The Exchange | Long-form interviews from the New Statesman – Details, episodes & analysis

This winter, Ai Weiwei returned to Beijing after a decade in exile. He found himself airbrushed from public memory. An international icon everywhere else. At home, a ghost.

The artist joined Michael Prodger soon after that trip to discuss the cost of personal freedom, in both China and in the West.

The Exchange is a new series from the New Statesman. Look out for new interviews every Wednesday.

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In his 30s, Rutger Bregman, the Dutch historian, had what he described as “an early midlife crisis”.

After a decade spent as a pundit, commenting on the global state of politics and economics, as well as publishing optimistic titles such as Utopia for Realists and Humankind: A Hopeful History - Bregman felt stuck. Something had to change.

And if he wanted to see that change in the world, he needed to make that change in himself.

In January he joined Oli Dugmore for an extended interview, delving into the prospects of a moral life, how morality has changed history, and how it could serve our current moment.

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Pussy Riot's 2012 "Punk Prayer" was a global flashpoint - a defining test of free expression in Putin’s Russia.

When co-founding member Masha Alyokhina was arrested, she told her son she would be back the next day. She was gone for two years.

In 2022, she fled the motherland, but continues to fight Putin from afar.

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Since leaving politics, Rory Stewart has become one of the most influential voices on the matter in Britain.

In this episode, the former diplomat and cabinet minister reflects on his upbringing and his unconventional path into politics. He also discusses the Middle East, arguing that Western countries continue to misunderstand the region’s history and dynamics.

The conversation then turns to Britain, including the growing intolerance towards Muslims and how that shapes political debate. Finally, Stewart shares his view on why Westminster often feels disconnected from the public and what needs to change.

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When Amia Srinivasan published The Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century in 2021, it sparked widespread debate about the politics of desire, consent, and sexual justice.

In this episode of The Exchange, the Oxford academic joins Tanjil Rashid to discuss how philosophy can illuminate some of the most contentious questions in contemporary culture: from incels and pornography to whether our desires are shaped by society.

Find more from Amia Srinivasan here

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Were the strikes on Iran illegal? What's next for the controversial courts bill? Are Labour leaders aware of the existential crisis within their party?

On this week's episode of The Exchange, we speak with Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice, David Lammy.

To watch more episodes of The Exchange find us on YouTube.

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The Exchange: long form, in-depth interviews from the New Statesman.

Featuring guests including Salman Rushdie, Ai Weiwei, Masha Alyokhina (Pussy Riot) and more.

Hosted by Oli Dugmore and New Statesman journalists.

Hit follow in Spotify or Apple Podcasts now.

Find full video episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSfumUEfFlcI6Ikce00MGPSvU5fu-MCWu

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Last week Yanis Varoufakis, the former Greek finance minister and darling of the European left, turned 65.

He celebrated his birthday on stage in London, gathering figures from across the left together. Zack Polanski was there, so was Jeremy Corbyn.

Varoufakis' mission? To explore what resistance means today across the left.

In this episode of The Exchange Oli Dugmore sits down with Varoufakis to speak about resistance, his childhood in a fascist dictatorship, how this shaped him, whether he uses that word to describe the climate today, and the strategic importance of Cyprus for the war in the Middle East - for Britian, the US, Israel, Iran, Greece and Turkey.

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For decades, George Saunders was known for his short stories. In 2013, in a Time Magazine 100 most influential people listing, he was described as “the best short-story writer in English".

In 2017, he released his first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, a reimagining of President Abraham Lincoln’s grief in the aftermath of his son Willie’s death. It’s a genre-defying piece of literature, narrated by no less than 166 ghosts. 

The bardo is a concept borrowed from Saunders ’ adopted faith, Buddhism—an "intermediate state" between death and reincarnation.

In his latest novel, Vigil, Saunders returns to the in-between - this time through a dying oil barron, grappling with his morality at the 11th hour in a burning world.

Tanjil Rashid sat down with George Saunders to discuss faith: in his writing, as a means of optimism, and as a political weapon in today’s world.

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Eric Schlosser is one of America’s foremost investigative journalists, writing about everything from the prison system to nuclear weapons, exploring the hidden systems underpinning modern life.

25 years ago, he set out to investigate the economic model behind one of America’s most recognisable industries: a system built on low-paid workers, dangerous conditions and the exploitation of migrant labour.

He joins Oli Dugmore to discuss America’s complicated relationship with McDonald's, the rise of fast food as both a cultural symbol and an economic system, and how Britain seeks to replicate this.

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