Headspace

Rush Limbaugh and his Fox News descendants softened up America for Donald Trump. Could the British shock jock do the same for political life in the UK? Journalist Zoe Williams joins Tom Clark to discuss why the media-savvy renegade took off in early 2000s America, what the “war on woke” really misses, and why we should all be concerned about the future of the BBC. You can read Zoe’s essay here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/uk-shock-jock-rush-limbaugh-radio-lbc-farage  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sameer Rahim joins professor David Herman for a discussion on the life and work of the public intellectual Edward Said, who is the subject of a new biography, Places of Mind, by Timothy Brennan. Sameer, who wrote about the limitations of the thinker in our most recent issue of Prospect, joins David, a former student of Said’s, to discuss what Said got right, and wrong, about orientalism, his friendship with Salman Rushdie, and what Said would have made of the Israel – Palestine conflict today. You can read Sameer’s essay here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/arts-and-books/disorientated-the-confusions-of-edward-said  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As Britain slowly opens up—and cinemas, galleries, and concert halls finally return—arts and books editor Sameer Rahim talks to Nicholas Kenyon, managing director at the Barbican, about the struggles faced by Britain’s artists over the past year, and why he’s looking forward to opening the Barbican’s doors. Nicholas, who was previously director of the BBC Proms and music critic for the New Yorker and the Observer, also talks about the changing face of classical music, how the music world will be affected by Brexit, and writing his new book The Life of Music: New Adventures in the Western Classical Tradition.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this special episode of the Prospect Interview, listen to audio from the magazine’s latest Editor’s Club call with Andrew Adonis on writing political biography, and what makes a good leader. Andrew Adonis joins editor Tom Clark to discuss his upcoming book on Tony Blair, the difference between campaigning and governing, and why extroverts make for good political leaders.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Is it possible to govern well in the age of populism? That was the question our three guests took on when entering this year’s Bennett Prospect Public Policy essay contest—and they impressed the judges with their novel ideas. Winner Callum Watts and runners-up Nina Foster and Oliver Large join the Prospect Interview this week to discuss just what we mean when we talk about populism, how to make citizen’s assemblies work, and how to ensure a fairer, more representative government.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

India’s Covid-19 crisis has seriously shaken national confidence in prime minister Narendra Modi—but will it unseat him? Prospect contributor Andrew Adonis and Cambridge historian Shruti Kapila join the Prospect Interview to talk about the swift rise of Modi, what differentiates him from other populist leaders, and what enabled India’s Covid-19 disaster.You can read Andrew Adonis’s profile of Narendra Modi here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/narendra-modi-is-everything-apart-from-what-he-seems  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Geopolitics professor Klaus Dodds and journalist Rachel Halliburton join the Prospect Interview to give the inside view on the new geopolitical battle of the decade: the race for the Arctic. As temperatures rise, new shipping routes are opening up in the ice—and the big nations are waiting. Klaus and Rachel wrote an essay on the new very Cold War in this month’s issue of Prospect and what that means for the future of our planet  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The celebrated author Philip Roth was obsessed with chasing the exceptional in both his life and work. Author and critic Jon Day joins the Prospect Interview to discuss new biographies of the author of American Pastoral and Portnoy’s Complaint. He talks to arts and books editor Sameer Rahim about why Roth marks the end of the grand literary celebrity, and how his novels precipitated the rise of “cancel culture.”You can read Jon Day’s essay on Philip Roth here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/philip-roths-ruthless-intimacy-biography-review  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A new biography of Stephen Hawking argues that the celebrated scientist was shamelessly self-promoting and his reputation overrated. Philip Ball joins the Prospect Interview to discuss Charles Seife’s Hawking Hawking: The Making of a Scientific Celebrity and talks to arts and books editor Sameer Rahim about humanising a scientific deity, and why it was that Hawking, out of all of his other similarly accomplished peers, became a household name. You can read Philip Ball’s review of Hawking Hawking here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/stephen-hawking-celebrity-physicist-flaws  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In his cover story for the new issue of Prospect, human rights lawyer Adam Wagner writes about the troubling ways in which laws have been passed over the last year, and how they pose a threat to Britain’s freedom. Lockdown has, of course, helped bring the Covid-19 under control—but what about cases such as the government’s crackdown on the Sarah Everard vigils and its detention of children? Adam talks to Tom Clark about the troubling attack on Britain’s human rights, the changing role of the police, and what the courts should do next.You can read Adam Wagner’s piece, “Taking liberties”, here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/essays/adam-wagner-covid-lockdown-law-democracy-essay  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

While homeschooling her eight-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son during lockdown, Eliane Glaser was shocked to discover what they got up to at school in pre-pandemic times. Her children were asked to explain the meaning of “fronted adverbials” and “determiners”; they filled in “success criteria”; their maths worksheets asked them to “use inverse relationships to solve problems.” These are not questions you would ask of an adult—let alone a young child. So what happened, and who’s to blame for the absurdities of England’s robot curriculum? Eliane joins the Prospect podcast to talk about the many sides of homeschooling, what she learned when speaking to teachers for the piece, and what needs to be done for the curriculum to change.You can read Eliane’s piece, “Homeschooling has revealed the absurdities of England’s national curriculum”, here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/homeschooling-parents-lockdown-national-curriculum-uk-eliane-glaser  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out

Scotland is currently seeing a radical experiment in land ownership. Currently, fewer than 500 individuals are estimated to own more than half of the nation—but there’s increasing drive to give everyone a stake in the ground beneath their feet. David McAllister joins the Prospect Interview to discuss Scotland’s land revolution, and the lessons on wealth, property, and community it holds everywhere.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Journalist Barbara Speed joins the Prospect podcast to talk about the changing fortunes of one of the internet's most-visited websites: Wikipedia. Depending on who you speak to, Wikipedia is either a misinformation free-for-all overseen by self-selecting pedants or, as Barbara has it in her latest article, “the last redoubt of the idealism of the early World Wide Web.” Barbara joins assistant editor Rebecca Liu to discuss the past and future of this seemingly contradictory corner of the internet—and whether or not, in this new age of “alternative facts,” it might just be our unlikely saviour.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the battle between Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon takes over the headlines, the BBC’s Andrew Marr assumes a longer view and addresses what will soon be the biggest question facing the nation: will it continue to exist? In the new issue of Prospect, out this week, Andrew looks at the historic roots of the frailty of the Union, which may well cause potentially perverse consequences today. He joins editor Tom Clark to talk about the history of the Scottish independence movement, what he makes of the battle within the SNP, and whether he sees any resolution to the ongoing battle between London and Holyrood.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Journalist Samira Shackle joins the Prospect podcast to discuss life and death in modern Karachi. In her new book, Karachi Vice, Samira tells the story of the fast-changing place through the eyes of locals, including a journalist with a taste for risky scoops and an ambulance driver who sees tragedy daily. Samira joins arts and books editor Sameer Rahim, to talk about her own personal ties to Karachi, confronting British stereotypes of Pakistan, and where this compelling and fast-changing city goes next.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Citizen journalist Eliot Higgins joins the Prospect Interview this week to discuss the many groundbreaking investigations made by Bellingcat, his open-source investigative journalism website. Eliot first got started as a hobbyist in 2011, investigating the transport and use of weapons in the Syrian civil war while watching YouTube videos from home. Now, Bellingcat has made headline-grabbing discoveries surrounding the Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 and the Yemeni Civil War. Eliot joins arts and books editor Sameer Rahim to talk about citizen journalism, how Bellingcat really works, and the troubling rise of internet conspiracies.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last month, the UK had the highest Covid-19 death rate in the world with 113,000 deaths to date. It’s difficult to remember now, but back when the nation first locked down last March, experts warned that keeping the national death toll under 25,000 would be a good result. Editor Tom Clark is joined by science writer Philip Ball and columnist Gaby Hinsliff to discuss why the UK government got the virus so wrong—and what to expect now that the vaccine has been rolled out.You can read our cover story, the unofficial Covid-19 inquiry, online here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/covid-19-the-unofficial-uk-inquiry-coronavirus-nhs  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Political theorist and former Ed Miliband speechwriter Marc Stears joins the Prospect Interview to talk about what 20th century British artists George Orwell, Barbara Jones, and Dylan Thomas can teach us about building bridges in our divided times today. His new book, Out of the Ordinary: How Everyday Life Inspired a Nation and How It Can Again, follows the lives of these writers and artists, examining how they helped rebuild society during a century marked by war, tumult and revolution. The most exciting creative work going on today, Marc continues, occurs not in our lauded newspapers or celebrated exhibitions—but rather in scenes of ordinary life far from the limelight.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What happens to vast, sprawling landscapes when the humans who live there suddenly leave? Cal Flyn set about to answer that question in her new book, Islands of Abandonment, visiting the forests of Chernobyl, the post-industrial bings of Scotland and abandoned factories in New Jersey to document the new forms of wildlife that have cropped up since. She joins the Prospect Interview to talk about theories of succession, what post-Soviet farmland has to do with global warming, and why she chose to write a book on nature shot through with hope.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Prospect contributor Andrew Adonis and biographer Evan Osnos join the Prospect Interview to discuss the life and times of the incoming US President. They talk about Biden’s early life—and personal tragedies—and also what to expect from his presidency. Andrew profiled Joe Biden in the upcoming issue of Prospect magazine, and Evan is author of Joe Biden: American Dreamer.You can read Andrew's profile of Biden here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/can-joe-biden-save-america-inauguration-donald-trump  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.