The Winston Marshall Show

In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with journalist and former government adviser Ben Judah to dissect the Chagos Islands deal, Diego Garcia, and the geopolitical battle shaping Britain’s future.

We examine why the UK agreed to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, the role of the International Court of Justice, and how UN decolonisation rulings placed mounting legal and diplomatic pressure on Britain. Judah explains the strategic importance of Diego Garcia, the sensitive US military capabilities based there, and why American officials quietly pushed London towards a settlement.

The conversation explores China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean, the risk of Mauritius pivoting towards Beijing, and why British officials feared losing access to critical US military infrastructure. We debate sovereignty, international law, national security, and whether Britain was defending its interests or surrendering territory under diplomatic pressure.

We also discuss the future of Britain’s Overseas Territories, proposals to integrate them more fully into the United Kingdom, and whether the Chagos deal reflects strategic realism or managed decline.

A serious and wide-ranging conversation about geopolitics, American power, China’s rise, and whether Britain still knows how to protect its global position.
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:20 The Strategic Importance of Diego Garcia
06:32 The Secret US–UK Deal and “Super Capacities”
09:35 UN Rulings, ICJ Pressure & China’s Role
12:09 Why Washington Forced Britain’s Hand
14:47 Legal vs Military Defence: The China Risk
18:52 Could Mauritius Win a Binding Judgment?
21:17 Why the Americans Might Move the Base
23:10 The Real Prize: UK Access to US Capabilities
28:54 “Everything Changes So Nothing Changes” – Inside the Deal
30:00 Can Mauritius Invite China In?
32:31 Why Rubio, Vance & the Pentagon Backed It
35:29 Trump’s Flip-Flop and the Iran Question
40:31 What If Mauritius Breaks the Agreement?
42:31 Why Britain Is Paying 0.2% of Its Defence Budget
44:33 This Isn’t About Land — It’s About Power
45:30 Legal, Diplomatic & Hard Power Layers of Defence
51:52 Overseas Territories: From Colonies to “Overseas Kingdoms”
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In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with historian and Middle East scholar Raymond Ibrahim for a deep historical examination of the Crusades, the centuries long conflict between Islam and Christianity, and the moral framework of just war.

We challenge the modern narrative that portrays the Crusades as unprovoked Christian aggression, and instead trace the centuries of Islamic expansion that preceded them, from the conquest of the Levant and North Africa to the fall of Christian territories across the Mediterranean. Ibrahim lays out the theological, military, and political realities of the era, arguing that the Crusades were understood at the time as defensive wars within a Christian just war tradition.

The conversation explores jihad doctrine, papal authority, pilgrimage routes, the Byzantine appeal for help, and the brutal realities of medieval warfare on all sides. We discuss how both Christian and Muslim chroniclers recorded atrocities, enslavement, and religious violence, and why sanitised or selective readings distort the period.

We also examine how the Crusades are invoked in modern political rhetoric, why historical memory shapes contemporary tensions, and whether the West has lost confidence in telling its own story honestly.

A rigorous and unfiltered discussion about faith, war, civilisation, and what the Crusades really meant in their own time.
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WATCH THE EXTENDED CONVERSATION HERE: https://open.substack.com/pub/winstonmarshall/p/heroic-the-uncensored-history-of?r=18lfab&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction
03:09 The 7th Century Islamic Conquests and Europe’s Shock
07:30 How Early Christians Interpreted Islam
11:41 Jihad: Faith, Plunder, or Both?
16:57 Just War Theory and the Theology of Violence
20:00 The Rise of the Seljuk Turks and New Atrocities
23:35 The Destruction of the Holy Sepulchre
27:48 Pacifism vs Defence: What Did Christ Teach?
31:36 The “Two Swords of Christ” Explained
41:16 Medieval Honour vs Modern Materialism
47:37 Pope Urban II and the Call to Crusade
49:12 The People’s Crusade and the Rhine Pogroms
52:32 The Professional Crusaders March East
58:42 Why They Fought: Holy Land and Christian Solidarity
1:00:07 The Capture of Jerusalem
1:03:35 The Birth of the Knights Templar
1:18:00 Saladin and the Loss of Jerusalem
1:48:00 How the Crusades Are Misunderstood Today
2:01:00 Did the Crusades Ultimately Fail?
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In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with science writer and sceptic Michael Shermer to debate truth, morality, atheism, and whether reason alone can ground a moral system.

We examine David Hume’s is-ought problem, the foundations of human flourishing, and Shermer’s argument that survival and well-being provide a rational basis for ethics. I challenge him on whether this is simply a different kind of leap of faith, and whether Enlightenment liberalism ultimately rests on inherited Judeo-Christian assumptions about the individual, the soul, and human dignity.

The conversation explores empiricism, pragmatism, evolution, and the limits of reason, alongside debates about Christianity, secular humanism, and whether religion provides measurable social benefits. We also tackle the legacy of New Atheism, the rise of woke ideology, environmentalism as a quasi-religion, and whether the moral arc of history truly bends toward justice.

A wide-ranging and philosophical exchange about faith, reason, truth, and whether the modern West can defend its moral foundations without returning to religion.
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To see more exclusive content and interviews consider subscribing to my substack here: https://www.winstonmarshall.co.uk/
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FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Substack: https://www.winstonmarshall.co.uk/
X: https://twitter.com/mrwinmarshall
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Linktree: https://linktr.ee/winstonmarshall
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Chapter
00:00 – Can You Derive Morality from Science?
01:28 – Hume’s Is–Ought Problem Explained
05:00 – Why Human Flourishing Is the Moral Starting Point
08:04 – Survival vs Death: The Ultimate Moral Question
12:27 – Christianity vs Enlightenment Morality
19:25 – Do Religious People Live Longer?
23:04 – Empirical Truth vs Religious Truth
25:00 – The Resurrection: Literal or Literary?
28:14 – Can Reason Justify Reason?
30:00 – Is Religion “Pragmatically True”?
35:15 – New Atheism & the Rise of Wokeism
38:06 – Environmentalism as a New Religion
45:06 – Does History Bend Toward Justice?
47:47 – Grooming Gangs, Slavery & Modern Injustice
50:00 – Trans Ideology, Moral Reversal & Vigilance
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In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with novelist and cultural critic Lionel Shriver for a wide-ranging conversation on immigration, national identity, childlessness, and the psychological roots of progressive politics.

We begin with the backlash to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s claim that Britain has been “colonised,” and explore why immigration has become the most morally charged issue in Western politics. Shriver argues that debates over borders, demographic change, and the so-called “great replacement” divide societies into irreconcilable camps, and that mass migration touches deep anthropological instincts that elites refuse to acknowledge.

The discussion moves beyond economics into culture and psychology, examining performative guilt, self-righteousness, and what Shriver calls the narcissism at the heart of modern progressive ideology. We explore why national identity has been hollowed out, why anti-border politics often coexists with hyper-individualism, and how the collapse of religious faith has left a moral vacuum filled by activism.

We also debate falling birth rates, the status of motherhood, childlessness, and whether Western societies can survive demographic decline without either restoring cultural confidence or radically transforming themselves. Shriver argues that a civilisation unwilling to reproduce itself cannot expect to endure.

A provocative and deeply philosophical conversation about immigration, identity, family, and whether the West still believes in itself.
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WATCH THE EXTENDED CONVERSATION HERE:: https://www.winstonmarshall.co.uk/
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FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
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Linktree: https://linktr.ee/winstonmarshall
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Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
02:17 Has Britain Been “Colonised”?
05:38 The Great Replacement: Theory or Demographic Fact?
08:15 Why Immigration Became a Moral Absolute
11:29 White Guilt, Vanity & Progressive Psychology
14:35 The Nation State vs Borderless Ideology
18:06 Self-Obsession & the Progressive Mindset
23:31 The White Saviour Complex Explained
26:39 Do the Left Even Believe in Countries?
31:35 From Liberal to Conservative: Shriver’s Turning Point
35:49 Women, Motherhood & the Politics of Immigration
41:08 Childlessness, Status & Cultural Decline
49:01 Radical Individualism & the Loss of Norms
57:40 If We Don’t Have Children, We’ll Be Replaced
1:12:38 Immigration Rage, Identity & What People Really Feel
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In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with investigative journalist and feminist campaigner Julie Bindel for a forensic and deeply disturbing conversation on Britain’s grooming gang scandal, institutional failure, and the ongoing cover-up.

Julie traces the origins of the r*pe gang crisis back to the 1990s, long before it became national news, and explains how police, social services, and local authorities repeatedly ignored warnings from families. We discuss cases from Leeds, Blackpool, Rotherham, Telford, and London, and examine why organised child sexual exploitation by predominantly Pakistani Muslim gangs was treated as politically untouchable.

The conversation explores the role of multiculturalism, fear of being labelled racist, and the systematic refusal to prosecute perpetrators or protect victims. Julie outlines how many abused girls were instead criminalised, dismissed as troublesome, or left trapped in prostitution, while those responsible faced little accountability.

We also examine Sadiq Khan’s denial of grooming gangs in London, the contrast between county lines drug crime and organised r*pe networks, and Rupert Lowe’s independent inquiry into the scandal.

Julie argues that without a full statutory inquiry, with real legal consequences, justice will remain out of reach for thousands of victims.

A harrowing and unflinching discussion about child sexual exploitation, state failure, political cowardice, and whether Britain is finally prepared to confront one of the darkest chapters in its modern history.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To see more exclusive content and interviews consider subscribing to my substack here: https://www.winstonmarshall.co.uk/
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FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Substack: https://www.winstonmarshall.co.uk/
X: https://twitter.com/mrwinmarshall
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/winstonmarshall
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/winstonmarshall
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:41 The Origins of Grooming Gangs
07:13 Police & Social Services Failures
09:41 Why the Media Refused to Report It
14:28 The Charlene Downes Case Explained
18:55 The Guardian Rejection
22:23 Politics & Institutional Fear
26:37 The London Grooming Gangs Reality
31:53 Sadiq Khan, County Lines & Race Baiting
35:48 Why the Victims Were Blamed
47:16 The National Inquiry & What It Must Expose
53:22 Trafficking Girls to Pakistan
59:58 “Hundreds of Thousands” of Victims
1:02:25 Quashing Victim Convictions & Amnesty
1:05:09 Starmer, Political Will & What Happens Next
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