The Prospect Podcast

In a world of unpredictable strongman leaders, do nuclear weapons keep us safe or make us more vulnerable? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Serhii Plokhy, historian and author of The Nuclear Age, to discuss the threat of nuclear conflict.From Putin’s war in Ukraine to China’s expanding arsenal and new nuclear “threshold” states, Serhii discusses whether governments still hold to the idea of mutually assured destruction. He explains the role of fear in the origins of the nuclear bomb—and the importance of anti-nuclear civic action.Plus, Ellen and Alona discuss “scream clubs”: banger or dud?‘The Nuclear Age: An Epic Race for Arms, Power, and Survival’ is available now. To read Prospect’s review, click here.You can listen to Serhii’s previous appearance on the Prospect Podcast here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How should the left resist fascism?This week, Prospect’s Ben Clark speaks to Yanis Varoufakis, economist and Greece’s former finance minister, whose most recent book is Raise Your Soul: A Personal History of Resistance.Yanis reflects on writing a feminist history as a man, what his family’s encounters with Nazism taught him, and whether today’s left can still speak to young men drifting toward the far right.He also weighs in on Ukraine, as well as Zohran Mamdani’s performance in the New York mayoral race, despite the decline of the Democrats.Plus, Yanis reflects on optimism, resistance and the women who taught him both.Stay tuned for Ben’s profile of Yanis, which will be published at prospectmagazine.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Policy Insights, sponsored by ASI and produced by Prospect Publishing, Prospect deputy editor Ellen Halliday talks to Annalisa Prizzon from ODI Global, Daniel Pimlott from ASI, and Stefan Dercon from the Blavatnik Institute and Oxford University about the future of foreign aid.Our expert guests share their perspectives on the changing dynamics of foreign aid and explore how and why the international development sector is changing.They discuss the impact of cuts in budgets from the UK, USA and elsewhere, the shift towards localisation and how the UK and other countries can maintain their influence and drive change in the global development sector.ASI is a social impact business that works with governments, international organisations, companies and civil society to design and deliver aid programmes that address the big challenges facing the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zombies, werewolves and...ChatGPT?In this week’s spooky special, Ellen and Alona are joined by historian and “monster consultant” Surekha Davies, who argues that humans have always created monsters to understand the world—and ourselves.In her new book Humans: A Monstrous History, she explores a history of monsters, as well as the weird and horrifying monsters we’ve created in modern day life, including through Silicon Valley’s visions for artificial intelligence. Is technology pushing flesh-and-blood humans to the margins?The three also discuss “monsterification” in political rhetoric as a way to frame the Other, including discourse about asylum seekers.Plus, Ellen and Alona talk celebrity authors: banger or dud?Surekha’s book ‘Humans: A Monstrous History’ is available now. Halloween Werewolf Intro by miksmusic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does Washington need a shake up?As the Democratic party faces its lowest favourability ratings on record, one man wants to completely change its brand. This week, Prospect’s Ben Clark speaks to Saikat Chakrabarti, progressive political adviser and former chief of staff to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is now running for Congress himself.Saikat discusses running against Democratic powerbroker Nancy Pelosi, reveals his frustration with conventional Washington politicking, and shares what he thinks the Democrats are doing wrong. He also talks about how his Silicon Valley career radicalised him, “opportunist” tech billionaires, and meeting Peter Thiel.Plus, Ellen and Alona discuss Celebrity Traitors: “banger” or “dud”?To read Ben’s piece “Saikat Chakrabarti is coming for the Democratic establishment”, click here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/people/71150/saikat-chakrabarti-is-coming-for-the-democratic-establishment Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month our writers are reflective: Alice Goodman asks how to be a priest in divided times, while Gen Z-er Alice Garnett questions the assumptions that underpin modern texting etiquette. Mindful life writer Sarah Collins decides to shift her pessimistic mindset, while rural life writer Kiran Sidhu learns to let go. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, political columnist Ben Ansell joins Prospect’s Alona and Imaan to discuss the rise of ethnonationalism in British politics, and the popularisation of the term “white British”. Ben explains the origin and implications of a term that has gone politically “viral”.He also discusses how a national conversation about asylum policy has “metastasised” into criticism of legal migrants—and now a suspicion that white British citizens are losing out to non-white Brits. Was this an inevitable consequence of an existing trend in the Conservative party, or not? How should the Labour government respond? And where does this end?Plus, Imaan and Alona talk sibling rivalries and whether AI book summaries are a “banger” or a “dud”.To read Ben’s column “Who’s ‘white British’? Who cares?”, click here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/71217/whos-white-british-who-cares Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Alona is joined by Omer Bartov, the Israeli-American historian and professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University. Two years after the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel, Israel’s retaliation has killed one in 33 Gazans. Omer argues that the war on Gaza is genocidal—and that many Israelis are in denial about what their government is doing. On the podcast, Omer explains how this denial operates and its historical parallels. He argues that denialism has roots in his country’s origin story, as the onslaught becomes a “second Nakba”. And he reflects on his personal journey, as an Israeli who grew up in the early days of the state. To read Omer’s essay “A State of Denial”, the cover of Prospect’s latest issue, out today, head to prospectmagazine.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Labour government is struggling and the party is divided. Meanwhile, Reform is on the rise, and the Tories are collapsing. What kind of change does Labour need, if it is to get back on track? This week, Ellen and Alona dial in from the party conference in Liverpool, where they’re joined by Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy, and deputy leadership candidate Lucy Powell.Powell explains why she’s running, and the importance of wrestling back the political narrative from Reform, while Creasy criticises the party’s current lack of internal dialogue and emphasises the need for cultural change.How can the party reconnect with voters? And, despite all the deputy leadership candidates being women, why has Labour never had a female leader?To read more of our coverage of the Labour party conference, click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are we all being manipulated? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Cass Sunstein–one of the scholars behind “nudge” theory–who explains how companies exploit our cognitive biases for their own profit.Cass is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard, and author of Manipulation: What It Is, Why It’s Bad, What to Do about It. He explores the place of manipulation in a capitalist system, and whether technology is making manipulation a bigger problem than ever before. But can we protect ourselves from it?Plus, Ellen and Alona discuss the return of Bake Off: “banger” or “dud”? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The question of what is antisemitic and what is legitimate criticism of the state of Israel has long been a difficult question—but it has become even more fraught since 7th October 2023 and the continuing atrocities in Gaza. On 31st July 2025, Prospect brought two experts together to debate and discuss which kinds of speech and criticism are acceptable. Jo Glanville is the editor of Looking for an Enemy: Eight Essays on Antisemitism, while Dave Rich is head of policy at the Community Security Trust, whose stated mission is to work for the physical protection of British Jews. They both join Prospect’s Alan Rusbridger and Alona Ferber to discuss what people misunderstand about anti-Jewish prejudice, and how it relates to Israel.To read an edited excerpt of this interview, click here.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the podcast this month, Ukrainian journalist and Second Life writer Vitali Vitaliev explains why he hates book signings, while sex worker Tilly Lawless argues that porn doesn’t make her clients more violent. Meanwhile Anglican Priest Alice Goodman celebrates the power of hope in the face of climate despair.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Labour tanks in the polls, left and right-wing populists are on the rise. This week, Ellen and Alona and are joined by Prospect’s political columnist Ben Ansell, whose cover essay in this month’s magazine explored the government’s big challenge. From Zohran Mamdani to Zack Polanski, left populists are attracting votes and attention. Should Keir Starmer follow their lead? On the podcast, Ben explains what makes a politician “populist”, the policies that might work for Labour, and why populist communication styles are more effective than Labour’s current messaging. He also unpacks whether Starmer could pull off a left-populist turn—or who in the party might be a better fit. Plus, Ellen and Alona discuss saunas: banger or dud?You can read Ben’s essay ‘Labour’s populist dilemma’ here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Britain becoming a police state?This week, Ellen and Imaan are joined by Conor Gearty, a barrister and professor of human rights law at LSE, who explains how his views on the future of protest have changed. As hundreds have been arrested for supporting the recently proscribed group Palestine Action, Conor discusses his reaction to the ban. He criticises the Labour government’s stance on protest, which he says panders to a “middle covert authoritarianism”.Conor also weighs in on what’s at stake if Britain leaves the ECHR, and how to fortify democracy. Are protests from the political left and right treated differently? And how should Labour respond to Reform’s rhetoric on human rights?Plus, Ellen and Imaan discuss the genre of “cosy crime”: banger or dud? To read Conor’s writing for Prospect (including the story of his shattered pelvis), click here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/author/1473/conor-gearty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From country walks to telephone box libraries, our Prospect Lives writers are enjoying the summer. Sex Worker Tilly Lawless reflects on the fragmentation of the sex industry in the age of OnlyFans, and Alice Goodman explores memory, homeland, and the meaning of Passover. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The government is considering introducing digital ID cards as a way to curb illegal immigration and improve the administration of public services. But is it a good idea? In this week’s Prospect Podcast, former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett debates Rebecca Vincent, from the civil liberties group Big Brother Watch.  Blunkett oversaw the introduction of identity cards under New Labour—before they were scrapped by the Tory-Lib Dem coalition—and thinks they could have a place. Rebecca Vincent is concerned about the risks of intolerable state surveillance —particularly if the cards were mandatory. Listen in—and to let us know who you think is right, email webdesk@prospect-magazine.co.uk.  For this week’s “banger or dud”—the last before a short summer break—Ellen and Alona discuss the 99 Flake. To read an edited version of this conversation, visit Prospect’s website.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Privatisation was meant to revitalise a public good. Instead, it left us with leaky pipes, sewage spills and rivers not fit to swim in.Ellen and Alona are joined by journalist and writer Oliver Bullough, whose books include Moneyland: Why Thieves And Crooks Now Rule The World And How To Take It Back.He explains how water companies, sold off under Thatcher with promises of efficiency and investment, instead loaded themselves with debt, rewarded shareholders, and presided over a national sewage crisis.Oliver, who has investigated financial corruption and power, explains why he is also interested in covering English and Welsh rivers. Plus, as the government plans to abolish Ofwat, why did the water regulator fail? Will anything change for the better?And for this week’s “banger or dud”, Ellen and Alona discuss the Lionesses.To read Oliver’s piece ‘How our water went to shit’, head to prospectmagazine.co.uk  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Alona and Imaan are joined by Stewart Home, novelist, filmmaker and art historian, whose new book Fascist Yoga traces the unsettling links between yoga, wellness culture and the far right.Stewart’s research uncovers yoga’s strange story: from its reinvention in the early 20th century by a Californian escapologist, to its appropriation by occultists, grifters and even Nazis. Today, as the wellness industry booms online, conspiracy theorists and alt-right influencers have seized on yoga myths to push anti-science and anti-democratic ideas.Stewart explains how yoga became a recruiting ground for reactionary politics, why abuse has been so widespread in yoga schools, and what the rise of figures like RFK Jr says about the state of health, power and paranoia in the west. He also discusses figures like Savitri Devi—who believed that Hitler was an avatar of a Hindu god—and the overlap between western mythmaking and Hindu nationalism in Modi’s India.Plus, Imaan and Alona discuss Reddit: “banger” or “dud”?Stewart’s book Fascist Yoga: Grifters, Occultists, White Supremacists, and the New Order In Wellness’ is available nowAnd to read ‘How Hindutva influences the wellness to alt-right pipeline’ from our website, head to https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/69048/the-wellness-to-alt-right-pipeline Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, writer and activist Laura Bates joins Ellen and Alona to discuss her latest book The New Age of Sexism. Best known for founding the Everyday Sexism project in 2012, Laura has spent more than a decade documenting the realities of gender-based discrimination. In her new book, she turns her attention to the digital world—where artificial intelligence is giving rise to disturbing new forms of misogyny.  Laura explains how technologies like deepfakes and AI chatbots are being weaponised against women, what her experiences of raising awareness in schools have taught her about how parents and teachers can better protect children, and why governments and tech companies are failing to act.  Plus, Ellen and Alona discuss this week’s “banger” or “dud”. This episode contains material that some listeners may find upsetting. ‘The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny’ is out now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s been a buzz in Westminster about Blue Labour, the socially conservative group led by peer Maurice Glasman. But where did Blue Labour come from—and how much influence does it really have over government?This week on the Prospect Podcast, Ellen and Alona are joined by political theorist and director of the UCL policy lab Marc Stears, who was one of the founding members of Blue Labour 15 years ago but is now critical of its turn towards the populist right.Marc explains how and why he believes its ideology has shifted and discusses Glasman’s connections to Maga: after meeting JD Vance and appearing on Steve Bannon’s podcast, why does a Labour peer find common ground with Trumpist Americans? Could Reform ever be a partner for Labour?Plus, Ellen and Alona discuss meal deals: “banger” or “dud”?To read Marc’s essay, ‘What’s wrong with the new Blue Labour?’, head to prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/70309/whats-wrong-with-the-new-blue-labour Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.