John Mearsheimer, Andrew Neil & Posie Parker on Gaza, populism & trans politics | Christmas special

[@sue.F]

Kellie-Jay Keen will be a thorn in the side of any party she chooses to stand against because she has the absolute courage and clarity to call out the trans madness.

[@anonnymous4684]

But she doesn't have the support. The overwhelming majority don't vote on culture war issues, as Laurence Fox found out to his cost.

[@xeganxerxes4319]

She will attract an enormous amount of the female vote form both sides, especially the left, as well as a lot of right-wingers who are annoyed about being sold out by the tories. She could be a ballot hit.

[@xeganxerxes4319]

@@anonnymous4684 Not true. I vote almost entirely on immigration and culture wars. I'll leave economics to the experts.

[@anonnymous4684]

@@xeganxerxes4319 That's you, but it's not what the polling shows. Culture war issues are typically quite low on people's list of priorities, with the economy, cost of living, NHS rating far more highly. A study by King's College London showed 'Just 1% of the public say transgender rights will be one of the main issues determining their vote in the election...'.

[@xeganxerxes4319]

@@anonnymous4684You don't know much. You are obviously a trans supporter. What happened in Russia will eventually come here and the overwhelming majority will support it.

[@GodsOwnPrototype]

Talking of things Britons never voted for...a majority Muslim costituency, officially more Muslims in the UK than the native British populations of the Northern Irish, the Welsh & Cornish combined, (to say nothing of unofficial numbers); or said in another way, enough to displace all Scots in Scotland. More broadly White British children are set to be a minority in schools in England within 12 years. The English rendered a minority in their homeland of England in a mere few decades & All Britons minoritised not just in the UK but across the whole British Isles a few short years after that. Demographic policies not only never proposed but never voted upon under multiple governments across several decades. The very opposite of what we want.

[@georgesdelatour]

No doubt Fraser Nelson will explain how he has empathy for your feelings, then press for even more immigration.

[@TP-om8of]

Fortunately Welby’s CofE is busy evangelising all those Muslims and will make them all good British Anglicans.

[@georgesdelatour]

@@TP-om8of Welby is down there on Dover Beach every day, explaining to the new arrivals how their false beliefs endanger their immortal souls.

[@KaisaPauliina-v6z]

I am Finnish and I just read in the news yesterday that in Germany they have 5.5 million muslims living permanently (the amount of muslim German citizens is more than 6 million, but some of them live abroad then..) Anyway, 5.5 million is the same amount as the whole population of Finland.. ..which made me think the muslims of Germany could have their own state within the state of Germany - the same size as Finland. Maybe it could be called "The Islamic Republic of Germany".. This is what Europe has gone to. And the amount of these migrants crossing the boarders is just getting more and more all the time. If something can not be done soon, how will Europe look like already in like 20-30 years time from now??

[@borderlord]

​@@KaisaPauliina-v6zJust make sure Finland doesn't go the same way! I notice more Islamic immigration into Finland!

[@sisiphas]

Thank you for a great show on every level. The Reform party and the Party for Women are exciting options. Posie Parker is a hero to many women including young women who are horribly silenced by thf cultudtd

[@anonnymous4684]

Most of the women at Parker's 'events' are middle aged and older. Her appeal is pretty minimal - less than 100k subscribers on KZbin - so she's likely to fall flat when it come to mainstream politics.

[@christinehirst317]

She should join forces with the reform party.

[@anonnymous4684]

@@christinehirst317 She's too much of an egomaniac to join forces. It has to be about _her_. She's basically a female version of Laurence Fox who will implode in the face of public scrutiny.

[@blue24563]

Reform have no answers. They just tell you what you want to hear. They are no more than populists with no detail or plan. Just like Trump in the US. If Tice threatened to fire every school teacher for teaching woke nonsense, they would just go on strike until they got their way and destroy our children’s education further. It’s about as unsophisticated as Trump’s plan for defeating ISIS - saying he would ‘defeat them very quickly’. Total nonsense only believed by truly ignorant, uninformed people.

[@alisonwren3624]

A main driver to Kellie-Jay’s wanting to stand is that the general public will actually hear about the horrors of transideology because you are allowed publicity which will reach the leftists who only ever listen to BBC and only read left-wing sources which continually misrepresent the issues.

[@clivefrear1784]

The mood and wishes of the voting public can only be ignored or misunderstood for so long. Historically the UK has been very tolerant of its leadership elite, but there is only so much it will put up with and the politicians aren’t reading the signs

[@yp77738yp77739]

The trick is to organise in sufficient numbers. I’m not a Francophile, however they keep their elite in check if they go too far, we have much to learn. We don’t even hold ours accountable, it’s our fault.

[@Enhancedlies]

if labour were not so INSANE on social issues, trans rights, womens rights, what rights? I just cant trust somebody is serious if they hold some of these views

[@vicicooper4720]

Enough of this word "populism". All parties are populist as they depend on the people to vote them in. Trouble starts when they are not populist and start to rule rather than govern.

[@blue24563]

Go and learn some political terminology. ‘Populism’ is not the same as ‘popular’. It’s very different. And it’s the complete opposite. Populists rule tyrannically as they are obsessed with state intervention in the lives of ordinary people. They don’t govern.

[@mikegray8776]

Well said. Media pretends there is this shining distinction between electorally-acceptable and “populist”. Are they suggesting that Tony Blair (mk1) was not a ‘Populist’? - I don’t think so !!!

[@yendid7587]

populist: the voice of people who are ignored by the elites

[@Ozgipsy]

I love this magazine. Subscribed in the UK, in Australia now, and now on social media. It’s been a fascinating two decades.

[@TheLydiaR]

I'll vote for Posies party.

[@carolinewalker3106]

Me too 🤍💚💜

[@louiseparker1915]

There is much strength of feeling amongst most women and men against this pernicious cult.

[@lotteingerslev5776]

Thank you SO much, Kellie-Jay! ❤❤❤

[@shirleybriggs1879]

23:33 Kellie Jay! ❤️

[@carolinewalker3106]

🤍💚💜

[@shmosel_]

Disappointing to hear Mearsheimer pushing an actual blood libel.

[@goldenbox7803]

Absolutely disgusting.

[@stevewalden1159]

He's Bonkers. He's also a university of Chicago Lecturer. Enough said!!! @@goldenbox7803

[@mikegray8776]

I have just lost ALL the respect I once had for Mearsheimer’s “Realist” position. His views on Ukraine were always a little flakey and over-apologist towards Putin - but to plead the case for Hamas & Palestine in the face of unprecedented hostage taking and sickeningly sadistic murders - is pure deranged Finkelstein / Zinn. Note that in his entire partisan anti-Israel (ethnic cleansing!) rant, he never ONCE referred to the horrendous plight of almost 200 remaining innocent Jewish hostages!! This is VERY telling.

[@igorsitnin2681]

i stopped listening after the professor said with a straight face that Amnesty intl is a gold standard human rights organisation

[@Breasail]

Yes, accusing Israel of war crimes and not a word about the horrific crimes perpetrated on innocent Israeli civilians by Hamas. Utterly disgraceful.

[@rachelsanger8629]

Unbelievable that on October 7th Hamas carried out a murderous pogrom of unbelievable sadistic and sexual savagery, recorded and boasted about it, seized hostages of all ages from babies to greatgrandparents many of whom are still in their hands and there is no global reaction of horror and condemnation. It shows that the huge Holocaust memorial and education industry has achieved precisely nothing. Leftwing feminists who are hysterical about a colleague touching their shoulder are not bothered about Jewish women raped to death so violently their bones are broken. What hypocrisy.

[@petervote7914]

I don't agree with Mearsheimer's view that Russia didn't want to conquer Kiev or more of Ukraine. They did. Russia had such a dim view of Ukrainian military power and they felt that the eastern Ukrainians would not fight and even welcome Russian troops that they sent in very few forces to invade Ukraine. And I am pro Russia. I remember at the start of the war, I thought that Ukraine would be conquered in 10 days. The Kiev regime would collapse like the Afghan regime. Zelensky would run away.

[@blackbaron0]

Well Russia struck at Kiev early on so taking Ukraine is the goal. Seems Putin got a lot of things wrong and now is probably hoping as much as anything else for a Trump win next year. Even with this though, Russia is in a much weaker position now than it expected, so this will have repurcussions for decades ahead.

[@therighthonsirdoug]

He's Putin's useful idiot who doesn't have a clue what he's on about.

[@samb2052]

I have to disagree with both of. Russia was bounced into a hurried invasion by Biden in December 21 when he announced that Ukraine would join NATO. At that point it was imperative for Russia to invade before NATO accession in order to prevent it. If the invasion had succeeded, as everybody at the time expected, they’d have had a free win. As it is, they’ve got to do it the slower way but they will prevent Ukraine joining NATO. Furthermore there is no prospect of Ukraine regaining its former Eastern provinces. They are now Russian in the eyes of the Russians. They will defend them with all means at their disposal.

[@Markusctfldl]

@@blackbaron0 On the contrary, if Russia wins the war playing out now, he will reap a FAR bigger bounty than he would have done if Kiev had agreed to the pretty modest demands Russia made back during the Istanbul negotiations, which would likely have given Zaporozhye and Kherson back to Ukraine in exchange for recognition of the rest and constitutional neutrality.

[@lodgercat]

The russians did not want to "conquer" Ukraine but wanted regime change in Kiev. They wanted to turn Ukraine into another Belarus. Nothing more, nothing less. The plan failed.

[@anonnemo2504]

Good luck to the founder of the Party for Women making sure "every T is perfectly dotted". Seriously, though, she spoke a great deal of sense.

[@maxcream6726]

Well done for having Professor Mearsheimer on to talk about Ukraine rather than the usual establishment talking heads. A refreshing change.

[@God_help_us]

They need to start changing the narrative on Ukraine as the obvious becomes more obvious 😂

[@scottmcvicker4971]

There are two biological sexes. Each sex has a standard gender expression. Some people wish to present in a fashion which does not align with the standard G.E. That's fine. Public tolerance offered to the non-conforming is a courtesy. Acceptance on the other hand is not a right nor can it be guaranteed.

[@deanunio]

The term “non-conforming” is where you lose this argument from my perspective. Conforming implies you have the right to tell me or anyone else to align to your belief. Your belief can be correct but you still don’t have the right to tell people to conform if they aren’t harming you or anyone else

[@johnnunn8688]

⁠@@deanunio, what don’t you understand about ‘public tolerance’ and ‘a courtesy’? (To the non-conforming)

[@deanunio]

⁠@@johnnunn8688if in doubt or someone challenges you, just ask them why they don’t understand…. weak arguing style. What you don’t understand is that by saying they are non conforming you are supporting a view that they are doing something that they should not be. Who are you, who is society to say. Unless it hurts someone - murder, violence, rape, stealing etc which have victims. Tolerance is simply allowing something you wish wasn’t there. Acceptance is viewing people’s choices / innate traits as just part of them and the broader society

[@Leebblue]

Isn't it nice to hear sensible people talking about sensible issues. Keep up the good work Spectator 👏

[@hormunculus]

GB News outcasts 😂 Mearsheimer has discredited himself against true intellectuals like Norman Finklestein! You feed your brain rubbish don’t be disappointed if you talk it 😂🎉😂❤

[@sheilasmart6985]

Freddy is very diplomatic! Mearsheimer failed to answer the question as to what Israel SHOULD have done in response to the October 7th massacre!

[@hazelwray4184]

It's what it should have done prior to that in terms of expanding settlements, etc. Christians and Christian sites were increasingly being targeted by Zionist zealots. Israel legitimised Hamas in order to undermine the PLO.

[@lodgercat]

Mearsheimer is nobody.

[@rachelsanger8629]

That's the question nobody ever answers. They have no answer .Thank god the Israelis fight for their own survival without waiting for the world's approval which they'll never get.

[@jefskijeff.7729]

Great show best of the year for me. The Freddie, Rod and Richard part was everything the spectator is about.

[@GeorgiosMichalopoulos]

True journalism still exists in 2023! Many thanks to The Spectator!

[@mnbv990]

agreed.

[@Booyaka9000]

What does the spectator have to do with journalism??

[@williamvorkosigan5151]

By Populism, do you mean policies that are popular with the majority of the people? AKA Democracy. People that bang on about Populism are anti democratic.

[@blue24563]

No, you need to educate yourself on political terminology

[@williamvorkosigan5151]

@@blue24563 Let me guess. You are in favour of Hyper Immigration and you voted No to Brexit. My political education is just fine think you.

[@blue24563]

@@williamvorkosigan5151 The fact that you guessed incorrectly on both points just proves my point even further and shows that you are a tribal ideologue susceptible to ignorant populism.

[@Currer.Ellis.Action]

Lovely to see Kelly-jay getting more media presence. When others cant be the voice of reason she is there, and speaks for so many women! 💜🤍💚 POW

[@derekbaxter3604]

Putin just wanted Ukraine to agree to not join NATO and they would have walked away? WTF? Who is this guy? Everything he says is so completely off.

[@charlycole7850]

Looking forward to the Party of Women

[@somersetjer]

Excellent discussion. I wish we'd heard a bit more from Mary Harrington, who is very articulate and persuasive.

[@williamvorkosigan5151]

The drift to the Tight of global politics simply demonstrates the the current so called Conservative Party is in fact the Liberal Party. All the Conservatives would have to do, to win a land slide, is adopt Right policies and actually push them through.

[@dawnemile7499]

Where is Maersheimer getting his information from about what the Israelis have said as if he was there? So the horrors inflicted on Israel by Hamas don't count? How were the allies supposed to threat the Nazis during WWII?

[@peterdockerty8077]

Wish Andrew would actually say the truth, Sunak has been useless because of the way he and his mates got rid of Boris and then Truss and were handed this technocrat with as much charisma and the flip flop Starmer

[@jdg9999]

This. Globalist coup.

[@TheLydiaR]

Boris and Truss got rid of themselves, the former through lying and the latter through incompetence.

[@hokeypokeypots]

When people are desperate, they turn to religion. The question that must be answered is why are people desperate.

[@smalltown2223]

Both of them have my vote. Richard’s line “politically homeless” is exactly how lots of us normal voters feel. We do not want Tory or Labour. Is Richard preparing to have Someone stand in every constituency?

[@ExileGilby64]

I dont think having a Woman's party is what anyone really wants in the long term, but i stand by her motivation. I think she would do better joining Reform.

[@abuyusef27]

KJ is still amazing

[@carolinewalker3106]

💜💚🤍

[@johndoe-vc1we]

What mearsheimer gets wrong on Israel is the intent which he then goes on to allege war crimes. The intent was to get the opponent in the shortest time to negotiate by applying pressure and denying humanitarian aid which amounts to resupplying the opponent.

[@jimbocho660]

Lmao

[@gerhard7323]

Posie Parker? Good on ya.

[@sabriya7647]

50:55 so senior Israeli officials making genocidal statements is just “emotional words”….the bias is unbelievable!

[@HamishBanish]

Great video, thank you Spectator

[@brianholmes3547]

Liddell is right on Gaza, we are bored with it, for two reasons. It takes publicity away from Ukraine and the Arab countries in the Middle East do not want to have a peace deal, so it is futile.

[@SimonWallwork]

I'm fed up hearing Meirshiers pathetic excuses for Putin.

[@stuarttyson786]

I believe there may well be value to many with an amalgamation of Reform and ‘the Ladies Party’, or whatever name they might eventually be allowed to use.

[@micahdembo5140]

The spectator is great. Get both UK and American editions. You won’t be sorry.

[@MarcusCorbett]

Mark Wallinger said of his life-size statue of Christ, made he thought as a commission for the then empty plinth in Trafalgar Square, that he liked it because it made Christianity seem strange again. Christianity is revolutionary from the cellular level on up. No wonder the Chinese come down so heavily on it.

[@joesoy9185]

I agree with Mearsheimer when he says that being against Israeli Government policy is not antisemitic.

[@Crouchy232323]

That is true, however it does not help our case. Israel is in a war and therefore our survival is more important than UK citizens' rights, only for the time being. We appreciate your compliance.

[@dawnemile7499]

Can you imagine Israel's opinion on British government policy being taken seriously? Yet all these Western countries feel that they should meddle in Israel's affairs. I think that they need to butt out.

[@dawnemile7499]

Why are people meddling in Israel's affairs when they respect other countries, even authoritarian regimes?

[@Crouchy232323]

@@dawnemile7499 I agree. Western countries did not meddle in the affairs of ISIS or the third reich so why is Israel the exception? It's antisemitism

[@davidevans6514]

'Putin didn't want this war.' Sorry, but wtf are you talking about?

[@proselytizingorthodoxpente8304]

Mearsheimer is so naive

[@davidevans6514]

@@proselytizingorthodoxpente8304 That's very generous of you. I find it hard not to conclude that there is something more wilful and malign about his position.

[@proselytizingorthodoxpente8304]

@@davidevans6514 You are either correct, or Mearsheimer is stupidly naive. One or the other.

[@TP-om8of]

@@proselytizingorthodoxpente8304Or they’re both right.

[@proselytizingorthodoxpente8304]

@@TP-om8of Willfully naive

[@peterhobday]

People may not believe in the biblical version of God, but today, millions in the West now believe that Jordan Peterson's version of what God represents is believable. After all, no one really knows what God is.

[@dvs21a]

Disappointing episode as usual when Freddy hosts. John Mearsheimer made a number of untrue, disingenuous, and Putin apologist statements without challenge. I expect better for my Spectator subscription.

[@bdnl6268]

Excellent episode as usual when Freddy hosts.

[@scottbuchanan9426]

When will people actually bother to substantiate their points? "Untrue", "disingenuous", "Putin apologist" -- easy to throw about such terms. Can we see some evidence or argument? Or don't you like having your presuppositions disturbed?

[@Markusctfldl]

@@scottbuchanan9426 Spectator-heads want to live in a fantasy comic book world where Zelensky is Superman and Putin is Hitler. lol.

[@lodgercat]

Me too. Ukraine was not going to get into NATO ever. Nor de jure nor de facto.

[@dawnemile7499]

Too often other countries attempt to fight Russia when the failures in the past should have been a lesson.

[@gerhard7323]

Currently I'm still not sure which one of the uniparty I'm going to vote for .....

[@alphabetaxenonzzzcat]

And The Spectator still haven't figured out that we have a uniparty pretending to be a democracy yet.

[@hugod2000]

Great channel .Great video. Incredible it has so few views.

[@Foxys1974]

I wish Posy would join reform! We’ve got to stop having so many options that split our votes…. I agree with every posy says. I am a woman, but I will put my vote to reform when it comes to it.

[@lovelover4408]

Her goal is to get enough support to run national ads that tell the truth you aren’t allowed to say - “No woman has a penis,” etc - so I don’t think she’ll be teaming up. She wants to peak the world

[@taylorlaing294]

I wish everyone would stop saying Labour will win. How do we know this. If labour get in it will be devastating for us all, especially our children. We need to have more confidence in the British public

[@evolassunglasses4673]

Nonsense. ConLab are a Uni-party. Conservatives love mass immigration as its cheap labour and future consumers for capitalism. 1.2 million immigrants just last year. The Anglo-sphere center Right has been the bulwark for the Globalisation project. It will take a Nationalist revolution to save our civilisation now. Everything else is a waste of time.

[@evolassunglasses4673]

Liberal Democracy = rule by international finance and the Merchant class

[@GodsOwnPrototype]

The Tories have been determined to ensure it happens.

[@anonnymous4684]

The Tories have been a disaster for children. Child poverty has increased and spending on schools has fallen in real terms. Sure Start, which helped many disadvantaged children, has been starved of funding, with over 1000 closing. If you think that the Tories care about children - except for their well-heeled own - you are sorely mistaken.

[@FC-PeakVersatility]

Main stream media want the conservatives out and MSM always gets what MSM wants

[@dawnemile7499]

No wonder Britain is in trouble with Andrew Neil saying with all seriousness that Rishi Sunak is a "decent man". One that doesn't keep his promises is a liar but he describes him as decent. What's with you peopleand the gaslighting of yourselves.

[@BonitaLee-q3k]

John Mearssheimer's controversial views are important for balance but did bring back memories of 'Comical Ali.

[@michelcharron4633]

Why? What he said re the run up to the Russian Federation's SMO, the numbers involved, and events at the beginning, are all verifiable. When talking about the 190, 000 thousand troops that were initially involved on the 'Russian' side he didn't differentiate, but the majority were made up of the militia's of Luhansk and Donetsk (who had already been fighting the Kiev regime's troops since 2014 ) Chechen's and the quasi private military company, Wagner.....Your 'Comical Ali' is out of place here, a wrong comparison.

[@lodgercat]

The 190.000 troops sent by Putin were NOT made up by Luhansk/Donetsk militia. Those were already busy in Donbass. Please substantiate your claim with some sort of proof or at least source it.

[@michelcharron4633]

​@@lodgercat I suppose I should ask you what is your source for the figure of 190, 000 "sent by Putin" ? I ask that because that figure is almost double the amount of troops reported by many sources including U.S. military intelligence as reported in the New York Times, and organisations such as the German data gathering company 'Statista', and many other open source outlets such as the BBC, who all give the number of Russian Federation troops who entered Ukraine on Feb 24 2022 as around 100, 000. Whilst I have heard former CIA and U.S. Department of Defence analysts, not to mention ex high ranking U.S. Military etc (all of whose names and where to find them I can give you if you really want them) say that the figure of 100,000 is slightly high, it hardly matters to the point Mearsheimer above was making ie in total it was a small force not capable of achieving what is being claimed in the 'West' was it's purpose. Of course following the forced withdrawals from Kharkiv and Kherson Regions (precisely because they didn't have enough troops committed) the subsequent mobilisation of 300, 000 reservists, as well as volunteers etc means that the Russian Federation now have a much larger military presence in the Region.

[@minty258]

The professor is either absolutely deluded or just a Putin apologist. He started with Chechnya, then went into Georgia and now Ukraine. He's stated time and time again that he views Ukraine as part of Russia and sevastopol as too strategic not to be under Russian control. He started to move against Ukraine after the fall of Yankovich and rejected west leaning elections. Joining NATO is an ill educated excuse. And even if it was, any country has a right to join any organisation it wants, a dictatorship neighbour has no right to either be against it or invade over it. If that excuse holds then Russia has a right to invade Finland now for joining NATO.....pathetic excuse to defend a dictators actions

[@karlernstbuddenbrock371]

Hello team. Enjoying your stuff, from SA

[@mister_bojangles]

It pains me to say this, but Hamas and the population of Gaza are effectively the same thing. These thugs were voted into power and sustained by the willing support of the majority of the Palestinians. Israel cannot untangle this by themselves, and Egypt seems to be happy to stand by and watch the show on their doorstop. More criticism of Jordan and Egypt needs to be heard.

[@laurenceegan6136]

The last election in Gaza was in 2006. 50% of the population of Gaza today are children (meaning they were either not born, or babies when the election took place). Hamas didn't even secure 50% of the vote in 2006. There will also have been a great many Gazans who weren't old enough to vote in 2006. So how many of the 2.2 million people living in Gaza today support Hamas? Who can say? But I'd be willing to bet that they are more popular now than they were on October 6. But following the logic of the original comment; every member of the UK population is the Tory party. Many would disagree...

[@glenp3985]

The interesting thing is that Egypt has systematically flooded out the Hamas tunnels and the world has said NOTHING. Israel floods out the tunnels and the immediate response is "genocide". Egypt ruthlessly murders migrants from Sudan or Eritrea. Israel tries to expel those that got through the fence and its "apartheid". Double standards every time.

[@michaelhawkins3624]

1. for Rod Liddle, Robert Fico's surname is pronounced: Fi ( as in the first syllable of "wicked") - TSO; 2. Posie Parker should join the Reform Party, both sides would gain and thereby increase their influence on the UK political scene.

[@alichisholm]

Who else came here to see Andrew Neil and John Mearsheimer in the same conversation?

[@hezkyden]

But they weren't ''in the same conversation''; they appeared in the same programme.

[@loboazulbleu2144]

Just came to see John Mearsheimer : )

[@joshuaharuni5546]

Mearsheimer chooses to judge Israel according to a morality that he would never choose to judge another country and makes the ridiculous assumption that Israel intends to ethnically cleanse Gaza and the West Bank. Based on what? Based on his own projections and prejudices. What he offers is opinion not analysis.

[@rohullahaymaq2295]

Thanks for an insightful coverage. Also, many thanks to Andrew Neil who is just brilliant.

[@edwinblake]

John Mearsheimer is such an insightful and interesting commentator.

[@sbirchsbirch6232]

Alas I am allergic to videos that contain John Mearsheimers. Even trace amounts.

[@hazelwray4184]

Mearsheimers - plural?

[@sbirchsbirch6232]

@@hazelwray4184 Yes, there are undoubtedly more Mearsheimers scuttling around in the ceilings. They are legion.

[@patrickevans8482]

Superb podcast.

[@janenoble6889]

I will be voting on the single issue of women's rights.

[@alisonwren3624]

Or probably not voting as all parties have drunk the KoolAyd…..I will spoil my ballot paper if no candidate shows support for women and LGB people. Don’t let them think you’re not voting due to apathy by just not going to vote! #Respect my sex or you don’t get my X” is what I’ll be writing on the paper. Thank goodness we still have a physical ballot paper, once it’s online there’ll be no chance of dissent!!

[@hugor1338]

Just checked. Neil is born 1949, so only 74 and 3 years younger than Trump. Liddle is 63. and Gray is 43. Median age of UK population is 41, leave out the kids so maybe fair enough.

[@cosimocub]

everything was very interesting. thank you

[@geertterhorst]

As clever as Mearsheimer is on his geopolitical analysis on the Ukraine, so stupid is he when it comes to the Gaza war. He doesn't perceive that if Hamas succeeds, or broader, if Israel is seriously harmed by the Islamists of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houtis, the effect of it will be gigantic for the West. We can expect endless and massive terrorist attacks, because the morale and self-confidence of the Islamists will be unshakable. The interest of the West, therefore, is clearly to stand with Israel, if we don't want the Islamist rabble to destroy our civilization.

[@tonysherwood9619]

Mothers dreading Christmas! - who does the heavy lifting?

[@craigcobbin7413]

Inflation is high in UK because of net zero expensive energy and made worse by mass migration. Tories are like lemmings flowing off a cliff refusing to change these two key polices which would move the dial in weeks if acted upon.

[@alastairhunter353]

Thanks... enlightening

[@Stecer2007]

Ed is clearly biased and misguided to have respect for Dawkins’ facile approach on religion - he admits just such a stance here. The anti Israel speaker should have been questioned by Douglas Murray for a proper debate. This was a poor advert for The Spectator.

[@peterdockerty8077]

The Muslim vote will be down for Labour as Mr Galloway smashes through, but the collapse of the SNP May hand Labour the keys to No10

[@lodgercat]

To M.Charron. (Sorry, I fail to go back up the thread of this discussion so the following may seem not to the point...) 1)I have no source for 190k but I had read the numbers were between 150 and 200k. If those were 90k, so be it. My point is the numbers would not enable a "conquest" of Ukraine. But it seems to me the russians just wanted to topple Zelensky in the classical fashion: taking the TV building, the presidential palace etcc and presenting a new strong man who would have organised elections Lukashenko style. All this expecting little or no resistance from Ukraine's army. So this was a miscalculation, whether 90k or 190k. 2) Some suggest "western" sources said Russia intended to conquer Ukr; the first comments I heard on "pro-Ukraine" TV channels I sometimes watch, is that the numbers (90k or more) were indeed low compared to, say the 500k the US sent towards Iraq.

[@phwbooth]

What did Richard Dawkins mean when he characterised the works of J.S. Bach as 'sublime'?

[@kingofdrama3236]

Just here for mearsheimer. The one rational voice.

[@thomasbentele2468]

The hope for the next generations of muslims is around, but the experience in Germany are the opposite, The third generation drifts back to ever more conservative muslim behaviours and believes, first because of the muslim mindset, that is mostly not fit for success in our hard learning, hard working, meritocratic endurance-economy (for example: Allah/God wants the wealth of the earth to go to the strongest believers), and second because of the state benefits, that accomplished with shadow economy or drug dealing makes them rich, if they stay within their community. The unconditional basic income (in Germany mostly given to migrants) kills their need/love/ambition to learn and work, like the first generation did.

[@hezkyden]

I noticed, in the clip of Biden meeting Sunak, that the PM stepped down from the higher step outside 10 Downing street on which he was standing just as Biden arrived. So the British PM was then seen to be shorter than the US President and was also standing sideways to the photographers so they could get the shot of both men as they shook hands. I wonder if it was a natural move by Sunak due to an inherent politeness or was it more like clever political awareness?

[@andysherris7949]

Nice to hear the voice of common sense from John Mearsheimer. These mainstream government voice sound boards drive me crazy.

[@DaThomas-b2t]

Does the Spectator interviewer never push back against the points raised by the interviewee? Mearsheimer said that for Putin and his government it was only about NATO, but what about all the comments regarding "denazification", "from Portugal to Vladivostok", territorial claims, etc.?

[@hugor1338]

Ed 'Cato' West, absolutely classical depths of gravitas.

[@andymac345]

I don’t agree with Mr. Neil, a lot of the jobs that are being created are jobs coming back post pandemic and with the cost of living people, are having to have a second or a third job .

[@irenelancaster3242]

Ed West mentioned Jonathan Haidt. Haidt is Jewish, belongs to a synagogue and believes in the efficacy of Jewish schools. He very much admires the Orthodox Jewish community for reasons that Christians are incapable of understanding. This edition has been appalling in its prejudice against the Jewish State and the Jewish religion, and I do wish you wouldn’t subsume every religion under Christianity which is part of the appalling woke culture which you tore apart in the first half of your programme. But Freddy Grey has a great deal of form on this subject and by the way, Happy Chanukah!

[@williamvorkosigan5151]

Rejected at the ballot box. Andrew Neil: "Rishi is a Patriot". Yes, but for which country? The US in which he chose to live? Perhaps, India in which he chose a wife who states on a legal document that she has no intention of living in the UK permanently and will return to live in India?

[@Attentionseekingnoob]

Sir Andrew Neil when?

[@dawnemile7499]

How is it that the moderator quoted Maersheimer so incorrectly.

[@louiseparker1915]

Please please don't vote for Labour.....! ( said by a lifelong Labour voter).

[@brianholmes3547]

The problem with all these small parties entering the political game is that they will give Labour a large majority and who knows what they will do with it.

[@samb2052]

Very likely, but we know what the Conservatives will and definitely don’t want more of that. It may be necessary (again) for the electorate to witness at first hand the disaster of socialism before turning to an alternative. The alternative will not be the Conservative Party.

[@paulhevan322]

So just say nothing and go with the flow of two party politics. Things have not changed and will not change under these two parties... which suits them. But the country is going backwards.

[@jackbradley3388]

Thanks for putting Dr. Mearsheimer on! The man is so right so often (look at his predictions about Ukraine from 10+ years ago) and yet also marginalized because he doesn't subscribe to "liberal" international relations theory, which has dominated post-cold war geopolitics.

[@sandramitchell1565]

I love my Spectator magazine I expect something more muscular from Freddy

[@davidevans6514]

Rod Liddle is right to say that people are rejecting neoliberalism. That is because all neoliberalism means is 'stuff I don't like.'

[@davidevans6514]

@beatonthedonis I'm aware of the word's dictionary definition; what I'm referring to is its usage.

[@TheMagicLemur]

Whilst I admire Richard Tice's guts for saying he'll be PM, it's more ludicrous even that Jo Swinson... given Lib Dems at least win parliamentary seats occasionally...

[@ErenYega747]

Yes as a young person, I have come into a greater appreciation of the religious needs inherent in a persons life and I believe it is increasingly obvious to many in my generation. My observation as to why it had become unfavorable with the rise of atheism isn’t due to how atheists were misguided or that religion really didn’t have a place in the modern world, but rather, the existing religious institutions such as the Catholic Church or institutional Christianity in the west had become corrupt. And the fact that these institutions called themselves religious was the reason religion had been dragged through the mud not only in the eyes of young people but society in general. The existence of prosperity gospels and pedophilic priests supported the argument that religion was a scam. Which for some church organizations, they certainly operated in such a way with no shame. Though controversial, I think regulation of these organisations in how they use their influence nefariously would have been helpful in restoring faith in the idea of religion. The sad thing is that to say this would bring accusations that by merely asking for regulation one can be accused of asking for religious persecution. The church and religious institutions themselves, and their followers, shoulder the most blame for the decline of religion and the rise of atheism. The many horrible acts that had been done in the name of religion which tied the word religion to these acts and people play a factor. So long as they still operate, the contention between atheism, religion and societal lack of faith will continue. Though being forgiving is part of the virtues of religion, there is a clear detriment to being forgiving to egregious acts and to say that rationality is inherently opposite to faith is also harmful. There can be a case where rationality and religion can coincide and that band of understanding is achievable

[@caspardavidfriedrich7916]

In terms of the international swing to the right, I think it's fair to say that Britain has already been there and done that to an extent. Brexit provided a unique opportunity for us to move much quicker in that direction, and the results speak for themselves. Hence, the weariness is there. America also had the same opportunity with Trump, and again, the results spoke for themselves. I think the Trump resurgence is purely down to Biden. Memes about his condition are not exclusively coming from the right, rather it is just a point of comedy across the spectrum.

[@notgiven3114]

@caspardavidfriedrich7916: You're as they say, drinking your own bathwater here. As an American who's been involved in politics for a long time, I'll say that Biden's pathetic nature has little to do with it.

[@KR-jq3mj]

Youth culture in law and policy needs more guidance from adults. Youth is short and transitoning to adulthood is full of turmoil. These children need reminding they will be adults for far longer, difficult to explain ... remember that feeling of invincibility forever aka youth.

[@craigmiller-randle8921]

The bullied nearly always become a bully themselves or at least revert to the behavior when pressured. It’s a sad but predictable foundation of human nature.

[@Catherine-2008]

Her name is Kellie-Jay, not Kellie-Jane. Please be respectful enough of your guests to get their name correct!

[@mikegray8776]

Would anyone ever want to go for a beer with Ed West ??

[@tonysherwood9619]

A country sacrificed by our special relationship!

[@TP-om8of]

13:00 Neal praises Bidenomics? He’s lost his mind

[@hezkyden]

The name 'Fico', the Slovak PM's name, is pronounced 'Feetso'.

[@paulfrancis3237]

John Mearsheimer is totally wrong about Ukraine.

[@sabriya7647]

He is totally right actually!

[@paulfrancis3237]

@@sabriya7647 We agree to disagree ..

[@MM-pi2sv]

​@@paulfrancis3237Sure thing.. you always retain right to be wrong!