Best of the Spectator

The Pope is 'WEAK on crime and terrible on foreign policy' – this was the verdict of the President of the United States this week, as he appeared to deepen his row with the leader of the Catholic Church. In the magazine this week, Damian Thompson reports on why the President appears to have engaged in his own Holy War with the leader of 1.3 billion Catholics around the world.For this week's Edition, host William Moore is joined by deputy editor Freddy Gray, commissioning editor Lara Brown – and the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.Baron Williams, now retired from the Lords, fears there is something 'demonic' in the political culture of the United States right now, as people appear to twist Christian teaching to justify their own causes. He does admit he feels 'slightly sorry' for the US Vice President – and recent Catholic convert – J.D. Vance saying he appears to be 'floundering', following Vance's recent comments that the Pope should 'stick to morality'. Why is the President fighting with the Pope? And what reflections does Rowan have on how involved religious leaders should be in politics?Also on the episode, they discuss: the American right's obsession with the Antichrist; Rowan's new book Solidarity; the Spectator's cover story – by John Power – on the property crash of the London flat market; how the future might be vegetarian; and finally, whether foreign visitors should pay to enter British museums. Plus, what are the panel's favourite cultural attractions in London?Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

My guest in this week’s Book Club podcast is the reporter – cartoonist Joe Sacco, talking about his most recent book The Once and Future Riot, about Hindu/Muslim violence in rural India. He tells me how he knows when he’s onto a story, what cartooning can do for reportage, and why he draws himself so differently.

To hear this week's episode in full, search 'Quite right!' wherever you are listening now. This week: the Southport inquiry and a deeper question about why Britain’s institutions keep failing to act. After a damning report into the killings revealed that Axel Rudakubana was ‘known to authorities’, Michael and Madeline ask how so many warning signs were missed. Did a fear of getting things wrong – or being accused of racism – stop professionals from intervening? 

Freddy Gray speaks to Shadi Hamid, author of the book The Case for American Power, which explores – and puts forward – the case for American power in spite of Donald Trump.

My guest in this week's Book Club podcast is Mason Currey, author of the new book Making Art and Making a Living: Adventures in Funding a Creative Life. He tells me how artists, writers and composers have wrangled through history with the challenge of scraping by, and how that has affected their art, from Baudelaire's lifelong outrage at being forced to live on an allowance and John Berryman's disastrous stint as a door-to-door encyclopaedia salesman to Haydn reinventing the musical idiom of his time because he was so far in the boondocks with his day job that he didn't know what the musical idiom of his time was, exactly.

Melania Trump delivered a televised statement correcting the record on the rumours about her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Has this backfired? Also on the podcast, Freddy Gray and Americano favourite Jacob Heilbronn discuss the latest ceasefire negotiations with Iran and Trump’s feud with is former MAGA fans, Tucker Carlson, Ann Coulter and Candace Owens. 

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Catherine Ostler, the former editor of Tatler, ponders the drama of the courtroom as she travels around the Kent countryside; following the news of the ceasefire with Iran, Paul Wood says that no-one knows what Trump will do next; John Power encourages Gen Z men to go hiking; and finally, astrophysicist David Whitehouse explores the dark side of the moon. Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.

Has Britain become a freeloader’s paradise, asks the Spectator’s economics editor Michael Simmons in our cover piece this week. Michael analyses ‘the benefits of benefits’, at a time when Britain’s welfare bill is burgeoning and most households are struggling with cost of living. For example, while a family of four can expect to pay £111 to visit the Tower of London, that is just £4 total on Universal Credit (UC), and for London Zoo it is £108 compared to £26. Michael is not arguing against the idea of helping those in need, but pointing out that – as the benefits bill continues to increase – this is another case of governments prioritising ‘welfare over work’ and ultimately squeezing the working poor. And the problem is set to continue: ‘we are nowhere near peak welfare’ Michael warns. Is the system fair?On this week’s Edition, Lara Prendergast is joined by Michael, assistant content editor William Atkinson and political commentator – and founder of Conservative Home, Tim Montgomerie. William argues that such discounts are part of the ‘infantilisation’ of those on UC and that there has been a systematic failure to confront the structural issues preventing people from returning to work. While Tim, a Reform supporter, defends Nigel Farage’s pledge to retain the Triple Lock for pensioners, on the grounds of achieving power. Also on the episode: does Britain need 'Anglo-Gaullism' – and could Nigel Farage be the answer; are we about to see the end of Viktor Orban – and why have some conservatives changed their minds on the Hungarian Prime Minister; should Kanye West have been banned from Britain; and the Artemis II moon mission – inspiring, restoring faith in America’s ability to lead, too expensive – or all three?Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

The past year has seen a deluge of reports and investigations about young people finding faith and flocking back to Christianity – including here on Holy Smoke. All roads lead back to a Bible Society study which claimed that – backed up by polling from YouGov – a ‘quiet revival’ was underway. Yet, one year on, YouGov has pulled the survey due to data errors and the Bible Society was forced to apologise. While the credibility of the survey is undermined, this doesn’t necessarily chime with anecdotal evidence from some quarters. So what is the truth behind the ‘quiet revival’? Justin Brierley, broadcaster and founder of Think Faith, joins Damian Thompson to provide his more optimistic assessment: that while the story might not be what it seemed, that doesn’t mean that nothing is happening. Could the decline in religious adherence seen over the past few decades be slowing? And what would his advice be to struggling parish churches, and to the new Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally?Produced by Patrick Gibbons.