UnHerd Radio

Freddie Sayers speaks to Matthew Crawford, a motorcycle mechanic turned philosopher with a unique perspective on the current moment. Instead of talking in terms of partisan politics, he talks in terms of lived experience and what a good life feels like.

I’ve been a fan since his first book, and was delighted to have this wide-ranging conversation about risk, autonomy and and the new politics. In such a divided time, his is one of the few voices that could appeal equally to a Californian surfer dude and a midwestern religious conservative. That’s why it’s so important. Have a watch.

Freddie Sayers talks to New York Times columnist Ross Douthat about his new book The Decadent Society, the religious aspect of antiracism protests, Obama and Trump, and whether lockdowns are a symptom of — or cure for — the decadent West.

Hold on to your hats, we hit some big topics in this half hour! Hope you enjoy.

Host Ayesha Hazarika is joined by Douglas Alexander, chair of Unicef UK and former Labour Party cabinet minister, and Sunder Katwala, Director of British Future think tank, to discuss their under-reported stories of the week.

Douglas discussed the importance of belonging and place, while Sunder asked why so few people are talking about the fate of the British in the EU post-Brexit.

Host Ayesha Hazarika is joined by comedian Matt Forde, and journalist Gavin Haynes, to discuss their under-reported stories of the week.

Matt highlighted the voluntary ban on betting ads during sporting events, while Gavin talked about the ongoing disintegration of UKIP.

The panel also discussed their heroes and villains of the week.

Subscribe to make sure you don't miss UnHerd's new podcast series featuring columnist Giles Fraser in which he talks to distinguished guests about how their beliefs shape who they are.

The first three episodes are out now. Search for 'UnHerd Confessions' to subscribe.

Ayesha Hazarika is joined by Novara Media Editor Ash Sarkar, and Paul Embery, trade union official and UnHerd columnist, to discuss their under-reported stories of the week.

Ash brought up the EU potentially fining Italy for setting an illegal budget, while Paul wanted to talk about the London Ambulance Service considering whether to tell its call handlers to avoid calling people 'Sir' or 'Madam' to cause offence.

The panel also discussed their hero of the week, Clement Attlee, while Ayesha asked whether people with different political opinions are villains, after John McDonnell gave an interview saying he couldn't be friends with Conservatives.

Ayesha Hazarika is joined by journalist Julie Bindel, and Trevor Phillips, former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, to discuss their under-reported stories of the week.

Julie raised the case of a transgender woman in Canada who has filed human rights complaints against 16 beauticians for refusing to perform a Brazilian wax service. Trevor wanted to talk about the Ministry of Defence missing its recruitment targets by a third.

The panel also discuss their hero of the week, Sammy Woodhouse, and villain, Anthony Ekundayo Lennon.

Ayesha Hazarika is joined by Will Tanner, former advisor to Theresa May, and Resolution Foundation Director Torsten Bell, to discuss their under-reported stories of the week.

Will talked about the government's Loneliness Strategy that launched on Monday, that revealed 22% of UK adults considered themselves lonely, and 3.8 million over-65s consider the TV their main form of company. Torsten raised the question of why none of us are talking about the budget, which is next Monday.

The panel also discuss their heroes of the week, Andrew Norfolk and Tessa Jowell, and villains, Angela Rayner and Anjem Choudary.

Ayesha Hazarika is joined by Melissa Benn, campaigner and author of Life Lessons: The Case for a National Education Service, and journalist James Bloodworth, to discuss their under-reported stories of the week.

James highlighted Amazon's pay-rise for its warehouse workers, while Melissa raised the case of the Italian village of Riace, whose mayor has been defying Italy's hardline Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini.

The panel also discuss their hero of the week, Monica Lewinsky, and villains, millennials.

Ayesha Hazarika is joined by Jamie Susskind, author of Future Politics, and social entrepreneur Zehra Zaidi, to discuss their under-reported stories of the week.

Jamie highlighted the use of algorithms by local government in predicting child abuse, and and Zehra raised the silence of Muslim nations on China's treatment of its Muslim Uighur population.