Podcasts

Thought Experiment: Privatising the Public Sector

October 23, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 1:02:37

What if everything the government does was privatised? Not the law making, but all of the other functions and agencies and quangos.

Could it be done quickly? What would be the consequences, and should we start with something small first… like the NHS.

As we discuss going the whole hog, we realise we never started the podcast wanting to talk about any of this, but ended up having what we think is an interesting discussion.

But were we always on the same page? We also analyse our thought processes around the conversation, and how we constructed our arguments in order to communicate with each other effectively. We are always interested in improving how we think critically, so this was a revealing retrospective on the conversation, that wouldn’t normally be aired.

——
Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles.
Remember, you can now subscribe on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzAT–UxzErq_UU5SCUtFg
Please reach out to us on Twitter:
You can find us at the following podcast aggregators, and more:
Please subscribe and leave a review.  We don’t want your money – just share, listen, subscribe and watch!

Climate Change And Extinction Rebellion

October 16, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 01:00:42

Are we heading for the end of the human species as predicted by Extinction Rebellion?

In the middle of the second week of London protests and blockades, we discuss some of the issues surrounding Anthropogenic Global Warming, and climate change in general.

Does it play into their hands if we arrest the protesters, as George Monbiot orchestrated this afternoon?

If humans really are causing the planet to warm, then if communism really the answer?

What about the fact that ice cores show that the planet warms and cools on its own, and that the Medieval Warming Period and Little Ice Age existed?

We discuss all this, and how it’s good news that Greta Thunberg didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize, and how instead of following her every move, we should focus on people like Boyan Slat, who at age 16 decided to make a real difference and clean up the planet.

Dr Shiva Ayyadurai: https://shiva4senate.com/

Boyan Slat: https://boyanslat.com/
Ocean Cleanup: https://theoceancleanup.com/

——
Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles.
Remember, you can now subscribe on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzAT–UxzErq_UU5SCUtFg
Please reach out to us on Twitter:
You can find us at the following podcast aggregators, and more:
Please subscribe and leave a review.  We don’t want your money – just share, listen, subscribe and watch!

Formal Language and Woke Culture

October 4, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:43:04

In a week dominated by reports in the media of parliament using inflammatory language, and the announcement that Sam Smith wants people to use new preferred pronouns, we discuss whether our natural language is becoming more like a formal one.

What are the differences between a formal and natural language? What’s the importance of context in our speech and communication?

Do our MPs go too far with words like “surrender” and “betrayal”?

We make predictions of where this may all end, and if we are seeing the turning point against woke culture.

——
Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles.
Remember, you can now subscribe on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzAT–UxzErq_UU5SCUtFg
Please reach out to us on Twitter:
You can find us at the following podcast aggregators, and more:
Please subscribe and leave a review.  We don’t want your money – just share, listen, subscribe and watch!

Dr Kristian Niemietz Interview: Socialism, Capitalism and Liberalism

September 19, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:46:42

We are joined by the Head of Political Economy at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Dr Kristian Niemietz, for a conversation on the phenomenon of modern support for socialism, whether apologists for capitalism help their cause, and whether we’ll see a new classical liberal revolution in our lifetimes.

You can find Kristian on Twitter as @K_Niemietz

And you can buy his latest book, Socialism: The Failed Idea That Never Dies here on Amazon.

——
Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles.
Remember, you can now subscribe on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzAT–UxzErq_UU5SCUtFg
Please reach out to us on Twitter:
You can find us at the following podcast aggregators, and more:
Please subscribe and leave a review.  We don’t want your money – just share, listen, subscribe and watch!

The Problems With The Centre Ground

September 10, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:26:23

Is centrism really the answer to any political question?

Is the centre ground really the safe area furthest from the two dominant authoritarian ideologies of the 20th century, or merely a cherry picked, statist mix of the two; dressed up to sound reasonable and measured?

From critiquing Rory Stewart’s centrist “bow” to whether or not people have abandoned ideologies, we discuss if political centrism is really that benign and perhaps the modern, accepted forms of statism can be countered without being branded an extremist.

——
Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles.
Remember, you can now subscribe on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzAT–UxzErq_UU5SCUtFg
Please reach out to us on Twitter:
You can find us at the following podcast aggregators, and more:
Please subscribe and leave a review.  We don’t want your money – just share, listen, subscribe and watch!

The Left Right Game 2

September 1, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:35:46

After Andrew surprised Nic a few episodes ago with The Left Right Game, Nic has been thinking and planning a way of getting his own back, and taking the game a step further.

In this edition, we look at whether certain organisations and people are more “Left” or “Right” wing (or a bit of both), rather than just looking at government policies, like we did the first time.

Will you agree with our determinations? How right wing or left wing are you based on our definitions? Does it change how you think about the political spectrum?

——
Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles.
Remember, you can now subscribe on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzAT–UxzErq_UU5SCUtFg
Please reach out to us on Twitter:
You can find us at the following podcast aggregators, and more:
Please subscribe and leave a review.  We don’t want your money – just share, listen, subscribe and watch!

Proroguing Parliament: What does it really mean for Brexit?

August 28, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:50:17

As predicted, Boris Johnson has decided to end the current parliamentary session (the longest in modern times), and trigger a new Queen’s Speech. Remainists are naturally going crazy, and talking of constitutional outrage.

But what does it actually mean for Brexit on 31 October? Is there time for fast-tracked, Bercow-enabled law that would either revoke Article 50, extend the deadline, or somehow prevent a “no deal”? What about passing a law that would stop prorogation itself? Is there even time left now in the parliamentary session?

We discuss all this and the finer details of the Fixed Term Parliament Act, and whether Boris has pulled a blinder.

Fixed Term Parliament Act 2011 – http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2011/14/enacted

House of Commons Library Briefing Paper on Prorogation – https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-8589

——
Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles.
Remember, you can now subscribe on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzAT–UxzErq_UU5SCUtFg
Please reach out to us on Twitter:
You can find us at the following podcast aggregators, and more:
Please subscribe and leave a review.  We don’t want your money – just share, listen, subscribe and watch!

Bit of a chat: driving whisky, ruining Monopoly and the Chuka Umunna Award

August 7, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 01:18:49

In this edition, we have a longer chat than usual, but try to get in all the smaller topics that we feel were too short to be podcasts in their own right, or that we just want to rant about.

We discuss gaming culture, and whether the terminology is creeping into political life, how Andrew feels like we’ve been brainwashed into thinking the game Monopoly is really capitalism, and Nic names the first recipient of the Chuka Umunna Award.

And over a whisky or two, we talk about how Brexity the new Boris Johnson cabinet can be, and whether the Tories are missing a trick with making everything about Corbyn.

——
Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles.
Remember, you can now subscribe on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzAT–UxzErq_UU5SCUtFg
Please reach out to us on Twitter:
You can find us at the following podcast aggregators, and more:
Please subscribe and leave a review.  We don’t want your money – just share, listen, subscribe and watch!

Negative Rights And Moral Relativism

July 20, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:23:12

This week, we’re interested in rights. Specifically, the difference between negative & positive rights and what they mean.

We also discuss the difference between moral absolutism & relativism and how the left use the difficulties in defining boundaries for nefarious means when they talk about the greater good.

——
Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles.
Remember, you can now subscribe on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzAT–UxzErq_UU5SCUtFg
Please reach out to us on Twitter:
You can find us at the following podcast aggregators, and more:
Please subscribe and leave a review.  We don’t want your money – just share, listen, subscribe and watch!

Should May, Not Boris, Prorogue Parliament?

July 16, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:19:48

How could the Remainer establishment blunt Boris Johnson’s threat of proroguing parliament to force through Brexit?

Maybe, just maybe, there is a way of playing politics that blunts Boris’s endgame ambitions for no-deal.
In short, what if Theresa May prorogued parliament now, before Boris gets a chance to?

——
Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles.
Remember, you can now subscribe on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzAT–UxzErq_UU5SCUtFg
Please reach out to us on Twitter:
You can find us at the following podcast aggregators, and more:
Please subscribe and leave a review.  We don’t want your money – just share, listen, subscribe and watch!