Claim OwnershipFire at Will
Subscribed: 172Played: 7,151
Subscribe
Description
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.
134 Episodes
Reverse
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/].
As 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/].
When classical liberals and conservatives took the fight to the 'woke left', many made the mistake of thinking that victory would automatically mark a return to classical liberal and conservative principles. Whilst the battle is not over, it is now clear that it won't be that simple. In fact, perhaps the greatest achievement of the 'woke left' has been its role in the creation of a 'woke right'.
To discuss the troubling phenomenon that has been the talk of Twitter in recent months, Will is joined by author, podcaster, and professional troublemaker, James Lindsay.
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 'New Discourses' here [https://newdiscourses.com/].
Australia has often been called the 'lucky country'. Today, it faces a series of economic, cultural, and geopolitical challenges, seemingly without a political class that is equipped to address them. Has Australia's luck run out?
Will ponders this question with the Chief Economist at the Institute of Public Affairs, and columnist for The Australian, Adam Creighton.
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 was invited back on Nick Dixon's podcast, 'The Current Thing', to discuss the recent Australian election. You can watch the interview on Nick's YouTube channel here [http://youtube.com/watch?v=eMzPDSNlGYg].
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/].
One of the tragedies of modernity is how it has stripped away the time (or if we're being honest, the inclination) to think about the big questions. Most of us no longer spend much time reflecting on the big questions. Which is why it was such a privilege for Will to speak to someone who does.
Sebastian Junger is a #1 New York Times best-selling author, Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker, and a celebrated war correspondent. His books, which include 'The Perfect Storm' (later adapted into a blockbuster Hollywood film), 'Freedom', 'Tribe', 'War', and 'In My Time of Dying', are bracing reminders to reflect on what it means to be human.
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/].
Earlier this week, Will interviewed journalist Andrew Bolt for the UK edition of The Spectator on the upcoming Australian election. The conversation went beyond politics to a fascinating reflection on modern Australia. Listen here, or you can watch the interview on Spectator TV here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh5LiCEugF0].
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/].
Despite the media's love of a 100 day report card, it's usually far too early to judge the effectiveness of a new leader. That's not the case in Trump world. He has moved at a dizzying pace, with mixed results.
To assess the start of the second Trump presidency, Will is joined by the editor at large of Reason magazine, and co-host of The Fifth Column podcast, Matt Welch.
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 Reason here [https://reason.com/].
Listen to The Fifth Column here [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-fifth-column/id1097696129].
Before he became Australia's second-longest serving Prime Minister, then Opposition Leader John Howard famously stated that his ambition was for a country in which people should feel comfortable and relaxed about the past, present and future.
Many would argue he achieved that ambition, but Australia feels like a less comfortable and relaxed place in 2025. In this very special episode, Will chats to John about the state of modern Australia, and the upcoming federal election.
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/].
It says something about the surreal times in which we live that the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom found it necessary to confirm something that everyone with an ounce of sense already knew. Men cannot be women. Unfortunately, in Australia gender ideology is still enshrined law. Sall Grover is Australia's leading advocate for sex-based rights, and she is trying to change that.
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/].
Support Sall here [https://gigglecrowdfund.com/].
Earlier this week, Will joined comedian and GB News host Nick Dixon on his podcast, 'The Current Thing.' They chatted about the news of the week in the UK, including a poll from The Sun revealing the depths of despair in the country, Ben Habib's new party, the Birmingham bin crisis, anti-white racism in the West Yorkshire police, Douglas Murray's debate with Dave Smith on Joe Rogan's podcast, and several detours this way and that.
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/].
Subscribe to Nick's YouTube channel here [https://www.youtube.com/@nick_dixon].
If there's one theme that cuts across Western politics in 2025, it is the rise of right-wing populist parties and politicians, tapping into a well of resentment towards establishment politics. Trump, Farage, Le Pen, and Wilders, to name a few. Some would argue they were all late to the game, trailing an unlikely figure; a female fish and chip show owner from the Queensland town of Ipswich.
After first entering the Federal Australian parliament in 1996, Pauline Hanson has been one of the most consequential and enduring political figures in modern Australian political history. And to pinch a quote from her one-time nemesis John Howard, in 2025, the times may just suit her.
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 Pauline Hanson's 'Please Explain!' series here [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfxz1v6wzzvav_SPznNBwGA].
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States
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