Podcasts

The Leftwards Drift of UK Politics

December 2, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 01:09:54

In this episode we analyse the manifestos of all major UK parties. And the Greens.

Andrew reached for the short straw this week when he had to read all parties’ manifestos for the upcoming UK General Election on December 12th.

Why are they all so similar? Why is it so hard to tell the difference, these days? Is any party doing anything new?

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This edition can be found here: https://youtu.be/vSqshwW3oXc
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A La Cartism, Boris and the next UK General Election

November 14, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:50:00

Has Boris found the magic centrist formula for winning the election with his championing of both the free market and the public sector? Or will the Conservatives desire to spend, spend, spend, cause them to look like Labour Lite?

After writing this blog post before there was a general election set, has anything changed?

We review Boris’s first campaign video and discuss whether this is all very smart politics, or if by shifting the Overton window ever statewards without making practical and moral cases for shrinking the state and getting out of our lives, it’s only a matter of time before a Communist gets into power.

Blog Post in the intro – https://soundingboard.com/boriss-a-la-cartism-is-exactly-what-the-public-will-vote-for/

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This edition can be found here:  https://youtu.be/mw4CfXDwM7A
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The Berlin Wall Fell 30 Years Ago

November 7, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:34:25

It’s the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall – a crucial moment in the late 20th century that signalled the end of the Cold War and the retreat of Communism.
So what has changed since then, and do people born after this moment have different sensibilities when it comes to who the “bad guys” are?
We discuss whether terrorism was the replacement of communism as that perceived enemy, and how it impacts popular culture, and today’s political debate.

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This episode can be found here: https://youtu.be/n0-FVwc0MnM
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Does a General Election Mean we Finally Get Brexit?

October 30, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 01:15:01
We’re finally having a general election.  But will it really solve the parliamentary problems we are currently experiencing?
Why are we in the situation we are in? Why are we having a General Election at all?
In this edition, Andrew and Nic discuss the craziness of the last couple of weeks in UK politics and that we have finally arrived at an early General Election.
Is it good for Boris and Tories, or are we about to see Jo Swinson swept to power on a tide of remain?
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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.

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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/

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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