Best of the Spectator Easter Out Loud: Lisa Haseldine, Matthew Parris, Damian Thompson, Peter Pomerantsev, Chas Newkey-Burden & Catriona Olding
Apr 6, 2026
Guest
Catriona Olding
Guest
Peter Pomerantsev
Guest
Damian Thompson
Guest
Matthew Parris
Guest
Lisa Haseldine
Catriona Olding, an essayist writing from Provence about comfort and companionship. Peter Pomerantsev, a writer and commentator on statecraft and geopolitics. Damian Thompson, a religious affairs commentator on Pope Leo XIV’s quiet reforms. Matthew Parris, a columnist reflecting on self-sacrifice and the Iran crisis. Lisa Haseldine, a journalist reporting from Svalbard on strategic tensions and Russian activity. They discuss strategy, religion, sacrifice, marathons and life in Provence.
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Episode notes
Svalbard's Treaty Creates Strategic Vulnerability
- Svalbard's legal neutrality makes it strategically vulnerable, not safe, despite Norwegian sovereignty.
- Lisa Haseldine notes the 1920 treaty bars military forces and grants visa-free resource access, creating a security gap Russia can exploit.
Life Divided Between Longyearbyen And Barentsburg
- Longyearbyen and Barentsburg coexist but feel increasingly separated since 2022, with no road link between them.
- Haseldine describes Barentsburg as a Russian company town with Lenin busts and a tiny Russian community supported by Arctic Ogil.
Russia's Presence On Svalbard Is Strategically Driven
- Russia is investing in Svalbard for strategic access, not coal profits, because it's close to Murmansk and the Northern Fleet.
- Haseldine highlights subsidies, reinstated ferry links, and a Russian Orthodox congregation as tools of entrenchment.
