One of the topics that’s gotten more than a little traction in the last half decade is liberalism and, more specifically, whether or not liberalism and its ideas, its values, are in retreat. And that’s pretty important to us at Pulaski because really at the end of the day Liberalism, taken as its broad commitments to openness, pluralism, democratic accountability, and the movement of people and ideas and goods around the world and the idea that that’s good for us and our future really is at the heart of what we’re doing. 
 
 On one hand these concerns about whether liberalism is failing have been a question of leaders and institutions in terms of the commitments of our elected officials to open, accountable government and fair and equal justice, but it’s also, more broadly, been put as a question about democratic publics across the world—whether everyday people are really as invested as they used to be in the pluralism and democracy the way they once were. And a lot of these accounts can be quite grim in their predictions for our future. So I really wanted to take a kind of pragmatic approach and invite on two people who have been actively involved in the promoting liberal ideas in the public square. A brief disclosure here, both of our guests have had or maintain formal connections to the Liberal Democrat party in the United Kingdom. Pulaski is strictly non-partisan, and so their appearance here should not be taken as an organizational endorsement of the Liberal Democrats or their candidates. That said, I’m really excited to talk with them about the state of things in the United Kingdom, both in terms of Brexit and in the context of the wider political situation there and also to discuss the prospect for liberal ideas there and elsewhere. 

Our guests today are Paul Hindley and Stephen Richmond. 

Paul is a PhD student at Lancaster University in the UK. He researches the political economy of neoliberalism. He is a member of the Social Liberal Forum and has previously been a member of the Liberal Democrats. And he was the election agent for the Liberal Democrats in Blackpool South before leaving the party.  

Stephen is a council member of the Social Liberal forum and Vice-Chair of Coventry Liberal Democrats. He was also previously the Liberal Democrat candidate for Parliament for Coventry South. 

In this episode, Dr. Christopher Weaver and Dr. Andre Audette discuss the role many churches and congregations play across America in promoting and facilitation civic engagement. They also discuss research on the politicization of religion in America and the way this shapes the preferences of churchgoers in selecting where to worship. 

Christopher Weaver is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Northeastern State University, as well as a non-Resident Fellow here at Pulaski. His research and teaching focus on American political behavior and identity politics. He is particularly interested in how identity and belief affect political behavior and public opinion, especially among religious groups and marginalized groups. 

 Andre Audette is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Monmouth College. He researches and teaches courses about religion and politics, law, identity politics, and political behavior.

Dr. Angie Maxwell is the Director of the Diane Blair Center of Southern Politics and Society and the holder Diane Blair Endowed Professorship the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She's the author, along with Todd Shields, of The Long Southern Strategy: How Chasing White Voters in the South Changed American Politics. In this book—which is, I think, a really remarkable and essential work in American studies and for understanding both the South and American politics more generally—the "Southern Strategy" is presented as a longer historical event and one that's built on more than just Southern racial attitudes. In this conversation, we discuss the dynamics of Southern political identity and how the Republican Party's pursuit of political power in the American South has changed national politics and the Republican Party itself. 

Dr. William Haden Chomphosy is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Hendrix College (Conway, AR) and a non-resident fellow at the Pulaski Institution. He joins today to discuss his research on abandoned oil and gas wells across the United States and the economics of restoring this land. We also discuss the potentials for carbon capture technology and the utility of revenue-neutral carbon pricing. 

Dr. Heather Yates is an associate professor of political science at the University of Central Arkansas and an non-resident fellow at the Pulaski Institution. Her research centers on the intersection between emotions and political behavior. Join us for a ranging discussion looking at some of the big issues in our current moment through that lens. We talk about the emotional psychology underpinning the different responses to the coronavirus pandemic and vaccine rollout, the issues of trust in institutions and our politics, and crucially related to that, the Big Lie and the fallout from the January 6th insurrection. 

John Hogan Morris, a non-resident fellow at Pulaski and Assistant Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Nottingham (UK), joins to discuss some current topics in British economics.

First, we discuss the Johnson government's Levelling Up agenda and its implications for Britain's regions.

Then, we talk about the United Kingdom's net zero goal and how this affects the country's industrial heartlands.

Finally, we talk bout the long haul trucker shortage and the challenges to post-Brexit Britain.