Best of the Spectator

For the full episode, search 'Quite right!' wherever you are listening now. This week: Michael and Maddie dissect Donald Trump’s audacious raid on Venezuela and ask what it reveals about power, national interest and the unravelling of the rules-based order. Was America acting like a rogue state – or simply doing what states do when their interests are at stake? And could Britain learn a thing or two from how they conduct their foreign policy, specifically with regard to the Chagos Islands?Then, closer to home, they unpack the scandal surrounding West Midlands Police and the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans. Who really made the call – and what does it tell us about two-tier policing and the erosion of equal justice?And finally: are weight-loss jabs like Ozempic and Wegovy quietly reshaping society – and what will happen when the prices drop later this year?Produced by Oscar Edmondson.To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, visit spectator.co.uk/quiteright Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Regular listeners will remember back in May we recorded a podcast debating whether Kemi Badenoch was the right fit for Tory leader. At that point in time the Conservatives were falling in the polls and she was facing allegations of laziness and a lack of a political vision. Spool forward to the end of the year and she is in her strongest position ever. She looks more assured in PMQs, her conference speech was a hit and her media game is much improved. But is she actually getting better, or is Starmer getting worse? And will this modest bump in fortunes translate to success at the local elections?James Heale speaks to Paul Goodman, Lara Brown and William Atkinson.Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Cosmo Landesman says life is too short to watch boring shows; Alex Diggins reports back from the Bukhara art biennial; Lucy Dunn provides her notes on BuzzBallz – which featured at the Spectator’s Christmas party; and, Richard Bratby reviews L’amour des trois oranges at the Royal Northern College of Music and Ariodante at the Royal Opera House. Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US launched a military operation in Venezuela, targeting the regime in Caracas and detaining President Nicolás Maduro, who has been transferred to New York where he faces charges of narcoterrorism. Donald Trump has described the move as a decisive defence of American interests, but critics point point to the double standards when it come to Trump's ‘America First’ doctrine.Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of The National Interest, joins Freddy Gray to discuss the strategic importance of Venezuela’s oil reserves, the role of socialism in the country’s collapse, and how Trump may seek to manage the risk of regional backlash and a counter-insurgency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Heale sits down with Sir John Curtice, the doyen of British polling, to take stock of an extraordinary year in UK politics and to look ahead to what 2026 might hold. Curtice explains why the rise of Reform UK during the spring local elections marked a historic turning point – establishing the longest period in polling history where a party outside the traditional Conservative–Labour duopoly has led nationwide and assesses Labour’s continued slide, the unprecedented collapse in support for both major parties, and the growing influence of the Greens under new leadership.John also explores why Britain has entered a new era of multiparty politics, how cultural divides now rival economic ones, and why neither Labour nor the Conservatives can rely on their old electoral coalitions. He breaks down the challenges facing each party in Scotland, Wales and England ahead of next year’s crucial local and devolved elections, and considers how fragmentation, voter disillusionment and shifting identities could reshape the political landscape. Will 2026 see the definitive end of the two-party consensus?Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.