To split or not to split? Moderates in the Labour party have long agonised over the party’s hard left direction. But this week, things are coming to a head. The anti-Semitism sore has flared up again – Stephen Bush tells us on the podcast that the witch hunt against Luciana Berger has shocked many moderates in the party. Labour’s fudgy Brexit position is also in the limelight as Theresa May continues to fail to bash through the Brussels defence, with MPs who support a second referendum disheartened by Corbyn’s ambivalence towards it. In this week’s cover article, Nick Cohen writes that a new party may be born very soon – and why not? Given all the political upsets of the last three years, he argues that a shake-up of our two-party system is not outside the realms of possibility. Isabel Hardman talks to Nick and Stephen in an intellectual, informed conversation, strategising the next steps for the Labour party and its factions:
This week, we also run a hard-hitting feature from a talented young writer. Soutiam Goodarzi was six when she was first made to wear a hijab, subjected to Iran’s compulsory law on the headdress. Ten years later, she goes to school in Leeds and has taken off the veil. On the podcast, she tells us why she believes the hijab is victim-blaming and oppressive, and liberal moves like World Hijab Day are just plain offensive.
We also talk to Daily Mail columnist Jan Moir about her gripe with the Royals. Love them as she does, she’s noticed a streak of victimhood in their language. The letter of support from Meghan Markle’s friends railing against the ‘global bullying’ she suffers is just the latest example in a generation of younger Royals who forget just how privileged they are. Jan joins us on the podcast, together with freelance royals correspondent Victoria Murphy, formerly at the Daily Mirror.
I hope you enjoyed this podcast. As ever, do let us know either way by rating and reviewing us, or commenting below. You can listen and subscribe to The Spectator’s complete audio collection here; or to find previous episodes of The Spectator Podcast, simply click here.
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