Quite right!

The Spectator
  • 5.0 (1)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to Quite right!, the podcast from The Spectator that searches for sanity and common sense in a world which increasingly seems devoid of both. Each week, join Michael Gove, editor of The Spectator, and Madeline Grant, assistant editor of The Spectator, for a mixture of politics, culture and mischief as they unpack the stories that most piqued their interest, amusement or exasperation. For more podcasts from The Spectator: spectator.co.uk/podcasts Subscribe to The Spectator: spectator.co.uk/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. What’s the point of Keir Starmer? – and the Lords vs the Commons

    20 HR AGO

    What’s the point of Keir Starmer? – and the Lords vs the Commons

    This week: the stark question of Keir Starmer’s leadership. After a bruising week in Westminster – from fresh revelations about the Mandelson appointment to renewed scrutiny of the Prime Minister’s governing style – they debate whether Starmer’s cautious, process-driven approach is becoming a political liability. Will Labour move to replace him?  Also on the podcast: the House of Lords, as peers prepare to scrutinise two of the most morally charged issues in politics: assisted dying and proposals to decriminalise abortion up to birth. With the Commons accused of rushing through profound legislative changes with limited debate, they ask whether the Lords is performing an essential constitutional role – or defying democratic authority. And finally: should Winston Churchill really disappear from Britain’s banknotes? As the Bank of England considers replacing historical figures with images of nature, Michael and Maddie debate whether Britain is retreating from its own history. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. October 8 is available to buy or rent now on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Google. Find out more: https://www.october8film.com Become 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.

    44 min
  2. Q&A: Should Starmer go left or right? – and Thimothée Chalemet’s tragédie en musique

    5 DAYS AGO

    Q&A: Should Starmer go left or right? – and Thimothée Chalemet’s tragédie en musique

    To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, visit spectator.com/quiteright. In this week’s Q&A, Michael and Maddie discuss whether Keir Starmer faces a deeper political dilemma: should the Labour party tack left to shore up its base, or move to the centre to win over voters uneasy about the party’s economic direction? Also this week: are Britain’s closest allies being taken for granted? From Canada and Australia to New Zealand, they consider whether the UK has neglected some of its most dependable international partners while chasing influence elsewhere. And finally, they turn to culture and ask why institutions like opera and ballet so often struggle to justify their place in modern public life. Are they relics of an elite past, or essential expressions of a deeper cultural tradition? Produced by Oscar Edmondson. October 8 is available to buy or rent now on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Google. Find out more: https://www.october8film.com Become 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.

    30 min
  3. Is Britain still a great power? – and why Ed Miliband should go | Quite right!

    11 MAR

    Is Britain still a great power? – and why Ed Miliband should go | Quite right!

    This week: Michael and Maddie discuss the escalating crisis in the Middle East and ask a bigger question about Britain’s place in the world – is the UK still a great power, or has the conflict exposed just how limited our influence has become? They debate whether Britain has any real choice but to follow America in foreign policy, what the war reveals about the country’s diminished military capabilities, and whether Westminster is finally confronting the reality of Britain’s global position. Also on the podcast, they examine the growing backlash against Ed Miliband’s energy agenda. With war in the Middle East sending shockwaves through global energy markets, has Labour’s push for net zero left Britain dangerously exposed – and is the UK undermining its own economy by shutting down domestic oil and gas while continuing to import it from abroad? Produced by Oscar Edmondson. October 8 is available to buy or rent now on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Google. Find out more: https://www.october8film.com Become 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.

    45 min
  4. Q&A: Has the Equality Act created a ‘hierarchy of victimhood’?

    6 MAR

    Q&A: Has the Equality Act created a ‘hierarchy of victimhood’?

    To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, visit spectator.com/quiteright. In this week’s Q&A, Michael and Maddie ask whether Britain is driving its young and ambitious abroad. As more professionals head to places like Dubai in search of opportunity, they debate whether the real problem lies not with those who leave, but with the conditions pushing them out. Why do so many talented Britons feel they cannot build a future at home – and what does that say about the state of the country? Also this week: should the Equality Act be scrapped altogether? In light of Suella Braverman’s pledge to repeal it, they consider whether the law has drifted far beyond its original purpose. And finally, they discuss which right-wing leaders around the world they admire. From Latin America to Europe, who offers a compelling model of conservative leadership today – and what lessons, if any, might Britain draw from them? Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Become 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.

    35 min
  5. Iran: Trump has a plan — does Starmer? Plus the Spring Statement fallout

    4 MAR

    Iran: Trump has a plan — does Starmer? Plus the Spring Statement fallout

    This week: Michael and Maddie debate the escalating crisis in Iran and ask whether Donald Trump truly has a strategy – and whether Keir Starmer has one at all. They examine what Trump’s strikes are meant to achieve, whether regime change in Tehran is the real objective and why parts of the American right are uneasy about Israel’s influence over US foreign policy. Turning to Westminster, they assess Britain’s response. Has Starmer struck the right balance between caution and credibility – or has the crisis exposed the limits of Britain’s military strength and global influence? Finally, they review Rachel Reeves’s Spring Statement. With growth forecasts under scrutiny and public spending pressures mounting, is the Labour party sticking to a credible economic plan – or relying on economic crystal balls? Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Become 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.

    39 min
  6. Part two | ‘MPs are just not good enough’ – Munira Mirza on Boris, Starmer & Britain’s leadership crisis

    27 FEB

    Part two | ‘MPs are just not good enough’ – Munira Mirza on Boris, Starmer & Britain’s leadership crisis

    This is the second part of Michael Gove’s conversation with Munira Mirza. After reflecting in part one on multiculturalism and the fractures in modern Britain, this second instalment turns to the question of leadership, and the lessons both Boris and Starmer should learn. Munira reflects on Boris Johnson’s premiership, describing him as ‘a better man than many of his detractors would admit’ but acknowledging his foibles and lack of decisiveness at critical moments. Was he a good Prime Minister?  They go on to debate whether the wiring of the British state – from the Human Rights Act to the Equality Act – has made effective government harder, and whether Reform are right to call for repeal of both of these pieces of legislation. Finally, Munira delivers a stark assessment of Britain’s political class, questioning whether the calibre of MPs is good enough, criticising the culture of risk-aversion in Westminster, and making the case for ‘radical candour’ in politics.  Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Become 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.

    41 min
  7. Part one | Munira Mirza on multiculturalism, Islamism & how fear of racism is distorting policy

    25 FEB

    Part one | Munira Mirza on multiculturalism, Islamism & how fear of racism is distorting policy

    This week, Michael is joined by Munira Mirza. Raised in Oldham and educated at Oxford, Munira worked at Policy Exchange before serving as Deputy Mayor of London under Boris Johnson and later as Director of the No.10 Policy Unit, where she helped shape the Conservatives’ 2019 election manifesto. She now leads Civic Future and the think tank Fix Britain. In the first of this two-part interview, Munira reflects on Labour’s vulnerability in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election, and the ‘serious threat’ it faces if the Muslim votes flees to the Greens. She discusses the politicisation of religious identity, the influence of Islamism in Britain, and what she sees as a failure of public authorities to confront hard truths. They also discuss the news this week that Valdo Calocane – the man who killed three people in Nottingham in 2023 – was released from hospital in 2020 because health professionals were concerned about the disproportionate number of black men who were being detained in the mental health system. Munira argues that fear of being accused of institutional racism has distorted decision-making, a scandal of potentially greater magnitude than the grooming gangs and with serious consequences for public safety. Finally, she revisits Brexit and the 2019 realignment, defending the decision to leave the EU and arguing that levelling up was an attempt to fix a broken economic model built on high immigration and weak productivity. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Become 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.

    40 min
  8. Reform’s succession plan – and should Palestine Action be banned?

    18 FEB

    Reform’s succession plan – and should Palestine Action be banned?

    This week, Michael and Maddie consider Reform UK's succession plan. With Nigel Farage unveiling his new shadow cabinet, attention shifts to the bigger question: who comes after him? Is Reform preparing for life beyond its founder – and if so, who stands ready to inherit the crown? Also this week, they examine the fallout from the court’s decision to overturn the government’s attempt to proscribe Palestine Action – and ask what it means for free speech, public order and the limits of the state. They explore whether Britain is drifting toward a de facto blasphemy law, and debate claims of ‘two-tier justice’ in the handling of extremist activism. Has the government lost control of the argument — or is it simply constrained by the courts? Produced by Oscar Edmondson. To submit your questions to Michael and Maddie, visit spectator.com/quiteright Become 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.

    52 min
See All (46)

Hosts & Guests

About

Welcome to Quite right!, the podcast from The Spectator that searches for sanity and common sense in a world which increasingly seems devoid of both. Each week, join Michael Gove, editor of The Spectator, and Madeline Grant, assistant editor of The Spectator, for a mixture of politics, culture and mischief as they unpack the stories that most piqued their interest, amusement or exasperation. For more podcasts from The Spectator: spectator.co.uk/podcasts Subscribe to The Spectator: spectator.co.uk/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Channel
    The Spectator
  • Creator
    The Spectator
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    46
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Spectator
  • Show Website
    Quite right!

More From The Spectator

You Might Also Like