Best of the Spectator23 Sep 2025

Quite right!: Blair's ID card dystopia & the 'hell' of conference season

Listeners on the Best of Spectator playlist can enjoy a section of the latest episode of Quite right! but for the full thing please seek out the Quite right! channel. Just search ‘Quite right!’ wherever you are listening now.

This week, Michael and Maddie lift the lid on the strange rituals of party conference season and why the ‘goldfish bowl’ reality of a week in Birmingham (or Manchester, or Liverpool) often leaves politicians with ‘PTSD’.

They then turn to the government’s revived enthusiasm for digital ID cards. Is this a sensible fix for illegal immigration – or, as Michael puts it, ‘snake oil rubbed onto an already weak idea’? And why does Tony Blair always seem to be the ghost whispering ‘ID cards’ into Westminster’s ear?

Next, Keir Starmer’s recognition of a Palestinian state: a principled step, or a political stunt designed to placate his backbenchers? Michael and Madeline dissect the backlash, the ‘terrorist chic’ of pop-concert activism, and what this move really says about Labour’s priorities.

Finally, they reflect on the extraordinary words of Erika Kirk, who publicly forgave her husband’s alleged murderer. What does Christian forgiveness look like in an age that prizes vengeance and why do so many secular commentators miss its radicalism?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson, Oscar Bicket and Matt Miszczak.

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