the Google Podcasts app. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast... Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-923838732 SUPPORT: Your Donations will help ensure our Show keeps going PAYPAL/ CARD PAYMENTS: http://www.newcultureforum.org.uk/ 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)

Peter Whittle's guest this week is Simon Richards, Chief Executive of The Freedom Association - TFA (which he has belonged to since 1976) and co-founder of the Better Off Out campaign. In 2007 he introduced TFA's Free Spirits events, to put the freedom message to young people, and in 2008 set up university Freedom Societies. In 2014 he came up with The Freedom Festival, which proved so successful that it has now become an annual event. In his discussion with Peter, Simon stresses that the nation state holds more importance to the TFA than is perhaps the case with other notable libertarian organisations. Speaking about the state of Freedom today, he argues that whilst we have plenty of choice in so many areas of modern life, in reality, on the big Orwellian issues of real freedom to speak and to think, freedom is in fact being closed down by the left. To strengthen Britain's freedoms we must remember the proud defence of Freedom Britain has historically championed. Looking through the prism of WWII, Churchill's funeral and the Falklands War, Richards discusses the state of Britain in recent decades and how a nation's most celebrated characteristics can be easily lost and forgotten if not preserved for future generations.

Peter Whittle's guest this week is Ben Cobley, author of The Tribe: The Liberal-Left and the System of Diversity. He discusses with Peter who is behind identity politics, how it came to dominate our culture and how they maintain their influence over the narrative. 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)

Peter Whittle's guest this week is comedian Alistair Williams, who became a viral sensation recently after his standup routine about Burger King and Brexit took the internet by storm. He joins Peter to discuss the state of comedy in the Brexit era, the inspiration behind his shows and his plans for the future. 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)

Peter's Whittle's guest this week is free speech campaigner and columnist Brendan O'Neill, editor of Spiked Online and a frequent commentator on Sky News's paper review etc. Starting out on the far left as a writer for Living Marxism, the journal of the Revolutionary Communist Party, Brendan O'Neill now classifies himself as an atheist libertarian. He is no longer as interested in traditional Left/Right political divisions believing, like many others, that these have been superseded by society's new divisions (in essence the platform for the culture wars). Dubbed "The Most Hated Man on UK campuses" by The Tab, He has taken his campaign against censorship and the "no platforming" of speakers to university campuses, attacking the authoritarian, close-minded attitude of the (generally privileged middle class) "woke" students & staff who prefer to shut down debate rather than attempt to rebut challenging views.

A personal and candid conversation with Britain's most provocative historian in which he speaks about his early life, influences and career, and the journey that brought him to our screens. Calling the Henry VIII's break with Rome the "other Brexit", Starkey compare and contrasts Theresa May's negotiations with the EU and Henry VIII's negotiations with the Pope. His verdict is not one the P.M. would wish to hear. Moving on to English identity, we learn why the Tudors dominate England's cultural landscape -- particularly Henry VIII and Elizabeth I -- and why the British Empire is unique in having transformed its colonies/dominions into self-governing, sovereign nations. From landmark documentary series to political panel shows, David Starkey, once dubbed "the Rudest Man in Britain", never fails to make compelling television. Here, however, is an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of an important contributor to contemporary cultural discourse. .

This week, Peter is joined by Academy of Ideas director, Claire Fox to discuss Lexit, identity politics and how her friends and family reacted to the news of her decision to stand as a candidate for the Brexit Party this week.

This Easter Weekend, Peter Whittle sat down with Damian Thompson, editor-in-chief of the Catholic Herald to discuss the scandalous under-reporting of the persecution of Christians worldwide.

This week, Peter sat down with journalist and broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer, to discuss her views on conservatism, Brexit & the ongoing culture wars.

Familiar to many from her appearances on Question Time, Newsnight etc., this week's guest is celebrated novelist & journalist Lionel Shriver, author of the award-winning novel "We Need to Talk About Kevin" (adapted into a 2011 film of the same name). Continuing their discussion from last week's episode, the pair discuss censorship, diversity and cultural appropriation.