Fire at Will

There has long been a curious sub-genre in liberal journalism. It can best be described as "examining working class Americans in their natural habitat." It goes something like this. Journalists from New York or California will bravely venture into a red state, observe the local inhabitants from afar, and come back with a series of superficial insights that reinforce the existing prejudices of coastal elites.  Partly as a result of this lack of journalistic curiosity, liberal America is no closer to truly understanding the underlying forces that swept Donald Trump into the White House, and may yet do so again. Batya Ungar-Sargon did something novel. She wanted to understand the American working class, so she actually spoke to them, all over the country, for over a year. Lessons learnt were captured in 'Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women.' It is the best book to read if you want to understand the political and cultural forces at play in America in 2024. Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod]. Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/]

The most peculiar aspect of 'Pride' is how it has lumped together the gay population, with the most extreme proponents of gender ideology, when the latter have arguably done more than any other group to harm the former.  Gareth Roberts has witnessed this firsthand. Gareth has fallen into commentary on gender ideology, but like previous guests of the show such as Graham Linehan and Helen Joyce, he was marvellously successful before wading into such treacherous waters.  Gareth is a screenwriter and novelist, best known for his work on the iconic British series Doctor Who. His latest book is titled 'Gay Shame: The Rise of Gender Ideology and the New Homophobia.' Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod]. Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/]

The world could end before you finish listening to this podcast. That's the reality of a nuclear-armed world. If a sense of complacency had crept in about the threat of nuclear weapons, Annie Jacobsen's stunning new book is a wake up call.  'Nuclear War: A Scenario' imagines the 72 minutes after the 'button is pushed', and it doesn't end well. It's shockingly realistic, due to Annie's meticulous research, which reflects her status as a Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author. Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod]. Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/]

Heresy is defined as opinion profoundly at odds with what is generally accepted. It has rarely been more dangerous to be a heretic, which is why it's rarely been more important to champion them. There is no bigger heretic than Andrew Gold. Andrew is a journalist, author, and TV presenter who produces documentaries on bizarre and controversial subcultures. He has battled an abusive exorcist, dueled with the Crazy Baby Lady, hunted UFOs, and spoken to a teen school captain, who also happened to be a pedophile. His podcast is appropriately titled, 'heretics'. Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod]. Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/] Subscribe to Andrew's YouTube channel here [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3aiQJmnJ8wamobGcsBz6Ww]. Buy 'The Psychology of Secrets' here [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Psychology-Secrets-Adventures-Murderers-Influencers/dp/1035002590].

Note: We had some minor sound issues in the first 10 minutes, but we couldn't bring ourselves to edit out anything that Victor said. Stick with it. It's worth it! In some respects, the West is exhibiting similar symptoms to past civilizations that decayed, declined, or were completely wiped off the map. At the same time, there are green shoots that may point to a rebirth of the United States, and Western civilization more broadly. To put our moment in a historical context, Will is joined by the inimitable Victor Davis Hanson. Victor's latest book is titled 'The End of Everything: How Wars Descend Into Annihilation.' Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod]. Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/] Buy 'The End of Everything' here [https://www.amazon.com/End-Everything-Wars-Descend-Annihilation/dp/1541673522].

Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations. Why is Africa poor? There's a series of trendy answers to that question, that are almost taken as read amongst the progressive elite that dominate our institutions. Racism, slavery, and colonialism.  Magatte Wade has called BS on this narrative, and she is uniquely qualified to do so, being widely regarded as the world's leading African prosperity activist. She is an entrepreneur, speaker, and author. Her latest book is titled 'The Heart of a Cheetah: How we have been lied to about African poverty, and what that means for human flourishing'. Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod]. Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/] Follow Magatte here [https://www.magattewade.com/].

Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations. Across the western world, cosplay protests are ongoing in some of the most elite academic institutions. They point to a deeper malaise in places of higher education. That's a real problem. The illiberal dogmas that have infiltrated our social institutions have their roots in the cultural rot in western education systems. To discuss how this happened, and what can be done, Will is joined by Eric Kaufmann. Eric is Professor of Politics at the University of Buckingham. His next book is out soon. It is titled 'Taboo: How making race sacred produced a cultural revolution.' Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod]. Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/]

Introducing your safe space for dangerous conversations. Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod]. Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/]

Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations. Western liberal democratic capitalism has created more prosperity, and enabled more human flourishing, than any other social system. It is something we should be proud of. And yet, Jonah Goldberg argues it is under attack, both from illiberal progressive identity politics, and right-wing populism. Jonah is one of America's most esteemed political pundits. He was the first editor of National Review Online, before founding The Dispatch - a digital media company providing engaged citizens with fact-based reporting and commentary on politics, policy and culture. He is a regular contributor to CNN and The Los Angeles Times, and a #1 New York Times bestselling author. Follow Australiana on social media here [https://linktr.ee/fireatwillpod]. Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/] Visit The Dispatch here [https://thedispatch.com/].

Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations. There's a common refrain when it comes to housing in Australia today: 'it's never been harder to enter the housing market'. Housing affordability has been labelled by politicians, the media, and aspiring homeowners as a historic crisis. What if that's just not the case? What if we've seen the same story countless times before? What the markets are doing what they have always done, and what they should be doing? Perhaps, as Cameron Murray suggests, the market isn't the answer? Cameron is an economist and Australia's leading expert on housing. His new book is titled, 'The Great Housing Hijack: The Hoaxes and Myths Keeping Prices High for Renter and Buyers in Australia'. Follow Australiana on social media here. [https://linktr.ee/AustralianaPod] Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/] Subscribe to Cameron's Substack here [https://www.fresheconomicthinking.com/].

Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations. It's easy to forget that journalists were once invested with immense trust by citizens. This is no longer the case. Journalists are amongst the least trusted members of society, and it has been largely self-inflicted.  The rise of activist journalism over objective journalism, the rush for online clicks, and the narcissistic desire of too many to transition from being journalists to media personalities has blighted the profession. The question is, is journalism beyond saving?  Anthony De Ceglie is well placed to answer the question. Anthony was the Deputy Editor at the Daily Telegraph, and is now Editor in Chief of West Australian newspapers, including The West Australian, and the editor in chief of Seven West Media's new evening digital newspaper, The Nightly. Follow Australiana on social media here. [https://linktr.ee/AustralianaPod] Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/] Visit The Nightly here [https://thenightly.com.au/].

Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations. Gen Z has developed quite a reputation. Lazy. Difficult to work with. Technology-addicted. And of course, insufferably woke. What if that reputation is ill-founded? What if, in fact, Gen Z is the most culturally conservative generation since World War Two? What if Gen Z are the saviours-in-waiting of western civilisation? That's the opinion of content creator, author and Gen Z-er, Isabel Brown. Isabel's new book is titled, 'The End of the Alphabet: How Gen Z Can Save America'. Follow Australiana on social media here. [https://linktr.ee/AustralianaPod] Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/]

Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations. Sometimes it feels like the tidal wave of 'wokeness' (or identity politics) washed over the western world almost overnight. It has captured more or less every societal institution in a remarkably short period of time. However, the intellectual roots of the movement can be traced back over fifty years. The best analysis on how it has achieved such incredible influence comes from the German-American political scientist, Yascha Mounk. Will and Yascha discuss his latest book, 'The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time'. Follow Australiana on social media here. [https://linktr.ee/AustralianaPod] Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/]

Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations. Politics is downstream from culture. To change politics, one must first change culture. The left intrinsically understands this in a way that the right simply does not. The arts have been captured by a toxic mixture of identity politics, social justice ideology, and cancel culture. Matthew Marsden has seen this ideological takeover firsthand. He rose to fame from his role on the iconic British TV series Coronation Street, and has subsequently starred in a long list of Hollywood films, including Black Hawk Down, Resident Evil: Extinction, Rambo and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Follow Australiana on social media here. [https://linktr.ee/AustralianaPod] Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/] Subscribe to Matthew's YouTube channel here. [http://www.youtube.com/@matthewdmarsden]

Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations. There are two ways to look at American politics in 2024. There's the prevailing pessimistic view. Many people think democracy is under threat, the economy is structurally vulnerable, the military is stretched, and for many, the looming election represents a choice between two geriatric evils. There is another perspective. What incredible fun! American politics has never been so entertaining. And as we look forward to the election, no one knows what will happen. If anyone can make sense of it all, it's Charles C.W. Cooke. Charles is a senior writer at National Review, the host of the Charles C.W. Cooke Podcast, and the author of The Conservatarian Manifesto. Follow Australiana on social media here. [https://linktr.ee/AustralianaPod] Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/] Visit Charles' website here [https://charlescwcooke.com/].

Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations. It is now in vogue to celebrate non-Western cultures and disparage Western ones. Many well-meaning people have been fooled by hypocritical and inconsistent anti-West rhetoric. It's not just dishonest scholars who benefit from this intellectual fraud but hostile nations and human rights abusers hoping to distract from their own ongoing villainy. If the West is to survive, it must be defended. In this very special episode, Will talks to the preeminent defender of western civilization alive today, Douglas Murray. Follow Australiana on social media here. [https://linktr.ee/AustralianaPod] Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/]

Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations. We as a society are self-censoring at record rates. Say the wrong thing at the wrong moment to the wrong person and the consequences can be dire.  When the truth is no defense and nuance is seen as an attack, self-censorship is a rational choice. Yet, our silence comes with a price. When we are too fearful to speak openly and honestly, we deprive ourselves of the ability to build genuine relationships, we yield all cultural and political power to those with opposing views, and we lose our ability to challenge ideas or change minds, even our own.  Katherine Brodsky thinks it's time for principled individuals to hit the unmute button and resist the authoritarians among us who name, shame, and punish. Her new book is titled 'No Apologies: How to Find and Free Your Voice in the Age of Outrage—Lessons for the Silenced Majority'. Follow Australiana on social media here. [https://linktr.ee/AustralianaPod] Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/]

Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations. Australia is facing serious domestic and international challenges, all at a time when the political class has arguably never been so ill-equipped to address them. In fact, perhaps the only thing that nearly all Australians can agree on is that our leaders are not a patch on what they were in times gone by.  At the same time, 'she'll be right, mate' has served Australia well enough so far, and may yet still. To help us understand the state of the nation and our politics in 2024, Will is joined by one of Australia's best-known and most insightful political journalists, Joe Hildebrand. Follow Australiana on social media here. [https://linktr.ee/AustralianaPod] Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/]

Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations. Bill Clinton's strategist James Carville memorably said, "It's the economy, stupid". Times have changed. The great political battles of our time are not waged over economics, but cultural issues. Today, "It's the culture, stupid". No one understands this better than Matt Goodwin. Matt is an academic and bestselling author, known for his work on political volatility, risk, populism, British politics, and Brexit. His book, 'Values, Voice and Virtue: The New British Politics' is one of the most influential political science books of modern times. Follow Australiana on social media here. [https://linktr.ee/AustralianaPod] Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/] Subscribe to Matt's Substack here [https://substack.com/@mattgoodwin].

Australiana is now Fire at Will - your safe space for dangerous conversations. Journalist. Contrarian. Iconoclast. Intellectual. Provocateur... And one of the most successful novelists of the 21st century. Lionel Shriver has, in her own words, spent a career courting self-destruction. But she's still standing.  In this no-holds barred conversation with Will, Lionel gives her inimitable take on identity politics, the trans debate, and the manias that continue to afflict society in 2024. Note: Lionel's dog makes a cameo in the second half of the episode. Apologies on his behalf. Follow Australiana on social media here. [https://linktr.ee/AustralianaPod] Subscribe to The Spectator Australia here. [https://www.spectator.com.au/join/]