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The Prospect Podcast

Prospect Magazinewww.prospectmagazine.co.uk

Join our deputy editor Ellen Halliday and senior editor Alona Ferber as they interview some of the brightest minds to discuss the ideas that matter most in politics, society and culture.


The Prospect Podcast is produced by Prospect Magazine.


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Episodes

Bill Keller: The Americanisation of British prisons

Is the British criminal justice system heading towards the same level of dysfunction as its US counterpart? Former executive editor of the New York Times , Bill Keller, reports back to Alan Rusbridger, after visiting prisons across the UK for a feature in the latest issue of Prospect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 01, 202323 min

Matthew d'Ancona: Oppenheimer and nuclear culture

Christopher Nolan's new film inspires Prospect's arts and books editor Peter Hoskin and contributing editor Matthew d'Ancona to consider how the atomic bomb has impacted our culture. They discuss 'Oppenheimer' and the other books, films and video games that have grappled with the events of August 1945. If you enjoyed this podcast, listen to our Prospect Lives podcast here: https://podfollow.com/prospect-lives/view Music Credit: "JUMBO" from the album "MUSIC FOR THE LEFT-HANDED" by Mick Bass &amp...

Jul 26, 202348 min

Kate Raworth and Sam Fankhauser: Is green growth the future?

For the latest issue of Prospect, we asked Sam Fankhauser, professor of climate change economics at the University of Oxford, and Kate Raworth, author of ‘Doughnut Economics’, how to build an economy that supports rather than damages nature and the climate.This episode of the Prospect Podcast—hosted by deputy editor Ellen Halliday—is an audio extract from their conversation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Jul 19, 202338 min

Stella Assange: Why my husband Julian must be freed

Lawyer and human rights defender Stella Assange joins Alan Rusbridger to discuss the US government's attempts to extradite her husband Julian, his imprisonment in HMP Belmarsh, her recent meeting with the Pope and the threat to journalism posed by secrecy laws. Music Credit: "JUMBO" from the album "MUSIC FOR THE LEFT-HANDED" by Mick Bass & Tot Taylor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 12, 202350 min

The Rule of Law: How will AI affect justice?

Barristers Richard Hermer QC and Zoe McCallum from Matrix Chambers are joined by Dr Tim Lillicrap, research director at Google DeepMind to discuss artificial Intelligence and the future of justice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 07, 202342 min

The first wave of Covid literature

The novels inspired by the pandemic have, so far, been very inward-looking. But the form is already mutating. Critic and editor Lucy Scholes and author Daisy Hildyard join Prospect ’s arts and books editor Peter Hoskin to discuss the first wave of Covid literature. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 04, 202341 min

What's going on with Russell Brand?

How did the comedian, actor and political provocateur of the early 2010s become an influential voice among the alt right? Sarah Manavis—who profiled Russell Brand for the most recent issue of Prospect— joins Ellen Halliday to delve into his conspiratorial world. If you enjoyed this podcast, listen to our Prospect Lives podcast here: https://podfollow.com/prospect-lives/view Music Credit: "JUMBO" from the album "MUSIC FOR THE LEFT-HANDED" by Mick Bass & Tot Taylor Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

Jun 28, 202331 min

Ukraine's war of the words

Throughout centuries of imperial and Soviet history, the Ukrainian language was denigrated as something “less” than Russian. After Putin’s invasion, that tide is rapidly turning. In this episode, writer and photojournalist Jen Stout reports on Ukraine's war of the words to Prospect deputy editor Ellen Halliday. If you enjoyed this podcast, listen to our Prospect Lives podcast here: https://podfollow.com/prospect-lives/view Music Credit: "JUMBO" from the album "MUSIC FOR THE LEFT-HANDED" by Mick ...

Jun 21, 202324 min

David Aaronovitch: The future of Conservatism

For Prospect 's brand new cover story—out today—journalist and author David Aaronovitch reports back from the National Conservatism Conference to Prospect editor Alan Rusbridger. They discuss how the conference exposes a dark undercurrent to the modern right, and ask an important question: are these so-called patriots the future—or an embarrassing sideshow? If you enjoyed this podcast, listen to our Prospect Lives podcast here: https://podfollow.com/prospect-lives/view Music Credit: "JUMBO" from...

Jun 13, 202333 min

Are Britain's seaside towns a refuge or a trap?

Coastal towns are home to some of the highest levels of deprivation in Britain and our nostalgia for the seaside is holding them back, argues award-winning journalist and author Madeleine Bunting in her new book The Seaside: England's Love Affair. On the podcast, she joins Ross Mudie, a research analyst at The Centre for Progressive Policy, and assistant editor Sarah Collins to discuss Britain's complex relationship with its coast, and what the government should do to support the communities who...

Jun 07, 202340 min

Sarah Churchwell: Which books are shaping our world?

The academic and cultural commentator Sarah Churchwell wrote a book on how Gone with the Wind —novel and film—has afflicted US politics. In a live recording of the Prospect Podcast, she talks to Prospect ’s books and culture editor, Peter Hoskin, about the books, movies, albums and other cultural items before and since Gone with the Wind that have also changed the wider culture around them—in both good ways and bad. What works will come to define our times? If you enjoyed this podcast, listen to...

May 31, 202347 min

The Prince vs The Press: How Harry is taking on the phone hackers

For years, Britain’s most powerful newspapers spied on anyone they thought might lead them to a juicy story. No victim was ever so angry and so fabulously wealthy that they could afford to risk everything in fighting back. Until now. Freelance writer Tom Lamont joins Alan Rusbridger to tell the inside story of the bitter battle between Prince Harry and the newspapers that hounded him, and how the phone hackers of the past have switched sides to help him. If you enjoyed this podcast, listen to ou...

May 23, 202351 min

Crude justice: The Nigerians taking Shell to court

After decades of environmental destruction in the Niger Delta, the fossil fuel giant Shell faces the prospect of a trial. Can legal action make amends, retrospectively, for the human and planetary consequences of pollution? Journalist and podcaster Mathilda Mallinson, Matthew Renshaw, a partner in the international department at Leigh Day, and Pedi Obani, associate professor at the University of Bradfordi, join Ellen Halliday on the podcast. Prospect Lives podcast: https://podfollow.com/prospect...

May 17, 202328 min

Nina Menkes: How Hollywood taught us to objectify women

In a new documentary film Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power, award-winning independent filmmaker Nina Menkes puts the male gaze in cinema under the microscope. She joins Prospect's arts and books editor Peter Hoskin on the podcast to discuss how Hollywood taught us to objectify women. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 09, 202337 min

Alastair Campbell: Can we fix our politics?

How did our politics become so polarised? Do governments listen to protest? And what should people who are angry about the state of the country do to change it? Journalist, author, co-host of The Rest is Politics podcast and former Downing Street director of communications Alastair Campbell joins Alan Rusbridger to discuss his new book But What Can I do? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 04, 202352 min

Danny Dorling and Deborah Hargreaves: Have we reached peak inequality?

Has Britain reached peak inequality and is it becoming more equal for the first time in a century? Danny Dorling, professor of Human Geography at the University of Oxford advances this radical argument in discussion with Deborah Hargreaves, former CEO of the High Pay Centre and Prospect's deputy editor Ellen Halliday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 26, 202342 min

Pat Cullen and Rachel Sylvester: Will the NHS survive the strikes?

What impact will the bank holiday nurses' strike have on patients? Will the government ever get round the negotiating table with junior doctors? And will this industrial action bring the already struggling NHS to its knees? Pat Cullen, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing and Rachel Sylvester, columnist at The Times and chair of The Times Health Commission join assistant editor Sarah Collins on the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Apr 17, 202335 min

Ann Pettifor and Nick Macpherson: Was austerity necessary?

Former treasury chief Nick Macpherson and eminent Keynesian economist Ann Pettifor debate whether the coalition's cuts were necessary—and whether they worked. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 11, 202348 min

Bad News: How Murdoch and Fox are wrecking US democracy

After the 2020 election, Fox News gave airtime to an outright fiction: that Biden had stolen the presidency. As the company is sued over what it broadcast, legal documents reveal how far the Murdochs will go to keep America’s biggest channel on top. Journalist Matthew d'Ancona, who is a former editor of the Spectator, and Sarah Ellison, staff writer at the Washington Post join Alan Rusbridger to discuss Prospect's cover story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Apr 05, 202344 min

The Rule of law: Is Braverman's bill illegal?

Richard Hermer KC speaks with Raza Husain KC and Sile Reynolds (Freedom from Torture) about the pressing Migration Bill—designed to deter refugees arriving into the UK on small boat—being pushed through UK Parliament. They discuss whether the bill can be overruled by the ECHR or the Refugee Convention. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 30, 202323 min

Quinn Slobodian: Crack-up capitalism

What does the big libertarian idea of "zones of exception" mean for the nation state? Award-winning author and professor of history Quinn Slobodian joins contributing editor Tom Clark to discuss his new book Crack-up Capitalism , Market Radicals and the Dream of a World Without Democracy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 28, 202345 min

Matthew Desmond and Tom Clark: Why we all profit from poverty

What if the reason poverty persists in capitalist democracies like the US and Britain is because the rest of us benefit from it? What if the solution means facing up to the ways we all profit from the exploitation of low-income people? Pulitzer Prize winning author Matthew Desmond joins the podcast to discuss his radical new book Poverty, By America with Tom Clark, editor of new book Broke: Fixing Britain's poverty crisis and Sarah Collins, assistant editor at Prospect. Hosted on Acast. See acas...

Mar 22, 202335 min

Alfie Stirling and Lara Spirit: The budget breakdown

Alfie Stirling chief economist at the New Economics Foundation and Lara Spirit Red Box reporter at the Times join Alan Rusbridger discuss today's budget. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 15, 202332 min

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad: Iraq, 20 years on

20 years on from the US led invasion of Iraq, what is life like in Baghdad today? Award-winning Iraqi journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad joins Alan Rusbridger to discuss his new book—which has been fourteen years in the making— A Stranger in Your Own City: Travels in the Middle East's Long War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 09, 202342 min

How to solve the immigration crisis

With growing numbers of people crossing the channel in small boats and the backlog of asylum claims at record levels, immigration has become a key issue for a government whose approach to fixing the system has favoured rhetoric over results. For the cover story of our April issue, David Normington, former permanent secretary for the home office from 2006-2010, and May Bulman, investigations editor at Lighthouse Reports, discuss how the government could solve the immigration crisis. They join dep...

Mar 01, 202335 min

Tania Branigan and Isabel Hilton: How China rewrites history

How do memories of the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution shape modern China? And why does Xi Jinping seek to control the ways people remember? Tania Branigan—a Guardian leader writer and author of Red Memory: Living, Remembering and Forgetting China’s Cultural Revolution— and Isabel Hilton, who is a contributing editor at Prospect and founder of China Dialogue, join Ellen Halliday to discuss China's relationship with its own history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Feb 22, 202337 min

Jonathan Powell and Vladimir Milov: Can Ukraine negotiate with Russia?

Most conflicts end through negotiation. But how can Putin be trusted given the horrors of his war in Ukraine? Jonathan Powell, who represented the UK government in forging the Good Friday Agreement, and Vladimir Milov, who was Russia’s Deputy Minister of Energy in 2002, join Ellen Halliday to discuss whether peace talks will ever be possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 16, 202338 min

Greg Cook and Peter Kellner: Why the next election is Labour's to lose

Is Labour on track to win the next general election? Does Keir Starmer have the right strategy? Seasoned political journalist and pollster Peter Kellner and former head of political strategy for the Labour party, Greg Cook, join Alan Rusbridger to discuss why the next election is Labour’s to lose. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 08, 202342 min

Rosie Holt and Josh Berry: The state of British satire

How can you satirise a government as farcical as the current one? If Labour wins the next election, how mockable will Keir Starmer be? Alan Rusbridger is joined by actor and comedian Rosie Holt—whose impersonation of a Tory MP set the internet on fire during the lockdowns—and comedian and producer Josh Berry, who in December 2019 created the fictional character of Rafe Hubris, an Eton-educated, implacably self-confident special advisor to Boris Johnson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

Feb 02, 202336 min

Could a policy tweak stop people dying in poverty?

Tens of thousands of working age people with terminal illnesses are dying in poverty in the UK, as the safety net fails to catch them in their final year of life. Could a relatively cheap and simple policy change solve this cruel problem? Helen Barnard, associate director at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Sam Royston, Director of Policy and Research at Marie Curie join assistant editor Sarah Collins on the podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast, why not have a listen to our Prospect Lives podc...

Jan 25, 202322 min
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