Tech billionaires' paradoxical political support of Trump Nick Cohen and Quinn Slobodian , @zeithistoriker , the Canadian author and academic, discuss the paradoxical behaviour of American libertarians, particularly tech billionaires, who have been supporting Donald Trump despite his policies contradicting their beliefs in free trade, limited state interference, and unrestricted business operations. Quinn, a professor of international history at Boston University, introduced his book " Hayek's B...
Apr 28, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 76
Nick Cohen talks about defending values and rights against a resurgent culture of intolerance & extremism as exemplified by the Trump White House with leading philosopher & author professor A.C.Grayling @acgrayling How do do we defend those values and rights in a new world of social media and culture warfare? This is the 2nd part of a 2-part interview with Professor Grayling. Rights retreat with resurgence of radicalised right How do we defend our rights against an aggressive authoritari...
Apr 21, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 75
Whither or wither NATO? Nick Cohen and Phillips P.O'Brien, the academic, author & military historian , discuss the current state of NATO and the Western alliance, with a focus on the US security guarantee to Europe and the impact of the American right's ideology on international relations. They also explored the potential trust between Trump and Putin, the implications of reduced American aid to Ukraine, and the implications of the US pivoting from Europe to face China's aggression. They als...
Apr 17, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 74
1st part of 2-part interview with Professor A.C. Grayling Nick Cohen talks about cancel culture with leading philosopher & author Professor A.C.Grayling @acgrayling This is the first part of a 2-part interview with Professor Grayling. Radicalised Right labels all opponents as "Woke" Emboldened by Trump, Brexit & Trump, a Radical Right on-the-rampage seeks to justify its own prejudices and failures by labelling its opponents as "woke". A.C. Grayling tells Nick, "the term political correct...
Apr 14, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 73
Nick Cohen talks with Guardian political columnist and author Rafael Behr , @rafelbehr , a Lowdown regular, about Sir Keir Starmer, and asks Raf can the prime minister face down an erratic and increasingly unhinged US president? Labour's Comms issues and a hazardous future ahead Rafael says Sir Keir Starmer needs to communicate properly with the British public about how it negotiates the dangerous future ahead, "They seem completely unable just to narrate what they're doing and why they're doing...
Apr 07, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 72
The jig is up for serial bull-shit merchant Nigel Farage Nick Cohen talks to Chris Grey @chrisgreybrexit - author, brexit expert and emeritus professor of organisation studies about where the madness of Donald Trump and his MAGA cult have left their supporters among Britain's Radical Right con artists, such as Nigel Farage, leader of Reform. By continuing their slavish obeisance to the US's crazed would be emperor Donald Trump, the UK's Radical Right and its leaders including Farage risk alienat...
Mar 31, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 71
Nick Cohen discusses Labour with Polly Toynbee Nick Cohen talks to the distinguished author and Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee about Labour's tough love strategy - targeting the welfare state and benefits to fill the black hole left by the Tories and Brexit. "Not a very Labour thing to do" - And Keynes would not approve! Polly agreed with Former shadow chancellor Ed Balls' recent observation on the government's plan to cut disability benefits, describing the strategy on his own podcast as "not...
Mar 24, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 70
Former government behavioural warning - social media is now a tool of the authoritarians Nick Cohen @NickCohen4 chats with behavioural scientist and author Justin Hempson-Jones @JonesHempson about the growing threat posed to our freedom by the sinister merger of government and social media oligarchy, as we're witnessing now in the US with the sinister and toxic partnership of Donald Trump & Elon Musk. Political thugs are poisoning our minds Justin warns that we have lost control of our infor...
Mar 17, 2025•36 min•Season 1Ep. 69
Nick talks to Mike Martin MP- soldier, author and Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells Nick Cohen and Mike Martin MP discuss the dramatic & disturbing shifts in international relations and diplomacy, thanks to Donald Trump's apparent volte-face on Ukraine and the United States' traditional allies, particularly in the context of the US and UK. Mike also talks domestic politics - are we witnessing the death of the Tory party as a major political force? The UK needs a political consensus on ...
Mar 10, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 68
Nick talks to the author & reporter John Sweeney who is on the ground in Kyiv Nick Cohen and John Sweeney discussed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the implications of Donald Trump's apparent betrayal of Ukraine - as further revealed by the despicable ambush by Donald Trump & his side kick vice-president J.D.Vance. Trump is now "Leader of the unfree world " John Sweeney talks to Nick about the current situation in Ukraine and compares the current situation there to previous historical e...
Mar 03, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 67
Nick Cohen talks to author, intelligence expert & one-time career diplomat Arthur Snell Donald Trump appears to have unequivocally sided with Vladamir Putin's malignant regime in Moscow and has made clear his intention to fuck over Ukraine, Europe and the UK - jeopardising the security of all and making World War 3 much more likely? How can the West react? It's not too late for Europe & Canada to re-tool but action to boost defence spending needs to happen straight away. A Europe in-deni...
Feb 24, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 66
John McTernan - the ultimate Labour insider - talks Tories & Reform Nick Cohen talks to John McTernan - , the political strategist and commentator, and a former senior advisor to the Labour Party. John was Tony Blair's Director of Political Operations from 2005-2007 before acting as special advisor to two cabinet ministers under Blair's Number 10 successor - Gordon Brown. Other roles since then has been as a columnist at The Scotsman and as Director of Communications for Australia's Labor pa...
Feb 17, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 65
Is our rules-based world finished? This week, Nick Cohen discusses the current & disturbing breakdown in international law - in the week indicted alleged war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu was the first overseas guest of convicted felon President Donald Trump with author & campaigner Steve Crawshaw, the author of the just published Prosecuting the powerful: War crimes & the pursuit of justice . A world run by bad men was never going to improve the international rule of Law Donald Trump,...
Feb 10, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 64
Nick talks to Naomi Smith of the campaign group Best for Britain on the dead hand of Brexit On the fifth anniversary of Brexit, Nick Cohen @NickCohen4 talks with Naomi Smith, @pimllicat chief executive officer o f Best for Britain which is campaigning for a re-building of the important relationship the UK once enjoyed with its closest and biggest trading partners in the European Union. Brexit is dead - but long live Brexit! Poll after poll has shown that public confidence in Brexit has all but c...
Feb 03, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 63
Nick Cohen talks Trump with U.S. expert & historian Andrew Gawthorpe Nick Cohen talks to Andrew Gawthorpe - historian, substacker and researcher of the modern and contemporary United States at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands - about Donald Trump's cataclysmic first week in the White House. Trump in full Caligula mode at home... The first week of Trump's 2nd presidency is turning out to be an even bigger disaster than anyone feared. With pardons for violent thugs and unprovoked th...
Jan 24, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 62
Trump Terror will turn U.S. into world's biggest banana republic Nick Cohen @NickCohen4 dials up Washington to speak to namesake & fellow commentator Ben Cohen, editor of The Daily Banter website @thedailybanter about the coming Trumpian Terror, that starts in earnest following this week's presidential inauguration. The world is likely to witness the emergence of the U.S. as the world's biggest banana republic, headed by a billionaire oligarchy out-going President Joe Biden warned us all abo...
Jan 20, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 61
How does Starmer handle the threat posed by Trump & Musk? This week Nick Cohen @NickCohen4 talks with Steve Richards @steverichards14 , political commentator, author, broadcaster & historian about the threat posed to the Labour government by in-coming U.S. president Donald Trump & the menagerie of far-right weirdos like Elon Musk who has been launching a barrage of inflammatory tweets at the government since last Summer. Trump "much more dangerous" than U.S.-UK relationship breakdown...
Jan 13, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 60
Dark money for dark times Nick Cohen talks to investigative reporter & author Peter Geoghegan, the UK's leading journalist exposing the dark money and cash from right wing extremist billionaires that's been driving UK politics since the ill-fated 2016 Brexit referendum. Brexit & Trump-related funding that have poisoned UK & U.S. politics Peter @PeterKGeoghegan explains how Donald Trump's election victories, Brexit and the failed Liz Truss experiment have helped fuel a crackpot angloc...
Jan 06, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 59
Reading the runes for 2025 Nick Cohen reads the runes for 2025 with fellow Substackers and writers - Tim Walker @ThatTimWalker and Nick Tyrone @NicholasTyrone . Early reviews for 2025 are already in, and they're not looking great! 2025 promises to be full of nasty surprises - particularly following the inauguration of Donald Trump as the U.S.'s 47th presidents. Pardons for the thugs and insurrectionists of January 6th looks baked in and the impacts on Ukraine could b deadly. Read all about it Re...
Dec 30, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 58
2024 - That was the year that was! For a moment, tune out of Cliff Richard and Slade Christmas hits and Fairytale of New York, and instead tune into The Lowdown from Nick Cohen as he chats over the shitshow that was 2024 with Lowdown stalwarts Nick Tyrone @NicholasTyrone & Tim Walker, @ThatTimWalker on a whole list of topics including Trump, Gaza, Ukraine, Brexit, the bungling of a new new Labour government. Lowdown awards for key people and events of 2024 Guests Tim and Nick hand out specia...
Dec 23, 2024•40 min•Season 1Ep. 57
Nick Cohen chats to Peter Oborne, Conservative commentator, reporter and author extraordinaire about the growing threat posed to the UK by the radical right in politics, press and from the other side of the Atlantic. Labour and Tory failure to tackle Farage is driving Reform surge Something died inside Peter Oborne @OborneTweets when he saw Sir Keir Starmer recently bound across the floor of the House of Commons to talk to Nigel Farage. Neither Labour nor the Tories seem prepared to take on Fara...
Dec 16, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 56
Nick Cohen chats with Imran Ahmed, the CEO of the U.S.-based Center for Countering Digital Hate about the fight against the forces of online hatred and extremism that pose such a threat to western values, democracy and civilisation. What can the West do to face down the out-of-control moguls who control the social media giants and profit from a tidal wave of digital hate and extremism? A lost truth leading to authoritarianism Social media is destroying the truth and the currently chaotic informa...
Dec 09, 2024•44 min•Season 1Ep. 55
Nick Cohen chats to Lowdown favourite - the brilliant Guardian columnist & author Rafael Behr - about the gloomy outlook for the world with Donald Trump threatening the end of the world order for the West that has weathered 80 years of post-war crises - alongside a rampant radical right at home that is trying to delegitimise Labour's mandate to govern. Danger to Tories in being pro-Trump Rafael says - of the danger posed to Kemi Badenoch's Tories - that if they go ahead and throw in their lo...
Dec 02, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 54
Nick Cohen @NickCohen4 - chats about the British radicalised right will respond to the 2nd coming of Donald Trump with Nick Tyrone - the author, activist, policy advisor and commentator and keen observer of the Tory party whose Substack column as Neoliberal Centrist Dad - nick.tyrone.substack.com - is a must read for those of us desperate for the return of sanity to our national political discourse. Reform will be the main UK "we love Trump" party Nick @NicholasTyrone says Nigel Farage - the lea...
Nov 25, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 53
In the 2nd of a 2-part interview, Nick Cohen asks author, academic & commentator Yascha Mounk where next for Trump and his MAGA cult following? Already the President-elect is creating his cabinet of freaks, buffoons and creeps. Trump has already been humiliated in his original choice for Attorney-General - the firebrand former Congressman Mat Gaetz - who's now crashed and burned amid a flurry of lurid sex and drug claims. So, already Trump's predictably bizarre cabinet choices are causing de...
Nov 22, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 52
In the first of a special 2 part interview, Nick Cohen and author and political scientist Yascha Mounk explore how centre and left progressives got it so wrong in their fight against Donald Trump and an insurgent radical right. Democrats misread minorities @Yascha_Mounk , Professor of Practice at John Hopkins University in the U.S., argues that the Democrats wrongly assumed that they would have a growing inbuilt majority because most white people voted Republican and most non white people voted ...
Nov 18, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 51
Nick Cohen chats with Tom Baldwin, journalist, author, biographer of Keir Starmer and former Labour spin doctor about how the new government handles future challenges from Donald Trump to clearing up the omni-shambles left by 14 years of Tory incompetence. HANDLING THE ORANGE MENACE Tom @TomBaldwin66 says Starmer will probably adopt a strategy of subtlety with Trump, saying, "The way to deal with Trump is not to match him for making noise or be your own kind of populist. The answer is not t...
Nov 11, 2024•40 min•Season 1Ep. 50
SO, HOW DID WE ALL GET IT SO WRONG? Pollsters and pundits predicted a close-run race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, but the consensus was that Harris had led consistently in the polls and that her victory seemed assured given the massive financial resources at her disposal, the apparent momentum and the slickness of her campaign, particularly compared to the bizarre circus of her opponent. THE LEFT - IN A BUBBLE RAP? Nick Cohen chats again to Washington DC-based journalist and podcaster...
Nov 07, 2024•29 min•Season 1Ep. 49
Nick Cohen chats to Tim Walker @ThatTimWalker - journalist, columnist, commentator and playwright - about the appalling state of British journalism and how our news agenda is being driven by an increasing deranged, obsessive and extremist Tory press, mainly doing the bidding of their creepy billionaire non-dom proprietors. Brexit, Trussonomics, Boris Johnson and his buffoonistas, Austerity - you name it, there wasn't a terrible idea or person from the radicalised right in recent years that faile...
Nov 04, 2024•40 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Nick Cohen chats to Washington-based journalist & substacker Ben Cohen about the November 5th presidential election - considered the most fateful and important poll in recent U.S. history, possibly since the election of 1861 that ushered in the presidency of Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War. Ben @thedailybanter says dodgy billionaires and rightwing pollsters are trying to con people into believing that the election is still incredibly close with dubious polls and betting odds in or...
Oct 28, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 47
