This week, Ellen and Alona talk to investigative journalist Peter Geoghegan. Peter is the former editor-in-chief of the award-winning website openDemocracy and is the author of Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics.

Public faith in democracy has been undermined by hidden influence and undisclosed donations—but how susceptible is the new government to this?

In an entertaining conversation, spanning from Mongolian wrestling to Keir Starmer’s glasses, Peter shares his journey doing investigative work, the corrosive impact of what he calls “dark money”, and what Labour is getting wrong.

To watch this interview and others—including with Baroness Warsi and Jon Sopel—search for ‘Prospect Magazine’ on YouTube.

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Baroness Warsi, former Conservative cabinet minister and lawyer, joins Ellen and Alona to talk about her new book Muslims Don’t Matter, about “the silencing, stereotyping and stigmatising of Muslims by the British press and political parties.”

Politicians, media outlets, think tanks and even the entertainment industry have poisoned public discourse about Muslims, culminating in this summer’s riots. She describes how Islamophobia, which she calls “Britain's bigotry blind spot”, not only passes the “dinner table test”, but has been enacted into policy.

In a moving conversation about her journey in the public eye, she talks about her lifelong effort to challenge racism and why she’s finally resigned the whip.

Muslims Don’t Matter is out now: https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/sayeeda-warsi/muslims-dont-matter/9780349136486/

Her podcast with David Baddiel ‘A Muslim and a Jew go there’ is available to stream: https://shows.acast.com/a-muslim-a-jew-go-there

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This week, Prospect’s commissioning editor Emily Lawford joins Ellen and Alona to discuss a dark side of the internet: the “manosphere”.

Emily spent months reporting “The incel trap” for this month’s issue of the magazine, meeting with self-proclaimed misogynists in real life. On the podcast, Emily shares what she learned about why young men are radicalised—including the role of mental health—and how online hatred is connected to violence against women in the "real world".

Plus, silent discos and maternity pay gaffes—is the Tory party conference a “banger” or a “dud”?

To read Emily's piece, click here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/philosophy/gender/67935/the-incel-trap

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Jon Sopel, co-host of the News Agents podcast and a former BBC North America editor, joins Ellen Halliday and Alona Ferber to discuss his new book, Strangeland: How Britain Stopped Making Sense. He reflects on his time covering the Trump administration—including what he saw unfold on 6th January—and on the upcoming US election.

Jon also shares his view on the problems with Robbie Gibb and how editorial standards are overseen at the BBC. Some at the BBC think Robbie Gibb’s stewardship of editorial standards at the broadcaster is “absolutely monstrous”, he says. “It really doesn't bear scrutiny, and then it still going on, strikes me as unbelievable”.

Plus, Alona dials in from rainy Liverpool to decide whether the Labour conference has been a “banger” or a “dud” for Starmer’s party.

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This week, journalist and author Oliver Burkeman joins Prospect’s Ellen Halliday and Mindful life columnist Sarah Collins to talk mental health and building a meaningful life—and why his new book, Meditations for Mortals, really isn’t self-help.

Plus, freelance political journalist Jonn Elledge dials in from the Lib Dem conference in Brighton to help us decide whether Ed Davey's party is a “banger” or a “dud”.

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This week Ellen Halliday and Alona Ferber discuss a vital question: what is the reality of life under occupation for Palestinians? And how much longer can the world ignore it? 

They are joined by Nathan Thrall, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy, which follows the life of a Palestinian man whose son Milad died in a 2012 road accident in the West Bank.

Thrall, who is based in Jerusalem, discusses how Salama’s story provides a window into the wider tragedy of Israel Palestine. 

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In February 2022, invading Russian forces on their way to Kyiv also occupied the site of Europe’s biggest nuclear disaster—Chernobyl. The response of the Ukrainians running the site, and of the International Atomic Energy Agency, would prove decisive. But who would be honoured as a hero, and who would be branded a traitor?

In this episode of the Prospect Podcast, deputy editor Ellen Halliday is joined by Baillie Gifford award-winning author and historian Serhii Plokhy to discuss his new book Chernobyl Roulette, which tells the gripping story of the occupation of the former nuclear site by Russian forces following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Plokhy recounts the experiences of Ukrainian workers who were forced to manage the plant under dangerous conditions, revealing the complicated power dynamics between them and the invading Russian forces, as well as the implications of this event for global nuclear safety. The conversation delves into how this occupation fits into the larger context of the war in Ukraine and what it reveals about the geopolitical significance of nuclear sites. Plus, Alona and Ellen debate whether—in the words of the Grid—the reunion of the legendary rock band Oasis is a “banger” or “dud.”

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