The Rest Is Politics: Leading
Goalhanger
The Rest Is Politics’ Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart interview politicians, leaders, intellectuals, and more. From inside and outside of politics, guests join Rory and Alastair to discuss life, leadership, and the philosophy that’s led them to success in their chosen field. Their conversations cover key political events, global affairs, and the big ideas shaping the world today, offering listeners in-depth perspectives from those at the heart of change.The Rest Is Politics Plus: Become a member for exclusive bonus content, early access to Question Time episodes to live show tickets, ad-free listening for both TRIP and Leading, our exclusive newsletter, discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, and our members’ chatroom on Discord. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestispolitics.For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books
61 snips
May 10, 2026 • 1h 8min
188. Will AI Give China or the US Total Power? (William MacAskill)
William MacAskill, philosopher and effective altruism advocate, explores AI, global power and longtermist priorities. He discusses how rapid AI automation could concentrate economic and military might, the risks of fleets of autonomous weapons under single control, and how democracies might use chip supply chains and policy coordination to blunt runaway advantage.
102 snips
May 3, 2026 • 1h 18min
187. Yanis Varoufakis: How The 2008 Crisis Revived Far-Right Populism
Yanis Varoufakis, economist, academic and former Greek finance minister who led anti-austerity talks, reflects on how 2008 echoes 1929. He links bank rescues and austerity to the rise of far-right populism. He critiques the eurozone’s design, warns about technofeudal rent-extraction by big tech, and discusses geopolitical shocks like tariffs and Iran shaping economies.
35 snips
Apr 26, 2026 • 1h 6min
186. President Aleksandar Vučić: Russia, China, and How Serbia Could Join the EU
Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia and long-time politician, reflects on balancing ties with Russia, China and the EU. He discusses regional integration through an Open Balkan single market. He tackles Kosovo and EU accession challenges, debates past conflicts and nationalism, and explains Serbia’s economic priorities and geopolitical strategy.
31 snips
Apr 19, 2026 • 1h 2min
185. Can Labour Win Back Scotland? (Anas Sarwar)
Anas Sarwar, leader of Scottish Labour and former dentist turned politician, talks about rising Islamophobia and how it affects families. He discusses fixing Scotland’s struggling education system with discipline and vocational routes. He outlines a pro-growth economic plan and explains why he ruled out deals with Reform or the Tories.
83 snips
Apr 9, 2026 • 52min
184. President of Ukraine: Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine and former entertainer, reflects on family influences and his leap from showbiz to wartime leadership. He discusses choosing to stay in Kyiv, negotiating with Putin, criticisms of Western approaches, NATO and European defence options, and building international security partnerships amid ongoing conflict.
66 snips
Apr 5, 2026 • 1h 11min
183. From Bradford to Westminster: Faith, Identity, and Power (Naz Shah)
Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West and campaigner on domestic abuse and social justice. She talks about how faith reshaped her life, balancing parliamentary duties with family, and confronting cultural shame after family trauma. Conversations cover community cohesion, responses to grooming, and the tensions between local views and national politics.
34 snips
Mar 29, 2026 • 1h 5min
182. Culture Wars, Identity, and What Needs To Change In Congress (Sarah McBride)
Sarah McBride, U.S. Congresswoman and the first openly transgender woman in Congress, shares her journey from growing up trans to shaping national policy. She discusses culture wars and how trans issues are weaponized, congressional rules and gender policing, party strategy for winning back voters, and the priorities Congress must change to rebuild public trust.
40 snips
Mar 23, 2026 • 1h 8min
181. Ai Weiwei: China, Censorship, and Dissidence Through Art
Ai Weiwei, artist and activist famous for provocative art and human-rights work, reflects on his life from exile-era childhood to secret detention. He discusses investigating the Sichuan earthquake, state censorship in China, comparisons with Western silencing, and the moral consistency of global responses. Short, candid conversations span identity, refugees, and the artist’s public role.
78 snips
Mar 16, 2026 • 1h 15min
180. The Only European Leader Defying Trump? (Pedro Sánchez)
Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain and socialist leader known for his international stance. He talks about opposing unilateral military actions and defending rules-based international law. He discusses strengthening European defense, EU enlargement and reform, Spain’s green energy transition, migration policies, and handling the rise of the far right.
93 snips
Mar 9, 2026 • 42min
179. President Stubb: Trump’s Unlikely Best Friend
Alexander Stubb, Finland’s former prime minister, foreign minister and current president, and an academic focused on European and global affairs. He recounts his golfing rapport with Donald Trump and why premiership felt uniquely gruelling. He maps a new multipolar world: the Triangle of Power, China’s patient strategy, Arctic security, UN reform and how middle powers can shape rules-based cooperation.
