Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps

Why do some civilisations enlighten while others languish? Why do some conquer, and others collapse? Was the British Empire a bloody stain... or, on balance, a force for modernity? 

 

Niall is one of Britain's most prolific and influential historians. His seventeen books, including the groundbreaking tomes Civilisation and Empire, define the modern historical canon. 

 

Niall has become associated with heterodox concerns about wokeness and Western decline. But Josh wanted to probe deeper: How should we think about Ukraine, Gaza, populism and the West, in light of what we know about what makes human societies thrive?

 

Josh and Niall sat down in Westminster, London, on the afternoon of the 2024 American presidential election -- before the result was known. 

 

This episode is available in full on the Uncomfortable Conversations YouTube channel as well as for premium subscribers at  https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe

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It's crunch time for the Australian government's Orwellian-sounding "Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation" legislation. 

 

The bill was passed last Thursday by Australia's House of Representatives and is currently stalled in the Senate. Right-wing populists are spreading hysteria that it would let the government throw you in jail for speaking your mind on social media. 

 

The bill would not, in fact, punish you for posting on social media. But it could give government officials the power to make social media companies suppress opinions the Australian government deems "harmful".

Josh opposes giving such power to the state. By contrast, Professor Daniel Angus is broadly supportive of the bill. He's one of Australia's leading researchers into technology, social media, fake news and misinformation, and he advised the government on the legislation. 

 

At this crucial moment, with only two weeks remaining before parliament shuts down for the year -- and as the Senate deliberates on this hugely important law -- please listen to this conversation and get informed. Wherever you are, enjoy this friendly clash of perspectives about algorithms and free speech on the web.

 

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Few Britons are as iconic as Stephen Fry.

 

On TV, he's an Emmy-winning comedy legend immortalised in shows like A Bit of Fry & Laurie, Jeeves & Wooster, and Blackadder. He has hosted the British Academy Film Awards twelve times and won six BAFTAs as the host of the smash-hit BBC television quiz show Q.I. 

 

On stage, Stephen's adaptation of Me and My Girl won two Olivier Awards. He was nominated for a Tony for his performance in The Globe's production of Twelfth Night on Broadway.

 

On the big screen, he's starred in Wilde (as Oscar Wilde, a performance nominated for a Golden Globe), Gosford Park, Chariots of Fire, A Fish Called Wanda, V for Vendetta and The Hobbit.

 

Stephen is the voice of all the Harry Potter audiobooks. His eloquence infuses his countless essays, comedy sketches, articles, novels, and books about Greek mythology.

 

His autobiography, Moab is My Washpot, with its raw honesty about his screwed-up teenage years, was transformational for a young Josh Szeps. 

 

On a recent trip to Sydney, Stephen swung by the Uncomfortable Conversations studios to visit with Josh. Enjoy this sparkling conversation about the cycle of life, the richness of being human, finding creative authenticity, and ignoring Donald Trump.

 

And if you haven't jumped over to Substack to get free updates on what we're up to, you're a duffer. There's more great stuff coming. Go to uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe. It's not hard -- we promise. 

 

 

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Well, it's Trump. The morning after the election, Josh live-streamed his post-election analysis and his predictions for a second Trump term from Cambridge, England, and took live questions. Watch the video on Substack, or listen in right here.

 

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You have a limited offer you can use now, that gets you up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one time purchases with code UNCOMFORTABLE20 at checkout

You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/UNCOMFORTABLE20

 

The full premium version of this episode is available as a free gift to you. This version here is just a teaser, but ALL ELECTION-RELATED CONTENT WILL NOT BE PAYWALLED if you access it on Substack. To hear this episode in its entirety, as well as all upcoming election episodes in full, you need to leave this app – you will NOT need to pay anything – and listen on Substack here:   

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Here we go. Kamala Harris was on Saturday Night Live. At Madison Square Garden, Puerto Rico was garbage. Trump is appropriating Charlamagne tha God. Kamala is deploying Will Ferrell. And now, you vote.

 

The host of ABC TV's "Planet America", Chas Licciardello, joins Josh to break down the campaigns, the media's coverage, and the hysterical online nonsense you should avoid. Happy Election Day.

 

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The full premium version of this episode is available as a free gift to you. This version here is just a teaser, but ALL ELECTION-RELATED CONTENT WILL NOT BE PAYWALLED if you access it on Substack. To hear this episode in its entirety, as well as all upcoming election episodes in full, you need to leave this app – you will NOT need to pay anything – and listen on Substack here:   

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At 11:00 a.m. on November 9th, 2016, the day after Donald Trump's surprise victory over Hillary Clinton, a shell-shocked Josh sat down with Slate's former editor David Plotz, the co-host of the Slate Political Gabfest, to share their analysis of what might happen. This is that conversation.

 

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You have a limited offer you can use now, that gets you up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one time purchases with code UNCOMFORTABLE20 at checkout

You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/UNCOMFORTABLE20

The full premium version of this episode is available as a free gift to you. This version here is just a teaser, but ALL ELECTION-RELATED CONTENT WILL NOT BE PAYWALLED if you access it on Substack. To hear this episode in its entirety, as well as all upcoming election episodes in full, you need to leave this app – you will NOT need to pay anything – and listen on Substack here:   

 https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe

 

What would it look like if we could escape the phony choice between strident positions and find a third way? Not a "compromise". Not a squishy midpoint betweren any two extremes. But a genuinely new way of looking at an issue, informed by the best of all sides? Instead of hunting for the worst in our opponents' positions, what if we could harness the best?

That's the mission of the journalist Stephanie Lepp, a producer whose new series of short videos, Faces of X, demonstrates what she's up to. She and Josh wrestle with partisanship, social media, both-sidesism, ideological capture, and how we all might think more freely in this toxic election cycle.

 

Check out Faces of X here

 

http://youtube.com/@JoshSzeps_

http://twitter.com/joshzepps

http://instagram.com/joshszeps/

tiktok.com/@uncomfyconversations

 

The full premium version of this episode is available as a free gift to you. This version here is just a teaser, but ALL ELECTION-RELATED CONTENT WILL NOT BE PAYWALLED if you access it on Substack. To hear this episode in its entirety, as well as all upcoming election episodes in full, you need to leave this app – you will NOT need to pay anything – and listen on Substack here:   

 https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe

 

Join Michael Moynihan of The Fifth Column and Josh Szeps of Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps as they tackle America’s role in global affairs and discuss whether the U.S. should remain the world’s cop or if its superpower days are over. Josh brings insights from Australia, a nation with tough illegal immigration policies but high legal immigration, while Michael draws from his time in Sweden, where immigration and NATO are key concerns.

 

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Arm yourself with facts now, to stay sane on election night. This episode is your toolkit against the schemes to sow confusion, foment chaos and challenge the vote. The ABC journalist Matt Bevan reveals to Josh the extraordinary Trump strategy that'll kick in if Harris wins a narrow victory, and the weird ways it relates to the Jan 6th riots and the denial of that election. For everything you need to know to understand election night -- and the days and weeks beyond -- don't miss this one. Matt's short-form podcast series is "America's Last Election".

 

To get more content like this and to join in the fun of the Uncomfy Convos multiverse, hit the Substack page at https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe

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Get ready, humans. Josh is about to start pumping out extra shows all week long to keep you informed, inspired and resilient during the U.S. election. But to receive your sweet nuggets of sanity, if you're not a Substacker then YOU HAVE TO DO ONE SIMPLE, FREE THING. You'll kick yourself if you don't. Listen RIGHT NOW to find out what. 

 

Head to the substack link below to get all the information you need for tomorrow's live show and to all the free content over the next week https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/subscribe

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