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A safe space for dangerous conversations, from The Spectator Australia.
The Spectator is the world’s longest-running magazine of news, arts and ideas.
Hosted by Will Kingston.
144 Episodes
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The incumbent Labor government, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has won a second term in office. Whilst the result was expected, the magnitude of the victory was not. Why did it go so wrong for the Coalition, and how did Labor pull it out of the bag, after trailing in the polls only two months ago?
Will raised these questions with Michael Kroger, former Victorian Liberal Party President, and Stephen Conroy, former Communications Minister in the Rudd government. The interview was originally recorded for the UK edition of The Spectator. You can watch the interview here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBJSziZt0qk].
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
Will recently attended the ARC conference in London, which was basically Coachella for conservatives. During the conference, he sat down with Australia's 28th Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, to discuss the small matter of the future of Western civilization.
The interview was released on Spectator TV, the Spectator's YouTube channel. You can watch the interview on YouTube here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C8cYqqLDgE].
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
If there is any glimmer of hope in the UK (and it is a faint one), it is that a new government in 2029 may just be able to reverse the catastrophic economic, demographic and cultural trends that the country is enduring. In order to do so, they'll have to navigate the treacherous world of the Westminster Civil Service. No one understands that world better than the former Former Chief of Staff to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and former Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the Conservative Party, James Price.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
Many Australians don't appreciate how extraordinary the Australian story is. A penal colony, that became a democracy, that became arguably the greatest Western liberal democracy in the world. On the contrary, the prevailing sentiment is a black armband view of the past. Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has sought to change that with his new book, 'Australia: A History'.
Will and Tony discuss themes that run through the Australian story, and reflect on whether the country is still living up to the ideals upon which it was built.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
The UK conservative political class have not led the public discourse. Instead, they have been dragged, sometimes kicking and screaming, to sensible policies on issues such as immigration by independent media and prominent social media figures. In other words, 'the online right'. There are few more influential voices on the online right than political commentator Connor Tomlinson.
Will and Connor freewheel on (among other things) how the public discourse has changed in the post-MSM age, immigration, the economy, the differences between Australian and British politics, and whether Reform are really capable of solving the country's problems.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
Watch Connor on YouTube here. [https://www.youtube.com/@Con_Tomlinson]
Right-wing political parties are facing identity crises across the Anglosphere. Reform is pushing the Conservatives to the brink of extinction, and Trump has remade the Republicans. However, the challenge may be most acute for the Australian Liberal Party, who are trying to work out what whey should stand for after a crushing election defeat earlier in the year. To discuss the future of the Liberal Party, and Australia, Will is joined by the Federal MP for Canning, Andrew Hastie.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
A surprising shift is taking place in the gender and sexual identities of young people. Since 2023 both trans and queer identification have dropped sharply within Generation Z. A medical miracle, or proof that the trans movement was a social contagion all along?
To discuss this shift, along with the broader movements in the culture wars, Will is joined by Professor of Politics at the University of Buckingham, and the Director for The Centre for Heterodox Social Science, Eric Kaufmann.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
Most historical revolutions are sudden and violent. Since 1997, the UK has experienced a 'slow-burn revolution', which has completely changed the country economically, demographically, culturally and administratively. Historian David Starkey joins Will to explain how it happened, and to consider whether the disastrous consequences of the Blairite revolution can be reversed.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
The war in Gaza has revealed some ugly realities of life in modern Britain: antisemitism, the failures of multiculturalism, and sectarian violence to name but a few. Whilst the war may (hopefully) be coming to an end, the problems at home remain. Has the multicultural melting pot melted? Will is joined by author of the new book, 'The Melted Pot: Diversity, Antisemitism, and the Limits of Tolerance', Harry Saul Markham.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
Buy 'The Melted Pot' here. [https://www.amazon.com/Melted-Pot-Diversity-Antisemitism-Tolerance/dp/1680534068]
The UK and US have long cherished a 'special relationship'. However, the countries appear to be diverging down different paths; economically, culturally, and spiritually. There are more than a few Brits who look across the pond with envy as the US ascends, and the UK continues to be stuck in a deep malaise.
How do the countries compare today, and what does the American political establishment really think about the United Kingdom in 2025? Will is joined by the host of the The Late Show Live on GB News, broadcast from Washington DC, Ben Leo.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
Charlie Kirk's assassination has sparked a global conversation. We have been forced to grapple with issues of free speech, political violence, the changing faces of the right and the left, faith, and the future of western civilisation itself.
Will discussed all of these pressing topics with the host of The Rubin Report, Dave Rubin. Following his sold-out run alongside tour with Jordan Peterson, Dave will be returning to Australia this October for three exclusive, can't-miss shows in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.
Tickets are available here [https://www.daverubin.com/events].
* Melbourne – October 18
* Sydney – October 21
* Brisbane – October 27
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs. It has never been more important to encourage heretical conversations, and embrace heretical thinkers.
There are few more important heretical thinkers in UK independent media than the host of the Heretics podcast, Andrew Gold. Will and Andrew discuss the rise in political violence across the West, Islam, mass-migration, Liz Truss revisionism, and the likelihood of civil war in the UK.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
1As October 7 has faded in the public consciousness, a pervasive narrative has taken hold that Israel are the real antagonists of the war in Gaza. Western media is overwhelmingly anti-Israel (and in some instances, flat out antisemitic). There are few people with the experience and honesty to cut through the fog of war and explain the conflict as it is. John Spencer is one of those people.
John is considered one of the world's leading experts on urban warfare, having served as an advisor to the top four-star general and other senior leaders in the U.S. Army as part of strategic research groups from the Pentagon to the United States Military Academy.
John currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
Visit John's website here.
On the one hand, the worst excesses of the woke era appear to be behind us. On the other, the institutions have been so ideologically corrupted, over such a long period, that perhaps the battle is only just beginning. Have we reached the end of woke?
To answer that question, Will is joined by author, satirist and journalist, Andrew Doyle. Andrew's latest book is titled, 'The End of Woke: How the Culture War Went Too Far and What to Expect from the Counter-Revolution'.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
Many UK politicians think illegal immigration is an unsolvable problem. It's easier to put illegal migrants in fancy hotels and hope for the best. GB News host Patrick Christys has put them to shame. In recent weeks, Patrick has infiltrated the people smuggling networks in France. His insights into the migrant crisis are astonishing.
Will and Patrick also discuss the 'Great Afghan cover up', the failures of the UK media, and whether Nigel Farage really is the right man to save Britain.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
Watch Patrick's show live in the studio here. [https://www.sroaudiences.com/shows.asp]
The UK is arguably at its lowest ebb. It is beset by a series of existential economic, cultural and social problems. The major parties appear ill-equipped to address these problems. After all, they created them.
Nigel Farage's Reform party is leading in the polls. Is he the right man for this monumental job, or is he just another member of the 'uniparty'? There are few people who know Nigel better, and are better placed to answer that question, than journalist and political advisor, Alex Phillips.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
Read Alex's Substack here. [https://www.thatalexwoman.com/]
The UK government is "going for growth" whilst pursuing an aggressive net zero energy policy. Are the two goals compatible? Spoiler alert: No.
In this conversation with Will, philosopher and energy expert Alex Epstein dismantles the accepted climate science narrative, and advocates for a world with more fossil fuels, not less. Alex's most recent book is titled, 'Fossil Future: Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas - Not Less'.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
Read Alex's Substack here. [https://alexepstein.substack.com/]
Keir Starmer's latest U-turn may be his most consequential. Last Saturday, he announced a national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal. Will it be a vehicle for justice, and a long overdue reckoning for multiculturalism and mass-migration? Or will it be just another pointless political excuse-fest?
To help Will understand the latest developments in this shocking story, he is joined by the editor of Spiked, Tom Slater.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
Read Spiked here. [https://www.spiked-online.com/]
Listen to Last Orders here [https://www.spiked-online.com/podcast/last-orders/].
The nanny state is on the march across the West, propped up by weak leaders taking their cues from a small group of tedious, moralising activists. It's time they were exposed. Enter the '25 Nanny State Index, compiled by the Institute of Economic Affairs' Chris Snowdon.
Will and Chris discuss why 'nanny-stateism' is on the rise, how the UK compares to Europe, and which country wins the ignominious award for Europe's most miserable nanny state.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
Read The '25 Nanny State Index here [https://nannystateindex.org/].
Listen to Last Orders here [https://www.spiked-online.com/podcast/last-orders/].
Greg Sheridan wrote recently that Australia is a nation in decline. Across every indicator you can imagine – economy, living standards, social cohesion, crime, health, military capability, the creativity and virtuosity of the arts – we're in serious decline.
He's one of many Australian media and political figures worried about the future of the once lucky country. Are they right, and if so what can be done? Will discusses these questions (with the odd detour into Roman history) with journalist Joe Hildebrand.
Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod].
Read The Spectator Australia here [https://www.spectator.com.au/].
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Abbott was a huge disappointment as PM. Total failure
Bolt should be better known in the UK. Great commentator.
Apart from his links with SFC a very good bloke
Congratulations, Mr Kingston. this episode was very informative and compelling listening. *****
the bloke is an idiot, Will.. over rated pom