Best of the Spectator

On this week's podcast:Can Rishi Sunak steady the ship?Patrick O'Flynn argues in his cover piece for The Spectator that the asylum system is broken. He is joined by Sunder Katwala, director of the think tank British Future, to consider what potential solutions are open to the Prime Minister to solve the small boats crisis (00:52).Also this week:Should we give Elon Musk a break?In the aftermath of his sensational purchase of Twitter, Mary Wakefield writes in defence of the tech billionaire. She is joined by James Ball, global editor of The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, to ask what his plans are for the social media platform (14:27).And finally:Ysenda Maxtone Graham writes in the magazine this week about the joy of hating the Qatar World Cup. She is joined by Spectator columnist Rod Liddle to lament why we may have to get used to tournaments like this one. (24:47). Hosted by William Moore. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s Book Club podcast is a live special, recorded at this year’s inaugural Braemar Literary Festival. I’m talking to Sir Ian Rankin, in an exclusive pre-publication event, about his new Rebus novel A Heart Full of Headstones. You can see images from the event and more details of the festival at https://www.braemarliteraryfestival.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Winston speaks with American author, conservative commentator and activist Candace Owens. They discuss why she and Kanye West wore White Lives Matter shirts at Paris Fashion Week, Kanye’s offensive tweets, the rise of Black Lives Matter, her new film ‘The Greatest Lie Ever Sold’ exploring the death of George Floyd and much more… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Xi Jinping has taken his new Politburo Standing Committee on a group trip – to Yan’An, the base of Mao Zedong’s Communist revolution after the Long March. The symbolism is easy to see.On this episode of Chinese Whispers, Bill Bishop, author of the popular Sinocism newsletter, and Professor Victor Shih, author of Coalitions of the Weak, have returned to reflect on the Party Congress just past. It's been a more dramatic event than many (inside and outside the party) expected, starting with a brave, lone protestor hanging a 42-character banner off a popular bridge in Beijing, lambasting the authoritarian regime; and ending with the forcible removal of former general secretary Hu Jintao in front of the world's media.At the congress itself Xi overturned decades-long norms dictating the top leadership of the party – age no longer seems to necessitate retirement, while the Politburo has not a single woman. Above all, Xi has started his third term as general secretary with a loyal cabal of men around him. Did he not want more competent people in the top jobs? 'Loyalty is merit', Bill suggests.What does this mean for China, and the world? Victor makes the point that Xi is putting the pieces in place to push through unpopular decisions – for example, an invasion of Taiwan. 'If you think about it, why would you want people whom you trust absolutely to fill every single position? Because even Chairman Mao didn’t do this'. It also means that as Xi becomes more truly dictatorial, the West needs to engage with him more, not less. We just don’t know the kind of information about the US, about other countries, that are landing on Xi Jinping’s desk. And this information can be incredibly distorted. So if anything, just presenting an alternative view of how the world works could be helpful. He may not believe you… but if you’re able to look him in the eye and tell him something, at least he’ll be forced to think about it.As for the party itself, the three of us digest the Hu Jintao incident. Regardless of what you think happened, one thing is for sure – it was a deep and utter humiliation for Hu, especially given China's deep-set Confucian respect for elders. The idea that there is any organised CCP opposition against Xi has been put to bed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's podcast: former Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg tells us why it's good to back on the back benches (01:00), Julian Jessop reflects on his part in Liz Truss's downfall (06:41), and Melanie McDonagh reads her Notes on... candles (12:57). Produced and presented by Oscar Edmondson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alicia Kearns is the Conservative MP for Rutland and Melton; and the first female chair of the foreign affairs select committee. Alicia built a reputation as a foreign policy powerhouse working in communications and counter-terrorism for the civil service. After leaving, she spent some time in the private sector before deciding to become an MP. In 2019 she was elected in the Conservative safe seat, Rutland and Melton where she now lives with her family. On the podcast, Alicia talks about why she left the civil service and the time she ‘came out’ as a Conservative. She also shares her love for her Rutland and Melton, describing her constituents as ‘her people’. But makes no bones about how hard she finds the job: ‘I love being able to campaign and change policy. But I can’t say I enjoy the job’. Now, as the chair of the foreign affairs select committee in Parliament, Alicia wants to improve the UK’s resilience in diplomacy and ensure Rishi Sunak won’t back away from Britain’s international responsibilities. Produced by Natasha Feroze  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's podcast:We have a new prime minister, but is Rishi Sunak ready to take on the numerous problems that James Forsyth outlines in his cover piece for The Spectator this week? James is joined by writer and pollster Matt Goodwin to debate whether the Conservatives can turn it around in time for 2024 (00:50). Also this week:Is the future of feminism conservative?Louise Perry writes for the magazine this week that there has been a rightward shift in feminist thought, spearheaded by mothers coalescing online. She is joined by Victoria Smith, author of Hags: The Demonisation of Middle-Aged Women (15:30).And finally:The Spectator's diary editor James Heale and the Sun's political editor Harry Cole, are the authors of the new book Out of the Blue: The Unexpected Rise and Rapid Fall of Liz Truss. Now immortalised as a Twitter meme, they discuss the agony of rewrites and trying to keep pace with Truss's doomed premiership (28:09). Hosted by William Moore. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest on this week's Book Club podcast is the Ukrainian novelist Andrey Kurkov – who has this year become one of the most articulate ambassadors to the West for the situation in his homeland. As a book of his recent writings, Diary of an Invasion, is published in English, he tells me about the experience of trading fiction for the "duty" of a public intellectual in wartime. As an ethnic Russian Ukrainian, he talks about what the West fails to understand about the profound differences between Russian and Ukrainian people, how their national literatures nourish and reflect these differences, how language itself has become one of the battlegrounds, and what Zelensky looked like to Ukrainians before he became a heroic war leader.       Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Capri Cafaro was a member of the Ohio Senate for 10 years before becoming a political commentator. She can often be found on American television news channels and also hosts her own food podcast, Eat Your Heartland Out. On the podcast she talks to Lara and Olivia about memories of cooking Italian-American classics with her Grandma, how she got into politics and why she doesn't have a sweet tooth.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author and journalist Helen Joyce speaks to Winston about the most contentious issue of the age: the transgender debate. They discussed Mermaids, Tavistock, the Scottish Gender Bill and her new book; perhaps the most authoritative on the subject. Is the growing phenomenon what Jung called a 'psychic endemic'? Listen to find out… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.