Critical Edge

Critical Edge hosts Ollie and Lukas sit down with the youngest ever country council leader, George Finch. 19 year old George, from Warwickshire, defect from the Tories to Reform UK last year.

George and our hosts found some things to agree on: the need for educational reform, the importance of tolerance, and the ever more threatening cost of living crisis. However, they fiercely debated about "British values", the role of immigration in the UK, the British Empire, and what sort of jokes a kid can make at school (free speech).

In this episode, we sat down with economist Julian Jessop to discuss the future of taxation, free markets, and the role of the state. From whether VAT should be extended to food and children’s clothing, to how corporate taxes impact real people, Jessop makes the case for a simpler, more neutral tax system.

Additionally, we explore his continued support for Brexit despite short-term costs, his belief in the potential of deregulation, and his take on the EU as a protectionist bloc. The conversation also turns to AI regulation—should governments overregulate for safety, or let innovation flourish? And on personal freedom, Jessop weighs in on tobacco, drug legalization, and whether the state should intervene in our private choices.

Hosted by two passionate Oxford graduates, The Critical Edge Podcast aims to bring you engaging discussions with influential personalities, delving into topics that matter to our society and the world at large. Subscribe for more!

Oxford academic Danny Dorling discusses the state of inequality in the UK - from the rise of right-wing populism and the hollowing out of the middle class to the state of race relations across the island. How large are the barriers to equality of opportunity in the UK?

In this episode, we sat down with Anand Menon, the director of UK in a changing Europe, and Professor of Political Science and King's College London.

We discuss the long-term impact of Brexit on trade and on the UK's soft power; the importance of the recognition of Palestine for Gaza; the development of US-EU relations; and whether the UK has a 'special relationship' with the US. Hosted by two passionate Oxford graduates, The Critical Edge Podcast aims to bring you engaging discussions with influential personalities, delving into topics that matter to our society and the world at large. Subscribe for more!

Sir Ben Okri OBE is a Booker Prize-winning British-Nigerian writer and a powerful voice in post-colonial literature. In this exclusive interview, Okri reflects on how our ways of seeing — as readers, viewers, and thinkers — are shaped by the media we consume.

Parag Khanna is a strategy advisor and bestselling author. He is an expert in geopolitics and global strategy and how we can apply AI to better navigate economic disruptions in our volatile world. Listen in.

Dave Rubin is an American conservative political commentator and host of ‘The Rubin Report’, a political talk show which often debates political correctness, foreign policy, and freedom of speech.

Cenk Uygur is the founder of The Young Turks and one of the most prominent media critics of corporate governance, campaign financing, and political corruption in the United States. He's very passionate. Listen in.

Ryan Nicodemus is a New York Times best-selling author, and Emmy-nominated Netflix star. He is the co-founder of The Minimalists, an organisation dedicated to helping people eliminate clutter and maximise their lives by scaling back on material possessions and consumerist attitudes.

Joseph Nye is an American political scientist known for his work on US foreign policy and power dynamics. He is also a Harvard University professor who coined the term ‘soft power’ in reference to a country’s ability to influence others through gentle persuasion rather than coercion.

In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Nye to discuss his thoughts on the future of American democracy, the lessons the US can learn from its history of political turmoil, and the hypocrisy of the Western world.