Tag: Politics

100 Years of British Political Nightmares

Dan Snow’s History Hit | 21 August 2022 | 0h 29m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Phil Tinline about his book The Death of Consensus: 100 Years of British Political Nightmares. Reviews 100 years of political crises to argue that politics is transformed through fear. Discusses how the Great Depression’s spectres of fascism, bombing and mass unemployment forced politicians to think the unthinkable and paved the way for post-war Britain. Explains how Thatcher’s road to victory was made possible by a decade of nightmares.

Matt Stoller – Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy

New Books in Economics | 3 August 2022 | 0h 53m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Matt Stoller about his book Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy. Traces the development and then unwinding of protections against concentrated financial power in the United States, arguing that concentrated financial power leads to populism and authoritarianism.

Chris Patten – The Future of Hong Kong

How To Academy | 15 July 2022 | 1h 12m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Chris Patten about his book The Hong Kong Diaries. Tells stories from his time as the last British governor of Hong Kong, what happened as the handover approached, and his assessment of recent events in Hong Kong.

Konstantin Kisin – An Immigrant’s Love Letter to the West

American Thought Leaders | 26 July 2022 | 0h 58m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Konstantin Kisin about his book An Immigrant’s Love Letter to the West. Contrasts his experience of growing up in the Soviet Union with the self-loathing of the West with regard to race politics, free speech, immigration and more.

Leopoldo López on Activism Under Autocratic Regimes

Conversations with Tyler | 27 July 2022 | 0h 49m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Leopoldo López discussing Venezuela’s recent political and economic history, the effectiveness of sanctions, his experiences in politics and activism, how happiness is about finding purpose, how he organized a protest from prison, the ideal daily routine of a political prisoner, how extreme sports prepared him for prison, his work to improve the lives of the Venezuelan people, and more.

Nick Wallis – The Great Post Office Scandal

Books Podcast | 1 July 2022 | 0h 39m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Nick Wallis about his book The Great Post Office Scandal. Describes how the UK Post Office prosecuted, financially ruined, and imprisoned innocent people to cover up a multimillion pound IT disaster.

A salutary reminder of the capriciousness of bureaucracy.

Simon Kuper: How a Tiny Caste of Oxford Tories Took Over the UK

The Book Club | 4 May 2022 | 0h 46m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Simon Kuper about his book Chums: How a Tiny Caste of Oxford Tories Took Over the UK. Backgrounds how the social and psychological dynamics of the UK’s present government were shaped by 1980s Oxford University where many of those now in power first met. Argues that Boris Johnson’s love of winging it was nurtured in the tutorial culture of his Balliol days; that the dynamics of Tory leadership contests are throwbacks to the Oxford Union; that Brexit was a jobs-protection scheme for the old-fashioned ruling class; and that argues for being more like Germany, with less emphasis on rhetorical skills.

The Future of Statues: A Conversation with Alex Von Tunzelmann

New Books in Critical Theory | 3 May 2022 | 0h 45m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Alex Von Tunzelmann about her book Fallen Idols: Twelve Statues That Made History. Discusses the rights and wrongs of toppling statues and whether you need a democratically elected committee to make the decision.