The Critic Show

This week on The Critic Show, Henry and Chris are joined by James Crouch, Head of Public Affairs at Opinium, to discuss Britain’s strange new economic settlement: not quite capitalism, not quite socialism, but a system increasingly built around caps, freezes and government guarantees. Drawing on Opinium’s research into public attitudes, they explore why voters now instinctively reach for price controls on energy, council tax, groceries and rent, and why such policies are politically easy to introduce but almost impossible to remove.They ask whether Britain has become a zero-sum economy, why younger voters no longer feel capitalism is delivering for them, and whether any political party has a credible way out.For more content like this please subscribe, and don’t forget to share, like and comment at www.outpoststudios.net

In this episode of The Critic Show, Tom Jones is joined by Sam Butler, vice chairman of the Future of Hunting campaign, to discuss Labour’s proposed ban on trail hunting and what Butler sees as a wider assault on the countryside. They look back at the 2004 Hunting Act, the creation of trail hunting, and the argument that a new ban would do little for animal welfare while threatening thousands of hounds, rural jobs and the social fabric built around hunts, point-to-points, pubs, farriers, vets and farming communities.The conversation then widens into the politics of rural Britain: family farm tax, land use, net zero, shooting, fishing, housing, private property and the failure of successive governments to take the countryside seriously. Butler argues that rural communities are tired of being treated as a political football, while Tom asks whether the battle over hunting has become part of a deeper fight over civil liberties, land ownership and the future of the political right.Full episode linked belowhttps://www.outpoststudios.net/p/the-great-trail-debateThanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please like, share and subscribe. See you next week.

This week on The Critic Show, Tom Jones and Chris Bayliss are joined by Charles Cornish-Dale to discuss modern masculinity, the rise of the “alpha male”, and the cultural influence of Andrew Tate. Are declining testosterone levels something to be concerned about? What does this mean for our politics?In our medicated society, the contraceptive pill and SSRIs are ever more common — but what are their effects on mental health, relationships, libido and fertility, as well as their possible role in wider demographic trends and declining birth rates?Our alpha males also touch on the political Left, asking why countercultural politics continue to attract people seeking meaning, identity and a sense of excitement in an increasingly fragmented society.For the full episode, go tohttps://www.outpoststudios.net/s/the-critic-showAnd don’t forget to like, share and subscribe!

This week on The Critic Show, Chris Bayliss and Tom Jones are joined by William Clouston, leader of the SDP, to discuss his paper From an Entitlement State to an Investment State.Britain has moved from a state that invests in its future to one increasingly dominated by pensions, welfare and benefits. Since the 1970s, public spending has shifted dramatically: investment in infrastructure has fallen, while entitlement spending has soared. The result, he says, has been collapsing productivity, stagnation and a country less able to build, grow or renew itself.Are Britain’s present problems are downstream of decades of poor statecraft, weak leadership and bad policy decisions? Watch to find out. 

This week on The Critic Show, Tom Jones and Chris Bayliss are joined by historian and columnist Dominic Green to discuss his latest piece for The Critic, exploring the conflict between empire and republic.Dominic argues that it is better to see the United States not as a settled European-style nation state, but as a perpetually evolving republic whose moments of upheaval, from Andrew Jackson to Donald Trump, are a continuation of the dynamism it has always possessed, rather than a sign of impending collapse.On British foreign policy, as tensions in the Gulf continue to alternate between uneasy hostility and all-out war, Britain must reconcile its increasingly uncertain position between Washington and Brussels. Does Britain risk sinking its alliance with the United States in pursuit of a stagnant European project?https://www.outpoststudios.net/s/the-critic-showAnd don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!

This week, Chris and Tom are joined by Dr Ioannes Chountis de Fabbri, the historian of political ideas, political conflict and the decline of the Royal Navy.Comparing the Navy of decades past with the Navy we have today, one must ask: how did civil servants, bureaucrats and government bring about its decline? This inevitably leads to the question of the efficacy of the civil service, whether we have too many bureaucrats in the modern world despite huge technological advances, and how people were paid then compared with how the system works now.What did statesmen of the past understand about power, defence and Britain’s place in the world that politicians today do not?For the full premium episode, head over to:https://www.outpoststudios.net/s/the-critic-show and subscribe for full access. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.outpoststudios.net/subscribe

Tom and Henry are joined this week by pollster and strategist Scarlett Maguire, who explains the Wild West of British political polling.Like the soothsayers of old, politicians use polling in all sorts of mysterious ways, making claims that may not always stack up with reality. This is how they can claim momentum even when their parties remain unpopular. In unrelated matters, they also discuss Kemi Badenoch and the wider challenges facing the Conservatives.What are the limits of polling? In particular, what happens when policies that sound popular in theory crash into reality when put into practice?In an ever more politically volatile world, we also now have increasingly idiosyncratic voters, whose views often cut across party lines. They might back Reform on some issues while favouring the Greens on others. What does that mean for modern British politics?For the full episode, go to:https://www.outpoststudios.net/p/why-we-poll-e78 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.outpoststudios.net/subscribe

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.For this and much more, make sure to subscribe to The Critic, and don’t forget to like, share and subscribe. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.outpoststudios.net/subscribe