Best of the Spectator

After a long summer of hustings, Liz Truss has finally been confirmed today as the next leader of the Conservative party. As she gets the keys to Downing Street, she'll finally be able to carry out her vision of Sino-British relations. But what is that vision?On the latest Chinese Whispers, Cindy Yu speaks to Sam Hogg, editor of the must-read Beijing to Britain newsletter, about what we know about Truss's views on China so far. Will she declare a genocide in Xinjiang? What is an acceptable level of trade with Beijing?The difficulty for Truss is that she has never had to balance her opinions on China with the wider remit of government (for example, when it comes to the trading relationship that she lambasted her rival Rishi Sunak for pursuing, while at the Treasury). As Sam points out, taking the example of declaring a genocide in Xinjiang (something she has privately expressed support for): ‘When you officially recognise that a genocide is taking place, that puts an onus on the country that has done so to try and actively stop that, using a variety of means (that could be sanctions for example). With that in mind, one can see why it’s a useful campaign pledge, but a difficult policy to carry out once in power’Then she might be held hostage by China hawks on the backbenches – those MPs like Iain Duncan Smith who have lent her his support, but may want to see her be as vocally sceptical of China in Downing Street as she has been so far. In that case, there could be a vibe similar to how the hardline Brexiteers held previous Conservative prime ministers to ransom on seeing through their visions. ‘She’s made a series of political contracts with various backbenchers about how hawkish she is going to be towards China. And each of these backbenchers will have a limited amount of patience’, Sam points out.We won't have long to find out as she gets her feet under the desk at No. 10 and, in a couple of months, meets with President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Indonesia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Connolly, The Spectator's news editor, is joined by deputy editor Freddy Gray; political editor James Forsyth; business editor Martin Vander Weyer; assistant editor Isabel Hardman; contributors Louise Perry and Simon Kuper; historian Robert Service; journalist Anne-Elisabeth Moutet; Times royal correspondent Valentine Low; deputy editor Freddy Gray; political editor James Forsyth; business editor Martin Vander Weyer; and assistant editor Isabel Hardman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Spectator Out Loud: Keiron Pim discusses what young Ukrainians can learn from the works of Joseph Roth (01:00), Miranda Morrison reflects on her decision to quit her job as a teacher (11:26), and Cosmo Landesman asks whether successful writers can be friends with less successful ones (19:39). Produced and presented by Oscar Edmondson.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freddy Gray speaks to Julia Yost about her recent New York Times column, 'New York's Hottest Club Is the Catholic Church'.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode: We look ahead to Harry and Meghan’s UK tour next week, how will they be received? Freddy Gray and Tanya Gold join the Edition podcast to discuss (01:01). Also this week: In the Spectator magazine, our Economics Editor Kate Andrews sat down with the three economists, or 'Trussketeers', that are informing the would-be PM’s economic plan. She joins us along with Julian Jessop, one such economist that has been advising Liz Truss (13:51). And finally: can successful writers be friends with less successful ones? Cosmo Landesman asks this question in the magazine this week and is joined by the author Ian Rankin (27:07). Hosted by Lara Prendergast and William Moore. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we spotlight our most popular episode of the last year, Sam's conversation with Francis Fukuyama about his book Liberalism and its Discontents. He tells Sam how a system that has built peace and prosperity since the Enlightenment has come under attack from the neoliberal right and the identitarian left; and how Vladimir Putin may end up being the unwitting founding father of a new Ukraine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Al and Kitty Tait run the Orange Bakery in Watlington, and are the authors of Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives. On the podcast, the father-and-daughter pair explain how cooking changed their relationship, why baking helped Kitty out of depression, and why Watlingtons make such great customers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Winston speaks with author and human rights activist Yasmine Mohammed. They discuss Salman Rushdie’s Fatwa, The Satanic Verses, Islamic blasphemy laws and how liberals empower radical Islam. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Spectator Out Loud, Svitlana Morenets discusses the changes to the syllabus in Ukraine and the difficult decision parents are having to make over whether to send their children back to school (00:59). Cindy Yu argues that she would be the perfect communist shill (07:45), and John Connolly tells us why cow attacks are no laughing matter (13:26). Produced and presented by Oscar Edmondson.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Curtis Yarvin, a neo-reactionary blogger, discusses monarchy, American imperialism, and the impact of British intelligence on the US. The podcast explores the evolution of blogging, Greece under the Roman Empire, the story of the angel of Hadley, and the inequality of perception in society. They also delve into Daniel Defoe's 'Shortest Way with the Dissenters', predicting the future of Christianity, and encourage podcast subscriptions.