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Explore every episode of the podcast The Critic Show

Dive into the complete episode list for The Critic Show. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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TitlePub. DateDuration
What has become of Britain?11 May 202600:31:49

May marks the beginning of summer, and this month Tom, Henry and Graham are here to talk you through May’s edition of The Critic, leading with the question of whether Britain has any vision left.

After months of headlines and mistakes, it is hard to understand where the Government might go next, or what it actually wants. Does it want to rejoin the EU, or is this simply a visionless pitch from a Prime Minister who is running out of steam? When did Britain lose its direction, and will we ever win the World Cup again?

Political editor Henry Hill discusses what could actually generate growth, why Britain has entered a period of cultural and economic decline, and how we have been living in a simulacrum in which people spend more than they have, while the Government appears unable to fix the broken system we now live under.

Finally, the hosts take a trip to Dubai, where Fred Sculthorp has been experiencing the world of influencers amid the blitz. Despite being a city full of self-employed entrepreneurs, Dubai also highlights the uncomfortable reality that, even during wartime, it offers more opportunities for young professionals than Britain currently does.

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The Generation Delusion 04 May 202600:21:11

This week on The Critic Show, Henry Hill and Chris Bayliss are joined by the Reverend Marcus Walker to discuss the erosion of intergenerational responsibility. From defence and infrastructure to fiscal policy, the Government just keeps getting it wrong, repeatedly prioritising electoral gain over the health and wealth of the country. The question is whether this trend is a recent development or a post-Cold War shift, and how political incentives, married with fragmented modern ideologies, contribute to a culture that struggles to implement any kind of constructive plan.

They also look at Keir Starmer’s leadership style, questioning whether his approach actually reflects strategic calculation, or whether he is so focused on populism that his reign has become a simple lack of coherent thinking.

With this week’s guest, it’s only natural to touch on ecclesiastical politics as well. Does the Church of England have similar dynamics to the civil service bureaucracy, where risk aversion, procedural expansion, and “barnacle-like” administrative growth can undermine core missions?

What would it really take to rebuild a political culture that genuinely values the judgment of future generations as much as the approval of today’s voters?

For the full, free episode go to:

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The Reparations Game27 Apr 202600:22:40

This week on The Critic Show, Chris Bayliss and Henry Hill are joined by the Anglican priest, historian and ethicist Nigel Biggar.

They discuss the debate around the Church of England’s push towards reparations, and how initiatives like Project Spire and the historical link to Queen Anne’s Bounty have played a role in where we have ended up today.

Many of the assumptions behind reparations, such as Britain’s wealth being built on slavery, are historically dubious. Crucially, if we started handing out reparations now, would the calls for them ever end? While forgiveness is at the heart of Christian values, is there really a moral case for reparations in the 21st century?

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The Broken Police 20 Apr 202600:30:23

This week on The Critic Show, Chris Bayliss and Tom Jones are joined by David Spencer as they examine the state of DEI in British policing. The story goes back to the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the subsequent Macpherson Report and, while serious failures were exposed, nothing was actually done to change anything. Later reforms, particularly since 2010, accelerated the drive toward diversity targets over standards. Recruitment has changed, physical fitness requirements have declined, and a broader “professionalisation” suited to third-sector organisations has taken over policing.Whilst there are valiant figures like Mark Rowley and Stephen Watson, their attempts at change in a world dominated by fear of activists are unlikely to be adopted by forces nationwide.For the full, uncensored version, go to: https://www.outpoststudios.net/s/the-critic-showAnd don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!



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The Critic Show Special: Wine Club13 Apr 202600:20:43

This month’s Wine Club finds Henry Jeffreys joined by Tom Innes of Fingal Rock, a Burgundy specialist and a merchant with a gift for finding serious yet affordable wines. Before the bottles are opened, Tom talks Henry through his unusual route into wine, from an abandoned legal career to a shop in Monmouth, and from there to decades of legwork among small Burgundian growers.

This month, there’s a bright, lively white Coteaux Bourguignons, Le P’tit Bonheur, that punches far above its station, an opulent and characterful Bourgogne Épineuil Léger with a wonderful backstory, and a richer, more structured Domaine Gachot-Monot Côte de Nuits-Villages that delivers proper red Burgundy depth for a remarkably modest sum. There is, though, a slight note of melancholy hanging over the tasting. After severe flooding at his Monmouth shop and with retirement looming, Tom is no longer shipping new stock, which means that once these bottles are gone, they are gone. A rare chance, then, to buy from one of Burgundy’s great independent romantics while there is still wine left in the cellar.

If you’d like a mixed case with two bottles of each featured in the episode, follow the link below:

https://thecritic.co.uk/wine-club/

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How the Spanish Left Uses the Right to Hold Power06 Apr 202600:29:30

This week on The Critic Show, Chris and Tom are joined by Jack Davey as they turn to the politics of Spain, exploring the rise of Pedro Sánchez and what his success could mean for centre-left leaders like Keir Starmer. With separatist movements, particularly the Catalans, decisively occupying the middle ground, they examine how Sánchez built a governing strategy based on consolidating anti-right support, enabling him to hold power without commanding a majority of the electorate.

The flip side, of course, is the Spanish right, the growth of Vox, and the wider forces driving political radicalisation. Right-wing parties are gaining ground in Spain, yet, as is his strategy, this polarisation may be good news for Sanchez.

As Spain still struggles with the legacy of Franco, how do its shifting class and regional divides shape voting behaviour, and what does that mean for a fragmenting political system, both in Spain and beyond?

For the full episode, follow the link below:

https://www.outpoststudios.net/p/how-the-spanish-left-uses-the-right-65a

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The Green Myth 30 Mar 202600:43:14

As another Easter draws near, so does a new issue of The Critic. Tom, Chris and Graham take listeners through some of their favourite picks from the April edition.

Chris unpacks his latest article on green energy, asking why electricity remains expensive if renewables are meant to be cheap. There is widespread misunderstanding of how the national grid actually functions and, as a result, serious discussion is all but impossible.

This month, Tom spoke to Neil O’Brien, the Conservative Party’s policy brain, about how data can inform lawmaking. While he is a dedicated, intelligent and practical figure, is well-argued policy enough to define the broader Conservative philosophy? Or is the party still stuck in the politics of bans?

As is so often the case, any discussion of Tory policy inevitably speaks to the Conservatives’ struggle to regain public trust, with lingering damage from the Brexit era and the missed opportunities of Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak. While the party is not finished, the path back to power is steep.

The team also touch on land use and farming policy, and a new essay by Dominic Green, which traces the arc of Western civilisation and explores how different political traditions, particularly on the American right, compete to define what “civilisation” really means.

We hope you enjoyed this episode, and make sure to subscribe to Outpost so you never miss an episode of The Critic Show.

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Why The Left Has Nowhere Left To Go23 Mar 202600:22:36

This week on The Critic Show, Chris and Tom discuss the article “The Left Is Intellectually Exhausted”, which argues that so-called progressives have failed to keep up with the times. At a moment when Britain is widely described as broken, the left should be politically ascendant. Instead, they argue, it has struggled to offer any serious analysis of how government and the state have drifted into stagnation.

Chris and Tom suggest the deeper problem is that the modern left struggles to face political realities. Moral questions are often treated as substitutes for practical ones, leaving basic policy problems unanswered. By focusing on signalling the right values rather than addressing difficult trade-offs, the left often ends up asking the wrong questions altogether. They also look ahead and predict how the left may eventually have to choose where it stands within an increasingly fragmentary right-wing political structure.

Head to https://www.outpoststudios.net/s/the-critic-show for full access to this episode and more thought-provoking political analysis.



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The Welfare State16 Mar 202600:21:04

This week on The Critic Show, Tom and Chris discuss the numbers behind Britain’s welfare state. Around 53 per cent of adults are net recipients of the state, yet most people who fall into that category would never describe themselves as being on benefits. Universal Credit, tax credits, disability payments, housing support: the money adds up, yet who is actually on benefits, and how much it all costs, is rather difficult to say.

Without its people explicitly voting for it, Britain has drifted into a high-tax, high-transfer system, with little to show in terms of infrastructure or service quality. Once a “temporary” tax is introduced, it is rarely retired.

As Tom points out, a welfare system designed around personal benefit and vote-winning is politically unsustainable. Chris traces the rot to the managerial politics of the mid-1990s, where presentation overtook reform. As the state dominates ever more in the lives of its citizens, personal responsibility becomes an ever more alien idea. The statistics may be imperfect, but the trend is worrying. Britain needs serious structural reform.

Head to https://www.outpoststudios.net/s/the-critic-show for full access to this episode, and more thought-provoking political analysis.



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The Sectarian State 09 Mar 202600:20:59

This week, Tom and Chris explore the rise of sectarianism in British politics, specifically, the role of Biraderi networks and the extended family structures that shape political behaviour of immigrant populations in Britain today. In urban constituencies where traditional civic associations are weak, Britain’s individualistic political culture offers little institutional counterweight, and, as a result, Britain’s political culture becomes ever more transactional.

As theLabour coalition of immigrants and the working class, which it has depended upon for decades, fragments and new parties seek to mobilise voters along cultural and demographic lines, politics risks drifting toward an informal “ethnic headcount”, where identity can matter as much as, if not more than, policy.

Is modern mainland British politics becoming more like that of Northern Ireland, or even reminiscent of Balkans and the Middle East? And, when established, are such dynamics self-reinforcing? If in-group preference becomes a normal organising principle, can liberal, cross-community politics can be sustained? What do we really need to prevent permanent political fragmentation?

For the full, uncensored episode, go to:

https://www.outpoststudios.net/p/the-sectarian-state

Next week: Chris and Tom turn their attention to the British Welfare State.

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Who are The Tories?02 Mar 202600:21:31

This week, Tom is joined by Poppy Coburn to look at the Conservative Party’s identity crisis and ask whether this is more than another bad election cycle. Whilst the top of the party is seemingly happy under the Badenoch regime, the grassroots have been hollowed out. The councillors, donors and activists, the footsoldiers of any election campaign are drifting away. As local associations wither and the coffee mornings and action days are ever more sparsely attended, the party has to ask itself, what does it stand for now?

Voters themselves, fed up with years of betrayal are turning to Reform, while the Conservatives lash out at their populist challengers. Fiscal discipline is still invoked, but many doubt the party can follow through on its promises. The gap between Westminster and provincial Britain is widening, especially on touchstone issues like immigration and crime.

Brexit once channelled a rebellious mood; that energy has moved on. If the Conservatives no longer set the terms of the right, are they still a leader, or just another fringe player, trading on the legacy of the past?

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Fracturing the Left 23 Feb 202600:31:55

Chris Bayliss speaks to Fleur Meston about the slow break-up of the British left, and the end of the Labour party’s gauche-domination from Bloomsbury to Sedgefield. In the 21st century, this challenge mostly comes from the socialist ecologists of the Green Party. The Greens have evolved from their 1970s roots as a niche protest vehicle into something more electorally serious, drawing in voters uneasy with Labour in government and making electoral headway from Bristol to Brighton. What was once fringe now serves as a political home for a largely middle-class, self-described radical bloc, energised by Zack Polanski and his five MPs, not much different, in terms of parliamentary seats, from Reform UK.

But who benefits from this fragmentation? Can the Greens turn local strength into real gains, or will they remain influential but limited? If Reform consolidates its insurgent vote, tactical voting could reshape key seats. With Labour under strain in parts of its base and smaller parties sensing opportunity, Chris and Fleur ask whether Britain is moving into a genuinely multi-party era, and what that means as the protest vote becomes a means of tangible political power.

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The Critic Show Special: Open Justice20 Feb 202600:30:23

In this Critic Show special, Adam Wren discusses the Open Justice Project, which works with survivors who want their stories told, and the public inquiry into one of the most serious institutional failures in modern Britain: the grooming gangs scandal. The conversation centres on a system that too often appears underfunded, diffused and structurally incapable of taking responsibility. It’s a story of the failure of multicultural Britain, and the legacy of the Blairite optimism that assumed institutions would simply function due the inherent competence of the British state.

They also discuss the personal cost of working so closely with trauma, as well as the practical barriers Open Justice has faced, much the same as those that allowed abuse to happen in the first place, from the secrecy afforded to offenders to the way exploitation of the infrastructure of the small towns that make up England’s former industrial heartlands

Yet, in spite of the horrific legacy of these crimes, the pressure created by survivor-led initiatives is beginning to force institutions to listen, raising the central question of the inquiry: how Britain’s institutions, which failed to protect vulnerable young women, can be forced to do better.

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Why Europe Can’t Defend Itself. 16 Feb 202600:30:15

This week, Tom and Chris look at foreign policy, and the widening gulf between Britain’s ambitions and its means. Defence spending is constantly under strain, artillery stockpiles are dangerously low, and Europe still relies heavily on Washington for its security. What happens if America’s defence commitments start to get transactional, particularly under Donald Trump? If a major war broke out tomorrow, does Britain have the industrial muscle or economic stamina to see it through?

Is the US returning to realism, or simply making ad hoc deals as it goes, whether with China and the Indo-Pacific or Greenland, or Ukraine? As Europe looks static, Washington looks unpredictable.

Britain under Keir Starmer is running up against the limits of soft power, the only weapon it seems to want to wield, hamstrung by the Chagos question, and its habit of outsourcing strategic judgment to international courts. What leverage does the UK actually retain, and can it rediscover hard-edged pragmatism of the past? Or is it doomed to decline, stooped in self-loathing nostalgia?

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The Critic Show Special: Wine Club09 Feb 202600:33:15

This month’s Wine Club has Henry Jeffreys in notably good company, Tom Harrow, better known as the WineChap, in town for Burgundy Week and armed with a trio of Italians that cheerfully make the case for looking south rather than east.

While the merchants of St James’s are earnestly pouring tiny glasses of rain-thinned Pinot Noir and murmuring about yields, here we are with bottles that feel gloriously, unapologetically alive. Tom’s also takes us along on his journey into wine, via schoolboy tastings at Millfield, a spell in the army, Lee & Sandeman, and eventually Honest Grapes. The sort of anecdotes that make you wish wine education were still considered an acceptable extracurricular for fourteen-year-olds. As he puts it, learning to smell properly is a life skill criminally underrated.

If you’d like a mixed case with two bottles of each featured in the episode, (for just £94.60 with free delivery!), follow the link:

https://www.honestgrapes.co.uk/collections/the-critic-wine-club

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The Cricket Revolution is Eating Itself 26 Jan 202600:30:09

This week, Chris and Tom are joined by Critic associate editor, Patrick Porter, to talk Cricket. Fresh from another disappointing Ashes series, England seem lacking and out of ideas - except for one, the high-velocity aggressive style known as “Bazball”. The only problem being its not actually bringing England much success on the field.

The failure the net Test wins is compounded, Patrick argues, by the corporatised, Year Zero philosophy of a team which thinks it has nothing to learn from the past. This arrogance, rejecting outright the notion they have anything to learn from the great England cricketers of the past, and obsession with Moneyball-esque sporting fads, will only lead to more failure.

Patrick also brings to the show his specialism in International Relations, asking if the shock of Trump’s threatening behaviour focuses European minds on longer term strategic realities, then he’ll be the president Europe needs and whether they are about to embark on a costly rediscovery of why great power competition existed in the first place.

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Do White Britons owe Black Britons reparations?19 Jan 202600:33:34

In this episode of The Critic Show, Tom and Chris discuss Samuel Rubinstein’s review of Sir Lenny Henry’s new book The Big Payback, which calls for Britain to pay £18.62 trillion in reparations in penance for its colonial legacy.

Whilst economically absurd, and historically myopic, ideas like these are rapidly gaining credibility in the western world, and within the British Labour party in particular, in thrall to the politics of celebrity.

With the Chagos handover baked in, are proposals like this, though economically ruinous, inevitable?

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Is a Reform Government Inevitable? 11 Jan 202600:35:28

For decades, Nigel Farage was the ultimate political outsider, yet, after a year of topping the polls by some margin, it is slowly dawning on Westminster that, for the first time in a century, he might break the two-party system.

How has he been able to do this? And why are the political currents of the mid-twenty twenties so different from the waters that UKIP swam in a decade before?

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The Secret Cult Behind AI05 Jan 202600:29:31

Has western policy-making been broken by AI? Andrew Orlowski thinks so. The writer and journalist believes that our governing elites have become obsessed by artificial intelligence and Large Language Models in particular, yet, he argues, these technologies have singularly failed to live up to their promise.

Orlowski explains how the techno-utilitarian impulse behind this obsession also has much deeper roots, and many its advocates are entwined in a modern day cult of twisted morality.

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The Palace of Westminster is Falling Down. 29 Dec 202500:22:25

The creaking edifice of British politics, without urgent intervention, is about to come crashing down. But enough about the Labour party, the Palace of Westminster is in a state of disrepair, and the cost of restoration is projected in the multiple billions. Why? And why can’t we seem to get architecture right in this country anymore?

To answer this, and so much more, Tom is joined this week by Nicholas Boys Smith, founder of Create Streets, the design practice, town-builder and think tank, campaigning to bring beauty and liveability back to our built environment.

You can subscribe to listen to the full episode at www.outpoststudios.net

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Why is the Right So Bad At Culture?22 Dec 202500:23:15
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.outpoststudios.net

Whilst the high culture of classical art and music has often been associated with conservatism, there has, nevertheless, been a slow decline of culture on the right. Nearly every single great cultural institution is effectively owned and operated by the left, and rightist attempts to create art and institutions of their own have been somewhat underwhelm…

The Critic Show: Is Britain's Economy Fake?15 Dec 202500:30:13

This week, Chris Bayliss and Poppy Coburn discuss Britain’s new command economy, and why the free market is anything but.

www.thecritic.co.uk



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The Immigration Age15 Dec 202500:34:02

Fleur Meston and Poppy Coburn talk about how much the Overton Window has shifted in the last year, and how the continuing political rhetorical war around immigration proves the radical right are anything but.

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Crime and No Punishment15 Dec 202500:41:10

Chris Bayliss and Tom Jones if Britain’s punishment system is really that broken, and if our authorities are giving up on crime and punishment

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The British Army: Decline and Fall?15 Dec 202500:34:22

It’s the season of goodwill, and in the first of our new Critic Show Graham Stewart joins Tom Jones to discuss the editorial themes of the Critic’s double bumper festive issue, as well as the New Critic essay and the debut piece on the decline and fall of the British Army.

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Introducing The Critic Show15 Dec 202500:01:32

Hello, and welcome to The Critic Show.

Let’s not bother burying the lede. Britain’s best in-print periodical and online comment engine is re-launching our podcast — and this time you’ll be able to see us, as well as listen.

Today we’ve released the first 4 episodes, which you can watch here. In these first episodes, regular Critics Chris Bayliss, Poppy Coburn, Fleur Meston and I discuss anarcho-tyranny, how the Overton window has shifted on immigration in the last year and whether Britain’s economy is fake. There’s also an episode with Critic editor Graham Stewart and I, where we discuss the Christmas double issue, the new Critic Essay and the debut piece by Ben Barry, on the decline and fall of the British Army. After that you’ll be able to join us every Monday. You can find it here on Outpost - and for full access to the exclusive bonus episodes, subscribe now.

Does the world need another podcast? I get it. It must feel like every magazine has a podcast. It must feel like every 25-75 year-old man with a passing interest in culture and politics — and a lingering sense of frustration in life — has a podcast.

Well, forget all that. It’s like watching St Paul’s being built and asking Christopher Wren if London hasn’t got enough churches. It’s like watching Shakespeare draft Hamlet and asking if the world really needs another play about moody teenagers. It’s like hearing Beethoven preparing his Ninth and asking if he doesn’t think there are already enough symphonies.

Produced in partnership with Outpost Studios, this won’t be another chummy centrist political podcast — the kind Ben Sixsmith hates — that regurgitates the week’s news. Britain’s podcast market is saturated with the offerings of centrist hacks endlessly rehashing whatever has come up in Westminster that week, with no attempt to get under the skin of any story.

Rather than chase the news cycle, we’re going to do what The Critic does best — leading sacred cows to slaughter. We’ll have satire rather than sanctimoniousness, punchy commentary rather than ponderous blather and, crucially, The Critic Show won’t be hosted by a man who made the case for invading Iraq or Lewis Goodall.

Instead it will be hosted by me, Tom Jones, frequent contributor to these most august pages and owner of both the best hair and the best Donald Trump impression in journalism. I hope you’ll join me, as well as all the other varied and talented Critic contributors who will appear on the podcast, as we dig the scalpel of our analysis into the flesh of world events.



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173: On cockroaches and cancellation (w/ James Dreyfus)15 Oct 202400:38:09
Actor James Dreyfus joins Jo Bartosch to discuss the gender wars, cancel culture and the stifling of individuality in art.

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172: Progressive realism08 Oct 202400:55:57
Can Labour's new foreign policy doctrine work in our troubled world? Professor Patrick Porter joins Sebastian Milbank to discuss this, the Chagos Islands, Lebanon and the future of Britain in an increasingly isolated Europe. 

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171: The world is not enough11 Sep 202400:37:41
In an age of globalisation could world government be on the horizon? Gal Treger joins Sebastian Milbank to discuss his recent article, and how deeper forms of identity and belonging will always take their revenge on dreams of worldwide hegemony.

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170: Post election rundown05 Jul 202401:14:38
Three very sleepy men discuss the election result. In an heroic bit of Critic broadcasting, Richard Johnson, a senior lecturer in politics at Queen Mary University and Sam Bidwell, a Parliamentary researcher and freelance writer join executive editor Sebastian Milbank to talk Reform, sectarian voting, first past the post, and Labour's constitutional plans. 






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169: Critic election day special — William Clouston04 Jul 202400:49:02
As Britain goes to the polls, we look at one of the election's untold stories — the emergence of a revived SDP (Social Democratic Party), carrying forwards an Owenite, socially conservative and economically left wing message to British voters. The SDP's leader, William Clouston, joined Executive Editor Sebastian Milbank to explain the party's vision. 

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168: Elder abuse28 Jun 202400:49:10
In our latest Critic podcast, we peer over the pond to the American elections. Last night saw the first (and perhaps last) debate between Trump and Biden. Executive Editor Sebastian Milbank was joined by Will Upton, a former US Treasury official and an editor of the National Pulse, to talk about the sorry sight of a man far too frail to run for office. 

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167: The Road to the Cass Review — (5) Lord Moonie18 Jun 202400:35:29
The publication of the Cass Review validated many of the concerns that “gender-critical” commentators and activists had expressed about transgenderism and transitioning. In this series, Jo Bartosch will explore how we got here — interviewing some of the people who helped to make it happen.



In this episode, Jo speaks with Lord Moonie, a man of the left and a self-described “awkward sod” who resisted the rise of gender ideology and the medicalisation of children.

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166: Trouble in Toryland13 Jun 202400:48:51
On the latest Critic election podcast, we're talking Tories. Sebastian Milbank is joined by Henry Hill, Deputy Editor of Conservative Home, and Fred de Fossard, Director of Parliamentary Affairs for the Legatum Institute, to discuss Conservatism past, present and future. 



On the agenda are the credibility of the party manifestos, the possible collapse of the Conservative ground game, the likely result of a post-defeat leadership election, and the potential role of Reform as Tory nemesis. 

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165: Populism on the march10 Jun 202401:04:51
As populists make gains in the EU elections, and Reform rises in the polls in Britain, we ask if Europe's future, on both sides of the channel, is with the dissident right? 



In our latest Critic election special, Sebastian Milbank is joined by Harrison Pitt, a Senior Editor at The European Conservative, and Political Commentator at the New Culture Forum, and by Sam Bidwell, a Parliamentary Researcher and freelance writer, to discuss the EU elections, Friday's TV debate, and whether populism can make the shift from insurgent movement to governing project. 

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164: The Labour voter blues08 Jun 202400:42:40
According to a recent report, 40 per cent of Labour voters can be descried as "blue values voters" — economic and social conservatives who want greater state investment in public services, but also law and order, migration restrictions and a patriotism from their political leaders. 



In our first Critic election special, Executive Editor Sebastian Milbank is joined by Professor Adrian Pabst, a writer, academic and Deputy Director of the NIESR (National Institute of Economic and Social Research), and Liam Stokes, an experienced environmentalist and countryside campaigner, to ask if Starmer can take these voters with him, or if he's likely to leave them behind. 

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163: The Road to the Cass Review — (4) Keira Bell and Paul Conrathe06 Jun 202400:42:36
The publication of the Cass Review validated many of the concerns that “gender-critical” commentators and activists had expressed about transgenderism and transitioning. In this series, Jo Bartosch will explore how we got here — interviewing some of the people who helped to make it happen.



In this episode, Jo speaks to Keira Bell, who took the Tavistock’s Gender Identity Service to the High Court, and Paul Conrathe, a human rights solicitor who represented Bell.

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162: The Road to the Cass Review — (3) Sue and Marcus Evans29 May 202400:45:53
The publication of the Cass Review validated many of the concerns that “gender-critical” commentators and activists had expressed about transgenderism and transitioning. In this series, Jo Bartosch will explore how we got here — interviewing some of the people who helped to make it happen.



In this episode, Jo interviews the whistleblowing psychotherapy duo Marcus and Sue Evans about the scandals of the Tavistock Centre, the Gender Identity Development Service, and the problem of ideology in medicine.






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161: The Road to the Cass Review — (2) Stephanie Davies-Arai22 May 202400:55:10
The publication of the Cass Review validated many of the concerns that “gender-critical” commentators and activists had expressed about transgenderism and transitioning. In this series, Jo Bartosch will explore how we got here — interviewing some of the people who helped to make it happen.



In this episode, Jo speaks to Stephanie Davies-Arai about children, safeguarding and her pioneering work founding Transgender Trend.










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160: The Road to the Cass Review — (1) Dr Michael Biggs15 May 202400:32:37
The publication of the Cass Review validated many of the concerns that “gender-critical” commentators and activists had expressed about transgenderism and transitioning. In this series, Jo Bartosch will explore how we got here — interviewing some of the people who helped to make it happen. 



In this episode, Jo interviews Dr Michael Biggs, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Oxford and Fellow of St Cross College, about his early research into young people and gender medicine.

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159: Ridiculous research and irate academics (w/ Charlotte Gill)23 Apr 202400:28:19
Josephine Bartosch is joined by Charlotte Gill to discuss silly academic research, the right to debate the apportioning of taxpayers’ money and our decadent intellectual culture.

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158: The crisis in the universities19 Mar 202400:38:51
An all star panel of Critic editors and contributors, chaired by deputy editor Graham Stewart, addressed the theme of the crisis in the universities. James Orr spoke about the narrowing of speech in the university, and the centralisation of increasingly politicised research at Oxford and Cambridge. Sebastian Milbank discussed the medieval origins of  the university, and its contemporary crisis of purpose. Charlie Bentley-Astor led us into the subterranean world of the modern conservative student, forced to live out their shameful beliefs in secret. And David Butterfield called for a return of the humanistic heart of academia.



Our next event will be a discussion of transgenderism held in a central London venue. You can sign up to our mailing list here, to stay informed.

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157: A tale of two Englands16 Mar 202400:55:33


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156: Their transition too (w/ Emma B)27 Feb 202400:33:21
Emma B from Children of Transitioners joins Jo Bartosch to discuss growing up with a trans father and the material and psychological challenges that it can cause.

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155: Blurred thin blue lines (w/ Lisa Townsend)05 Jan 202400:36:35
Lisa Townsend, Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner, joins Jo Bartosch to discuss attempts to have her removed from her position for opposing the principle of “self-ID”, and to talk about how ideology can damage institutions

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154: The state of the arts (w/ Pierre d'Alancaisez)29 Nov 202300:27:50
Curator and critic Pierre d’Alancaisez joins Ben Sixsmith to discuss the delusions of the art world and the opportunities for independent creativity.

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153: Who governs Britain? (w/ David Scullion)15 Nov 202300:40:46
Former Braverman special advisor David Scullion joins Sebastian Milbank to discuss the Home Secretary's departure, what a SpAd is, and the ongoing battle between elected ministers and civil servants. 

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152: Karens and cohesion (w/ Ellen Pasternack)09 Nov 202300:24:47
Writer and researcher Ellen Pasternack joins Ben Sixsmith to discuss telling people off on the tube and the fluctuating nature of social cohesion.

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151: A load of hot air (w/ Barry Norris)02 Nov 202300:33:28
Barry Norris joins Graham Stewart to discuss his new Critic cover story “Britain, goner with the wind” and the fallacies behind the growth of wind power.

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150: From TV to the trans debate (w/ Graham Linehan)31 Oct 202300:33:19
Jo Bartosch interviews comedy writer and author Graham Linehan about his new book Tough Crowd and what led him to write it. 

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