Best Moderate Rebels Podcasts (2025)

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160* Hannah Arendt's Refugee Politics (JP) 21:04

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6h ago21:04

21:04

John's “Arendt's Refugee Politics” came out in Public Books in early November. He made the case that his favorite political philosopher, Hannah Arendt is an opponent both of identity politics and also of a cosmpolitan universalism that is blind to all the differences (of race, gender, belief) that make us who though not what we are. Going back to o…

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Can Feminism be African?: A Conversation with Minna Salami 34:01

6h ago34:01

34:01

Transcript of the interview Minna Salami is a writer, social critic, and thought leader on feminism, knowledge production, and the aesthetics and structures of power. She formerly served as Programme Chair and Senior Fellow at THE NEW INSTITUTE, where she led the Black Feminism and the Polycrisis programme. Her work sits at the intersection of idea…

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591. The BBC Betrayed Diana: The Shocking Truth About The Bashir Scandal 1:13:50

17h ago1:13:50

1:13:50

In this explosive episode of Heretics, investigative journalist Andy Webb joins us to uncover the extraordinary story behind Princess Diana, Martin Bashir, and the BBC’s most controversial interview in history. SPONSORS: Grab your free seat to the 2-Day AI Mastermind: https://link.outskill.com/GOLDNOV4 Start fresh at tryfum.com/products/zero-crisp-…

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Nicholas Buccola, "One Man’s Freedom: Goldwater, King, and the Struggle Over an American Ideal" (Princeton UP, 2025) 1:15:40

1d ago1:15:40

1:15:40

From the acclaimed author of The Fire Is upon Us, the dramatic untold story of Barry Goldwater and Martin Luther King Jr.'s decade-long clash over the meaning of freedom--and how their conflicting visions still divide American politics In the mid-1950s, Barry Goldwater and Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as the leaders of two diametrically opposed f…

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Carl Benedikt Frey, "How Progress Ends: Technology, Innovation, and the Fate of Nations" (Princeton UP, 2025) 54:29

3h ago54:29

54:29

In How Progress Ends: Technology, Innovation, and the Fate of Nations (Princeton University Press, 2025), Carl Benedikt Frey challenges the conventional belief that economic and technological progress is inevitable. For most of human history, stagnation was the norm, and even today progress and prosperity in the world's largest, most advanced econo…

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On Democracy and Bullshit with Hélène Landemore 1:06:15

22h ago1:06:15

1:06:15

Today I’m speaking with Hélène Landemore, Professor of Political Science at Yale University, about Democracy and Bullshit, with a special focus on her 2020 book, Open Democracy: Reinventing Popular Rule for the Twenty-First Century (Princeton University Press, 2020). Bullshit is a feature of both democracies and dictatorships alike, but it takes di…

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590. The Real Reason The BBC Keeps Lying To You - Telegraph Editor Camilla Tominey 1:15:30

3d ago1:15:30

1:15:30

In this new episode of Heretics, Andrew Gold speaks with Camilla Tominey about the growing public frustration with the BBC, the long-running accusations of BBC bias, and why so many viewers now feel the broadcaster has lost its sense of impartiality. From the Martin Bashir scandal and Princess Diana to the Trump documentary editing controversy, the…

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589. I'll Finally Expose The Elites Who Exploited Me - Anneke Lucas (Part 1) 50:18

7d ago50:18

50:18

Part 2 out in a few weeks! Anneke Lucas breaks her silence about life inside a hidden world of power, exploitation and control. In this exclusive HERETICS conversation, she sits down with Andrew to share her experiences growing up inside an elite European network, how it operated behind closed doors, and what it takes to reclaim your mind, body and…

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Lisa Vanhala, "Governing the End: The Making of Climate Change Loss and Damage" (U Chicago Press, 2025) 50:06

8d ago50:06

50:06

A searing account of how the international community is trying—and failing—to address the worst effects of climate change and the differential burdens borne by rich and poor countries. Climate change is increasingly accepted as a global emergency creating irrevocable losses for the planet. Yet, each country experiences these losses differently, and…

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588. Carol McGiffin - Loose Women Hid My Backstage Fight With This TV Star 59:28

10d ago59:28

59:28

Carol McGiffin joins Heretics for a brutally honest, no-holds-barred conversation about why she really left Loose Women and what was happening behind the scenes at one of daytime TV’s biggest shows. From explosive rows in the dressing room to being repeatedly censored by ITV, Carol explains how the atmosphere shifted as the show – and the wider ind…

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Wolfgang Wagner, "The Democratic Politics of Military Interventions" (Oxford UP, 2020) 37:32

10d ago37:32

37:32

According to a widely shared notion, foreign affairs are exempted from democratic politics, i.e. party-political divisions are overcome-and should be overcome-for the sake of a common national interest. This book shows that this is not the case. Examining votes in the US Congress and several European parliaments, the book demonstrates that contesta…

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Two Decades On: The African Union, Power, and Africa’s Democratic Future 36:38

10d ago36:38

36:38

When the African Union was founded in 2002, it promised to deliver a more united, prosperous, and people-centred continent. Two decades later, Africa’s political landscape tells a more complex story: one of ambition and frustration, democratic progress and reversal, renewed activism, and enduring inequality. How far has the AU come in shaping “The …

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Clint Smith, "How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America" (Little, Brown and Company, 2021) 1:27:27

11d ago1:27:27

1:27:27

How do we narrate history, both the troubling past and what we chose to remember? Clint Smith sets out to wrestle with this question and its relationship to enslavement in his first nonfiction book, How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America (Little, Brown and Company, 2021). From Monticello plantation to Angola …

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Ihnji Jon, "Cities in the Anthropocene: New Ecology and Urban Politics" (Pluto Press, 2021) 43:07

12d ago43:07

43:07

Climate change is real, and extreme weather events are its physical manifestations. These extreme events affect how we live and work in cities, and subsequently the way we design, plan, and govern them. Taking action 'for the environment' is not only a moral imperative; instead, it is activated by our everyday experience in the city. Based on the a…

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E. Alaverdov and M. W. Bari, "Cultural Heritage Protection and Restoration in Conflict and Post-Conflict Zones" (IGI Global, 2025) 38:18

12d ago38:18

38:18

The protection and restoration of cultural heritage is essential, especially in conflict and post-conflict zones. Armed conflicts frequently result in the destruction or collateral damage of cultural landmarks, artifacts, and traditions. In post-conflict recovery, preserving cultural heritage is not only a matter of historical conservation but help…

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What Democracy Does… and Does Not Do 29:31

12d ago29:31

29:31

This week on Democratic Dialogues, host Rachel Beatty Riedl welcomes Maya Tudor, Professor of Government and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. In her recent article, “What Democracy Does and Does Not Do,” published in the Journal of Democracy, Tudor examines one of the most urgent questions of our time: Does…

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587. 2063: The Year Britain Becomes Unrecognisable - Matt Goodwin 1:10:23

14d ago1:10:23

1:10:23

In this explosive episode of Heretics, Andrew Gold sits down with political scientist and author Matt Goodwin to discuss one of the most provocative questions shaping Britain’s future — what happens when white Britons become a minority? SPONSORS: Get up to 45% off Ekster with my code ANDREWGOLDHERETICS: ⁠https://partner.ekster.com/andrewgoldheretic…

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House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Consequential Black Congressman, Charles C. Diggs Jr. 55:13

14d ago55:13

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At the height of the civil rights movement, Charles C. Diggs Jr. (1922–1998) was the consummate power broker. In a political career spanning 1951 to 1980, Diggs, Michigan’s first Black member of Congress, was the only federal official to attend the trial of Emmett Till’s killers, worked behind the scenes with Martin Luther King Jr., and founded the…

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Jack B. Greenberg and John A. Dearborn, "Congressional Expectations of Presidential Self-Restraint" (Cambridge UP, 2025) 48:21

15d ago48:21

48:21

Political Scientists Jack Greenberg (Yale University) and John Dearborn (Vanderbilt University) have a new book that focuses on the idea of presidential self-restraint and the ways in which the U.S. Congress has tried to design Executive positions with an eye towards making real this dimension of presidential norms. The concept of presidential self…

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586. Suella Braverman: I Begged Liz & Rishi To Do This 1:19:16

17d ago1:19:16

1:19:16

Grab your free seat to the 2-Day AI Mastermind: ⁠https://link.outskill.com/ANDREWS2⁠ What is Englishness? Why did Suella Braverman clash with Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss over immigration? And would she really join Reform UK? In this explosive episode of Heretics, Andrew Gold sits down with former Home Secretary Suella Braverman to discuss British ide…

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Natasha Piano, "Democratic Elitism: The Founding Myth of American Political Science" (Harvard UP, 2025) 56:45

19d ago56:45

56:45

Do competitive elections secure democracy, or might they undermine it by breeding popular disillusionment with liberal norms and procedures? The so-called Italian School of Elitism, comprising Vilfredo Pareto, Gaetano Mosca, and Robert Michels, voiced this very concern. They feared that defining democracy exclusively through representative practice…

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Nancy Neiman, "Markets, Community and Just Infrastructures" (Routledge, 2020) 1:13:59

19d ago1:13:59

1:13:59

A series of market-related crises over the past two decades – financial, environmental, health, education, poverty – reinvigorated the debate about markets and social justice. Since then, counter-hegemonic movements all over the globe are attempting to redefine markets and the meaning of economic enterprise in people’s daily lives. Assessments of m…

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Rachel Myrick, "Polarization and International Politics: How Extreme Partisanship Threatens Global Stability" (Princeton UP, 2025) 25:52

19d ago25:52

25:52

Polarization is a defining feature of politics in the United States and many other democracies. Yet although there is much research focusing on the effects of polarization on domestic politics, little is known about how polarization influences international cooperation and conflict. Democracies are thought to have advantages over nondemocratic nati…

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Tamar Mitts, "Safe Havens for Hate: The Challenge of Moderating Online Extremism" (Princeton UP, 2025) 45:21

20d ago45:21

45:21

Content moderation on social media has become one of the most daunting challenges of our time. Nowhere is the need for action more urgent than in the fight against terrorism and extremism. Yet despite mass content takedowns, account suspensions, and mounting pressure on technology companies to do more, hate thrives online. Safe Havens for Hate: The…

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585. I Beat Heroin and Prison - Then Got Cancelled for Talking to Tommy Robinson - Cullan Mais 1:16:44

21d ago1:16:44

1:16:44

Once a heroin addict and serial shoplifter who stole over £10 million worth of goods, Cullan Mais has turned his life around — only to be cancelled for daring to interview Tommy Robinson. In this explosive Heretics interview, Andrew Gold digs into Cullan’s raw journey from 12 prison sentences, collapsed lungs, and multiple rehabs to finding redempt…

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Elif Kalaycioglu, "The Politics of World Heritage: Visions, Custodians, and Futures of Humanity" (Oxford UP, 2025) 58:18

21d ago58:18

58:18

What does it take to construct humanity's cultural history and what do these efforts produce in the world? In The Politics of World Heritage (Oxford UP, 2025), Elif Kalaycioglu analyzes UNESCO's flagship regime, which seeks to curate a cultural history of humanity, attached to "outstanding universal value" and tethered to goals of peace and solidar…

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Democratic Dialogues: Pathways of Democratic Backsliding, Resistance, and (Partial) Recoveries 42:09

23d ago42:09

42:09

A podcast from Cornell University’s Brooks School of Public Policy Center on Global Democracy About the Podcast Each week, co-hosts Rachel Beatty Riedl and Esam Boraey bring together leading scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to explore the challenges and possibilities facing democracy around the world. Produced by Cornell’s Center on Global…

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584. They Destroyed Me Over an Affair - But the Real Story Is Far Worse - Ex-UKIP Leader Henry Bolton 1:03:21

24d ago1:03:21

1:03:21

Former UKIP leader Henry Bolton joins Andrew Gold on Heretics for one of the most explosive political interviews of the year. From the scandal that ended his career to his warnings of Britain’s looming collapse, Bolton opens up about everything — corruption in Westminster, mass immigration, Islamic influence in the Balkans, and whether the UK is he…

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Garrett Hardin’s Tragic Environmentalism 1:15:27

24d ago1:15:27

1:15:27

An ecologist in California claimed that the iron laws of nature locked humanity into destroying our environment. This meant that we must take drastic measures to rein in unfettered capitalism and the American habit of overconsumption, lest we deplete our common resources. That argument made Garrett Hardin one of the most influential and celebrated …

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Kate Epstein on How Twentieth-Century Technology Theft Built the National-Security State" (U Chicago Press, 2024) 1:33:30

24d ago1:33:30

1:33:30

In this episode I sit down with Kate Epstein, an associate professor of history at Rutgers University-Camden, as she details her research on the intersection of defense contracting, intellectual property, and government secrecy in Great Britain and the United States. We talk about her process in researching and writing her latest book Analog Superp…

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Michael Lazarus, "Absolute Ethical Life: Aristotle, Hegel and Marx" (Stanford UP, 2025) 1:07:03

25d ago1:07:03

1:07:03

Absolute Ethical Life: Aristotle, Hegel and Marx by Michael Lazarus Karl Marx gave us not just a critique of the political economy of capital but a way of confronting the impoverished ethical quality of life we face under capitalism. Interpreting Marx anew as an ethical thinker, Absolute Ethical Life provides crucial resources for understanding how…

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Taru Salmenkari, "Global Ideas, Local Adaptations: Chinese Activism and the Will to Make Civil Society" (Edward Elgar, 2025) 43:34

27d ago43:34

43:34

Exploring the boundaries, fringes, and inner workings of civil society, Taru Salmenkari investigates local forms of political agency in China in light of the globalization of political values, practices, and institutions in Global Ideas, Local Adaptations: Chinese Activism and the Will to Make Civil Society (Edward Elgar, 2025). She provides a theo…

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Hindutva and Anti-Christian Violence in Contemporary India 19:53

27d ago19:53

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Kenneth Bo Nielsen is Associate Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oslo and leader of the Centre for South Asian Democracy. M. Sudhir Selvaraj is Assistant Professor at the Department of Peace Studies and International Development at the University of Bradford. Kathinka Frøystad is Professor of South Asia Studies at the Universit…

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583. The UN’s Darkest Secret: Whistleblower Exposes Global S** Crimes 1:10:04

28d ago1:10:04

1:10:04

Is the United Nations one of the most corrupt organizations in the world? Former UN investigator Peter A. Gallo exposes shocking truths from inside the UN — from systemic sexual abuse, cover-ups, and moral hypocrisy, to its complicity in global conflicts. In this explosive Heretics interview, Peter reveals how peacekeepers exploited women and child…

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Matthew D. Nelsen, "The Color of Civics: Civic Education for a Multiracial Democracy" (Oxford UP, 2023) 47:18

28d ago47:18

47:18

Matthew D. Nelsen, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Miami, has a new book out that focuses on the content of civic education in the United States, and how we learn about the diverse and varied history of the United States. There is an ongoing and contemporary conversation about civic education in the United States, a…

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Nathan E. Sanders and Bruce Schneier, "Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship" (MIT Press, 2025) 43:32

28d ago43:32

43:32

AI is changing democracy. We still get to decide how. AI’s impact on democracy will go far beyond headline-grabbing political deepfakes and automated misinformation. Everywhere it will be used, it will create risks and opportunities to shake up long-standing power structures. In this highly readable and advisedly optimistic book, Rewiring Democracy…

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Yong-Shik Lee, "Sustainable Peace in Northeast Asia" (Anthem Press, 2023) 1:02:36

29d ago1:02:36

1:02:36

In the long run, countries in Northeast Asia will have to see the need for collective defense. Otherwise, you won’t be able to stop rivalry between powers like the U.S. and China. It sounds utopian now, but so did the idea of French and German soldiers serving under the same command a century ago. – Y.S. Lee, NBN Interview (2025) Sustainable Peace …

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Aileen Teague, "Policing on Drugs: The United States, Mexico, and the Origins of the Modern Drug War, 1969-2000" (Oxford UP, 2025) 55:18

29d ago55:18

55:18

Today, images of cartels, security agents donning face coverings, graphs depicting egregious murder rates, and military guards at US border crossings influence the world's perception of Mexico. Mexico's so-called drug war, as generally conceived by journalists and academics, was the product of recent cartel turf wars, the end of the PRI's single pa…

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José Marichal, "You Must Become an Algorithmic Problem: Renegotiating the Socio-Technical Contract" (Policy Press, 2025) 32:21

1M ago32:21

32:21

In the age of AI, where personal data fuels corporate profits and state surveillance, what are the implications for democracy? This incisive book You Must Become an Algorithmic Problem: Renegotiating the Socio-Technical Contract (Policy Press, 2025) explores the unspoken agreement we have with tech companies. In exchange for reducing the anxiety of…

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582. I Toured With Monster Ian Watkins - Josh Friend (Modestep) 42:35

1M ago42:35

42:35

Andrew Gold sits down with Josh Friend, frontman of Modestep, to discuss his disturbing experiences touring with Ian Watkins of Lostprophets — the disgraced rock star who was recently killed in prison. SPONSORS: Go to https://TryFum.com/HERETICS and use code HERETICS to get your free FÜM Topper when you order your Journey Pack today! Use Code ANDRE…

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Massimo Modonesi, "The Antagonistic Principle: Marxism and Political Action" (Haymarket, 2019) 43:07

1M ago43:07

43:07

What does it mean to be a political subject? This is one of the key questions asked by Massimo Modonesi in The Antagonistic Principle: Marxism and Political Action (2019), published as part of the Historical Materialism book series from Brill and Haymarket books. The book takes on the theories of Marx and Gramsci to develop a philosophical triad …

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Elisabeth R. Anker, "Ugly Freedoms" (Duke UP, 2022) 1:00:09

1M ago1:00:09

1:00:09

Freedom is often considered the cornerstone of the American political project. The 1776 revolutionaries declared it an inalienable right that could neither be taken nor granted, a sacred concept upon which the nation was established. The concept and actualization of freedom are also to be defended by the state. However, when such a concept has been…

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In Search of Green China: Ma Tianjie on Pan Yue and the CCP’s “Ecological Civilization" 1:16:13

1M ago1:16:13

1:16:13

A former journalist and environmental campaigner named Pan Yue rose through the ranks of the Chinese Communist Party, championing the concept of “ecological civilization.” This green dream combines elements of traditional Chinese culture with eco-Marxism, suggesting a radical reorientation of humanity’s relationship to the natural world. Is the ide…

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Piotr Pietrzak, "Strengthening International Relations Through Transformative Theory and Practice" (Information Science Reference, 2025) 1:02:46

1M ago1:02:46

1:02:46

As the world becomes more connected, strengthening international relations is essential for fostering global stability for economic and cultural growth. By integrating theory and practice applications, nations can move beyond traditional diplomatic approaches to embrace new strategies. By applying transformative theories, it allows for fresh perspe…

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David Stasavage, "The Decline and Rise of Democracy: A Global History from Antiquity to Today" (Princeton UP, 2020) 39:13

1M ago39:13

39:13

Historical accounts of democracy's rise tend to focus on ancient Greece and pre-Renaissance Europe. The Decline and Rise of Democracy: A Global History from Antiquity to Today (Princeton University Press, 2020) draws from global evidence to show that the story is much richer--democratic practices were present in many places, at many other times, fr…

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581. Leaked Emails Expose What Andrew & Epstein Were Hiding 41:16

1M ago41:16

41:16

Royal biographer Andrew Lownie joins me to dissect the newly leaked emails between Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein — messages that appear to contradict Andrew’s own claims about cutting ties with Epstein years earlier. What do these emails really reveal about their friendship, the royal family’s inner workings, and the moral rot beneath the crown…

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Gianna Englert, "Democracy Tamed: French Liberalism and the Politics of Suffrage" (Oxford UP, 2024) 1:13:05

1M ago1:13:05

1:13:05

Does good democratic government require intelligent, moral, and productive citizens? Can our political institutions educate the kind of citizens we wish or need to have? With recent arguments "against democracy" and fears about the rise of populism, there is growing scepticism about whether liberalism and democracy can continue to survive together.…

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EXCLUSIVE: Big Brother Kicked Me Off for This | George Gilbert Breaks Silence 1:04:53

1M ago1:04:53

1:04:53

In this explosive episode of Heretics, we sit down with George Gilbert, recently removed from Big Brother for alleged offensive behaviour. We dig deep — what really happened inside the house, how the show handled it, and whether the backlash was deserved or overblown. You won’t want to miss George’s side of the story, his reflections on freedom of …

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Gustav Meibauer, "The No-Fly Zone in US Foreign Policy: The Curious Persistence of a Flawed Instrument" (Policy Press, 2025) 48:30

1M ago48:30

48:30

Suggested additional channels: Political Science, National Security, American Politics, Middle Eastern Studies, Eastern European Studies, New Books with Miranda Melcher NB: I don’t think this needs to go on General History The no-fly zone is a frequently used instrument in the US foreign policy arsenal, despite detrimental, or even catastrophic, re…

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Naomi R. Williams, "A Blueprint for Worker Solidarity: Class Politics and Community in Wisconsin" (U Illinois Press, 2025) 45:04

1M ago45:04

45:04

Naomi R Williams is associate professor of Labor Studies and Employment Relations at Rutgers University. Their primary research interests include labor and working-class history, urban history and politics, gender and women, race and politics, and more broadly, social and economic movements of working people. Naomi focuses on worker voice and late-…