The Sceptic

The Daily Sceptic

Welcome to The Sceptic, the Daily Sceptic’s weekly podcast. Host Laurie Wastell interviews the authors of some of the website’s most talked about recent pieces. Please subscribe, and remember: question everything; stay sane; live free. Produced by Richard Eldred.

  1. 11 hr ago

    Britain’s Anti-White Police | The Sceptic Ep.81

    Ex-cop Paul Birch on the gross failures of the Nowak arrest and Jack Hadfield on the protests. Plus: Blair’s shameless green U-turn. In Episode 81 of the Sceptic, host Laurie Wastell speaks to Paul Birch, former Metropolitan Police officer and commentator, on the police’s gross failures over the arrest of Henry Nowak after he was stabbed – and exactly how anti-racist ideology warps day-to-day policing. Jack Hadfield, independent journalist, on the fierce protests and political fallout over the Nowak outrage and whether there’s more to come. And for our premium subscribers, Laurie speaks to Ben Pile, journalist and Daily Sceptic regular, on Tony Blair’s latest intervention criticising Net Zero, his baleful legacy and why our dimwitted political class, incredibly, still takes him seriously. Donate to the Daily Sceptic to access our premium content.  Follow Laurie on X. Read Paul’s article on the Daily Sceptic here. Follow Jack on X. Follow Ben on X. Read his article on the Daily Sceptic here. Produced by Richard Eldred. Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio. 00:00 Intro 00:02:24 Paul Birch on Henry Nowak Arrest 00:05:03 Why Was Henry Nowak Handcuffed? 00:09:20 Did Anti-Racism Training Shape the Response? 00:14:46 Individual Failures or Institutional Culture? 00:20:58 Poor Training and Woke Ideology 00:23:51 Will the IOPC Deliver Real Accountability? 00:28:59 What Real Police Reform Looks Like 00:34:00 Jack Hadfield on Southampton Protests 00:39:35 Disorder and Crowd Sentiment 00:43:54 Wider Protests This Summer? 00:46:53 Should Henry Nowak’s Murder Be Politicised? 00:51:24 Ben Pile on Blair’s Net Zero Intervention 00:55:44 Why Blair is Shameless 00:59:42 Ideological Roots of Failures

    1 hr
  2. 29 May ·  Bonus

    Will Trump Destroy NATO? | The Sceptic Archive

    Doug Stokes on whether peace is possible in Ukraine, America’s fading global dominance, the future of NATO and why Britain’s rush to rearm could spell trouble for Net Zero. The Sceptic is away this week, so we’re bringing you an episode from the archive. In May 2025, host Laurie Wastell caught up with Doug Stokes, Professor of International Security and Strategy at Exeter University, Senior Advisor at the Prosperity Institute and author of books including Against Decolonisation: Campus Culture Wars and the Decline of the West. Professor Stokes’s insight into the undercurrents to America’s changing global position remain as relevant as ever. Doug and Laurie discuss whether peace is on the cards in Ukraine, the effect of the war on Russia’s geopolitical position, whether MAGA is right to lament America’s position as global superintendent, the future of NATO and what the war means for Europe and Trump’s trade war and whether it will spell the end of dollar hegemony. They also consider the long-term possibility of detente with Russia, whether the need to re-arm will mean the end of the Net Zero here in Britain and the roots of the free-speech crisis in Britain's universities. Donate to the Daily Sceptic to access our premium content. Follow Laurie on X. Follow Doug on X. 00:00 Intro 00:40 Ukraine Ceasefire 07:03 Russia and China 07:25 NATO’s Future 11:04 Europe and Dependency 18:57 Trump’s Trade War 23:14 Europe’s Role 27:19 Rearming Europe 27:31 Nord Stream Fallout 38:26 Defence and Net Zero 40:58 Britain’s Industrial Decline 41:13 Free Speech Crisis 46:54 Kathleen Stock Case 47:19 Universities and Trans Ideology

    40 min

About

Welcome to The Sceptic, the Daily Sceptic’s weekly podcast. Host Laurie Wastell interviews the authors of some of the website’s most talked about recent pieces. Please subscribe, and remember: question everything; stay sane; live free. Produced by Richard Eldred.

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