The brightest minds discussing the ideas that matter most in politics, society and culture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Would a young Starmer join the Labour party today? Ellen and Alona are joined by Tom Clark, contributing editor at Prospect, who thinks not.From defending misfit environmentalists to denouncing them in the Daily Mail, Starmer’s evolution might dismay some on the left of the party. Once he was a young human rights lawyer and now he is a prime minister punishing MPs for rebelling on child poverty or arming Israel.Tom’s column received some criticism on Bluesky from those who see this as pragmatism befitting the UK's highest political office.But Tom analyses why Starmer’s “strongman” strategy might not be as electorally effective as he hopes. With Labour tanking in the polls, Reform UK is projected to be ahead for the first time. In the upcoming local elections, will Labour be a party for young people? And does this matter?Plus, Ellen and Alona discuss London nightlife: banger or dud?To read Tom’s column “Starmer is governing against his younger self”, head to https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/labour-party/69157/keir-starmer-governing-against-younger-self-labourAnd to read our magazine cover piece on the battle between Labour and Reform, click here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/69111/labour-vs-reform-farage-starmer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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34:35
Exclusive: Top Thinker interview with Eliane Brum
In this week’s special episode, we bring you an exclusive interview with Prospect’s World’s Top Thinker of 2025, Brazilian journalist Eliane Brum. Eliane is the author of Banzeiro Òkòtó: The Amazon as the Centre of the World. In 2017, she co-founded Sumaúma, a journalism platform reporting on the Amazon from the inside, which trains young people from urban and indigenous communities.Dialling in from the Amazon rainforest, she spoke to Prospect’s deputy editor Ellen Halliday about her move from the city of São Paulo to the Amazon in 2017, as well as the thinking that underpins her work.Eliane argues that our separation from nature has destroyed our survival instincts and "disconnected [us] from life" itself.She explores why hope isn't actually the key to tackling the climate crisis—and why we should be fighting for life.Plus, Ellen and Alona discuss biopics: banger or dud?To read the interview with Eliane from the magazine, click here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/environment-news/climate/69109/eliane-brum-climate-amazon-top-thinker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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26:16
Prospect Lives: My priest friends send me memes
Welcome back to Prospect Lives. In this episode, journalist and author Kiran Sidhu shares her journey of finding a sense of community in her rural Welsh village, while Anglican priest Alice Goodman explains how her clerical friends help her weather political turbulence.Actor and writer Sheila Hancock explores the powerful legacies left by those who change the world, both for better and for worse, while former England cricket captain Mike Brearley offers a hopeful vision for cricket as the world’s sport for refugees. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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34:21
Trump’s inauguration, Musk’s salute and the special relationship
After Trump’s second inauguration, Ellen and Alona are joined by Labour peer and diplomat Catherine Ashton. Catherine was formerly leader of the House of Lords, as well as the EU's first High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security policy.She shares her experience working with previous US administrations, and what she’s expecting to see from the special relationship. In the past, members of Starmer’s cabinet have called the president a “buffoon” and a “neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath”. Will this come back to bite them?The president’s choice of inauguration guests (Starmer: out, Giorgia Meloni: in) tellingly shows new alliances being forged with the right wing in Europe. But what will Trump 2.0 mean for European defence?Plus, banger or dud: Ellen and Alona question whether “Blue Monday” is just a marketing gimmick, or something more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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39:16
Will Lords reform be Starmer’s legacy?
As Labour plans to remove the remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords progress through parliament, not everybody is happy about it. Critics have called the legislation “bungled piecemeal reform”, “high-handed” and “shoddy”.Meg Russell, professor of British and Comparative Politics at UCL, joins Ellen and Alona to unpick the conflict and controversy in the second chamber. She discusses the history and future of this institution, whether our system really is unique, and why outrage over prime ministerial honours lists might be misplaced.Is this the beginning of the end of the Lords? How might our political system change forever? Will this constitutional reform be Starmer's legacy?Plus, as some other becloaked figures have captured the nation’s attention, Ellen and Alona muse over the reality TV show Traitors: banger or dud?To read more on the House of Lords from our website, including Meg’s writing, head to:https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/westminster/house-of-lords Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The brightest minds discussing the ideas that matter most in politics, society and culture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Portugal