Maiden Mother Matriarch with Louise Perry

Meghan Murphy, feminist writer and commentator, joins to unpack Lindy West's memoir. They probe memoir honesty and the ethics of personal critique. Conversations touch on fat activism, polyamory and relationship breakdowns, mental health and household dynamics, plus debates over GLP-1s and appetite.

Tom Ough, senior editor at UnHerd and author of The Anti-Catastrophe League, outlines Anglofuturism as a techno‑optimist vision that marries innovation with familiar British culture. He discusses nuclear power, space ambitions, AI risks, fertility and parental support, and competing futures of rapid modernisation versus managed decline.

Louise Perry, writer on sexual politics and social trends, discusses migration, plunging birth rates and rapid cultural shifts in Britain. She traces London’s changing demographics and debates labels like British versus indigenous. Short, sharp takes on class movement, demographic statistics, and how these changes reshape public narratives.

In Lionel Shriver's new novel, a family with a large and lovely house in Brooklyn invite a Honduran asylum seeker to come and live with them. The young woman is pleasant and helpful. But the adult son of the family – unemployed, idle, and disagreeable – is deeply opposed to her presence in his home. This being a Lionel Shriver novel, the drama soon goes in an unexpected direction. 'A Better Life' is a novel about immigration, gender, and political polarisation – all topics we discuss today. Lionel is the author of nineteen novels, winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction for the massive bestseller 'We Need to Talk About Kevin', and a columnist at the Spectator Magazine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Poppy Coburn, journalist at The Telegraph known for cultural reporting, probes why Britain fixates on Dubai. She examines elite resentment and media spite. They explore who moves there, British enclaves, and comparisons with other global hubs. The conversation also tackles tax avoidance, materialism, and the ethics of employing domestic staff.

John Daniel Davidson, senior editor and author of Pagan America, warns about a broad form of paganism as the inversion of Christianity. He explores re-enchantment, the risks of contacting malign spirits, and how technology and AI reshape spiritual life. Practical concerns about screens, parenting, and building resilient Christian communities are discussed.

Anthony Daniels (pen name Theodore Dalrymple), a British physician and author who spent decades treating people in inner-city hospitals and prisons. He discusses patterns of domestic abuse, why victims return, cultural roots of violence and the effects of sexual permissiveness. He examines class differences, changing substance use, lost domestic skills, and how elite beliefs ripple down to create social dysfunction.

Ed West, journalist and commentator, explains shifting political coalitions and by-election surprises. He talks about the Greens’ unexpected win, outreach tactics and changing party identity. They discuss demographic shifts, turnout, and how social and international issues reshape voting alliances.

Rob Henderson, writer and NYT commentator, offers brisk analysis of Aaron Sorkin's legacy and style. They unpack Sorkin's patriotic-liberal politics and his taste for elite, smart characters. Conversations cover Sorkin's rapid, musical dialogue, his range across true-story projects, and how his work shaped a certain era of political storytelling.

Elena Bridgers, science writer and author of the Substack Motherhood Until Yesterday, explores evolutionary mismatch in parenting. She discusses hunter‑gatherer practices like alloparenting, birth spacing, bed sharing and breastfeeding. The conversation covers isolation, community childcare, breastfeeding challenges, and practical home and social solutions to make modern parenting feel easier.