Can the West Hold Together? Lessons from WWII with Tim Bouverie and Michael Gove (Part One)

Who gets to win power and how do they keep it – and lose it? These are the questions that Mary Beard and Rory Stewart addressed when they came to Intelligence Squared on in November 2023. Beard, Britain’s best known classicist, has won legions of fans through her enthusiasm for the ancient world and her exploration of our cultural assumptions about powerful women, as depicted in her bestseller Women & Power. In her new book Emperor of Rome, she shines her spotlight on the men who ruled the Roman Empire. Stewart has seen the workings of power up close – and he has yielded it. Over the course of a decade from 2010, he went from being a backbench MP, though several ministerial positions, to standing for prime minister – before being sacked from a Conservative Party that he had come to barely recognise. In his new memoir Politics on the Edge he reveals how he bore witness to cronyism and incompetence, which he believes laid the foundations for our current political and economic chaos.  This is Part One of a three-episode discussion.  If you'd like to enjoy all three parts now, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared to get access to all of our longer form interviews and members-only content. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.  For £4.99 per month you'll receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series, wherever you get your podcasts - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events - Our member-only newsletter The Monthly Read, sent straight to your inbox ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more ... Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

19 Marras 202340min

Helen Fielding, creator of the Bridget Jones novels and films, and Gill Hornby, author of the bestseller Miss Austen, join Sotheby’s books specialist Kalika Sands and novelist Kate Mosse for a conversation in partnership with Sotheby's and held at Sotheby’s in London about the enduring appeal of the 19th-century novelist Jane Austen. Fielding explains that when it came to turning her newspaper column about Bridget into a book, it seemed natural to borrow the tried and tested plot of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Hornby reveals how she was inspired by real events when she created her fictional account of Austen’s life. They discuss whether marriage or spinsterhood was the better option for a woman at that time, and debate exactly how we should interpret Austen’s portrayal of Mrs Bennet, a figure desperate to marry off her four daughters, in Pride and Prejudice. Become a supporter of Intelligence Squared to get access to all of our longer form interviews and members-only content. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.  For £4.99 per month you'll receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series, wherever you get your podcasts - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events - Our member-only newsletter The Monthly Read, sent straight to your inbox ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more ... Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

17 Marras 202351min

Robin Lane Fox, the classicist, ancient historian and also green-fingered gardening writer, discusses his most recent book: Homer and His Iliad. The Iliad, and epic poem written by the ancient Greek poet, Homer, has been a constant source of inspiration and reinterpretation for historians and writers over the centuries. Fox is an expert in Greek and Roman history and is Emeritus Fellow of New College, Oxford. Joining in him in conversation on the podcast is fellow author and classicist, Daisy Dunn, whose upcoming book is The Missing Thread: How Women Shaped the Course of Ancient History. Become a supporter of Intelligence Squared to get access to all of our longer form interviews and members-only content. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.  For £4.99 per month you'll receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series, wherever you get your podcasts - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events - Our member-only newsletter The Monthly Read, sent straight to your inbox ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more The Full Length Video is here: https://www.intelligencesquaredplus.com/videos/robin-lane-fox-on-homers-iliad-with-daisy-dunn ... Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ ... Get in touch with any feedback and guest or debate ideas by emailing us at podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

15 Marras 202347min

For this episode, Yascha Mounk, the writer and political scientist discusses his recent book The Identity Trap, which explores what Mounk refers to as the modern world’s counterproductive obsession with group identity in all its forms. Joining Mounk in conversation is writer Tomiwa Owolade, author of the book This is Not America.  Want the hear the full extended conversation right now? Become a supporter of Intelligence Squared to get access to all of our longer form interviews and members-only content. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.  For £4.99 per month you'll receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series, wherever you get your podcasts - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events - Our member-only newsletter The Monthly Read, sent straight to your inbox Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more The Full Length Video is here: https://www.intelligencesquaredplus.com/videos/yascha-mounk-on-the-identity-trap-with-tomiwa-owolade ... Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ ... Get in touch with any feedback and guest or debate ideas by emailing us at podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

13 Marras 202335min

Can we love the art of monstrous men? Can we truly separate the art from the artist? To answer these questions author and critic Claire Dederer came to Intelligence Squared to discuss the debate, which is the topic of her recent book: Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma. Our host for the this episode is acclaimed writer Lisa Taddeo, author of Three Women.  Want the hear the full extended conversation right now? Become a supporter of Intelligence Squared to get access to all of our longer form interviews and members-only content. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.  Become an Intelligence Squared Supporter Member today for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series, wherever you get your podcasts - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events - Our member-only newsletter The Monthly Read, sent straight to your inbox Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more The Full Length Video is here: https://www.intelligencesquaredplus.com/videos/claire-dederer ... Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ ... Get in touch with any feedback and guest or debate ideas by emailing us at podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

12 Marras 202332min

The Government has introduced new legislation requiring annual rounds of oil and gas licensing in the North Sea. What is the relationship between licensing policy and the energy transition?  In the third instalment of the new podcast series from Intelligence Squared, Tides of Transformation: An Oil Story, produced in partnership with the Fraying Ties? project, Gavin Bridge from Durham University and Gisa Weszkalnys from the London School of Economics are joined by Andy Samuel, the former Chief Executive of the North Sea Transition Authority, and Catherine Howarth, the CEO of ShareAction for a conversation about licensing and regulation in the oil sector – how policy has evolved, and where it’s going wrong.  Other contributors include former Chair of the Climate Change Committee Lord Deben; co-founder of Extinction Rebellion Gail Bradbrook; and, Head of Oil, Gas and Mining at Carbon Tracker Initiative Mike Coffin.  –  This episode was recorded on September 26 2023, the day before the regulator gave approval to the Norwegian energy giant Equinor to develop Rosebank, the largest untapped oil field in the UK. The implications of, and response to, this decision are discussed further in Episode 4 of Tides of Transformation. Just search ‘Tides of Transformation’ wherever you get your podcasts.  –  For more information about Tides of Transformation: An Oil Story, please visit:  https://www.intelligencesquared.com/tides-of-transformation/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10 Marras 202342min

In the final instalment of POWER TRIP, Carl Miller is looking towards the future and asking: will it be as dystopian as many fear? The difference between a well-trained algorithm and human emotional sophistication is still vast but as technology learns to mimic humanity, Carl learns that our perceptions of what feels human enough are evolving too. Featuring Henry Ajder, Generative AI & Deepfakes Expert Advisor; Michael Wooldridge, Director of Foundational AI Research at the Turing Institute and professor of computer science at the University of Oxford; and Kenneth Cukkier, Deputy executive editor at The Economist. This podcast was produced by Catharine Hughes Want the future right now? Become a supporter of Intelligence Squared to get all five episodes of POWER TRIP to binge in one go.  Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.  Become an Intelligence Squared Supporter Member today for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series, wherever you get your podcasts - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events - Our member-only newsletter The Monthly Read, sent straight to your inbox Head to https://www.intelligencesquared.com/membership to learn more Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Get in touch with any feedback and guest or debate ideas by emailing us at podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

8 Marras 202330min

Academic, activist and author Kehinde Andrews is Professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University. His books include Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21st Century and Resisting Racism: Race, Inequality and the Black Supplementary School Movement. His latest is The Psychosis of Whiteness, which explores why society cannot face up to the racism at its heart and in its history. Andrews says that while we look to self-help books and vote in leaders who do not represent a diverse electorate, society's actions are akin to delusions, irrationalities, hallucinations and what could be described as a psychosis. Joining Andrews in conversation is psychiatrist, broadcaster and author, Femi Oyebode. If you’d like to support Intelligence Squared's mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as being able to enjoy exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared. Just visit: https://www.intelligencesquared.com/membership Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

6 Marras 202349min