Are we witnessing the death of the liberal ideal? (01:02) Next, what's behind the government U-turn on primary schools and what effect could it have on the poorest students? (20:14) And finally, Britain's ash trees are facing a pandemic of their own, with so-called ash dieback sweeping the nation. Can Britain's ash trees be saved? (30:12)

With Douglas Murray; The Spectator's economics editor Kate Andrews; Coffee House contributor Melanie McDonagh; political editor James Forsyth; associate editor of the Evening Standard Julian Glover; and professor at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona Valerie Trouet.

Presented by Katy Balls.

Produced by Gus Carter and Matthew Taylor.

Get a subscription to The Spectator as well as a copy of Lionel Shriver's book, all for free here. 

Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.

For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.

Contact us: [email protected]