John Anderson: Conversations

By John Anderson

Former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia John Anderson sits down with world-leading historians, economists, politicians, and thinkers to examine the ideas shaping our society. Drawing on decades at t... more

4.9

229229 ratings

FAQs about John Anderson: Conversations:

How many episodes does John Anderson: Conversations have?

The podcast currently has 266 episodes available.

Best of John Anderson: Conversations

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

Number 1: Why the West Is Turning Against Its Elites | Frank Furedi
John sits down with sociologist and author Frank Furedi to discuss why millions of people across the West are turning against the political establishment, the rise of populism, the collapse of trust in traditional institutions, and the growing divide between ordinary citizens and the elites who govern them. From immigration and multiculturalism to education, free speech, national identity and the future of democracy, Furedi argues that populism is not simply a threat to the political order — it is a response to people feeling ignored by it. The conversation explores what has been lost, why citizenship matters, and whether Western democracies can rebuild a shared culture strong enough to survive. Frank Furedi is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent and the author of 26 books, including most recently In Defence of Populism. His work has focused on cultural developments in Western societies, including the culture of fear, education, identity, national sovereignty and the changing relationship between citizens and political institutions. He is a regular commentator on radio and television and has contributed extensively to media outlets across the UK and internationally. A long-time friend of the program, Frank was one of John’s earliest Conversations guests, first appearing on the show in April 2018.
September 04, 20261h 3min
Number 2: What The Left Gets Wrong About Denmark | Alex Vanopslagh
In this interview, sitting Danish politician Alex Vanopslagh explains how Denmark became a great and prosperous nation. Contrary to the platitudes from members of the left like Bernie Sanders, who have argued that Denmark is a socialist success story, Alex argues that liberty and individual responsibility have made it great.He also explains how Denmark's Protestant emphasis on individual conscience and responsibility, combined with its high social trust, has put the country in a unique position to deal with issues like mass migration and the rise of political Islam. This has helped Denmark to avoid the pattern seen across much of the West, where right-wing populist parties have surged.Already leader of his party, the Liberal Alliance, at 34-years-old, Alex encourages young people everywhere to take ownership of their own lives and to be contributors to their community and country. Alex’s new book Den usynlige ånd (The Invisible Spirit) comes out on the 28th of August.Alex Vanopslagh is a Danish politician and leader of the Liberal Alliance, a classical liberal, free-market party in the Folketing. He has served as party leader since 2019, taking the role at just 27, and has become one of the most prominent voices on the Danish right — making the case that Denmark's prosperity rests on economic freedom and civic responsibility, not socialism. Born in France and raised in Denmark, he studied political science at the University of Southern Denmark before rising through Liberal Alliance's youth wing to lead the party itself.
August 28, 20261h 7min
Number 3: After Charlie Kirk: The Death Of Civil Discourse | Robert George
Robert P. George joins John Anderson at the ARC conference in London for a conversation that traces natural law back through Cicero and Aristotle to Martin Luther King's Letter from Birmingham Jail. He also discusses his friendship with utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer on the personhood of the unborn as evidence that serious disagreement and real friendship aren't incompatible. The conversation turns to what happens when that capacity disappears: the tribalism of social media and siloed media ecosystems, and the assassination of Charlie Kirk, which George calls a tragedy not just for Kirk's family but for civic life in the West. He warns that the U.S. may be "one more assassination away from a civil war," and argues that the way back runs through intellectual humility — a willingness to recognise one's own fallibility and to see one's opponent as a fellow citizen rather than an enemy to be destroyed. Robert P. George is an American legal scholar, political philosopher, and public intellectual. He serves as the sixth McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University.
August 21, 202632min
Number 4: “The Politics Of Gaslighting”: Why Britain Won't Face Its Own Decline | Konstantin Kisin
Konstantin Kisin argues that Britain is poor and getting poorer, and that almost nobody knows it. He points to polling showing most Britons believe they are as rich as Switzerland, Singapore or Australia, when on a per capita basis Britain sits far down the table and is close to being overtaken by Poland. Konstantin also examines the grooming gangs scandal, which he describes as organised crime run through kinship networks, and rejects outright the idea that Britain can accommodate two legal systems. Konstantin Kisin is a writer, social commentator, comedian, and co-host of the free speech podcast Triggernometry. He is a regular on British and American TV and radio shows including Question Time, Good Morning Britain, BBC Breakfast, Daily Politics, LBC Cross Question, The Joe Rogan Experience, and many others. He is also the author of An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West.
August 14, 202640min
Number 5: Why Modern Education Is Producing Activists, Not Thinkers | Prof. Simon Haines and Dr. Fiona Mueller
In this conversation, John Anderson sits down with Prof. Simon Haines and Dr. Fiona Mueller to examine how Australia's schools and universities stopped teaching children how to think, and what a genuine restoration of education would look like. The results are measurable in falling literacy, rising school refusal, and a curriculum that has prioritised ideological formation at the expense of knowledge.From the classical roots of Western education and the Trivium to the ideological capture of teacher training and university management, Haines and Mueller expose the ideas driving the decline and the institutions already proving a better model is possible. What is at stake is not just educational outcomes, but the capacity of the next generation to reason clearly, to govern themselves wisely, and to pass on what they have inherited.Prof. Simon Haines is the Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts at Campion College Australia, Adjunct Professor at the Australian Catholic University, and a founding Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities. He previously served as the inaugural CEO of the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation and is a Director of Humanities for Life.Dr. Fiona Mueller served as Head of ANU College at the Australian National University and as Director of Curriculum at the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), and was named among the five most influential people in Australian education by the Australian Financial Review in 2019. She is an Adjunct Fellow with the Centre for Independent Studies, a Senior Fellow with Advance HE (formerly the Higher Education Academy), and currently serves as Director of Research at the Page Research Centre.
June 19, 20261h 19min