The Prospect Podcast

When most people are decent, why do we get so many bad leaders, politicians and CEOs? Are despots made or born? After travelling the world and interviewing "the noblest to the dirtiest" leaders, renowned political scientist and podcaster Brian Klaas discusses his new book, Corruptible, with Tom Clark. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Self-described futurist and bestselling author Martin Ford joins Tom Clark to talk about his new book Rule of the Robots and the good, the bad and the ugly about the artificial intelligence which will soon be deeply embedded in our lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A year on from the dark winter of 2020, do we have Covid-19 under control? And what will the virus means for politics, economics and global health, for decades to come? Tom Clark is joined by leading science writer Philip Ball to tackle that most prescient question: how will the pandemic shape the future? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leading human rights barrister, author and Labour member of the House of Lords, Helena Kennedy joins Tom Clark and Alex Dean to discuss a rather terrifying question — does the government respect the rule of law? In a wide-ranging conversation, the trio discuss judicial review, human rights and the perils of populism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week managing editor Sameer Rahim is joined by war correspondent and author Janine di Giovanni to discuss the plight of Christianty in the Middle East. Christians have lived in the region for 2,000 years—but Giovanni thinks that modern war, religious persecution and economic uncertainty put their future under threat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was King George III really such a bad king? Leading historian Andrew Roberts doesn't think so. He joins Andrew Adonis and Tom Clark to discuss his new book George III, the Life and Reign of Britain's Most Misunderstood Monarch, to argue that King George was in fact a competent leader, despite his struggle with mental illness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will robots rule the world? Will fully autonomous weapons destroy the planet? Will artificial intelligence take my job? Silicon valley entrepreneur and self-described futurist Martin Ford joins Tom Clark to answer the big questions about the technology that shapes not only our smartphones, but our politics, economies and lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ahead of COP26 in Glasgow next month, we speak to environmental correspondent Fiona Harvey on what it will take to reach a crucial deal in the next step towards tackling the climate crisis. Having covered 14 of the last 16 COP summits, Fiona shares some of her key insights into climate diplomacy and how often success falls on the work of the host nation’s leadership. Which of course begs the question: is our current leader, Boris Johnson, up to the task? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leading legal-aid lawyer David Renton joins the Prospect Interview to talk about the view from the frontline of the housing crisis. As a barrister in courtrooms both physical and virtual during the pandemic, while we hunkered down in our homes, David was fighting stop a panoply of clients from losing theirs. Arguing that our children need housing justice now, not money for a deposit, Renton has big and sometimes radical ideas about reforming housing policy in the UK and on ensuring that everyone has access to justice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seasoned political broadcaster Steve Richards joins Tom Clark to talk about the prime minsters that never were. From Roy Jenkins to Michael Heseltine, Richards charts the journeys of the pretenders that never made it to the top spot, arguing that for all the feverish speculation in the press, rivals to prime ministers rarely prevail. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.