Podcasts about Britain

Who were the Vikings' ancient ancestors? In this episode Tristan Hughes explores the fascinating maritime culture, sophisticated trade networks and social hierarchies of the Nordic Bronze Age c. 1800–700 BC. Joined by Professor Johan Ling, they shed light on how proto-Viking societies of ancient Scandinavia imported essential metals, crafted stunning rock art using bronze tools and operated complex trade routes extending to Britain, Iberia and beyond. Enigmatic religious practices and the pivotal role played by elite kinship networks are brought to life through remarkable archaeological finds such as horned helmets and a golden sun chariot to reveal the remarkable complex societies that preceded the Viking Age.MOREThe Bronze Age CollapseMycenae: Cradle of Bronze Age GreecePresented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic SoundsThe Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 5 November 1605, Guy Fawkes became infamous not for what he achieved, but for what he failed to do: kill King James VI & I and bring down the British parliament. But what if the Gunpowder Plot had been successful? How would it have reshaped Britain, Europe and even the wider world? And would Shakespeare have written 'Guy Fawkes' instead of 'Macbeth'?In this special episode Professor Suzannah Lipscomb explores one of history's most tantalising "what ifs" with a panel of historians: Jessie Childs, Gareth Russell and Professor Anna Whitelock.Mary I: What If She'd Lived?Gunpowder Plot: Tudor OriginsPresented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, the audio editors are Alex Elkins and Amy Haddow and the producers are Fiona Turnock and Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.Sign up to History Hit to see this episode on film and for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here: https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Faith, fear, and full-tilt weirdness collide on The Paranormal 60 News.This week: the Vatican's chief astronomer says he'd baptize an alien, a haunted doll in Britain won't stop swearing, an English pub hides a grave under its bar, a psychic's “reading” sparks a police report in China, Virginia's masked intruders turn out to be family, Kenya erupts over midnight witchcraft, and Italy's City of Witches still casts its spell, a hidden, haunted gem in Minnesota, PLUS a Brand New Upon Further Review.Paranormal News to Make You Nervous Edition - The Paranormal 60 NewsPLEASE SUPPORT THE ADVERTISERS THAT SUPPORT THIS SHOWTrue Classic - Step into your new home for the best clothes at True Classic ⁠www.TrueClassic.com/P60⁠Raycon Everyday Earbuds - Save up to 30% Off at ⁠www.buyraycon.com/truecrimenetwork⁠Cornbread Hemp - Save 30% off your first order at ⁠www.cornbreadhemp.com/P60⁠ and enter P60 into the coupon codeMint Mobile - To get your new wireless plan for just $15 a month, and get the plan shipped to your door for FREE, go to ⁠⁠⁠www.MintMobile.com/P60⁠Cozy Earth - Begin your sleep adventure on the best bedding and sleepwear with Cozy Earth: ⁠https://cozyearth.com/⁠ use Promo Code P60 for up to 40% off savings!Steam Beacon TV - Your home for Paranormal, Horror & True Crime TV ⁠https://streambeacontv.com/⁠⁠⁠Love & Lotus Tarot with Winnie Schrader - ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://lovelotustarot.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠PLEASE RATE & REVIEW THE PARANORMAL 60 PODCAST WHEREVER YOU LISTEN!#Paranormal60 #DaveSchrader #WeirdNews #Supernatural #HauntedDoll #AlienBaptism #CityOfWitches #WordsIsHard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bugle turns 18 — and we're not done celebrating yet! In Part 2 of our birthday special, Andy Zaltzman is joined by Alice Fraser and Nish Kumar to take a sideways look at some of the week's more alternative headlines.

From burying cash to busting into the Dome, Lee Wenham's criminal career reads like a Hollywood script. But how does a small-time crook end up masterminding one of Britain's most audacious heists? Alice Levine and Matt Forde sit down with Wenham to uncover the man behind the plan. He reveals how breaking into the Dome was easier than cracking a cash point, why diamonds never impressed him and how prison life was a breeze (for him, at least). Plus, the one regret that still haunts this reformed robber.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Helen Pidd heads to Crawley, West Sussex, the place in the UK with the highest number of asylum seekers and supported refugees relative to its population. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

World leaders are heading to Brazil ahead of the upcoming UN Climate Summit there. One of the highest profile attendees is Britain's Prince William. But before that, he's hosting his own gathering for his annual Earthshot Prize. Today, Christiane moderates the Earthshot Impact Assembly and she sat down with the man at the center of it all, Prince William.  Also on today's show: Brian Lehrer, Radio Host, WNYC & Ron Brownstein, Bloomberg Opinion Columnist; author Scott Galloway ("Notes on Being a Man")  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Freedom of speech may be under assault in America, but that's nothing compared with what's going on in the United Kingdom, where police are arresting 33 people every day for social media posts. Matt Kibbe sits down with Reem Ibrahim, head of media for the Institute of Economic Affairs, to discuss how Britain has become so authoritarian, the difference in attitude between the British and American public, and whether there is any hope for the nation that gave us the Magna Carta to embrace liberty again.

In Margaret Atwood's 64-year career she has published world-renowned, prescient novels like The Handmaid's Tale, Cat's Eye, Alias Grace and Blind Assassin, and now a memoir. Margaret joins Nuala McGovern to discuss Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts and reflect on her life, her work and the power of knowing her own mind. We also reflect on the impact Margaret Atwood has had on writers and academics. Author Naomi Alderman and academics Dr Rosamund Portus and Dr Megan Douglas join Nuala to discuss how Margaret has encouraged and inspired their work across literature, science and beyond. Health Secretary Wes Streeting in an interview in The Guardian today says an “ugly” racism reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s has become worryingly commonplace in modern Britain and NHS staff are bearing the brunt of it. In recent weeks, organisations representing nurses, social workers and carers - many of those being areas are dominated by women - have been sounding the alarm saying their members are encountering unprecedented levels of racism. We talk to Patricia Marquiss, Director for England at the Royal College of Nursing, Nadra Ahmed, Executive Chairman of the National Care Association and Harvey Gallagher from the Nationwide Association of Fostering Providers.Is having a boyfriend now embarrassing? Writer Chanté Joseph recently explored this idea in an article for Vogue and on social media, observing a noticeable shift in how people - particularly heterosexual women - present their relationships online. Instead of posting clear photos of their romantic partners, many are choosing subtler signals: a hand on a steering wheel, clinking glasses, or even blurring out faces in wedding pictures. But why the change? Even Zohran Mamdani, the new Mayor of New York, was asked whether it's still okay to use the term boyfriend. Chanté joins us.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Simon Richardson

What was life really like for the poor and powerless in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars? In this episode of the Explaining History podcast, we're joined by Katharine Quarmby, author of the powerful new historical novel, The Low Road.Set in 1813, The Low Road is a story of hardship, struggle, and love found in the most brutal corners of English life. Based on a true story unearthed from her hometown in Norfolk, Catherine's novel follows an orphaned girl, Hannah, as she navigates the cruel institutions of the time—from the philanthropic but oppressive Refuge for the Destitute in London to the harsh reality of transportation to Australia.We delve deep into the history, discussing:The "age of austerity" and economic slump that crushed the rural poor after the Napoleonic Wars.The brutal system of transportation—the largest forced migration of British people in history—and its dual injustice to those exiled and Indigenous populations.The hidden lives of women in service, the systemic predation they faced, and the stark choices they had to make.The surprising and tender queer relationships that flourished in the all-female spaces of workhouses and convict ships, and how these bonds of love and loyalty became a form of resistance.Join us for a fascinating conversation that uncovers the resilience of the human spirit against a backdrop of state violence and social injustice. The Low Road is a masterful work that brings a forgotten history vividly to life.Purchase Katharine Quarmby's The Low Road from your favourite independent bookseller, in the show notes below.Find the Explaining History Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory▸ Join the Community & Continue the ConversationFacebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcastSubstack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com▸ Read Articles & Go DeeperWebsite: explaininghistory.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listeners on the Best of Spectator playlist can enjoy a section of the latest episode of Quite right! but for the full thing please seek out the Quite right! channel. Just search ‘Quite right!' wherever you are listening now. This week on Quite right!: Rachel Reeves goes on the offensive – and the defensive. After her surprise Downing Street address, Michael and Maddie pick over the many kites that have been flying in advance of the Budget at the end of the month. Was she softening the public up for tax rises, or trying to save her own job? Michael explains why Reeves is wrong to say that Labour's inheritance is the reason for our current economic misfortune and says that it is ‘absolute bollocks' that Brexit is to blame.Next, a chilling weekend of violence sparks a bigger question: are we witnessing the rise of nihilistic crime in Britain? From the Huntingdon train stabbings to rampant shoplifting, are we becoming used to the ‘anarcho-tyranny' that is taking hold – where petty crimes go unpunished and public order breaks down?And finally, from Halloween to Bonfire Night, the culture wars go seasonal. Michael and Maddie debate whether we should loathe ‘pagan' Halloween and instead turn 5 November into a national holiday.Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Jeff returns on Right On Radio to cut through the noise and outline a sweeping, controversial big-picture view of current events. In this episode (recorded on November 4), Jeff focuses on visible, real-world developments: the high-stakes election day in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City; alleged traps and ballot irregularities; and what he calls the “one big club” running both left and right politics. He opens with a removed AI campaign ad parody and uses it to frame the New York mayoral contest (Mamdani vs. Cuomo) as symptomatic of wider influence and dark-money backing. Jeff plays and dissects several clips and news reports, including an AI political ad, a CNBC segment about alleged "dark money" backing, and coverage of a high-profile federal sex-trafficking arrest. He shares eyewitness-style descriptions of viral police videos (a dangerous vehicle incident in Toronto and a bizarre seatbelt gag clip) to discuss policing, DEI hiring critiques, and cultural decline. The show also samples conservative media moments (Alex Jones on Tucker Carlson) and commentary by public figures to connect alleged elite networks and cover-ups. The episode delves into long-form conspiracy threads as well: Jeff revisits Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell ties, discusses claims about Bill Barr and elite prep-school networks, and plays clips tying together influential names. He moves from domestic scandal to international symbolism and institutions — exploring a historical claim about a Vatican–King of England contract, a rare joint public prayer by King Charles and the Pope, and a viral narrative about Trump, Britain and the monarchy — arguing these moments reveal a larger financial and geopolitical architecture dominated by banks, the City of London, and transnational elites. Throughout, Jeff asserts a narrative that the "old guard" is eroding and dramatic events may unfold in November. He points to apparent coincidences (satellite-image claims linking military formations to Fort Knox and a coded DJT address), dark-money influences (mention of Soros funding), and mainstream underreporting of elite criminality. The episode blends reportage, video clip reactions, historical anecdotes, and interpretive commentary to advance its thesis that power is concentrated in an exclusive club and that viewers should stay alert. Guests and sources referenced include CNBC reporting clips, a report on Howard Rubin's federal arrest, commentary segments from Patrick Bet-David, a short Alex Jones/Tucker Carlson excerpt, and several viral social-media videos. Jeff closes with announcements about upcoming shows, a promotional plug for his "Decoding the Power of Three" course on RightOnU, and a call to community, faith and awareness as the show invites listeners to decide how they want to live in the visible world. Want to Understand and Explain Everything Biblically?  Click Here: Decoding the Power of Three: Understand and Explain Everything or go to www.rightonu.com and click learn more.  Thank you for Listening to Right on Radio. Prayerfully consider supporting Right on Radio. Click Here for all links, Right on Community ROC, Podcast web links, Freebies, Products (healing mushrooms, EMP Protection) Social media, courses and more... https://linktr.ee/RightonRadio Live Right in the Real World! We talk God and Politics, Faith Based Broadcast News, views, Opinions and Attitudes We are Your News Now. Keep the Faith

1910.  When Britain calls on Canada to help fund its naval arms race with Germany, Wilfrid Laurier faces his greatest political test since the Boer War.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-nations-of-canada--4572969/support.

In February 2021, Prince Andrew's birthday still carried faint traces of royal recognition, though the tone was already subdued. The bells at Westminster Abbey were initially scheduled to ring for him, a tradition usually reserved for senior royals, though public backlash quickly followed given his ongoing exile from royal duties. While his family reportedly marked the day privately, the UK government had already stopped requiring official buildings to fly the Union Flag in his honour — a quiet but telling sign of his fading royal stature. Even with some ceremonial remnants, the mood around his 61st birthday was one of awkward restraint rather than celebration.By February 2022, the contrast could not have been sharper. Amid mounting public anger and the fallout from his legal settlement with Virginia Giuffre, his 62nd birthday passed with no royal fanfare, no public tributes, and certainly no bells ringing. Councils and institutions across Britain declined to fly the flag, and even within the royal household, his day was reportedly marked in muted isolation. Once a senior member of the monarchy celebrated with pomp and protocol, Andrew had become a symbol of disgrace, spending his birthday largely out of sight — a living reminder of how far a prince can fall when reputation collapses faster than privilege can shield it.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

In this thought-provoking episode, host Bryan Dawson welcomes Father Calvin Robinson—a British Anglican priest, commentator, and outspoken cultural critic—for a wide-ranging conversation about faith, politics, and the challenges facing Western civilization. The discussion opens with Dawson recounting how he met Father Calvin at a Turning Point USA event in Huntsville, Ala., where the two connected over shared convictions and a passion for defending truth in turbulent times. Father Calvin shares his personal journey from the United Kingdom to the United States, explaining how his willingness to speak out on issues of national identity, faith, and culture has come at great personal and professional cost. Together, he and Brian explore the state of modern Britain, the rise of multiculturalism, and the tension between religious freedom, national values, and political correctness. Father Calvin describes what he views as the moral and spiritual decline of Western Europe, citing the erosion of Christian foundations and the emergence of parallel social and legal systems. The conversation turns to broader cultural questions, including the role of men and women in society, the decline of family life and faith, and the moral consequences of abortion and secularism. Both Dawson and Father Calvin frame these trends as symptoms of a deeper spiritual crisis—one that transcends politics and calls for a renewal of moral courage and conviction. Though controversial and at times unsettling, this episode offers a candid and unfiltered look at how two Christian thinkers interpret the West's current crossroads. Listeners will hear strong opinions, passionate arguments, and sobering reflections on faith, culture, and the future of civilization. Whether you agree or disagree with their views, this conversation invites reflection on what it means to preserve truth, tradition, and belief in an increasingly divided world. Tune in for an unflinching dialogue on faith, culture, and the courage to stand firm in conviction—no matter the cost.

In this thought-provoking episode, host Bryan Dawson welcomes Father Calvin Robinson—a British Anglican priest, commentator, and outspoken cultural critic—for a wide-ranging conversation about faith, politics, and the challenges facing Western civilization. The discussion opens with Dawson recounting how he met Father Calvin at a Turning Point USA event in Huntsville, Ala., where the two connected over shared convictions and a passion for defending truth in turbulent times. Father Calvin shares his personal journey from the United Kingdom to the United States, explaining how his willingness to speak out on issues of national identity, faith, and culture has come at great personal and professional cost. Together, he and Brian explore the state of modern Britain, the rise of multiculturalism, and the tension between religious freedom, national values, and political correctness. Father Calvin describes what he views as the moral and spiritual decline of Western Europe, citing the erosion of Christian foundations and the emergence of parallel social and legal systems. The conversation turns to broader cultural questions, including the role of men and women in society, the decline of family life and faith, and the moral consequences of abortion and secularism. Both Dawson and Father Calvin frame these trends as symptoms of a deeper spiritual crisis—one that transcends politics and calls for a renewal of moral courage and conviction. Though controversial and at times unsettling, this episode offers a candid and unfiltered look at how two Christian thinkers interpret the West's current crossroads. Listeners will hear strong opinions, passionate arguments, and sobering reflections on faith, culture, and the future of civilization. Whether you agree or disagree with their views, this conversation invites reflection on what it means to preserve truth, tradition, and belief in an increasingly divided world. Tune in for an unflinching dialogue on faith, culture, and the courage to stand firm in conviction—no matter the cost.

Trump brings Gaza war crimes home to US autistics.Using starvation to subjugate people is a war crime, whether at the point of a gun or denying SNAP benefits.November 1st, SNAP halted. Healthcare funding threatened. Social Security could vanish, Trump warns. 42 million Americans face losing food assistance. Not someday—right now.A nation that uses starvation on its own civilians? I'm no lawyer, but I'd argue that's tantamount to war on its own people. Any day of the week. And I consider it a crime in its own right, even if courts reserve “war crime” for armed conflict.I can hear it already: “You're being dramatic. That's hyperbolic. You can't compare domestic policy to Gaza.”Watch me.Medieval siege techniques. Surround them and starve them out. Whether it's Gaza or Indiana.What's Actually Happening?The Trump administration threatens benefits we count on to exist as political leverage during government shutdown negotiations. Support promised to the American public for decades, transformed into weapons to get what Trump wants.Here's what international law says about that. The Rome Statute explicitly classifies starvation of civilians as a war crime, a crime against humanity. Around the world, deliberately depriving people of food for political gain—that's defined as genocide.These aren't my words, they're international law.Gaza starvation: internationally recognized war crime.SNAP weaponization: They can call it an unfortunate policy choice, but it's the same tactic, just a different population. Location doesn't change that. Denying food to gain power simply is withholding food, withholding life for power. They're not negotiating. They're holding a gun to our heads.Why Autistics First?Numbers tell you everything you need to know. Autistics face an 85% unemployment rate. So we depend a lot on SNAP—I do. Most of us depend on Medicaid to see our doctors, and many of us are disabled, unable to work. So SSI dependency just to live, it's a high priority.The government knows exactly who gets hit when they pull these levers: autistics, neurodivergents. We're the most vulnerable first. We have the least political power of any minority group, I think.And look at the language they use. “Efficiency.” “Streamlining.” “Reducing dependency.” It's the old Nazi “useless eaters” logic dressed up in techno-bro management appeal. Killing off the weak, dusted off and wrapped in budget terminology. We're the testing ground, that's how it always works. Start with disabled people. Normalize the tactic. See who complains, see if you can get away with it. Then expand to the next group.We're the canaries in the coal mine. We die first. And we're already choking.The Roll Call of History: Every Empire Does ThisWant to know how I know this is a war crime? Because every failing empire does exactly this. Brings colonial violence home. Every. Single. One.France took torture techniques from Algeria, brought them home for Paris riot control. The U.S. militarized policing in the Philippines, deployed in Ferguson. Britain did the exact same thing: tactics used in the Irish colonies, in India, that came home to British workers as labor disputes escalated.This isn't speculation. This is documented history. The Ottoman Empire in its death throes: Armenian genocide, Greek genocide, Assyrian genocide. Ancient Rome. Ancient Egypt. Every single one.The pattern is always the same. It starts with unpopular groups: Jews, immigrants, disabled people, people they call “defective,” “foreign,” “unproductive.” Test on them first, see if anyone notices, see if anyone stops you, then expand.Scholars have a term for this: the “boomerang effect.” Or “internal colonialism”—when you apply colonial logic to your own people. Black radical thinkers saw this first, by the way. They recognized the pattern decades ago.The Gaslighting Ends HereSo when someone says “You're being dramatic”? No. I'm being historically accurate.“That's hyperbolic.” The Rome Statute disagrees. I can read you the details.“You can't compare domestic policy to war.” Every empire in history already done that. They already made that comparison for me.We're not comparing tragedies. “Who's suffering more than who?” We're recognizing tragedy.When policy debates require trigger warnings like this article, like this livestream, maybe it's not policy.When negotiations threaten survival, maybe they're not negotiations.When efficiency means starvation, maybe it's not efficient. It's fucking violence.That need for trigger warnings says it's violence. Not discourse. We're not being fragile. We're being informed. We're watching it happen in real time. Hell, it's obvious in every bowl of beans I eat instead of a hell of heavily tariffed hamburger.What We DoLiving through empire in decline: deadly for many. But here's what we do.We call it as we see it. We refuse sanitized language.When they say “policy,” we call it violence. Because starvation kills as sure as a bullet. Just slower.When they say “negotiate,” we name it hostage taking for the purpose of political power.When they say “efficiency,” we shout starvation tactics.It's medieval siege by budget. No catapults. No cannons. Just clean spreadsheets.We document the pattern. We recognize what's really happening while it's happening. We tell the truth about what we're witnessing. And we survive together.How? Let's talk again soon on meaningful resistance, survival, and mutual aid. I'm nearly ready to share my thoughts next week in my next livestream.The Picture I Want to Leave You WithTrump brings Gaza war crimes home. Not as a metaphor—as a moral diagnosis.Same tactics, similar intent, different location, same fucking outcome.Starvation is starvation. Siege is siege. Death is death. Even if the law reserves “war crimes” for battlefields and guys in uniform.Starting with autistics, starting with disabled people, starting with poor people, starting with anyone who needs to eat and expanding from there. Because that's how it always works.That's not drama, not autistic overreaction. If I ever hear that again—fuck the gaslighting we've lived through all our damn fucking lives.That's international law in definitions. That's documented history in its examples. That's pattern recognition across eras. We're just the ones recognizing it first.ClosingListen, that's all I got really. This episode, it's why I do these livestreams. Why I need this community, you guys.Because when they gaslight us, we need witnesses. We need truth.When they isolate us, we need each other.When they threaten our survival, we need to document what's happening in real time.See you next week around the same time. We'll talk resistance, mutual aid. What actually works when the empire comes home.Till then?Stay weird.Stay fierce.Stay alive.Key Timestamps for Chapter Markers:* 0:00 - Opening Thesis* 1:08 - What's Actually Happening* 2:23 - Why Autistics First* 3:19 - The Roll Call of History* 6:35 - The Gaslighting Ends Here* 7:50 - What We Do#AutisticAF Out Loud Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. Click to receive new posts free. To support my work, consider choosing a paid subscription.* 8:56 - The Picture I Want to Leave You With* 10:03 - Closing This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnyprofaneknapp.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to the fifth series in the annual podcast programme from Academic Archers, bringing you papers from our 2024 conference.Please note: the sound quality on this recording is not as clear as usual. We apologise for this and thank you for your understanding.This episode explores how privilege endures across generations in Ambridge and what that means for social mobility.The Glass Floor in Ambridge: How Does Privilege Endure? - Claire AstburyAmerican sociologist Heather Johnson coined the concept of “the glass floor”: the behaviours by which advantaged families ensure their children maintain high status regardless of ability. Abigail McKnight extended this analysis in Britain in a 2015 Social Mobility Commission study, highlighting how opportunity-hoarding blocks mobility.This paper applies the concept to Ambridge, tracking families in higher social grades (AB and C1) and mapping the position of their children and grandchildren over time. It considers how affluent families may hoard opportunities, limiting the prospects of less privileged residents.Case studies highlight the complexities: Freddie Pargeter, despite a poor academic record, prison sentence, and unstable work history, has avoided poverty and gained a management trainee scheme through family connections. Meanwhile Rex Fairbrother, from a privileged background, is juggling multiple low-paid jobs, living on a boat, and facing similar challenges to Ed and Emma Grundy.The paper raises key questions about how privilege, opportunity, and disadvantage intersect in Ambridge.About the speakerClaire Astbury is a long-standing Academic Archers contributor with a particular interest in housing, social mobility and inequality, bringing professional expertise and academic insight to her work on Ambridge.If you enjoy our work and would like to support Academic Archers, you can Buy Us a Coffee – buymeacoffee.com/academicarchers.

Send us a textAt just 18 years old, Arran Ritchie is already representing Great Britain on the duathlon stage — balancing training, racing, and everyday life as a young athlete. In this episode, Arran joins [Host Name] to share his journey from local club races to pulling on the GB kit, and what it really takes to perform at the highest level in one of the sport's toughest disciplines.We talk about:

George Noory and filmmaker Mark Christopher Lee discuss the 1980 UFO sighting near a military base in Rendelsham Forest in England, if there was a coverup of the sighting to prevent the truth from getting out, and the strange incidents still happening in the forest nearly a half century later.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is three weeks until the Budget – and Rachel Reeves wants to get her narrative out there. The Chancellor held an early morning press conference today to, in her words, ‘set out the circumstances and the principles' guiding her thinking on 26 November.Her speech followed a familiar pattern. First, there was the evisceration of the ‘austerity', ‘reckless borrowing' and ‘stop go of public investment' which characterised the last 14 years. In her 25-minute speech in Downing Street, one line in particular stood out: ‘If we are to build the future of Britain together', Reeves said, ‘we will all have to contribute to that effort. Each of us must do our bit.'Crucially, she refused to rule out breaking her manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT. Megan McElroy discusses the groundwork she's laying for the budget with James Heale and Michael Simmons. See the graph Michael refers to here: https://data.spectator.co.uk/pollsBecome a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A routine walk home. A man beaten for being himself. And a city forced to confront its quiet complicity.In 2005, 24-year-old Jody Dobrowski was walking home through Clapham Common when he crossed paths with two strangers who decided his sexuality made him a target. The attack was so violent that even seasoned detectives were shaken. But what began as another hate-fueled assault soon sparked a national reckoning and a moment that would expose the limits of tolerance in modern Britain and change the way the country talked about queer safety forever.In this episode of Beers With Queers: A True Crime Podcast, we trace the life and legacy of Jody Dobrowski, a young man whose death helped shape the conversation around homophobia, violence, and justice in the UK's LGBTQ+ community. This is not just a gay murder case. It's a story of systemic failure, activism, and resilience that still echoes today in queer history.Hosted by Jordi and Brad, Beers With Queers brings chilling crimes, queer stories, and twisted justice to light, all with a cold one in hand.Press play, grab a drink, and join us as we uncover the darkest corners of LGBTQ+ history.

After decades of waving away electoral reform, Labour and the Tories suddenly have a reason to question First Past The Post – the nightmare prospect of a Reform government. Has proportional representation's time finally come? How might it happen? And what system would work for Britain? Proud elections wonk David Klemperer of the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath joins Rachel Cunliffe and Andrew Harrison for the world's first Single Transferable Podcast.  ESCAPE ROUTES • Rachel recommends K-Pop Demon Hunters on Netflix.  • David recommends West End Girl by Lily Allen.  • Andrew recommends the 30th anniversary reissue of Different Class by Pulp.  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Andrew Harrison and Rachel Cunliffe. Audio and video production by Chris Jones. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Kelly family are third-generation turkey farmers who have dedicated their lives to breeding the best turkeys in the UK. For 52 years, they have gone against the trend and stuck to century's old tried and tested practices to produce wild birds with an extraordinary depth of flavor.  This year they celebrate 52 years as Britain's most awarded turkey. But most importantly, 52 years of providing wild turkey the way we are all meant to enjoy. The Kelly family raise Bronze Turkeys that are wild (which is notches above free-range). Left free to run, forage and grow slowly to fully mature in woodlands across 3 seasons - spring, autumn and winter. Compare this to the average turkey which is grown for 8 weeks, often in commercial barns.  Paul Kelly and his family run turkey farms in the UK and in the US, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountain. We discuss: The fascinating history of the turkey, from its origins in Mexico to becoming the bird of choice for royal feasts in England. How modern breeding has changed the flavor and quality of turkeys, and why KellyBronze turkeys are raised differently. The traditional practices of dry plucking and hanging, and how they create a richer, more tender bird. Why cooking technique and temperature matter just as much as the quality of the turkey itself. The case for enjoying turkey year-round, and how to find farmers who prioritize flavor, sustainability, and animal welfare. Learn more about Paul Kelly and KellyBronze wild turkeys https://www.kellybronze.co.uk   Learn more about High Vibration Living with Chef Whitney Aronoff on www.StarseedKitchen.com  Get 10% off your order of Chef Whitney's organic spices with code STARSEED on www.starseedkitchen.com  Follow Chef Whitney Aronoff on Instagram at @whitneyaronoff and @starseedkitchen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 174 of the UK Travel Planning Podcast, host Tracy Collins is joined by resident train travel expert Doug Collins to share highlights from his six-week rail adventure across the UK. Travelling from London to Scotland and back again, Doug explored major cities, rural stations and some of Britain's most scenic routes while gathering video content for upcoming YouTube guides.In this episode, you'll learn:✅ Which UK train routes offer the most spectacular views✅ How to use passes like the BritRail Flexipass to save money and travel easily ✅ Tips for planning, booking and adapting a multi-week rail itinerary ✅ What to expect when travelling by train across England, Scotland and Wales ✅ How to make the most of UK Travel Planning resources, from our Guide to UK Train Travel ebook and itinerary consults to upcoming train workshopsWhether you're dreaming of a rail-focused itinerary or just want insider insight into how the UK rail network really works, this episode is packed with practical advice, first-hand stories and expert recommendations to help you travel with confidence.

On this week's Spectator Out Loud: Luke Coppen looks at a new musical subgenre of Roman Catholic black metal; Mary Wakefield celebrates cartoonist Michael Heath as he turns 90 – meaning he has drawn for the Spectator for 75 years; looking to Venezuela, Daniel McCarthy warns Trump about the perils of regime change; Michael Simmons bemoans how Britain is beholden to bad data; and, Hugh Thomson looks at celebrity terrorists as he reviews Jason Burke's The Revolutionists. Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hour 2 of A&G features... Mamdani as mayor of NYC & socialism vs. capitalism Theme park scare Dodger celebration & CEO salaries Britain's economy damaged in the name of climate change See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Remember, remember the Fifth of November…” It's one of the most famous rhymes in English history, but behind the fireworks and bonfires lies a night of terror, faith, and betrayal that almost changed the course of Britain forever. On 5th November 1605, guards discovered Guy Fawkes in the cellars beneath the Palace of Westminster, surrounded by 36 barrels of gunpowder. His mission? To blow up King James I, the royal family, and Parliament in one devastating explosion. In this podcast, I uncover the gripping true story of the Gunpowder Plot — how religious tension, persecution, and broken promises drove a group of young English Catholics, led by Robert Catesby, to plan the ultimate act of treason, and how it all started in Elizabeth i's reign. Discover how: - A secret undercroft was filled with gunpowder right beneath the Lords chamber - A mysterious letter betrayed the plotters' plan - And how one night's failure created centuries of tradition, from Bonfire Night to the cry of “Remember, remember the Fifth of November!” Recommended Reading & Viewing: – God's Traitors by Jessie Childs – Gunpowder (BBC/HBO mini-series, starring Kit Harington) #GuyFawkes #GunpowderPlot #BonfireNight #JamesI #RobertCatesby #TudorHistory #OnThisDay #ClaireRidgway #AnneBoleynFiles #HistoryExplained #EarlyStuartHistory #TreasonAndPlot  

Hey guys before you listen to this one, do realize this is part 3 on a series about General Kanji Ishiwara, so if you have not already done so I would recommend listening to Part 1 & 2.    This episode is General Kanji Ishiwara part 3: The gradual fall into War with China   I tried so hard this time to finish this up neatly in part 3 and utterly failed. I wrote pages and even deleted them to keep squeezing, but theres simply too much to the story. Part 3 will be focusing on the insane politics of the 1930's and how Ishiwara tried to prevent war with China.   Its rather ironic that the man who was the chief instigator that ushering in the conquest of Manchuria was unable to impose his will when it came to molding Manchukuo. Now while Ishiwara Kanji was the operations officer given official responsibility over the planning and conduct of military operations to seize Manchuria, the arrangements for that new state, being political in nature, were not in his sphere of influence. Regardless, Ishiwara was extremely vocal about his opinions on how Manchukuo should develop and he heavily emphasized racial harmony. He continuously hammered his colleagues that the economic development of Manchukuo should reflect the spirit of racial cooperation. Ishiwara assumed the economic interests of Manchukuo would simply coincide with that of the Kwantung army, by definition both's ultimate goals would be unity of Asia against the west. He was very wrong. Ishiwara was consumed by his theory of final war, everything he did was to prepare for it, thus his obsession of racial harmony was another part of the plan.    In 1932 the self government guidance board was abolished in march, leaving its functions and regional organizations to be tossed into brand new bureaus of the new government of Manchukuo. An organization emerged in April called the (Kyowakai / Concordia Association). It was brought together by Yamaguchi Juji and Ozawa Kaisaku, and its purpose was to promote racial harmony and it was backed by members of the Kwantung army, notably Ishiwara, Itagaki and Katakura. The Kwantung army flooded money into the organization and it grew rapidly…well amongst the Japanese anyways. General Honjo was a bit weary about how much the organization might have in the political sphere of Manchukuo, he did not want to see it become an official political party, he preferred it remain in a educative role. By educative role, I of course mean, to be a propaganda arm of the Kwantung army to exert influence over Manchukuo without having real skin in the game.    But to Ishiwara the Concordia Association was the logical means to unify the new nation, guiding its political destiny, to be blunt Ishiwara really saw it should have much more authority than his colleagues believed it should. Ishiwara complained in August of 1932, that Manchuria was a conglomerate of conflicting power centers such as the Kwantung army, the new Manchukuo government, the Kwantung government, the Mantetsu, consular office and so on. Under so many hats he believed Manchukuo would never become a truly unified modern state, and of course he was one of the few people that actually wanted it to be so. He began arguing the Kwantung army should turn over its political authority as soon as possible so “Japanese of high resolve should hasten to the great work of the Manchurian Concordia Association, for I am sure that we Japanese will be its leaders. In this way Manchukuo will not depend on political control from Japan, but will be an independent state, based on Japanese Manchurian cooperation. Guided by Japanese, it will be a mode of Sino-Japanese friendship, an indicator of the present trends of world civilization” Needless to say the Concordia Association made little headway with the Chinese and it began to annoy Japanese leaders. The association gradually was bent into a spiritless propaganda and intelligence arm of the IJA, staffed largely by elite Japanese working in the Manchukuo government.    Ishiwara began using the Concordia Association to promote things such as: returning leased territories like the Railway zone, abolition of extraterritoriality, equalizing payment between the races working in Manchukuo, the kind of stuff that would promote racial harmony. Such advocacy as you can imagine deviated heavily with the Japanese military, and Ishiwara's reputation would be hurt by this. The Kwantung Army staff began shifting dramatically, seeing Ishiwara isolated, aside from Itagaki and a few other followers being around. The upper brass as they say had had enough of the nuisance Concordia Association's and gradually took control of it and made sure to stop the talk of concessions. In August of 1932 Ishiwara received a new assignment and it seems he was only too happy to leave Manchuria.   Ishiwara returned to Japan, disgusted with the turn of direction Manchuria was going, and believing he would be blamed for its future failures he submitted his resignation. But the IJA knew how popular Ishiwara was and how dangerous he could become so they rejected his resignation. Instead they gave him a military decoration. He was in a very strange spot now, for the youthful officers of the Kodoha faction loved Ishiwara, but the senior top brass of the IJA were extremely suspicious of him and lets just say he was kept under close watch.   Now with Ishiwara back in Japan he would get himself involved in a bit of a war between two factions. As many of you probably already know, the Japanese military of the late 1920s and early 1930's saw the emergence of two factions: the Kodoha “imperial way” and Tosei “control” factions. The Kodoha sought what they called a “showa restoration” to give the emperor absolute power like the good olds days as they say. They were willing to even form a coup if necessary to make this happen. Another thing they believed was in the Hokushin-ron “northern strike” war plan. The idea behind this was that the USSR and communism as a whole was Japans largest threat and the IJA needed to invade the USSR. Now the Tosei faction believed in most of what the Kodoha did, but they differed on some issues. Number 1) they were not willing to perform a coup to usher in a showa restoration, no they thought they could work with the existing Zaibatsu elites and politicians to get things done. THe Kodoha hated the politicians and Zaibatsu to the point they wanted to murder them, so differing opinions. The Tosei also believed the next world war would require a total war strategy, to build up Japan to fight the USSR, but probably the US as well. They favored Nanshin-ron “the southern strike” policy, to target the resources of south east asia necessary to give Japan what it needed to be self sufficient. Another thing that separated these two factions, the Kodoha typically were younger officers.   Despite their differences, everyone in the Japanese military understood forceful expansion into Asia was going to happen and this meant collison with the USSR, America and Britain. Ishiwara's first assignment back in Japan was a temporary duty with the foreign ministry, he was a member of the Japanese legation to the league of nations under Matsuoka Yosuke. The league of nations at this time was performing the Lytton Commission which was investigating the Macnhurian problem, ie: Japan invading Manchuria. Upon returning to Japan in summer of 1933, Ishiwara sought a regimental command, but found it difficult to acquire because of his troublemaker like history. Then General Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko who commanded the 2nd sendai division gave him command over the 4th infantry regiment. Ishiwara went to work training the men under him to counter the latest soviet infantry tactics and of course he lectured extensively about his final war theories. During this time rumors emerged that Ishiwara supported the Nanshin-ron strategy. Many of his old colleagues who supported Hokushin-ron demanded he explain himself and Ishiwara did. These rumors were actually false, it was not that Ishiwara favored the Nanshin-ron strategy, it was simply that he did not back all aspects of the Hokushin-ron strategy.   Ishiwara believed to challenge the USSR, first Japan needed an Asian union, which he thought would take probably 30 years to create. But to usher such an Asian union, first Manchukuo needed to be hammered out properly, something Ishiwara thought Japan was failing to do. Also Japan's military strength was insufficient to overwhelm the multiple enemies before her, the war she would enter would be a protracted one. To win such a war she needed resources and allies, notably Manchukuo and China. To confront the USSR, Japan would need to subvert outer mongolia, but to confront the USA and Britain she would have to seize the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong and Guam. It was going to be a global clash.   Ishiwara was gravely concerned with how powerful the USSR was becoming in the early 1930s. In the 3 years since he had left Manchuria, the Soviet divisions in east asia had jumped from 8 to 14 by the end of 1935, while Japanese divisions in Manchuria were only 3. For aircraft the Soviets had 950 vs 220 for Japan. On top of that the Soviets had TB-5 long range bombers, capable of hitting Japan, but the Japanese had no comparable aircraft. A large reason for such build up's were literally because Kodoha leaders were publicly threatening the Soviets such as Generals Sadao Araki. The Kodoha faction faced a lot of challenges as to how they could hope to face off against the USSR. They figured out three main principles needed to be overcome: 1) Japan had to prevent the USSR from being able to defeat its enemies to the west and east one at a time, Japan should seek diplomatic aims in this like allying with Germany. 2) A devastating blow was necessary to the USSR far east, perhaps against the Trans-siberian railway and air bases in the maritime provinces. 3) If Japan was able to demolish Soviet resistance in the far east, Japan would need to take forward positions on the Manchurian border for a protracted war. Ishiwara tried to figure out ways to get by these principles. First he advocated for Japanese troops strength in Manchuria and Korea to be 80% equivalent to that of the Soviets east of Lake Baikal at the offset of hostilities. He also urged cooperation with Germany and to preserve friendly neutral relations with Britain and the US, that is until the soviets were dealt with of course. Ishiwara vigorously felt the Nanshin ron strategy to push into southeast asia and the pacific was far too ambitious for the time being and that all efforts should be made to consolidate Manchuria for resources. Ishiwara tried to win over some Naval support for his plans, but none would be found. When Ishiwara showed his formal plans for Asia to the war ministry, they told him his projections in Manchuria would cost at least 1 billion 300 million yen. They also notified Ishiwara the navy were asking for about the same amount for their programs. Now while Ishiwara spent years trying to produce a 6 year plan to build up Manchuria, other significant things were going on in Japan.   The Kodoha faction as I said had a lot of younger officer support and a lot of these were men who came from rural parts of Japan. A lot of these men came from poor families suffering, and it looked to them that Japan was a nation full of social injustice and spiritual disintegration. These young officers were becoming more and more vocal in the early 1930's about wanting a showa restoration. They thought Japan would be better off as a military state with the emperor on top. Ishiwara empathized with the desire for a showa restoration, and many of the young officers calling for it claimed he was one of their champions. He made some fiery speeches in 1935 linking the evils of capitalism to the destitution of rural japan. He argued farmers were bearing crushing burdens because of economic privation. In his words “if the clash between the exploiters (landlords and capitalists) and the exploited continues much longer the exploited will be ground to bits. The present system of free economic competition has produced a situation where there is a small number of fabulously rich and limitless number of desperately poor. The national has indeed reached a national crisis. Liberal capitalism must inevitably give way to a newer system". What that “newer system was” however differed from what the youthful officers saw as their Showa restoration. Ishiwara wanted the Japanese government to create plans and policy, the Kodoha hardliners wanted to form a violent coup.    Kodoha officers began to push Ishiwara to champion their cause more and more. However by late 1935 Ishiwara's name would actually begin to be connected to the Tosei faction. While Ishiwara supported much of the Kodoha ideology, he simply did not share their beliefs in the same Showa restoration, he was more akin to the Tosei in that regard. Now after the manchurian incident the two factions kind of went to war with another to dominate the military. The Kodoha faction was early on the most powerful, but in 1934 their leader Araki resigned from the army due to failing health and he was replaced by General Senjuro Hayashi who favored the Tosei. In November of 1934, a plot was discovered that involved Kodoha officers seeking to murder some top ranking politicians. The result of this saw the Tosei faction force the resignation of the Kodoha leader General Jinzaburo Masaki, who was serving as the inspector general of military education. In retaliation to this, the Kodoha officer Saburo Aizawa murdered the Toseiha leader General Tetsuzen Nagata. This caused a frenzy, things began to really escalate, and many looked at Ishiwara Kanji to prove which side he favored. While in prison awaiting trial, Aizawa asked Ishiwara to be his defense counsel, to which he promised he would consider it. At the same time other Kodoha officers began pressing Ishiwara to support their cause openly. It is really hard to see where exactly Ishiwara was in all of this as all of his speeches prior were purposely ambiguous. He looked like a fence sitter and after what will be the February coup of 1936, there was testimony that Ishiwara was a middle-echelon member involved in the coup, other testimony literally had him on the list of people to be assassinated. A few weeks before Aizawa's trial, Ishiwara refused his request.   On February 26th, Ishiwara was awakened at his Tokyo home by a telephone call from Colonel Suzuki Teiichi informing him a rebellion was underway. Ishiwara, though ill at the time rushed over to the Military police HQ in Kudan. There he was informed of what was going on and how the officers were now taking the side of the showa restorationists or to quell the rebellion. From there he rushed to meet War Minister Kawashima Yoshiyuki where he demanded a proclamation of martial law to cope with the rebellion. He then urged Vice Chief of staff Sugiyama to order units from garrisons around Tokyo to overwhelm the rebels. Within 24 hours of the event, Ishiwara was then named operations officer of the Martial Law headquarters and he began coordinating plans to deal with the crisis. Thus Ishiwara occupied a crucial position in quelling the coup. On the night of the 27th a bunch of officers who sympathized with the rebels came to the HQ to argue for delaying actions against them. To this Ishiwara rose up and announced “we shall immediately carry forward plans for an assault. All units will assemble for that purpose. The army will wait until noon of the 28th; then it will begin its assault and crush the rebellion”. The next day,  Ishiwara went to the main entrance of the War Ministers office, where a large number of the rebels occupied and he demanded to talk to their leaders face to face. He hoped the youthful officers who looked up to him would see reason. They let him in, after they had shot Captain Katakura Tadashi for trying to do the same thing. Ishiwara then told them he shared many of their goals, but condemned their use of force. With a pistol pointed at him Ishiwara declared this “If you don't listen to reason you will be crushed by the severest measures”. He delivered his ultimatum and just walked out the door.    By the 28th the tides turned on the rebels. Emperor Hirohito put his foot down, demanding an end to the mutiny, many of the top Kodoha leaders walked away because of this. The Navy brought all of its power to Tokyo bay including its SNLF marines, all guns were on the rebels. Some of the rebels held out, still hoping the Emperor would change his mind and order a showa restoration, but by the 29th it fell apart. The rebels surrendered, aided by Colonel Tomoyuki Yamashita (one of my favorite generals of WW2, fascinating character). In the words of Matsumura Shuitsu a member of the Martial law HQ “In the midst of all the confusion and commotion, Ishiwara never lost sight of his objective and dealt with the criss with cool efficiency. If ever there was a case of the right man in the right place it was Ishiwara at that time. No doubt, what brought about the ultimate surrender of the rebel forces, was, of course, the Imperial command. But I believe that in a large part the collapse of the rebellion was due to the decisiveness of Ishwara, who never swerved, never hesitated. In short, Tokyo was saved by Ishiwara's courage”. It is rather ironic, many would point out it was Ishiwara who instigated the insurrection, but when it came time for it, he was the largest one to stamp down upon it. One could argue, by suppressing the rebellion, Ishawara had exploited the crisis in order to earn the political power necessary to bring about his version of a Showa Restoration.   During the mutiny, after meeting the rebels, Ishiwara actually had a secret meeting with two Kodoha officers at the Imperial Hotel. They were Colonel Hashimoto Kingoro and Colonel Mitsui Sakichi. He spoke to them about the possibility of forming a new government. The 3 of them came to these conclusions to actually perform a real Showa restoration. The rebels needed to go back to their barracks; the emperor needed to endorse the showa restoration; and members of the cabinet and top military leaders had to support it. Ishiwara then went to the Martial Law HQ and demanded Army vice chief of staff Sugiyama that he submit to the emperor a petition “to establish a restoration which would make clear the spirit of the nation, realize the national defense, and stabilize the peoples livelihood”. Sugiyama wanted nothing to do with this and told him “its simply impossible to relay such a request from the army” Ishiwara knew Sugiyama's position was too strong to challenge directly so he backed off, this was his last attempt to alter the nation's course through confrontation. Because of his actions during the quelling of the rebellion, this little scene was forgotten, his reputation was not tarnished…well it was amongst the Kodoha hardliners who saw him as a traitor, but other than that. Yet again he seems to be a man of many contradictions.  After the February coup the Kodoha faction ceased to exist and the Toseiha's ideology grabbed most of the military, though they also faded heavily.     Ishiwara went back to planning and lecturing taking a heavy notice of how Germany and Italy's totalitarian models were looking like the most efficient ones that Japan should emulate. He pushed heavily for a national defense state. He kept advocating for a 5 year plan he had to push Japan into a total war economy, but the industrialists and economists kept telling him it was far too much. I could write pages on all the ideas he had, he covered every aspect of Japanese society. He wanted the whole of Japan to devote itself to becoming the hegemonic power in Asia and this required self-sufficiency, more territory, alliances, an overhaul of Japan's politics, economy, etc etc he worked on this for years. One thing I find amusing to note, Ishiwara's plans had the national defense state not run directly by the military. No instead the military would only focus on military affairs to maximize their efficiency, thus civilians would lead the government. In his words “the tactics and strategy of national defense in the narrow sense are unquestionably the responsibility of the military. But national defense in the widest sense, industry, economy, transportation, communications are clearly related to the field of politics. Of course, the military can naturally express their opinion on these matters in order to counsel some minister whose duties are political, but to go before the general public and discuss the detailed industrial and economic is an arrogation of authority”. So ye, Ishiwara actually sought to remove military officers from political positions.    In 1937 Ishiwara was promoted to the rank of major general and his duties were of the operations division of the general staff. Because of his popularity and now his rank, some began to see him almost as that of a rising dictator. In January of 1937, the government of Hirota Koki who had come to power largely because of the february coup were having problems. Politicians were unable to deal with the rising military budgets. Ishiwara was eager to press forward his national defense state idea. Alongside this Captain Fukutome Shigeru, his naval counterpart was angry at the cabinet for hindering funding and called for their dissolution. In one meeting Ishiwara blurted out “if there's any disturbance the military should proclaim martial law throughout the country until things were straightened out”. Well within days the cabinet fell on its own and now everyone looked to a successor.    The Army and Navy fought for their candidate. The Nazi favored Ugaki Kazushige, but the Army held grudges against him. Ishiwara also did not like his appointment stating he had a bad political past, by bad that meant he had advocated for military budget cuts. Ugaki refused the job because of the pressure and made a note about Ishiwara's remarks towards him. Seeing Ugaki pushed aside, Ishiwara and his followers pushed for 3 other candidates; Hayashi Senjuro, House President Konoe Fumumaro and President of the privy council Hiranuma Kiichiro. Ishiwara sent to each man his 5 year plan to test their enthusiasm for it. Hiranuma didn't like it, Konoe was neutral and Hayashi liked it. So Ishiwara backed Hayashi go figure. All of his Manchurian oriented followers pushed to get him into office. When Hayashi was given Imperial command to head a new government, Ishiwara met with his Manchurian faction friends to draw a list of people to put in the cabinet. Itagaki Seishiro was chosen as war minister; Admiral Suetsugu Nobumasa known to have radical reformist leanings for navy minister; Matsuoka Yosuke or SHiratori Toshio for foreign minister, industrialist Ikeda Seihin for finance, Tsuda Shingo for commerce and industry, Sogo Shinji as chief cabinet secretary and Miyazaki as chairman. Ishiwara himself stayed carefully in the background to make it seem like he was only attending military duties.    But rivals to Ishiwara began working against him, especially some of those Kodoha hardliners who felt he betrayed them. They pressed Hayashi to not accept many of Ishiwara's cabinet candidates such as Itagaki and Hayashi backed off the majority of them as a result. The effort to form a Macnhurian cabal failed and this further led to a lack of enthusiasm for Ishiwara's national defense plans. Hayashi's government which Ishiwara had placed his hopes upon became antagonistic towards him and his followers.    Now over in Manchuria, the Kwantung army was looking to seize territory in northern China and inner mongolia. This was something Ishiwara was flip floppy about. At first he began speaking about the need to simply develop Manchukuo so that China and Inner mongolia would follow suite, but gradually he began to warm up to schemes to invade. Though when he heard his former Kwantun colleagues were basically going to perform the exact same plan he had done with the Mukden incident he traveled back to Manchuria to dissuade them. Ishiwara landed at Dairen and within days of his arrival he learned that 15,000 troops under Prince Demchugdongrub, known also as Prince Teh of Mongolia, backed by Kwantung arms and aircraft were launching a full scale invasion of Suiyuan province. Ishiwara was furious and he screamed at the General staff “the next time I visit the Kwantung Army I'm going to piss on the floor of the commanders office!”    Within a month, the Warlord Yan Xishan, now fighting for the NRA turned back Prince Teh's forces. This angered the Kwantung army, fueling what Ishiwara always feared, a war between China and Japan. Ishiwara began lecturing left right and center about how Japan needed to curb her imperialist aggression against China. He advocated as always racial harmonization, about the East Asian League idea, cooperation between China and Japan. He thought perhaps China could be induced by joined a federation with Japan and to do all of this Japan should help develop Manchukuo as a positive model. Ishiwara warned any aggressive actions against China would waste valuable resources needed dearly to be directed against the USSR. In his words “China was an endless bog that would swallow men and materiel without prospect of victory and it would cripple the possibility of East Asian Union” Prophetic words to be sure.   Ishiwara was still influential and many in Hayashi's cabinet headed him, trying to push for more diplomacy with China. But by spring of 1937 Tokyo HQ had split over the issue. On one side were Ishiwara and those seeking to obtain a sort of treaty with China to form an alliance against the USSR. On the other hand the Nationalists and Communists were on the verge of forming a united front allied to the USSR, thus the invading China faction was gaining steam. This faction simply sought to get China out of the way, then focus on the USSR. As much as Ishiwara fought it, the China War would come nonetheless.   In June of 1937, a report from a Japanese civilian visiting China reached Colonel Kawabe Torashiro. The report stated that the China Garrison Army in the Peking area were planning an incident similar to what had occurred in Mukden in 1931. Kawabe took the report to Ishiwara who said he would investigate the matter. Ishiwara pressed the war ministry to send Colonel Okamoto Kiyotomi to the military administration section to north china to warn Generals Hashimoto Gun of the China Garrison Army and Kwabe Msakazu commander the brigade station in the Peking area that Tokyo would not tolerate provocation actions. Okamoto came back and stated they reassured him it was just rumors and nothing was occurring.   Two weeks later on July 7th, the infamous Marco Polo Bridge incident began WW2. When it began, Tokyo took it as a minor incident, just some skirmishes between minor forces, but the fighting grew and grew. The two factions in Tokyo who we can call the “expansionists and non expansionists” began arguing on what to do. The expansionists argued this was the time to deliver a quick and decisive blow, which meant mobilizing and dispatching divisions into northern China to overwhelm them. The non expansionists argued they needed to terminate hostilities immediately and seek diplomacy before the conflict got out of hand. From the offset of the conflict, Ishiwara led the doomed non expansionists. Ishiwara tried to localize the conflict to prevent more Japanese from getting involved. To do this he urged Prince Kan'in to send a cable on July 8th to the local Japanese forces to settle the issue locally. But they reported back that the Nanjing government was tossing 4 divisions of reinforcements to the area, prompting the Japanese to mobilize 3 divisions in response. For 3 days Ishiwara tried to halt the reinforcements, but the Nanjing report came true, the Chinese reinforcements arrived to the scene, pushing the Japanese to do the same. General Kawabe Masakazu argued 12,000 Japanese civilians were in the area and now under threat, thus Ishiwara had to stand down.   The conflict at the Marco Polo Bridge quickly got out of hand. Ishiwara was very indecisive, he tried to thwart the spread of the conflict, but he was continuously forced to stand down when reports false or true poured in about Chinese offensives. In fact, Ishiwara's efforts were getting him in a ton of trouble as his colleagues began to point out they were hindering the military operations which at the time were trying to end the conflict quickly. Ishiwara did not go down without a fight tossing one last attempt to stop the conflict. He urged Prime Minister Konoe to fly to Nanjing to speak directly with Chiang Kai Shek, it was a last ditch effort before the Japanese reinforcements arrived. When Konoe received requests to do this from multiple Japanese military leaders on urged on by Ishiwara, he was initially favorable to the idea and had a plane prepared for the trip. But within hours of the idea leaked out raising a storm of protests from the expansionists. Sugiyama then told Konoe it was Ishiwara pushing the idea and that his views represented a small minority in the military. Konoe ultimately back down and chose not to do it. Ishiwara was outraged when he found out screaming “tell the Prime minister that in 2000 years of our history no man will have done more to destroy Japan than he has by his indecisiveness in this crisis”.   Ishiwara began fighting with his colleagues as the situation worsened. He tabled a motion to press Nanjing to support Manchukuo in order for the Japanese to withdraw, but his colleagues blocked it. By August the conflict had spread as far as Shanghai and now even the IJN were getting involved. To this Ishiwara argued they should just evacuate Japanese civilians in Shanghai and pay them several hundred million yen in compensation as it would be cheaper than a war. He was quickly overruled. Thus the North China Incident simply became the China incident. In early september Ishiwara tried one last attempt to negotiate a settlement, trying to get Germany to mediate, but by mid september Ishiwara's influence had dropped considerably. By late september Ishiwara was removed from the General staff by General Tada. The remnants of Ishiwara's followers in the central army were defeated, particularly when Konoe declared in January of 1938 that Japan would not treat with Chiang Kai-shek. Ironically Konoe would quickly come around to believe Japan had made a grave mistake. By 1938 24 IJA divisions were tossed into China, the next year this became 34. 

Behind the Scenes: Building a Media Brand & Exclusive Guest Insights In this special episode, we take you behind the scenes of Jimmy's Jobs of the Future. Producer Sunny joins Jimmy to reflect on five years of building the show - from its early days to becoming one of Britain's go-to business and politics podcasts. They talk about the art (and chaos) of booking high-profile guests, the evolution of the podcast, and what it really takes to grow a modern media brand. There's also a fun twist — a “Business Version of Traitors” thought experiment — plus stories, lessons, and plenty of honesty about the highs and lows of life behind the mic.

This week Sam & Natalie are joined by the CEO of the LMA (League Managers Association)...RICHARD BEVAN!Richard Bevan sits down alongside Sam Allardyce and Natalie Pike to discuss all things football from an independent regulator in football to how we can best improve VAR.They start the pod by talking about the role of the LMA in football and how it works with hundreds of managers and coaches in the game with finding new jobs as well as supporting those who have recently lost their positions in football.Richard, Sam & Natalie then chat in detail about the perceived decline of British managers over the years from the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Brian Clough and Sir Bobby Robson and ask the question does Britain still produce world class managers?The trio then talk about the manager merry-go-round in football, why 50% of first time managers never get a 2nd job and what more can owners do to support young and aspiring managers in the game?Richard, Sam & Natalie then talk about the incoming independent football regulator and whether football needs one and why Sam has his concerns about whoever takes up that position.The Trio discuss a range of topics from how to improve VAR by pairing referees and VAR together to better improve relationships, the rise of overseas fixtures and why it wont be happening in the Premier League and also the fantastic campaigns the LMA runs including their mental health campaigns.Finally they end the podcast with some quickfire questions including if they could introduce one new rule to football, what would it be?

On this episode, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Olivia Laing to discuss their extraordinary new novel, The Silver Book, which has been selected as a Hatchards Book of the Month for November. Set amid the turbulence of Italy's Years of Lead, the novel is full of rich and deliberate contradictions: it's a love story coloured by political extremism; a journey through Rome's legendary film studio, Cinecittà, that sidesteps glamour in favour of the artisans and craftspeople who brought cinematic illusions to life. At its heart is a character who recalls Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley, though driven more by naïveté than malice. Olivia spoke with us about the deep immersion in Italian history and culture that informed their writing, and about the figures of Federico Fellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini — both major characters in the novel — whose contrasting creative visions shaped modern Italian art and cinema. They also reflected on how Italy's fraught political history continues to resonate today, offering unexpected parallels with contemporary Britain. Hosted by Ryan Edgington and Matt Hennessey.

The Charlie Kirk Show staff take an hour of questions live from CK Exclusives subscribers, including: -What do they think of Tucker Carlson interviewing Nick Fuentes on his show earlier this week? -What did Blake and Mikey see in the UK that showed how immigration was damaging the country? -Can the show team find any unity on the Great Halloween Question? Become an Exclusives subscriber and ask the team a question on-air by going to members.charliekirk.com. Watch every episode ad-free on members.charliekirk.com! Get new merch at charliekirkstore.com!Support the show: http://www.charliekirk.com/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is The Briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.Part I (00:14 – 08:41)Vice President Vance Steps on Theological Nerve: Vice President Says He Hopes His Hindu Wife Will One Day Convert to Christianity, and Secularists are Losing Their MindsVance defends saying he hopes his wife converts to Christianity by The Washington Post (Maegan Vazquez and Michelle Boorstein)Part II (08:41 – 13:10)Can a Hindu Go to Heaven? Catholics and Protestants Strongly DisagreeUS VP Vance faces criticism after saying he hopes his wife becomes Christian by The Crux (Nirmala Carvalho)Pope Francis on interreligious dialogue by Vatican News (Cardinal Blase J. Cupich)Part III (13:10 – 21:09)Religious Allies in the Culture War: Conservative Catholics and Conservative Protestants Need Each Other to Show Up For BattleThe ascension of America's Catholic right by The Financial Times (Rana Foroohar)Regime Change? A Future Beyond Classical Liberalism and Its Legacy? — A Conversation with Patrick J. Deneen by Thinking in Public (R. Albert Mohler, Jr. and Professor Patrick Deneen)How Liberalism Failed: A Conversation with Patrick J. Deneen by Thinking in Public (R. Albert Mohler, Jr. and Professor Patrick Deneen)Truth and Creation Order — A Conversation with Professor Robert P. George by Thinking in Public (R. Albert Mohler, Jr. and Professor Robert P. George)In the Library: Ryan T. Anderson by In the Library (R. Albert Mohler, Jr. and Dr. Ryan T. Anderson)The Illusion of a Secular State & The Impotence of Secular Conservatism by AlbertMohler.com (R. Albert Mohler, Jr.)Part IV (21:09 – 26:03)Britain is Undermining Its Own Army: Diminishing Fraternity for Inclusivity is Weakening the British MilitaryArmy officers ordered to cut ties with men-only members' clubs by The Telegraph (Tom Cotterill)Sign up to receive The Briefing in your inbox every weekday morning.Follow Dr. Mohler:X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTubeFor more information on The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, go to sbts.edu.For more information on Boyce College, just go to BoyceCollege.com.To write Dr. Mohler or submit a question for The Mailbox, go here.

Two paranormal researchers bought a 16th-century prison where accused witches awaited execution - then the renovations began stirring things up.READ or SHARE: https://weirddarkness.com/cage-st-osyth-witch-prison-renovation/WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.#WeirdDarkness #TheCageStOsyth #HauntedHouse #WitchTrials #ParanormalInvestigation #BritishHistory #TrueParanormal #UrsulaKemp #HauntedRenovation #DarkHistory

FOLLOW RICHARD Website: https://www.strangeplanet.ca YouTube: @strangeplanetradio Instagram: @richardsyrettstrangeplanet TikTok: @therealstrangeplanet EP. #1275 EPSTEIN'S ROYAL BLACKMAIL: MONARCHY AS GLOBAL POWER PUPPET Unveil the shadowed synapses linking Jeffrey Epstein's depravity to the British Crown's gilded cage. Maggie's Hammer author Geoffrey Gilson—ex-Thatcher speechwriter—dissects Prince Andrew's Epstein entanglements, Sarah Ferguson's "supreme friend" emails, and charity purges as blackmail levers in elite power trades. As King Charles's health fades amid Islam conversion whispers and Windsor Iftar feasts, Gilson exposes royal succession as a scripted pivot for transnational networks—from Alaska summits to Ukraine's proxy wars. This isn't tabloid tittle-tattle; it's the raw wiring of global influence, where scandal shields deeper scripts steering nations. GUEST: Geoffrey Gilson, former speechwriter for Margaret Thatcher and author of Maggie's Hammer, has spent decades mapping covert elite networks—tracing money, intelligence, and personal ties binding royals, financiers, and governments. His work exposes monarchies as conduits for transnational power plays. WEBSITE/LINKS: https://www.facebook.com/geoff.gilson https://maggieshammer.com/ BOOK: Maggie's Hammer: How Investigating the Mysterious Death of My Friend Uncovered a Netherworld of Illegal Arms Deals, Political Slush Funds, High-Level Corruption and Britain's Thirty-Year Secret Role as America's Hired Gun SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! FOUND – Smarter banking for your business Take back control of your business today. Open a Found account for FREE at Found dot com. That's F-O-U-N-D dot com. Found is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. Join the hundreds of thousands who've already streamlined their finances with Found. HIMS - Making Healthy and Happy Easy to Achieve Sexual Health, Hair Loss, Mental Health, Weight Management START YOUR FREE ONLINE VISIT TODAY - ⁠HIMS dot com slash STRANGE⁠ ⁠https://www.HIMS.com/strange⁠ MINT MOBILE Premium Wireless - $15 per month. No Stores. No Salespeople. JUST SAVINGS Ready to say yes to saying no? Make the switch at MINT MOBILE dot com slash STRANGEPLANET. That's MINT MOBILE dot com slash STRANGEPLANET ⁠BECOME A PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER!!!⁠ ⁠https://strangeplanet.supportingcast.fm⁠ Three monthly subscriptions to choose from. Commercial Free Listening, Bonus Episodes and a Subscription to my monthly newsletter, InnerSanctum. Visit ⁠https://strangeplanet.supportingcast.fm⁠ Use the discount code "Planet" to receive $5 OFF off any subscription. We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. By using our website and services, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠megaphone.fm/adchoice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://strangeplanet.supportingcast.fm/

The FCC plans to roll back cybersecurity mandates that followed Salt Typhoon. The alleged cybercriminal MrICQ has been extradited to the U.S. Ransomware negotiators are accused of conducting ransomware attacks. Ernst & Young accidentally exposed a 4-terabyte SQL Server backup. A hacker claims responsibility for last week's University of Pennsylvania breach. The UK chronicles cyberattacks on Britain's drinking water suppliers. Monday business brief. Our guest is Caleb Tolin, host of Rubrik's Data Security Decoded podcast. Hackers massage the truth.  Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Today we are joined by Caleb Tolin, host of Rubrik's Data Security Decoded podcast, as he is introducing himself and his show joining the N2K CyberWire network. You can catch new episodes of Data Security Decoded the first and third Tuesdays of each month on your favorite podcast app. Selected Reading FCC plans vote to remove cyber regulations installed after theft of Trump info from telecoms (The Record) Alleged Jabber Zeus Coder ‘MrICQ' in U.S. Custody (Krebs on Security) Chicago firm that resolves ransomware attacks had rogue workers carrying out their own hacks, FBI says (Chicago Sun Times) Ernst & Young cloud misconfiguration leaks 4TB SQL Server backup on Microsoft Azure (Beyond Machines) Penn hacker claims to have stolen 1.2 million donor records in data breach (Bleeping Computer) Hackers are attacking Britain's drinking water suppliers (The Record) JumpCloud acquires Breez. Chainguard secures $280 million in growth financing. Sublime Security closes $150 million Series C round. (N2K Pro) Hackers steal data, extort $350,000 from massage parlor clients (Korea JoongAng Daily) Share your feedback. What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show. Want to hear your company in the show? N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry's most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last time we spoke about the fall of Wuhan. In a country frayed by war, the Yangtze became a pulsing artery, carrying both hunger and hope. Chiang Kai-shek faced a brutal choice: defend Wuhan to the last man, or flood the rivers to buy time. He chose both, setting sullen floodwaters loose along the Yellow River to slow the invaders, a temporary mercy that spared some lives while ripping many from their homes. On the river's banks, a plethora of Chinese forces struggled to unite. The NRA, fractured into rival zones, clung to lines with stubborn grit as Japanese forces poured through Anqing, Jiujiang, and beyond, turning the Yangtze into a deadly corridor. Madang's fortifications withstood bombardment and gas, yet the price was paid in troops and civilians drowned or displaced. Commanders like Xue Yue wrestled stubbornly for every foothold, every bend in the river. The Battle of Wanjialing became a symbol: a desperate, months-long pincer where Chinese divisions finally tightened their cordon and halted the enemy's flow. By autumn, the Japanese pressed onward to seize Tianjiazhen and cut supply lines, while Guangzhou fell to a ruthless blockade. The Fall of Wuhan loomed inevitable, yet the story remained one of fierce endurance against overwhelming odds.   #174 The Changsha Fire Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. In the summer of 1938, amid the upheaval surrounding Chiang Kai-shek, one of his most important alliances came to an end. On June 22, all German advisers to the Nationalist government were summoned back; any who refused would be deemed guilty of high treason. Since World War I, a peculiar bond had tied the German Weimar Republic and China: two fledgling states, both weak and only partially sovereign. Under the Versailles Treaty of 1919, Germany had lost extraterritorial rights on Chinese soil, which paradoxically allowed Berlin to engage with China as an equal partner rather than a traditional colonizer. This made German interests more welcome in business and politics than those of other Western powers. Chiang's military reorganization depended on German officers such as von Seeckt and von Falkenhausen, and Hitler's rise in 1933 had not immediately severed the connection between the two countries. Chiang did not share Nazi ideology with Germany, but he viewed Berlin as a potential ally and pressed to persuade it to side with China rather than Japan as China's principal East Asian, anti-Communist partner. In June 1937, H. H. Kung led a delegation to Berlin, met Hitler, and argued for an alliance with China. Yet the outbreak of war and the Nationalists' retreat to Wuhan convinced Hitler's government to align with Japan, resulting in the recall of all German advisers. Chiang responded with a speech praising von Falkenhausen, insisting that "our friend's enemy is our enemy too," and lauding the German Army's loyalty and ethics as a model for the Chinese forces. He added, "After we have won the War of Resistance, I believe you'll want to come back to the Far East and advise our country again." Von Falkenhausen would later become the governor of Nazi-occupied Belgium, then be lauded after the war for secretly saving many Jewish lives. As the Germans departed, the roof of the train transporting them bore a prominent German flag with a swastika, a prudent precaution given Wuhan's vulnerability to air bombardment. The Japanese were tightening their grip on the city, even as Chinese forces, numbering around 800,000, made a stubborn stand. The Yellow River floods blocked northern access, so the Japanese chose to advance via the Yangtze, aided by roughly nine divisions and the might of the Imperial Navy. The Chinese fought bravely, but their defenses could not withstand the superior technology of the Japanese fleet. The only substantial external aid came from Soviet pilots flying aircraft bought from the USSR as part of Stalin's effort to keep China in the war; between 1938 and 1940, some 2,000 pilots offered their services. From June 24 to 27, Japanese bombers relentlessly pounded the Madang fortress along the Yangtze until it fell. A month later, on July 26, Chinese defenders abandoned Jiujiang, southeast of Wuhan, and its civilian population endured a wave of atrocities at the hands of the invaders. News of Jiujiang's fate stiffened resolve. Chiang delivered a pointed address to his troops on July 31, arguing that Wuhan's defense was essential and that losing the city would split the country into hostile halves, complicating logistics and movement. He warned that Wuhan's defense would also be a spiritual test: "the place has deep revolutionary ties," and public sympathy for China's plight was growing as Japanese atrocities became known. Yet Chiang worried about the behavior of Chinese soldiers. He condemned looting as a suicidal act that would destroy the citizens' trust in the military. Commanders, he warned, must stay at their posts; the memory of the Madang debacle underscored the consequences of cowardice. Unlike Shanghai, Wuhan had shelters, but he cautioned against retreating into them and leaving soldiers exposed. Officers who failed in loyalty could expect no support in return. This pep talk, combined with the belief that the army was making a last stand, may have slowed the Japanese advance along the Yangtze in August. Under General Xue Yue, about 100,000 Chinese troops pushed back the invaders at Huangmei. At Tianjiazhen, thousands fought until the end of September, with poison gas finally forcing Japanese victory. Yet even then, Chinese generals struggled to coordinate. In Xinyang, Li Zongren's Guangxi troops were exhausted; they expected relief from Hu Zongnan's forces, but Hu instead withdrew, allowing Japan to capture the city without a fight. The fall of Xinyang enabled Japanese control of the Ping-Han railway, signaling Wuhan's doom. Chiang again spoke to Wuhan's defenders, balancing encouragement with a grim realism about possible loss. Although Wuhan's international connections were substantial, foreign aid would be unlikely. If evacuation became necessary, the army should have a clear plan, including designated routes. He recalled the disastrous December retreat from Nanjing, where "foreigners and Chinese alike turned it into an empty city." Troops had been tired and outnumbered; Chiang defended the decision to defend Nanjing, insisting the army had sacrificed itself for the capital and Sun Yat-sen's tomb. Were the army to retreat again, he warned, it would be the greatest shame in five thousand years of Chinese history. The loss of Madang was another humiliation. By defending Wuhan, he argued, China could avenge its fallen comrades and cleanse its conscience; otherwise, it could not honor its martyrs. Mao Zedong, observing the situation from his far-off base at Yan'an, agreed strongly that Chiang should not defend Wuhan to the death. He warned in mid-October that if Wuhan could not be defended, the war's trajectory would shift, potentially strengthening the Nationalists–Communists cooperation, deepening popular mobilization, and expanding guerrilla warfare. The defense of Wuhan, Mao argued, should drain the enemy and buy time to advance the broader struggle, not become a doomed stalemate. In a protracted war, some strongholds might be abandoned temporarily to sustain the longer fight. The Japanese Army captured Wuchang and Hankou on 26 October and captured Hanyang on the 27th, which concluded the campaign in Wuhan. The battle had lasted four and a half months and ended with the Nationalist army's voluntary withdrawal. In the battle itself, the Japanese army captured Wuhan's three towns and held the heartland of China, achieving a tactical victory. Yet strategically, Japan failed to meet its objectives. Imperial Headquarters believed that "capturing Hankou and Guangzhou would allow them to dominate China." Consequently, the Imperial Conference planned the Battle of Wuhan to seize Wuhan quickly and compel the Chinese government to surrender. It also decreed that "national forces should be concentrated to achieve the war objectives within a year and end the war against China." According to Yoshiaki Yoshimi and Seiya Matsuno, Hirohito authorized the use of chemical weapons against China by specific orders known as rinsanmei. During the Battle of Wuhan, Prince Kan'in Kotohito transmitted the emperor's orders to deploy toxic gas 375 times between August and October 1938. Another memorandum uncovered by Yoshimi indicates that Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni authorized the use of poison gas against the Chinese on 16 August 1938. A League of Nations resolution adopted on 14 May condemned the Imperial Japanese Army's use of toxic gas. Japan's heavy use of chemical weapons against China was driven by manpower shortages and China's lack of poison gas stockpiles to retaliate. Poison gas was employed at Hankou in the Battle of Wuhan to break Chinese resistance after conventional assaults had failed. Rana Mitter notes that, under General Xue Yue, approximately 100,000 Chinese troops halted Japanese advances at Huangmei, and at the fortress of Tianjiazhen, thousands fought until the end of September, with Japanese victory secured only through the use of poison gas. Chinese generals also struggled with coordination at Xinyang; Li Zongren's Guangxi troops were exhausted, and Hu Zongnan's forces, believed to be coming to relieve them, instead withdrew. Japan subsequently used poison gas against Chinese Muslim forces at the Battle of Wuyuan and the Battle of West Suiyuan. However, the Chinese government did not surrender with the loss of Wuhan and Guangzhou, nor did Japan's invasion end with Wuhan and Guangzhou's capture. After Wuhan fell, the government issued a reaffirmation: "Temporary changes of advance and retreat will not shake our resolve to resist the Japanese invasion," and "the gain or loss of any city will not affect the overall situation of the war." It pledged to "fight with even greater sorrow, greater perseverance, greater steadfastness, greater diligence, and greater courage," dedicating itself to a long, comprehensive war of resistance. In the Japanese-occupied rear areas, large armed anti-Japanese forces grew, and substantial tracts of territory were recovered. As the Japanese army themselves acknowledged, "the restoration of public security in the occupied areas was actually limited to a few kilometers on both sides of the main transportation lines." Thus, the Battle of Wuhan did not merely inflict a further strategic defeat on Japan; it also marked a turning point in Japan's strategic posture, from offense to defense. Due to the Nationalist Army's resolute resistance, Japan mobilized its largest force to date for the attack, about 250,000 personnel, who were replenished four to five times over the battle, for a total of roughly 300,000. The invaders held clear advantages in land, sea, and air power and fought for four and a half months. Yet they failed to annihilate the Nationalist main force, nor did they break the will to resist or the army's combat effectiveness. Instead, the campaign dealt a severe blow to the Japanese Army's vitality. Japanese-cited casualties totaled 4,506 dead and 17,380 wounded for the 11th Army; the 2nd Army suffered 2,300 killed in action, 7,600 wounded, and 900 died of disease. Including casualties across the navy and the air force, the overall toll was about 35,500. By contrast, the Nationalist Government Military Commission's General Staff Department, drawing on unit-level reports, calculated Japanese casualties at 256,000. The discrepancy between Japanese and Nationalist tallies illustrates the inflationary tendencies of each side's reporting. Following Wuhan, a weakened Japanese force confronted an extended front. Unable to mount large-scale strategic offensives, unlike Shanghai, Xuzhou, or Wuhan itself, the Japanese to a greater extent adopted a defensive posture. This transition shifted China's War of Resistance from a strategic defensive phase into a strategic stalemate, while the invaders found themselves caught in a protracted war—a development they most disliked. Consequently, Japan's invasion strategy pivoted: away from primary frontal offensives toward a greater reliance on political inducements with secondary military action, and toward diverting forces to "security" operations behind enemy lines rather than pushing decisive frontal campaigns. Japan, an island nation with limited strategic resources, depended heavily on imports. By the time of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Japan's gold reserves,including reserves for issuing banknotes, amounted to only about 1.35 billion yen. In effect, Japan's currency reserves constrained the scale of the war from the outset. The country launched its aggression while seeking an early solution to the conflict. To sustain its war of aggression against China, the total value of military supplies imported from overseas in 1937 reached approximately 960 million yen. By June of the following year, for the Battle of Wuhan, even rifles used in training were recalled to outfit the expanding army. The sustained increase in troops also strained domestic labor, food, and energy supplies. By 1939, after Wuhan, Japan's military expenditure had climbed to about 6.156 billion yen, far exceeding national reserves. This stark reality exposed Japan's economic fragility and its inability to guarantee a steady supply of military materiel, increasing pressure on the leadership at the Central Command. The Chief of Staff and the Minister of War lamented the mismatch between outward strength and underlying weakness: "Outwardly strong but weak is a reflection of our country today, and this will not last long." In sum, the Wuhan campaign coincided with a decline in the organization, equipment, and combat effectiveness of the Japanese army compared with before the battle. This erosion of capability helped drive Japan to alter its political and military strategy, shifting toward a method of inflicting pressure on China and attempting to "use China to control China", that is, fighting in ways designed to sustain the broader war effort. Tragically a major element of Chiang Kai-shek's retreat strategy was the age-old "scorched earth" policy. In fact, China originated the phrase and the practice. Shanghai escaped the last-minute torching because of foreigners whose property rights were protected. But in Nanjing, the burning and destruction began with increasing zeal. What could not be moved inland, such as remaining rice stocks, oil in tanks, and other facilities, was to be blown up or devastated. Civilians were told to follow the army inland, to rebuild later behind the natural barrier of Sichuan terrain. Many urban residents complied, but the peasantry did not embrace the plan. The scorched-earth policy served as powerful propaganda for the occupying Japanese army and, even more so, for the Reds. Yet they could hardly have foreseen the propaganda that Changsha would soon supply them. In June, the Changsha Evacuation Guidance Office was established to coordinate land and water evacuation routes. By the end of October, Wuhan's three towns had fallen, and on November 10 the Japanese army captured Yueyang, turning Changsha into the next primary invasion target. Beginning on October 9, Japanese aircraft intensified from sporadic raids on Changsha to large-scale bombing. On October 27, the Changsha Municipal Government urgently evacuated all residents, exempting only able-bodied men, the elderly, the weak, women, and children. The baojia system was mobilized to go door-to-door, enforcing compliance. On November 7, Chiang Kai-shek convened a military meeting at Rongyuan Garden to review the war plan and finalize a "scorched earth war of resistance." Xu Quan, Chief of Staff of the Security Command, drafted the detailed implementation plan. On November 10, Shi Guoji, Chief of Staff of the Security Command, presided over a joint meeting of Changsha's party, government, military, police, and civilian organizations to devise a strategy. The Changsha Destruction Command was immediately established, bringing together district commanders and several arson squads. The command actively prepared arson equipment and stacked flammable materials along major traffic arteries. Chiang decided that the city of Changsha was vulnerable and either gave the impression or the direct order, honestly really depends on the source your reading, to burn the city to the ground to prevent it falling to the enemy. At 9:00 AM on November 12, Chiang Kai-shek telegraphed Zhang Zhizhong: "One hour to arrive, Chairman Zhang, Changsha, confidential. If Changsha falls, the entire city must be burned. Please make thorough preparations in advance and do not delay." And here it seems a game of broken telephone sort of resulted in one of the worst fire disasters of all time. If your asking pro Chiang sources, the message was clearly, put up a defense, once thats fallen, burn the city down before the Japanese enter. Obviously this was to account for getting civilians out safely and so forth. If you read lets call it more modern CPP aligned sources, its the opposite. Chiang intentionally ordering the city to burn down as fast as possible, but in through my research, I think it was a colossal miscommunication. Regardless Zhongzheng Wen, Minister of the Interior, echoed the message. Simultaneously, Lin Wei, Deputy Director of Chiang Kai-shek's Secretariat, instructed Zhang Zhizhong by long-distance telephone: "If Changsha falls, the entire city must be burned." Zhang summoned Feng Ti, Commander of the Provincial Capital Garrison, and Xu Quan, Director of the Provincial Security Bureau, to outline arson procedures. He designated the Garrison Command to shoulder the preparations, with the Security Bureau assisting. At 4:00 PM, Zhang appointed Xu Kun, Commander of the Second Garrison Regiment, as chief commander of the arson operation, with Wang Weining, Captain of the Social Training Corps, and Xu Quan, Chief of Staff of the Garrison Command, as deputies. At 6:00 PM, the Garrison Command held an emergency meeting ordering all government agencies and organizations in the city to be ready for evacuation at any moment. By around 10:15 PM, all urban police posts had withdrawn. Around 2:00 AM (November 13), a false report circulated that "Japanese troops have reached Xinhe" . Firefighters stationed at various locations rushed out with kerosene-fueled devices, burning everything in sight, shops and houses alike. In an instant, Changsha became a sea of flames. The blaze raged for 72 hours. The Hunan Province Anti-Japanese War Loss Statistics, compiled by the Hunan Provincial Government Statistics Office of the Kuomintang, report that the fire inflicted economic losses of more than 1 billion yuan, a sum equivalent to about 1.7 trillion yuan after the victory in the war. This figure represented roughly 43% of Changsha's total economic value at the time. Regarding casualties, contemporary sources provide varying figures. A Xinhua Daily report from November 20, 1938 noted that authorities mobilized manpower to bury more than 600 bodies, though the total number of burned remains could not be precisely counted. A Central News Agency reporter on November 19 stated that in the Xiangyuan fire, more than 2,000 residents could not escape, and most of the bodies had already been buried. There are further claims that in the Changsha Fire, more than 20,000 residents were burned to death. In terms of displacement, Changsha's population before the fire was about 300,000, and by November 12, 90% had been evacuated. After the fire, authorities registered 124,000 victims, including 815 orphans sheltered in Lito and Maosgang.  Building damage constituted the other major dimension of the catastrophe, with the greatest losses occurring to residential houses, shops, schools, factories, government offices, banks, hospitals, newspaper offices, warehouses, and cultural and entertainment venues, as well as numerous historic buildings such as palaces, temples, private gardens, and the former residences of notable figures; among these, residential and commercial structures suffered the most, followed by factories and schools. Inspector Gao Yihan, who conducted a post-fire investigation, observed that the prosperous areas within Changsha's ring road, including Nanzheng Street and Bajiaoting, were almost completely destroyed, and in other major markets only a handful of shops remained, leading to an overall estimate that surviving or stalemated houses were likely less than 20%. Housing and street data from the early post-liberation period reveal that Changsha had more than 1,100 streets and alleys; of these, more than 690 were completely burned and more than 330 had fewer than five surviving houses, accounting for about 29%, with nearly 90% of the city's streets severely damaged. More than 440 streets were not completely destroyed, but among these, over 190 had only one or two houses remaining and over 130 had only three or four houses remaining; about 60 streets, roughly 6% had 30 to 40 surviving houses, around 30 streets, 3% had 11 to 20 houses, 10 streets, 1% had 21 to 30 houses, and three streets ) had more than 30 houses remaining. Housing statistics from 1952 show that 2,538 houses survived the fire, about 6.57% of the city's total housing stock, with private houses totaling 305,800 square meters and public houses 537,900 square meters. By 1956, the surviving area of both private and public housing totaled 843,700 square meters, roughly 12.3% of the city's total housing area at that time. Alongside these losses, all equipment, materials, funds, goods, books, archives, antiques, and cultural relics that had not been moved were also destroyed.  At the time of the Changsha Fire, Zhou Enlai, then Deputy Minister of the Political Department of the Nationalist Government's Military Commission, was in Changsha alongside Ye Jianying, Guo Moruo, and others. On November 12, 1938, Zhou Enlai attended a meeting held by Changsha cultural groups at Changsha Normal School to commemorate Sun Yat-sen's 72nd birthday. Guo Moruo later recalled that Zhou Enlai and Ye Jianying were awakened by the blaze that night; they each carried a suitcase and evacuated to Xiangtan, with Zhou reportedly displaying considerable indignation at the sudden, unprovoked fire. On the 16th, Zhou Enlai rushed back to Changsha and, together with Chen Cheng, Zhang Zhizhong, and others, inspected the disaster. He mobilized personnel from three departments, with Tian Han and Guo Moruo at the forefront, to form the Changsha Fire Aftermath Task Force, which began debris clearance, care for the injured, and the establishment of soup kitchens. A few days later, on the 22nd, the Hunan Provincial Government established the Changsha Fire Temporary Relief Committee to coordinate relief efforts.  On the night of November 16, 1938, Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Changsha and, the next day, ascended Tianxin Pavilion. Sha Wei, head of the Cultural Relics Section of the Changsha Tianxin Pavilion Park Management Office, and a long-time researcher of the pavilion, explained that documentation indicates Chiang Kai-shek, upon seeing the city largely reduced to scorched earth with little left intact, grew visibly angry. After descending from Tianxin Pavilion, Chiang immediately ordered the arrest of Changsha Garrison Commander Feng Ti, Changsha Police Chief Wen Chongfu, and Commander of the Second Garrison Regiment Xu Kun, and arranged a military trial with a two-day deadline. The interrogation began at 7:00 a.m. on November 18. Liang Xiaojin records that Xu Kun and Wen Chongfu insisted their actions followed orders from the Security Command, while Feng Ti admitted negligence and violations of procedure, calling his acts unforgivable. The trial found Feng Ti to be the principal offender, with Wen Chongfu and Xu Kun as accomplices, and sentenced all three to prison terms of varying lengths. The verdict was sent to Chiang Kai-shek for approval, who was deeply dissatisfied and personally annotated the drafts: he asserted that Feng Ti, as the city's security head, was negligent and must be shot immediately; Wen Chongfu, as police chief, disobeyed orders and fled, and must be shot immediately; Xu Kun, for neglect of duty, must be shot immediately. The court then altered the arson charge in the verdict to "insulting his duty and harming the people" in line with Chiang's instructions. Chiang Kai-shek, citing "failure to supervise personnel and precautions," dismissed Zhang from his post, though he remained in office to oversee aftermath operations. Zhang Zhizhong later recalled Chiang Kai-shek's response after addressing the Changsha fire: a pointed admission that the fundamental cause lay not with a single individual but with the collective leadership's mistakes, and that the error must be acknowledged as a collective failure. All eyes now shifted to the new center of resistance, Chongqing, the temporary capital. Chiang's "Free China" no longer meant the whole country; it now encompassed Sichuan, Hunan, and Henan, but not Jiangsu or Zhejiang. The eastern provinces were effectively lost, along with China's major customs revenues, the country's most fertile regions, and its most advanced infrastructure. The center of political gravity moved far to the west, into a country the Nationalists had never controlled, where everything was unfamiliar and unpredictable, from topography and dialects to diets. On the map, it might have seemed that Chiang still ruled much of China, but vast swaths of the north and northwest were sparsely populated; most of China's population lay in the east and south, where Nationalist control was either gone or held only precariously. The combined pressures of events and returning travelers were gradually shifting American attitudes toward the Japanese incident. Europe remained largely indifferent, with Hitler absorbing most attention, but the United States began to worry about developments in the Pacific. Roosevelt initiated a January 1939 appeal to raise a million dollars for Chinese civilians in distress, and the response quickly materialized. While the Chinese did not expect direct intervention, they hoped to deter further American economic cooperation with Japan and to halt Japan's purchases of scrap iron, oil, gasoline, shipping, and, above all, weapons from the United States. Public opinion in America was sufficiently stirred to sustain a campaign against silk stockings, a symbolic gesture of boycott that achieved limited effect; Japan nonetheless continued to procure strategic materials. Within this chorus, the left remained a persistent but often discordant ally to the Nationalists. The Institute of Pacific Relations, sympathetic to communist aims, urged America to act, pressuring policymakers and sounding alarms about China. Yet the party line remained firmly pro-Chiang Kai-shek: the Japanese advance seemed too rapid and threatening to the Reds' interests. Most oil and iron debates stalled; American businessmen resented British trade ties with Japan, and Britain refused to join any mutual cutoff, arguing that the Western powers were not at war with Japan. What occurred in China was still commonly referred to in Western diplomatic circles as "the Incident." Wang Jingwei's would make his final defection, yes in a long ass history of defections. Mr Wang Jingwei had been very busy traveling to Guangzhou, then Northwest to speak with Feng Yuxiang, many telegrams went back and forth. He returned to the Nationalist government showing his face to foreign presses and so forth. While other prominent rivals of Chiang, Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi, and others, rallied when they perceived Japan as a real threat; all did so except Wang Jingwei. Wang, who had long believed himself the natural heir to Sun Yat-sen and who had repeatedly sought to ascend to power, seemed willing to cooperate with Japan if it served his own aims. I will just say it, Wang Jingwei was a rat. He had always been a rat, never changed. Opinions on Chiang Kai-Shek vary, but I think almost everyone can agree Wang Jingwei was one of the worst characters of this time period. Now Wang Jingwei could not distinguish between allies and enemies and was prepared to accept help from whomever offered it, believing he could outmaneuver Tokyo when necessary. Friends in Shanghai and abroad whispered that it was not too late to influence events, arguing that the broader struggle was not merely China versus Japan but a clash between principled leaders and a tyrannical, self-serving clique, Western imperialism's apologists who needed Chiang removed. For a time Wang drifted within the Kuomintang, moving between Nanjing, Wuhan, Changsha, and Chongqing, maintaining discreet lines of communication with his confidants. The Japanese faced a governance problem typical of conquerors who possess conquered territory: how to rule effectively while continuing the war. They imagined Asia under Japanese-led leadership, an East Asia united by a shared Co-Prosperity Sphere but divided by traditional borders. To sustain this vision, they sought local leaders who could cooperate. The search yielded few viable options; would-be collaborators were soon assassinated, proved incompetent, or proved corrupt. The Japanese concluded it would require more time and education. In the end, Wang Jingwei emerged as a preferred figure. Chongqing, meanwhile, seemed surprised by Wang's ascent. He had moved west to Chengde, then to Kunming, attempted, and failed to win over Yunnan's warlords, and eventually proceeded to Hanoi in Indochina, arriving in Hong Kong by year's end. He sent Chiang Kai-shek a telegram suggesting acceptance of Konoe's terms for peace, which Chungking rejected. In time, Wang would establish his own Kuomintang faction in Shanghai, combining rigorous administration with pervasive secret-police activity characteristic of occupied regimes. By 1940, he would be formally installed as "Chairman of China." But that is a story for another episode.  In the north, the Japanese and the CCP were locked in an uneasy stalemate. Mao's army could make it impossible for the Japanese to hold deep countryside far from the railway lines that enabled mass troop movement into China's interior. Yet the Communists could not defeat the occupiers. In the dark days of October 1938—fifteen months after the war began—one constant remained. Observers (Chinese businessmen, British diplomats, Japanese generals) repeatedly predicted that each new disaster would signal the end of Chinese resistance and force a swift surrender, or at least a negotiated settlement in which the government would accept harsher terms from Tokyo. But even after defenders were expelled from Shanghai, Nanjing, and Wuhan, despite the terrifying might Japan had brought to bear on Chinese resistance, and despite the invader's manpower, technology, and resources, China continued to fight. Yet it fought alone. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. In a land shredded by war, Wuhan burned under brutal sieges, then Changsha followed, a cruel blaze born of orders and miscommunications. Leaders wrestled with retreat, scorched-earth vows, and moral debts as Japanese force and Chinese resilience clashed for months. Mao urged strategy over martyrdom, Wang Jingwei's scheming shadow loomed, and Chongqing rose as the westward beacon. Yet China endured, a stubborn flame refusing to surrender to the coming storm. The war stretched on, unfinished and unyielding.

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 identity, immigration, nationalism, and the deep state within the Conservative Party. SPONSORS: Get up to 45% off Ekster with my code ANDREWGOLDHERETICS: https://partner.ekster.com/andrewgoldheretics  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 ANDREW FOR 25% OFF Plaud Note: https://bit.ly/4nJWt7j  Plaud Note Pro: https://bit.ly/423JiWv  Grab your free seat to the 2-Day AI Mastermind: https://link.outskill.com/ANDREWS2  Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at https://mintmobile.com/heretics  Start your MyHeritage journey now with a 14-day free trial using my link: https://bit.ly/AndrewGoldMyHeritage Suella opens up about her time in Number 10, the ‘Stop the Boats' crisis, and what really happened behind closed doors with Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. She reveals why she believes immigration is out of control, what went wrong with the Rwanda plan, and whether Britain can ever regain control of its borders. We also dive deep into what it means to be English, British or Asian-British in modern Britain — from the St. George's flag controversy to national pride, religion, and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Suella explains why she believes strong countries need strong identities, and how ‘human rights' laws have been exploited to block deportations. Finally, Andrew challenges Suella on issues like burqas, cousin marriage, and nationalism, before asking the question everyone wants to know — would she join Nigel Farage and Reform UK? #SuellaBraverman #HereticsPodcast #BritishPolitics  Join the 30k heretics on my mailing list: https://andrewgoldheretics.com  Check out my new documentary channel: https://youtube.com/@andrewgoldinvestigates  Andrew on X: https://twitter.com/andrewgold_ok   Insta: https://www.instagram.com/andrewgold_ok Heretics YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@andrewgoldheretics Chapters: 0:00 Suella Braverman Highlights 1:35 Why Suella Braverman is Normal 4:05 What is Englishness? 6:35 Nationality vs Ethnicity 9:35 Nationalism Debate 12:05 We Must Copy Israel's Nationalism 13:35 St. George's Flag Controversy 15:35 Why We Brought In So Many Immigrants 17:35 What Suella Said To Rishi and Liz 21:35 The Deep State & Stopping the Boats 25:05 Can We Ever Trust The Tories Again? 26:50 How Has Islam Changed Your Life 28:35 What's Suella's Ancestry? 31:35 Andrew's Dog Test 33:35 Burqas and 1st Cousin Marriage 36:35 We Have Too Many People 39:35 Would Suella Join Reform? 41:35 Can the Tories Win? 43:35 Harry Kane Analogy With Reform 47:35 What Actually Is The ECHR? 50:35 Why Rwanda Failed 53:35 Can We Get Out Of The ECHR? 56:35 How ‘Human Rights' Are Exploited 59:35 Where Kemi & Tories Stand 1:00:35 The Origin of Suella's Name 1:03:35 Keir Starmer's ‘Management Speak' 1:05:35 Why Suella Lost Her Job 1:07:35 The Jews Love Suella 1:10:35 A Heretic Suella Admires Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What did the trafficking and labor of enslaved Africans do to and for the British empire? What role did slavery in the Caribbean play in capitalism's expansion in Britain? Steve Cushion weighs in on these and other matters, including key dimensions of British abolitionism and stances taken by British elites and workers toward the U.S. Civil War. Steve Cushion, Slavery in the British Empire and its Legacy in the Modern World Monthly Review Press, 2025     The post Slavery, Capitalism, and the Brits appeared first on KPFA.

‘Fashion has to be more inclusive, it has to speak to people outside the normal demographic'BBC presenter Amol Rajan speaks to Ghanaian-born Edward Enninful, who rose to the pinnacle of fashion in Britain as the editor-in-chief of British Vogue.Enninful has dedicated his career to making fashion representative and relevant to all, ignoring the accepted conventions on which type of models will make magazines and clothes sell. Even before I knew what inclusivity was, he says, I knew something wasn't right. But now Enninful warns fashion is at risk of returning to a narrow definition of beauty, where being thin, European and young is the ideal. In this interview, he sets out an alternative vision of fashion where diversity is welcomed, and the beauty of older women is recognised - inspired by the ‘bodacious' African women dressed by his seamstress mother throughout his childhood.Enninful arrived in London from Ghana as a boy, and was fashion director of the influential i-D magazine by the age of 18. After being appointed editor of British Vogue in 2017, he spent six years at the helm before stepping down. He is now launching a new fashion and media platform EE72.Thank you to the Radical podcast team for their help in making this programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Amol Rajan Producers: Lucy Sheppard and Grace Reeve Editor: Justine LangGet in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Edward Enninful Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

How did the British Army go from the muddle of the Boer War to the professionalism of 1918? In this episode, historian David Keable-Elliot talks to the show about The Doctrine of the British Army — the forgotten Field Service Regulations that shaped everything from tactics to training. It's the story of how a rulebook turned chaos into coherence, and helped Britain win the First World War. Thanks to Dr Chris Brice for organising and conducting this interview.  Join the Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/RedcoatHistory  Subscribe to the newsletter - https://redcoathistory.com/  Buy David's book - https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/the-doctrine-of-the-british-army-the-conception-and-implementation-of-field-service-regulations-1900-1918.php 

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's Best Biking Podcast presented by 'Fox Mulder' Hargreaves and 'Dana Scully' Fitz-Gibbons – because, spookily, this is FEC Episode 218; exactly the same number of episodes as TV's The X-Files. Except it's not spooky at all because it's not a coincidence. It's inevitable there's a TV show with exactly 218 episodes, and it's the X-Files; if we waited until FEC 219 to make the connection, it would be the same number of episodes as the original ABC run of the American improvisational comedy series Whose Line Is It Anyway? Insert your own joke here.  And thanks as always to our benevolent benefactors Bennetts, Britain's Best Bike insurers, and bikesocial.co.uk, the website/YouTube channel for all your biking needs. And remember to become a BikeSocial Member – it's automatic if you're insured with Bennetts, or it's £60 per year or £6 per month if not. But it means you get access to loads of competitions, offers and money-off deals on a veritable panoply of kit – basically, if you're thinking of buying anything for your bike, check to see if it's on the list; you might be able to save more than the cost of membership. For a list of current offers and discounts, visit rewards.bennetts.co.uk/categories Right, on with the show, and this week Simon and Martin natter about: • Triumph's new Trident 800 • Ducati's new Monster • Kawasaki's new KLE500 • Honda's new CB1000F • Yamaha's new Ténéré 700 World Raid Plus • BMW R1300 GSA v RS v RT, and the merits of riding 600 miles for one photo • Has motorcycling got too easy; if you don't have to earn it, is it worth anything? • What's it like riding Honda's RC213V-S in 2025? • Riding 'signatures' • What's the easiest engine to work on? • And loads of other hot air and nonsense Thanks for listening, please tell your motorcycling pals and spread the FEC message of love, hope, friendship and riding as far and fast as possible at all times... And please continue to grace the inbox and anything@fronteendchatter.com with your thoughts, questions, queries and general bantz. Aye. Carry on.    

In her latest novel, One Aladdin Two Lamps, the writer Jeanette Winterson takes inspiration from the legendary story of Shahrazad in One Thousand and One Nights. But she calls on the reader to look again at stories we think we know, unpick how fiction works, and have the courage to challenge and change the narrative.The saxophonist and presenter Soweto Kinch will perform his new album, Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, with the London Symphony Orchestra (at the Barbican, London, on Friday 14th November), combining British jazz, hip-hop and orchestral music. This is the finale of his acclaimed trilogy of politically charged, genre-defying works that tell different stories of the past, present and future. The former MP Rory Stewart spent nearly a decade in Britain's most rural constituency, Penrith and Borders, and wrote a column for a local newspaper. In Middleland: Dispatches from the Borders he's collected together these fragmentary moments from rural life and local politics to capture a wide-ranging portrait of life and stories from the Cumbrian countryside. Producer: Katy Hickman Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez

Geoffrey Wansell uncovers the shocking story of Lakhvir Singh, a woman whose passion turned to poison. When her lover began a new relationship, jealousy consumed her. In an act as chilling as it was calculated, she laced his curry with a rare poison — aconite — earning her the nickname “The Curry Killer.” Was this a crime of love, rage, or revenge? Geoffrey discusses the case with Molly to unravel how desire, betrayal, and heartbreak led to one of Britain's most extraordinary murder cases.CREDITS: Presenters: Geoffrey and Molly WansellProducer: Peter Shevlin https://pod60.com/Artwork: George LeighMusic: Dan WansellCONTACT: Twitter: @BloodTies_PodInstagram:@bloodtiespodcastEmail: bloodties.podcast@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloodtiespodcastSupport: patreon.com/bloodtiespodcastPlease complete our survey if you have time: http://bit.ly/bloodtiespodcast-survey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's chilling episode, Cheryl and Nikki dive into one of Britain's most infamous paranormal cases — The Enfield Haunting.In 1977, a seemingly ordinary council house in Enfield, North London, became the centre of a supernatural storm. Furniture flew, toys hurled themselves across rooms, and a family of four were tormented by a mischievous — and sometimes malicious — poltergeist. But was this the work of the paranormal, or something far more human?Join Cheryl and Nikki as they unpick the chaos that gripped the nation — from the terrified Hodgson family to the investigators from the Society for Psychical Research who risked their reputations chasing ghosts. Along the way, they'll separate fact from fiction, uncover how The Conjuring 2 turned this haunting into Hollywood legend, and ask the ultimate question: was Enfield really haunted, or just the perfect media storm?Expect eerie happenings, questionable recordings, and a few very British ghosts of Christmas past…

The Cockpit Confrontation: How Parliament Lost Their Best Advocate and Franklin's Legacy as a Founder of Science. Richard Munson discusses how Benjamin Franklin was a pivotal figure in the Revolutionary era, initially dedicated to maintaining the colonies' loyalty to the king. The critical turning point occurred in January 1774 at the Cockpit, where Parliament grilled and lambasted Franklin for over an hour without allowing him to answer. At this moment, Franklin realized the English government had lost its "best possible advocate," and he began thinking seriously about independence. Before the break with Britain, Franklin had laid a foundation for colonial unity by creating the American Philosophical Society. Franklin returned to Philadelphia in April 1775 and sailed to Paris in October 1776, where the French adored him. Franklin's legacy has been subject to various interpretations by historians, but Munson emphasizes that Franklin's enduring relevance lies in his role as a founder who championed empirical truths, observation, and experimentation, which is vital in modern times marked by the dismissal of science and facts.

We know the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 failed – but what if it hadn't? What if Guy Fawkes had ignited the gunpowder under parliament, killing the king, nobles and bishops, and reducing Westminster to rubble? In the penultimate episode of our series on the plot, Danny Bird speaks to historian John Cooper to consider an alternative course in Britain's history. Could a child queen have become a puppet for a restored Catholic kingdom? Might foreign powers have intervened, and could Britain and Ireland have descended into religious civil war? ––––– GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Want to know more about the Gunpowder Plot? Danny Bird has curated a selection of essential reading from the HistoryExtra and BBC History Magazine archive to help you explore the religious tensions, political intrigue and lasting impact of this infamous act of treason: https://bit.ly/3WDunPw. ––––– (Ad) John Cooper is the author of The Lost Chapel of Westminster: How a Royal Chapel Became the House of Commons (Apollo, 2024). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Chapel-Westminster-John-Cooper/dp/1801104514#:~:text=debate....-,John%20Cooper's%20The%20Lost%20Chapel%20of%20Westminster%20is%20a%20meticulously,beating%20heart%20of%20parliamentary%20debate/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Angela Harding is an artist, printmaker and illustrator. Based in Rutland, Angela's work is inspired by the countryside of the British Isles, and in particular British birds. Alongside her many prints and artistic creations, her award-willing illustrations can be found adorning many a book cover.Angela was born in Stoke-on-Trent in June 1960, the middle of three daughters to Stephen and Joan Harding. It was an artistic household: her father, a headteacher, passed on his love of poetry to Angela, her mother taught pottery, and all three sisters would end up going to art college. She left school at sixteen and, at her mother's behest, did a pre-nursing course before pursuing her passion for art. She studied Fine Art at Leicester Polytechnic from where she graduated with a first in 1982. After indulging her love of travel – both on her bike around Britain as well as on a Magic Bus across Europe – Angela spent twenty years working in the art world, from teaching to consultancy. During these years, she married and raised two children, then divorced and married her second husband, Mark.In 2008, she made the life changing decision to pursue a career as a professional artist: she abandoned the media she had previously worked in and concentrated on linocuts and silkscreen printing. She has worked as a magazine illustrator and today her prints can be found on everything from book covers to tea towels and greeting cards. Her advent calendars – first produced in 2015 – have become a collector's item. She has also published several books of her own.When she's not on her boat sailing around the British Isles, Angela lives in Rutland, with her husband Mark and her whippet, Oaty. DISC ONE: I Wanna Thank Ya (featuring Snoop Dogg) - Angie Stone DISC TWO: The Thought Fox. Written and read by Ted Hughes DISC THREE: Britten: Songs from "Friday Afternoons", Op. 7: Songs From Friday Afternoons, Op. 7: "Cuckoo!". Performed by Choir of Downside School, Purley, Viola Tunnard (piano), Benjamin Britten (conductor) DISC FOUR: Rise - Public Image Ltd. DISC FIVE: My Lady Story - Anohni and the Johnsons DISC SIX: La conga blicoti - Joséphine Baker DISC SEVEN: Skeleton Tree - LYR DISC EIGHT: Marie douceur - Marie colère - Marie Laforêt BOOK CHOICE: Complete Poetical Works and Letters of Edward Thomas LUXURY ITEM: A lino printing set with champagne CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: I Wanna Thank Ya (featuring Snoop Dogg) - Angie Stone Presenter Lauren Laverne Producer Sarah TaylorThere are more than 2000 programmes in our archive available for you to listen to. We have cast away other notable artists including Helen Oxenbury, Maggie Hambling and Quentin Blake. You'll also find the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage in our archive too. You can find their episodes on BBC Sounds or on our Desert Island Discs website.