The Lowdown from Nick Cohen

Nick Cohen talks about defending values and rights against a resurgent culture of intolerance & extremism as exemplified by the Trump White House with leading philosopher & author professor A.C.Grayling @acgrayling 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.Rights retreat with resurgence of radicalised right 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?Rights versus interestsA.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."Finding the right language to defend valuesA.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."Read all about it!Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.A.C. Grayling's book Discriminations: Making peace in the culture wars is now out as paperback.

Whither or wither NATO?Nick Cohen and Phillips P.O'Brien, the academic, author & 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,Trump is selling out its allies - bigly!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."An isolated UK trying to ride 2 horses at once faces irrelevancePhillips 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." Trump doesn't give a **** about Europe or the UKPhillips 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."Trump wants populists to take over EuropePhillips 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."Read all about it!Read Phillips' own regular Substack column - Phillips's Newsletter. Phillips is also professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews.Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 regular Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond is another must-read.

1st part of 2-part interview with Professor A.C. GraylingNick Cohen talks about cancel culture with leading philosopher & author Professor A.C.Grayling @acgrayling This is the first part of a 2-part interview with Professor Grayling.Radicalised Right labels all opponents as "Woke"Emboldened by Trump, Brexit & 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..."Pogroms, oppression, discrimination - cancelling has a long and sorry historyA.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 systematic and systemic is history long cancellation of whole groups of people."The online Cancel Culture Club is threatening free speechSocial media has made it easier for the authoritarians of both left and right to cancel & 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."Read all about it!Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.A.C. Grayling's book Discriminations: Making peace in the culture wars is now out as paperback.

Nick Cohen talks with Guardian political columnist and author Rafael Behr, @rafelbehr, a Lowdown regular, about Sir Keir Starmer, and asks Raf can the prime minister face down an erratic and increasingly unhinged US president?Labour's Comms issues and a hazardous future aheadRafael 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."Is Starmer the Right Stuff to handle Trump & the Radical Right?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 seriously intuits that they are kindred spirits or alike..."Starmer best PM we've gotRaf 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."Bye bye Badenoch!Raf & 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.Read all about itRafael's recent book Politics: A Survivor's Guide: How to stay engaged without getting enraged is published by W.F.Howes Ltd and available at Amazon and in all good bookshops.Support the show You can also read his wonderful columns in the Guardian. His X handle is @rafaelbehrNick Cohen's @NichCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

The jig is up for serial bull-shit merchant Nigel FarageNick Cohen talks to Chris Grey @chrisgreybrexit - 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.Even tricksy Farage can't carry on riding 2 horses at once!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.Read all about itChris Grey is Emeritus Prof of Organisation Studies @RoyalHolloway, ex-Prof @Cambridge_Uni & @Warwickuni. Mainly analysis of Brexit (& related). @chrisgrey on BSky. Chris is also the author of Brexit Unfolded: How no one got what they wanted (and why they were never going to)Nick Cohen's @NickCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

Nick Cohen discusses Labour with Polly ToynbeeNick 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."Not a very Labour thing to do" - And Keynes would not approve!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 "not a very Labour thing to do."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 millionPolly 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.Read all about itPolly Toynbee @pollytoynbee is a Guardian columnist, formerly BBC social affairs editor. Her recent book An Uneasy inheritance, my family and other radicals was published in 2023 by W.F.Howes Ltd. She's also the co-author, along with David Walker, of The only way is up: The way forward for British politics, again published by W.F. Howes Ltd in 2024.Nick Cohen's @NickCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

Former government behavioural warning - social media is now a tool of the authoritarians Nick Cohen @NickCohen4 chats with behavioural scientist and author Justin Hempson-Jones @JonesHempson 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 & Elon Musk.Political thugs are poisoning our mindsJustin 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."Political scammers control the toxin of propaganda 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.Read all about itJustin's book warning of this pernicious threat faced by all of us is Influence, Understand it, use it, resist it . It's out in paperback next month but available in hardback now.Nick Cohen's @NickCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

Nick talks to Mike Martin MP- soldier, author and Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge WellsNick Cohen and Mike Martin MP discuss the dramatic & disturbing shifts in international relations and diplomacy, thanks to Donald Trump's apparent volte-face on Ukraine and the United States' traditional allies, particularly in the context of the US and UK.Mike also talks domestic politics - are we witnessing the death of the Tory party as a major political force?The UK needs a political consensus on boosts to defence spendingAs Poland announces plans to make all men undergo military training, Mike Martin MP stresses the need for increased defence expenditure and improved military capabilities in the UK. Nick & Mike also explore the emergence of so-called "progressive patriotism" in Britain, the changing political landscape in traditionally Conservative areas, and the potential consequences of a war on national survival.War involving the UK now more than 50 per cent possible Mike said defence spending should be at least 3.5 per cent of government spending. He estimates that a war involving the UK was now more than 50 per cent possible. The UK & Europe must prepare for the worst.Are we witnessing the strange death of Tory England?Lastly, Mike and Nick discuss the UK's current politics - particularly the appalling state of the Conservative Party - woefully stuck in the No Man's Land between the Reformist Radical Right and the One Nation Tories who've abandoned them largely for the Liberal Democrats as well as Labour and the Greens. Mike says, "The Tories are being crushed between the pincer movement, between the Lib Dems and reform. And they don't know which way to face."Watch out for the County Council elections on May 1st 2025! This could be the key indicator of whether the Tories can recover to become a real party of opposition or could it continue its speedy descent into political oblivion.Mike says "It would be very interesting to see the results ... you might even see the Tory vote collapsing into to, into, into our pile and into the Reform pile."Read all about itMike Martin is the Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells and a member of the Commons Defence Committee. A former British Army Office, Mike is a Senior Fellow at King’s College London – an expert in geopolitics and conflict – and the author of several books on psychology, conflict and travel, including Why We Fight.Nick Cohen's @NickCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

Nick talks to the author & reporter John Sweeney who is on the ground in KyivNick Cohen and John Sweeney discussed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the implications of Donald Trump's apparent betrayal of Ukraine - as further revealed by the despicable ambush by Donald Trump & his side kick vice-president J.D.Vance.Trump is now "Leader of the unfree world "John Sweeney talks to Nick about the current situation in Ukraine and compares the current situation there to previous historical events such as to the Hungarian uprising in 1956 and the Prague Spring in 1968. John expresses his deep concern about the betrayal of America's support for Russia. John, who is currently based in Kyiv, shared his observations about the Ukrainian people's resilience and unity behind President Zelenskyy. They also discussed the postponement of elections in Ukraine, drawing parallels with Britain's decision not to hold elections during World War 2. They discuss focus the alarming support of Russia by Trump, now touted as the leader of the "unfree world."Ukraine's growing and under-estimated military prowessJohn talks about Russia's invasion & the potential influence of Russian interference in the US political system, as well as the potential for peace talks and the role of the United States under Trump's leadership.They discuss current geopolitical situation, the potential consequences of Trump's actions, and the resilience of Ukraine in the face of adversity. John also talks of the My Room Clinic with Ukrainian soldiers, the effectiveness of Ukraine's jamming of Russia's glide bomb. Ukraine has made astonishing advances in drone technology- producing approximately 2 million a year and is stockpiling Patriot missiles for future use against potential Russian attacks. Fearing the worst of Trump and his relish for appeasement, President Biden managed to provide huge amounts of military aid before he left office.What does Putin have on Trump?John discusses the revelations and allegations of the so-called Steele dossier - compiled by former Mi6 Moscow desk chief Christopher Steele - and whether the Kremlin has blackmailed Trump into doing its bidding. John says he investigated what turn out to be - so far, at least - unsubstantiated rumours that a Putin ex-mistress later rocked up at Trump Tower where she shacked up with Trump.Read all about itJohn is a distinguished broadcaster and author. His latest book is Murder in the Gulag the explosive account of how Putin poisoned Alexei Navalny. Another of John's most recent must reads is best-seller on Putin, The Killer in the Kremlin, published by Headline Press.Nick Cohen's @NickCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.