Can Labour stop Farage & co? with Naomi Smith

UK's Electoral System Challenges Naomi Smith, Chief Executive of Best for Britain, discusses the challenges of the UK's first-past-the-post electoral system and its impact on political strategies. She points out that the system is no longer working effectively for the two main parties, with recent elections showing candidates winning with as little as 22-25% of the vote.This situation has led to discussions about whether major parties should try to appeal to their core supporters or attempt to win over voters from other parties. Naomi emphasises the need for a new approach to address the limitations of the current electoral system. Brexit's Impact on UK Economy and PoliticsNaomi and Nick discussed the impact of Brexit on the UK economy and the political landscape. Naomi highlighted the fragmentation of voter preferences, with people switching from Labour to Reform UK and the Greens. She noted that Labour's inability to deliver progressive economic policies was hurting their appeal. Nick criticised Nigel Farage for the economic consequences of Brexit, but Naomi points out that the media rarely questions Reform UK's policies beyond Brexit. They agreed that politicians need to lead the conversation and not just react to past elections. UK Politics: Fragmentation and ChallengesThe discussion focuses on the current state of UK politics, particularly the Conservative Party's struggles and the rise of Reform UK. Naomi says that the political landscape is fragmented, with different parties leading in various regions. She notes that Labour needs to provide a compelling vision to motivate progressive voters. The conversation also touches on the potential for a "regressive alliance" between Conservatives and Reform UK, and the need for Labour to deliver meaningful change if they win the next election. Labour's Strategy and Progressive Party RelationsThe discussion focuses on the Labour Party's current strategy and its relationship with other progressive parties. Naomi suggests that Labour is losing more votes to the Liberal Democrats, SNP, and Green Party than to Reform UK. She also mentions internal concerns within the Labour Party about the proposed Welfare Bill, which could increase poverty and break manifesto promises. The conversation then shifts to the Green Party's perspective, with Naomi stating that Green Party leaders feel Labour is arrogant and unwilling to engage in discussions about combating the far right. The Greens' decision to run more candidates in the last election is attributed to a lack of reciprocation from Labour for their previous cooperation. Naomi expressed optimism about Britain's future, emphasising the need to address issues such as stagnant wages and declining public services. <h2>Read all about it!</h2> Naomi Smith is one of the country's most incisive commentators on politics &amp; the UK-Europe relationship. She can also be found on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/pimlicat.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bluesky </a>. Naomi is also a seasoned podcaster, co-hosting the <a href="https://ko-fi.com/quietriotpod" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Quiet Riot Pod</a>, the politics podcast with more passion, less shouting &amp; lots of laughter.&nbsp; Nick Cohen's <a href="https://x.com/NickCohen4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@NichCohen4</a> latest Substack column <a href="https://nickcohen.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Writing from London</a> on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

Reform's remorseless rise

How libertarians became authoritarians with Quinn Slobodian

Tech billionaires' paradoxical political support of Trump Nick Cohen and Quinn Slobodian,<a href="https://x.com/zeithistoriker" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@zeithistoriker</a>, the Canadian author and academic, discuss the paradoxical behaviour of American libertarians, particularly tech billionaires, who have been supporting Donald Trump despite his policies contradicting their beliefs in free trade, limited state interference, and unrestricted business operations. Quinn, a professor of international history at Boston University, introduced his book "Hayek's Bastards: The Neoliberal Roots of the Populist Right," which explores the roots of the modern radical right and helps understand why these individuals seem to make little sense. Neoliberalism's Shift From Globalism to AuthoritarianismQuinn discusses the origins of neoliberal thought and libertarianism in the aftermath of the Habsburg Empire's collapse. He highlighted the Universalist project of Friedrich Hayek, Wilhelm Rupka, and Ludwig von Mises to rebuild the world economy. Quinn also explains how the consensus of globalism started to unravel in the 1990s, leading to a shift in libertarian Universalism towards human differences and acceptance of authoritarian partnerships. He uses the figure of Peter Thiel to illustrate this transformation. Silicon Valley's Libertarian escapism and governmentQuinn discusses the convergence of Silicon Valley escapism and libertarianism, highlighting the story of California and its influence on libertarianism. He also touched on the role of the government in supporting the tech industry, particularly in the development of the Internet. Nick agrees with Quinn's points and added that the hippie movement also sought to reduce the power of the state over the individual. Ultra-rich influence on American societyQuinn and Nick discuss the influence of the ultra-rich on American society. Quinn argued that the ultra-rich have abandoned the need to buy legitimacy, which is a warning sign. Nick suggests that the ultra-rich are not as concerned with America as they should be, and that they are more sanguine about Trump's actions. Quinn also mentioned that the ultra-rich are constantly seeking security and are leaning into the dynamics of capitalist competition. Nick concludes that the ultra-rich are willing to use any means to defeat their perceived enemies, including burning down American cultural institutions. <h2>Read all about it!</h2> Nick Cohen's <a href="https://x.com/NickCohen4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@NichCohen4</a> latest Substack column <a href="https://nickcohen.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Writing from London</a> on politics and culture from the UK and beyond. Quinn Slobodian is a Canadian author &amp; historian specialising in modern Germany and international history. He is currently Professor of International History at Boston University. His latest book is <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hayeks-Bastards-Neoliberal-Roots-Populist/dp/0241774985/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2S6RRXL30A22Y&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EHc-TWsmbsvvj7dL1QyZkwVEZl94XaA_7XUs0EtGevVT3xSQc4-dHWOMrDpDT2SD18Ayho1Tuw7k3YHY2AkZUXWMP-ckJOVAvJ4sfE5v-O1K5ZAshM7G49JXUwFF_0A1hMx6wqmuQClRm5rYpavlyJkeo7zfUHxJGaK0_Dyxm-EYKrZthgGM5cb1w5Xp9cgB8cspeqQR6VhW175oyNF_ThV8f3lglCvnpPKl4mpbtMY.JErFCXoXP_0lJbetuYAAVLYbteyRDoQbc5O0OkO-Hs8&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=quinn+slobodian&amp;qid=1745506121&amp;sprefix=quinn+%2Caps%2C102&amp;sr=8-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hayek's bastards: The Neoliberal roots of the Populist Right. </a>

The road to Trumpdom

The fight to defend our freedoms with A.C.Grayling

Nick Cohen talks about defending values and rights against a resurgent culture of intolerance &amp; extremism as exemplified by the Trump White House with leading philosopher &amp; author professor A.C.Grayling <a href="https://x.com/acgrayling" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@acgrayling </a> How do do we defend those values and rights in a new world of social media and culture warfare? This is the 2nd part of a 2-part interview with Professor Grayling. <h2>Rights retreat with resurgence of radicalised right </h2> How do we defend our rights against an aggressive authoritarian radicalised right? For years, it seemed that long term issues such as racism, and discrimination had been in retreat - bit sadly no longer. How do we all stand up for our values while avoiding the obvious so-called "Woke" booby traps? <h2>Rights versus interests</h2> A.C. Grayling discusses the battle as being between rights and interests, summarising, "The culture wars are between people who are demanding the rights that would result in their having full inclusion of full acceptance in society on an equitable basis on the one hand and on the other hand, people who were defending their interests, which historically have been interests of privilege... this is a fight between rights and interests. And we all have interests. and interest in not being offended by other people, but we don't have a right not to be offended. "We all have an interest in being able to have our say, but we also have a right to have our say. So, you know, here again, we see how important it is to distinguish between what counts as a right and what is, as it were only an interest because it is the people who are defending their interests. who have to do the hard work of accepting that other people are genuinely owed their rights." <h2>Finding the right language to defend values</h2> A.C.Grayling stresses the importance of finding the right language to make our values heard above the heat and smoke of battle, adding, "Finding some way to discuss these things and to navigate them is tremendously important. And that only comes if there is goodwill and clear understanding on both sides and in the fevered state of the debate at the moment, particularly in view of the fact that it is really the language and and the perceptions of people on the further wings of both sides of this debate, which seem to be constitutive of the debate that makes it impossible to get real progress going on the substance of the debate." <h2>Read all about it!</h2> Nick Cohen's <a href="https://x.com/NickCohen4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@NichCohen4</a> latest Substack column <a href="https://nickcohen.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Writing from London</a> on politics and culture from the UK and beyond. A.C. Grayling's book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Discriminations-Making-Peace-Culture-Wars/dp/0861549961/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2EQEGSOSZJP36&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bQWwFDOLpWQ7WqRZvdP9z5upFNwxba4tj1PGwKx6weKhL2F1BT8Z_HomlqEItJxQZY0KN37lgjG_ZUuv5TwjV4V6EqScZwttd4T8pdNcE94sIo8vMakePkvibJTtGg9z5eh2N0dOFeD9bKUsGrcNvtjPjbstuPbW0_VlMGU-Dxpz6UFOfnmLplvNGXI8u96VOBspfuMngK9CWtUcxmhQ-ySe_FgsA_0aV8ED8XT1MNw.-AGEJPc7RqKa2JOG5hSfxtuUBc0RDSTxguNlG5Ty2oQ&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=AC+GRAYLING&amp;qid=1744579247&amp;sprefix=ac+grayling%2Caps%2C107&amp;sr=8-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Discriminations: Making peace in the culture wars </a>is now out as paperback.

Rights in retreat?

Isolated UK faces irrelevance  - Phillips P. O'Brien

<h2>Whither or wither NATO?</h2> Nick Cohen and Phillips P.O'Brien, the academic, author &amp; military historian, discuss the current state of NATO and the Western alliance, with a focus on the US security guarantee to Europe and the impact of the American right's ideology on international relations. They also explored the potential trust between Trump and Putin, the implications of reduced American aid to Ukraine, and the implications of the US pivoting from Europe to face China's aggression. They also discuss the dilemma faced by an isolated Brexit Britain, hopelessly trying to face towards a Trumpist US and the European Union at the same time, <h2>Trump is selling out its allies - bigly!</h2> Phillips says Europe cannot accept the evidence of its own eyes and ears: that Trump is completely selling out its allies: "I despair. As you probably know from reading my stuff at times, I've been trying to scream about this for over a year. Europe had to get ready and Britain had to get ready for this." <h2>An isolated UK trying to ride 2 horses at once faces irrelevance</h2> Phillips urged the UK to stop tying to ride 2 horses at once and plots its future with Europe. He says, "The old system is gone. It's not coming back. And I would start with almost a blank sheet of paper and re-assume what Britain needs for its own security and that will be European focused... if Britain doesn't, it'll get left behind by the European states that do. I mean, Britain won't actually instantly collapse, but it will just become more irrelevant .. it always like to think it could have a, a foot in both camps, but it might end up with a foot in neither."&nbsp; <h2>Trump doesn't give a **** about Europe or the UK</h2> Phillips says the The Trump White House isn't interested in some kind of special relationship with Brexit Britain where the UK plays an important role, adding, "This really seems to be all, maybe Trump will change his mind or maybe, you know, he'll have too many Big Mac and the Republican party will reverse revert to what it was. But it's astonishing 'cause it is a wilful inability to look after your own interests." And Trumpist Tories have a big image problem says Phillips: "you can't be pro-Trump, unless you're pro Putin as well ... which is maybe a position that many in the conservative party are trying to circle." <h2>Trump wants populists to take over Europe</h2> Phillips says the MAGA White House has a sinister objective: it wants populists to take over Europe. He adds, This is their goal to have a populist takeover in Europe. So they would like Europe to be sort of different populist states not working in action, but being basically a bunch of, populist cutthroats, corrupt cutthroats making deals with Trump in the United States... Their plan is to break European Union unity." <h2>Read all about it!</h2> Read Phillips' own regular Substack column - <a href="https://phillipspobrien.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Phillips's Newsletter</a>. Phillips is also professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews. Nick Cohen's <a href="https://x.com/NickCohen4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@NichCohen4</a> regular Substack column <a href="https://nickcohen.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Writing from London</a> on politics and culture from the UK and beyond is another must-read.

In denial over Trump's treachery

Tackling the cancel culture with A.C Grayling

<h2>1st part of 2-part interview with Professor A.C. Grayling</h2> Nick Cohen talks about cancel culture with leading philosopher &amp; author Professor A.C.Grayling <a href="https://x.com/acgrayling" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@acgrayling </a> This is the first part of a 2-part interview with Professor Grayling. <h2>Radicalised Right labels all opponents as "Woke"</h2> Emboldened by Trump, Brexit &amp; Trump, a Radical Right on-the-rampage seeks to justify its own prejudices and failures by labelling its opponents as "woke". A.C. Grayling tells Nick, "the term political correctness was a pejorative term as woke has become now in the vocabulary of the right..." <h2>Pogroms, oppression, discrimination - cancelling has a long and sorry history</h2> A.C. Grayling says there's nothing new about discriminatory cancelling, adding cancellation is really one of the major forces of recent history, saying "one group trying to cancel another...By means of wars or pogroms or, you know, exclusions or, or oppressive laws and so on...it is just the story of history. "We look for example, at the phenomenon of caste in India, and we see that as a massive&nbsp;systematic and systemic is history long cancellation of whole groups of people." <h2>The online Cancel Culture Club is threatening free speech</h2> Social media has made it easier for the authoritarians of both left and right to cancel &amp; penalise people for expressing their views. He adds, "apart from all the other reasons why allowing free expression is so important. Without it, you can't have a process at law. You can't recuse and defend, you can't have politics. You can't propose policies or, or analyse them and challenge them. "You can't have an education system if you can't freely pass on information and analyse it and discuss it." <h2>Read all about it!</h2> Nick Cohen's <a href="https://x.com/NickCohen4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@NichCohen4</a> latest Substack column <a href="https://nickcohen.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Writing from London</a> on politics and culture from the UK and beyond. A.C. Grayling's book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Discriminations-Making-Peace-Culture-Wars/dp/0861549961/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2EQEGSOSZJP36&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bQWwFDOLpWQ7WqRZvdP9z5upFNwxba4tj1PGwKx6weKhL2F1BT8Z_HomlqEItJxQZY0KN37lgjG_ZUuv5TwjV4V6EqScZwttd4T8pdNcE94sIo8vMakePkvibJTtGg9z5eh2N0dOFeD9bKUsGrcNvtjPjbstuPbW0_VlMGU-Dxpz6UFOfnmLplvNGXI8u96VOBspfuMngK9CWtUcxmhQ-ySe_FgsA_0aV8ED8XT1MNw.-AGEJPc7RqKa2JOG5hSfxtuUBc0RDSTxguNlG5Ty2oQ&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=AC+GRAYLING&amp;qid=1744579247&amp;sprefix=ac+grayling%2Caps%2C107&amp;sr=8-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Discriminations: Making peace in the culture wars </a>is now out as paperback.

The Cancel Culture Club

Can Starmer face down Trumpist Right?  - Rafael Behr

Nick Cohen talks with Guardian political columnist and author Rafael Behr,<a href="https://x.com/rafaelbehr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> @rafelbehr</a>, a Lowdown regular, about Sir Keir Starmer, and asks Raf can the prime minister face down an erratic and increasingly unhinged US president? <h2>Labour's Comms issues and a hazardous future ahead</h2> Rafael says Sir Keir Starmer needs to communicate properly with the British public about how it negotiates the dangerous future ahead, "They seem completely unable just to narrate what they're doing and why they're doing it in a way that would lead people to accept. and get on board with and be patient with ... And that is true of the fiscal situation, and it's true of the geo-strategic situation." <h2>Is Starmer the Right Stuff to handle Trump &amp; the Radical Right?</h2> Raf says many Brits understand the predicament that Starmer finds himself in with a hostile Trump, adding "They understand he's the prime minister. He can't just go and, and sort of piss all over the American president on live television. But no one&nbsp;seriously intuits that they are kindred spirits or alike..." <h2>Starmer best PM we've got</h2> Raf thinks Starmer is the best prime minister we've got adding "Constitutionally the alternative is Kemi Badenoch and the per, and if it's not her, it would've been Robert Jenrick with Farage in the wngs. And you look at most countries in the world, and he wouldn't swap him out for anyone who's actually there available. So from that point of view, he is the right leader for the times." <h2>Bye bye Badenoch!</h2> Raf &amp; Nick discuss the state of UK politics, include the current dire Tory leadership. Raf says he's "pretty confident" than Kemi Badenoch will. not be leading the Tories into the next general election. <h2>Read all about it</h2> Rafael's recent book<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Politics-Survivors-Engaged-Without-Getting/dp/B0C113JP71/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.grYaKsYNBQSAI9-lFQbV93k-zJ-gVLaKNeQU80LXh8TJ2bs4UvcHGkVy1YtE9gmnbwTnJNJC6kHRd9bdMV7fGEfOp6A8ZB_oZPx5_dskZKBZiduwKr6qm748qjoiQkVGW-jRKt3DD7FTBGL_Va4i3-JXZOM97RRqpFJa_XfsUuxYJLqHudS9kUsXV8v2LmRVAZm2sXeUzdKWMA7cw7ofrg.jJQ19vq3j_GpQHH4gGJiMA_RBE_b5joCjt_uivtp4qg&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;qid=1726236066&amp;refinements=p_27%3ARafael+Behr&amp;s=books&amp;sr=1-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Politics: A Survivor's Guide: How to stay engaged without getting enraged</a> is published by W.F.Howes Ltd and available at Amazon and in all good bookshops.<a href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2181263/support" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Support the show</a> You can also read his wonderful columns in the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/27/mps-assisted-dying-bill-vote-right-to-die" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Guardian</a>. His X handle is<a href="https://x.com/rafaelbehr" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> @rafaelbehr</a> Nick Cohen's <a href="https://x.com/NickCohen4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@NichCohen4</a> latest Substack column <a href="https://nickcohen.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Writing from London</a> on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

Is Starmer the right stuff to handle Trump crisis?

Can Farage ride 2 opposing horses? -with Chris Grey

<h2>The jig is up for serial bull-shit merchant Nigel Farage</h2> Nick Cohen talks to Chris Grey <a href="https://x.com/chrisgreybrexit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@chrisgreybrexit </a>- author, brexit expert and emeritus professor of organisation studies about where the madness of Donald Trump and his MAGA cult have left their supporters among Britain's Radical Right con artists, such as Nigel Farage, leader of Reform. By continuing their slavish obeisance to the US's crazed would be emperor Donald Trump, the UK's Radical Right and its leaders including Farage risk alienating those of his supporters who support Ukraine's existential fight against Putin and are coming to loath Trump and his reckless clown car administration. <h2>Even tricksy Farage can't carry on riding 2 horses at once!</h2> Chris Grey, one of the UK's leading experts on Brexit, says Nigel Farage and his radical right fellow-travellers have been badly caught out by Donald Trump's full fledged assault on the West. Farage's always far-fetched strategy of a brexit Brtiain forming some anglo-centric alliance with the US lies in tatters; Brexit has only further isolated the UK as the US turns its face away from Europe and throws its support behind the UK's enemies such as Putin's Russia. The UK is also now dangerously stranded between 2 stools. <h2>Read all about it</h2> Chris Grey is Emeritus Prof of Organisation Studies <a href="https://x.com/RoyalHolloway" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@RoyalHolloway</a>, ex-Prof <a href="https://x.com/Cambridge_Uni" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@Cambridge_Uni</a> &amp; <a href="https://x.com/Warwickuni" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@Warwickuni</a>. Mainly analysis of Brexit (&amp; related). <a href="https://x.com/chrisgrey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@chrisgrey</a> on BSky. Chris is also the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Brexit-Unfolded-wanted-never-going-ebook/dp/B08WHJRS2L/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1ZFYXPJQQGWUN&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ckH6HRrFwU3Sf4pJ8LTMFnbrMZe_03bocbQjeDQTrPaCH-J3KLpJCYY8LDbIqFH6xKeKY1fNiI0gQ6kjBm9nYWmQy52en1gi4nHhSZBZ2ZijFI5_IQmsajAZtqRNiGbwBxWmR3lRXz9qwRzb7cPGPRmojrJTsw8boXPElqZ9T4nP7Q5b91Isrk5CFkZr46525W6TfRzAxZFwzGoI3s0tg-F9aEQTY-eWZDaVaD9JV_8.jBeIr_q0j4iOts-pAM4iT4pcEwgYVpADitphybnkbTY&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=chris+grey&amp;qid=1743431666&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=chris+grey%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C371&amp;sr=1-3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brexit Unfolded: How no one got what they wanted (and why they were never going to)</a> Nick Cohen's <a href="https://x.com/NicholasTyrone" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@NickCohen4 </a>latest Substack column <a href="https://nickcohen.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Writing from London</a> on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

Farage's treason choice - King Don or the UK?

"Not a very Labour things to do" with Polly Toynbee

<h2> </h2><h2>Nick Cohen discusses Labour with Polly Toynbee</h2> Nick Cohen talks to the distinguished author and Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee about Labour's tough love strategy - targeting the welfare state and benefits to fill the black hole left by the Tories and Brexit. <h2>"Not a very Labour thing to do" - And Keynes would not approve!</h2> Polly agreed with Former shadow chancellor Ed Balls' recent observation on the government's plan to cut disability benefits, describing the strategy on his own podcast as<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/13/former-shadow-chancellor-ed-balls-says-plans-to-cut-disability-benefits-wont-work" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> "not a very Labour thing to do."</a>Polly - the proud owner of a portrait of the great economist John Maynard Keynes - says, "You know, you don't keep digging. You invest into a crisis and pay back when growth is restored. but she [Chancellor Rachel Reeves] seems to abandon that ..." Polly adds, "there's always this fear, and particularly for Labour, because Labour is less trusted by the markets and the business world; they're more inclined to suspect them of profligacy..." Polly says that Labour could raise an immediate £40 billion by simply imposing a 1 per cent wealth tax on the people worth in excess of £10 million Polly and Nick also discuss the impact of the proposed welfare cuts on Labour's electoral base, and how Sir Keir Starmer should navigate the UK's foreign policy, particularly its relationship with Europe and an increasingly erratic and disturbing United States. <h2>Read all about it</h2> Polly Toynbee <a href="https://x.com/pollytoynbee?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@pollytoynbee</a> is a Guardian columnist, formerly BBC social affairs editor. Her recent book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Uneasy-Inheritance-Family-Other-Radicals/dp/B0C6NFCS3Z/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3BGQAJ4DL1J0F&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.shnEw77bNhlmDi6HQPAlK1JZBgJB1a8ZxLBa_n5JR2PmVlCG0peJu3_SQR3JcF528P4aZMalJ_sXuqXu1mxr7hAlPKVP6ez6AHM7XUQ7hWKI1o7H_c1HnOvv0EMS1lC2Srk6yzRhnRN97WIpt28anXukXjoGoloRJVoukaoeX8XswB31Zku_QL9dpcjGcTP7nXCFC5CmvmduHeCjOA2BJsPyIQkZBus8yiV-zodZcDkPDb0YQMu41cpqQfnF6ECsGpVSIZJdNa8riS51sTCGpg.eVsrK3_TcmFY7jDgHWxeTvGhfjPUnOtZoJant6Gf0HM&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=polly+toynbee&amp;qid=1742743238&amp;s=audible&amp;sprefix=polly+toynbee%2Caudible%2C103&amp;sr=1-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">An Uneasy inheritance, my family and other radicals</a> was published in 2023 by W.F.Howes Ltd. She's also the co-author, along with David Walker, of <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Only-Way-Up-Forward-Politics/dp/B0D741HJYL/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3BGQAJ4DL1J0F&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.shnEw77bNhlmDi6HQPAlK1JZBgJB1a8ZxLBa_n5JR2PmVlCG0peJu3_SQR3JcF528P4aZMalJ_sXuqXu1mxr7hAlPKVP6ez6AHM7XUQ7hWKI1o7H_c1HnOvv0EMS1lC2Srk6yzRhnRN97WIpt28anXukXjoGoloRJVoukaoeX8XswB31Zku_QL9dpcjGcTP7nXCFC5CmvmduHeCjOA2BJsPyIQkZBus8yiV-zodZcDkPDb0YQMu41cpqQfnF6ECsGpVSIZJdNa8riS51sTCGpg.eVsrK3_TcmFY7jDgHWxeTvGhfjPUnOtZoJant6Gf0HM&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=polly+toynbee&amp;qid=1742743238&amp;s=audible&amp;sprefix=polly+toynbee%2Caudible%2C103&amp;sr=1-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The only way is up: The way forward for British politics</a>, again published by W.F. Howes Ltd in 2024. Nick Cohen's <a href="https://x.com/NicholasTyrone" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@NickCohen4 </a>latest Substack column <a href="https://nickcohen.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Writing from London</a> on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

Tough love but is Labour lost?

The online propaganda menace with Justin Hempson-Jones

<h2>Former government behavioural warning - social media is now a tool of the authoritarians </h2> Nick Cohen <a href="https://x.com/NickCohen4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@NickCohen4</a> chats with behavioural scientist and author Justin Hempson-Jones <a href="https://x.com/JonesHempson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@JonesHempson</a> about the growing threat posed to our freedom by the sinister merger of government and social media oligarchy, as we're witnessing now in the US with the sinister and toxic partnership of Donald Trump &amp; Elon Musk. <h2>Political thugs are poisoning our minds</h2> Justin warns that we have lost control of our information system. An unhealthy alliance of authoritarian politicians and techno-oligarchs now controls our social media ,and the influence pathways to our minds. Justin likens it to bad food, saying, " We know that the food that we constructs, the body that we inhabit for better or worse. "And it's roughly the same with our information diets. The information that we ingest from the information environment is going to construct the thoughts and feelings and beliefs that we have, including what it is we think we're supposed to want and achieve out there in the world." <h2>Political scammers control the toxin of propaganda </h2> Justin describes the many the online propaganda techniques used by politician-authoritarians are like the scams used by digital criminals, adding, "they can more easily understand niche audiences and therefore tell them. what they want to hear...They will deliberately set up a fake infrastructure. So fake personas for example, and, tailor them fake personas...And this is too the type of mechanism that online politicians are using, for example, when they want to influence audiences." Justin makes the clarion call for people to take back control of our information-influence system from the authoritarians and their corrupt techno-oligarchs who currently control it. <h2>Read all about it</h2><h1> </h1>Justin's book warning of this pernicious threat faced by all of us is <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Influence-Essential-Thinking-readers-Machine/dp/0008382166" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Influence, Understand it, use it, resist it </a>. It's out in paperback next month but available in hardback now. Nick Cohen's <a href="https://x.com/NicholasTyrone" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@NickCohen4 </a>latest Substack column <a href="https://nickcohen.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Writing from London</a> on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

Online authoritarians are poisoning our world

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Get The Lowdown from Nick Cohen as he investigates a world that seems to get ever more crazy, with leading commentators, columnists and politicians. Each week, leading commentator Nick Cohen talks to the country's leading movers and shakers - to cut the through much of the noise and commentary that passes for so much political discourse these days. Nick - a long-term columnist for The Observer and The Spectator - teams up with other commentators, journalists, authors and politicians to make sense of our ever stranger and troubling world. Nick aims to help keep you sane! So please get The Lowdown from Nick Cohen and subscribe to his Substack column - <a href="https://nickcohen.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Writing from London</a>.

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