Headspace

Political journalists Ailbhe Rea, Peter Kellner and Lara Spirit join Alan Rusbridger to discuss about our new prime minister, Liz Truss—and what we can expect from her early days in government. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

In light of the horrific attack on Salman Rushdie on the 12th August, Sameer Rahim joins the podcast to discuss The Satanic Verses and the debates contained within book. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week inflation hit double figures for the first time in 40 years, while real wages saw their largest drop since records began. So, what does this bleak picture mean for people on the lowest-incomes? Helen Barnard, Associate Director at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Stu Hennigan, author of the book Ghost Signs, Poverty and the Pandemic join Ellen Halliday to talk about the millions of Britons facing deep poverty. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do we talk about sentience and artificial intelligence? And why do we constantly compare the robots we build to human beings? Science writer Philip Ball and philosopher Julian Baggini join Sameer Rahim to discuss the new frontiers in artificial intelligence—including a project from DeepMind predicting the shape of every protein known to science—and what they mean for us. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Summer is a sentimental education. A portal to feelings that, once experienced, are impossible to subdue," writes Sukhdev Sandhu in his recent piece for Prospect. On the podcast, Sameer Rahim and Emily Lawford join Sarah Collins to discuss the highbrow and lowbrow cultural highlights of the season, from Wagner's The Ring Cycle to Call Me by Your Name, from Romeo and Juliet to Love Island. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What progressive policies could Keir Starmer adopt that would actually win him an election? For the latest issue of Prospect, contributing editor Tom Clark went on the hunt for twelve tried-and-tested ideas from around the world that could help the Labour Party win. He joins deputy editor Ellen Halliday and Labour peer and former No.10 advisor Stewart Wood to discuss whether these ideas—which include a wealth tax, an independent regulator for public probity and an earlier retirement age for manual worker—would be workable in Britain. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From politicians to scientists, from rappers to tech entrepreneurs, the Prospect team has selected its 50 Top Thinkers for a turbulent world. Alex Dean and Sarah Collins join deputy editor Ellen Halliday to discuss the thinkers and their ideas, the nomination process and the purpose of the exercise in 2022. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Leading human rights barrister Adam Wagner joins Richard Hermer, Murray Hunt and Helen Mountfield to dissect the rule of law under Boris Johnson. How has the law fared, what have been the points of concern and what should the new leader do to restore any damage done? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Former Conservative attorney general Dominic Grieve and political writer Sam Freedman join the podcast to discuss the hopefuls vying for the position of conservative leader—and the implications of the contest for the party and the country. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What does an eventful week in Westminster mean for our democracy? And will Johnson survive until September? Political journalist and pollster Peter Kellner joins Dr Alice Lily, senior researcher at the Institute for Government to discuss the end of Johnson's premiership, the Tory leadership contest and what the government will do next. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Why do we still have such difficulty in grappling with the social force that shapes us most? Rapper and Orwell Prize-winning writer Darren McGarvey joins the Tom Clark to discuss his new state-of-the-nation book The Social Distance Between Us. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Is the government trying to stuff the ballot box? Is the recently passed Elections Act a threat to democracy? Senior Editor and award-winning journalist Alex Dean joins the podcast to argue that the independence of the electoral commission is in jeopardy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

To subscribe to the new Prospect Lives channel, click here: https://podfollow.com/prospect-livesContent note: This episode contains strong language and sexual references Does the criminalisation or liberalisation of the sex industry best protect the women who work in it? And what are the consequences of sex work for women as a whole? Sex worker and writer Tilly Lawless and journalist and editor Jessica Abrahams join Alan Rusbridger to discuss the essays they wrote for the most recent issue of the magazine. Lawless argues in defence of her clients at the suburban brothel in Australia where she works, while Abrahams reports from Bristol where a proposal for a ban on strip clubs has divided opinion amongst feminist campaigners and dancers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Is this the end for Roe v Wade? And what are the implications both for women's rights and for the role of the US Supreme Court? Helen Mountfield and Richard Hermer from Matrix Chambers are joined by Melissa Murray, a professor of constitutional law and one of the leading academics in the US on reproductive rights. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Are we beginning to get a sense of the cost of Brexit? Former Prospect Editor Tom Clark joins Alan Rusbridger to discuss what we know so far about how leaving the EU has affected trade, services and business investment. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What happened in Guantanamo? Investigative journalist John Goetz tells the story of former Guantanamo prisoner Mohamedou Ould Slahi and the man who tortured him, Mr X. In a discussion with Alan Rusbridger, Goetz explains how he and his colleague Bastian Berbner tracked down Mr X seventeen years later, and what it taught them about the war on terror. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Was Winston Churchill racist? Should any historical figure be above criticism? And what does it really mean to judge someone by the standards of their time? Leading academic and author Priyamvada Gopal joins Alan Rusbridger to discuss a new book by Tariq Ali See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Can Russia really disconnect from the rest of the digital world? What is China's Great Firewall? Leading academic, podcaster and all-round internet expert Ethan Zuckerman joins Alan Rusbridger to discuss how countries are creating, censoring and controlling their own digital spaces. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This month, psychiatrist Rebecca Lawrence celebrates the soothing power of pets, while former England cricket captain Mike Brearley enjoys a play by Shomit Dutta about Beckett, Pinter and cricket. Both actor Sheila Hancock and Anglican priest Alice Goodman confront their fears about death, while Jason Thomas-Fournillier, an expert by experience in the asylum system, questions the morality of the government's recent Rwanda policy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For a recent Prospect event, Vicky Pryce, former joint head of the UK Government Economic Service, Andrew Simms, political economist and co-author of the Green New Deal and Myles Allen, Professor of Geosystem science at the University of Oxford, discussed European energy security and climate change. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.