John Simpson's World Podcast

John Simpson
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Podcast de John Simpson's World Podcast

Foreign correspondent and world affairs editor John Simpson has risked life and limb reporting for the BBC for over 52 years. The Tiananmen Square massacre, Iraq, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Bosnia – you name it he was there. He’s been punched by a UK Prime Minister, bombed by US ‘friendly fire’, watched Saddam Hussein’s execution and whilst experimenting with some hallucinogenic offerings in the deepest Amazon was once hugged by a six foot goldfish wearing sunglasses. On season 1 of John Simpson's World John and producer Lisa Francesca Nand talk about the biggest issues facing the world right now with warmth, humour and a just little bit of bad language. Not afraid of an opinion, John Simpson, on this completely independent podcast, can (and indeed does) say and do whatever he likes. Join John and select guests for lively conversation and much more on the unmissable John Simpson's World. Produced by Lisa Francesca Nand Edited by Alex George

Episodios

  1. 08/10/2019

    John's Return to The Amazon

    On his way through the Amazon, seven days from even the tiniest village, John ends up getting shipwrecked, circled by a hungry jaguar, harpooning monkeys for dinner, dicing with piranhas, sipping hallucinogenic drugs from a cauldron and encountering a six foot goldfish wearing a hat and sunglasses (this was, unsurprisingly, as a direct result of imbibing what was in the cauldron). John’s stories of the Amazon are legendary and he’s managed to persuade the BBC, who are apparently reluctant to let him die on their watch, to let him return to the Amazon very soon. Yikes.    On this episode we cover:   What John was doing in the Amazon in the first place In 1992 being very close to getting some kind of international agreements to stop global warming Because of the US that ceased to exist Travelling through the farthest reaches of the westernmost amazon 7 days traveling down the Envira river Harpooning a monkey for dinner Eating monkeys, snakes and caimans What monkey tastes like Hard to eat something like looks like a roasted baby (!) Being ‘burned to buggery’ A sinking boat Things that bite and chew and electrocute Shipwrecked in the middle of nowhere Being circled by a hungry jaguar Being 7 days travel from the nearest tiny settlement Being the first white man seen by the tribe Swapping mirrors and beads with the Ashaninka John necking hallucinogenic drugs from a cauldron A taste ‘worse than bat urine’ Making friends with a six foot goldfish in a hat Is John really returning to the Amazon to bring back the really good drugs…? Going back - is everyone going to be in Manchester United shirts The forest is now under real threat Struggling to get the BBC to agree to his return The BBC worrying he’ll ‘hand in his lunch pail’ (aka die) on the way The BBC being worried that if John dies the Daily Mail will have a field day Growing a beard especially for the trip The problem of seaweed in Mexico and parts of the Caribbean John will still be going on a small boa, up the same river and facing the same dangers John being up for absolutely anything Is there anything John wouldn’t do…? (note he wouldn’t kill anyone but he does have a story about how he once came close to it in Afghanistan)

    30 min

  2. 30/09/2019

    What Will Happen to the EU (when Britain leaves)?

    Assuming Britain makes the leap… what's next for the UK and for Europe? Will the US help us out? Will the Chinese take an interest? And WTF is happening in France…? With over 53 years as a foreign reporter (including many spent as ‘the BBC Common Market Correspondent’) John Simpson has an idea or two about what we might be facing. On this unmissable episode John and producer Lisa Francesca Nand debate the reasons behind the vote to leave and delve into the possibilities that might befall both the EU and Britain if/when we leave our biggest neighbouring trading block.   On this episode we cover   Does John mind being called veteran Veteran is better than ‘venerable’ The three Vs of getting old The UK being in a bit of a civil war state since the referendum Like Cromwell fighting Charles I John being the ‘BBC Common Market Correspondent’ in the 70s General de Gaulle blocking Britain from joining Being involved from the start would have been a better fit Lisa having enjoyed being part of Europe John hating the idea of Visas in Europe Being a Brit first, a European second Focusing on advantages and disadvantages of leaving But this means we have ignored the rest of Europe John’s experience as a correspondent in Brussels How we always stood on the edges of the EU The UK hankering after a lost world position We saw in the referendum how much support there was leaving John being ambivalent about leaving But caring about our standards of living falling Very few people researched trade agreements, laws and their benefits ‘The metropolitan elite’ People that come to London are not all posh John being an ex-Cambridge elite How John thinks everything Lisa says is true (yay!) We have a representative democracy In 2016 we allowed people to take the decisions for themselves People were lied to The divisions of our society The result being as a result of austerity and government cuts Will life get better for the people who felt marginalised? The people that in favour agree life is going to be rougher What’s next for France? The French being the mirror image opposite of us 14.33 – 14.48 edit stop for water break! The French revolution sanctifying violence French protests being entirely different to British France is not collapsing Workers rights in France being very strong John missing Paris but Paris being stuck in the 50s in many ways Will the EU weaken after we leave? John thinking it was a mistake pushing for an ever closer union The UK were the strong person of Europe We had a seat at the table Travellers in the Third Reich and how we slept walk into Nazi Germany Are we too sleepwalking into something that is more sinister? John reporting on the National Front in France What’s really next for Europe A quite uncomfortable closer relationship to the US to survive The Chinese won’t take any great interest in us Britain will drift for quite a long time

    26 min

  3. 24/09/2019

    What’s Really Happening in Russia?

    Once again John nail’s it with his experienced view on what is happening in the world, this time in Russia. Is Russia the superpower they want us to believe they are? Why did the US play such a foolish game after the collapse of communism? Do we need to be worried about Putin and indeed his increasingly cosy relationship with China? What IS it with those semi-naked horse photos? Should Boris Johnson pose semi-naked on a horse? And crucially, could John Simpson have Vladimir Putin in a fight? On this episode we cover:  How we were conditioned for so many decades to think of Russia as a great superpower And an alternative system to ours The system collapsed without real industrial growth We now have a much smaller version Still the biggest country in the world But it’s lost a lot of the rich and productive parts A president who seemed at first to want to join with western countries The US played a very foolish game after the collapse of communism Instead of reaching out the hand of friendship they played the winner Putin realised the Russian people like to think they’re as strong as before The entire economy is only the size of Australia’s It doesn’t spend all that much more on armed forces than Britain does It’s a big, lumbering deeply inefficient society with pretentions to grandeur Very clever diplomatic footwork to give misleading impressions Vladimir Putin is ‘renting out the place to China’ Turning Russia into China’s small time bodyguard figure China has the economy, Russian has the armed forces It’s not what the majority of Russians would want But it’s hard to get through to Russians The negative stereotypical image of a Russian abroad How Russians in Russia are very different But still gloomy looking How much John loves Russia and Russian people Russians being wonderfully warm and affectionate beneath the gloom Russian people have soul John meeting Putin several times The impression is tha Putin suffer from little man syndrome …A former spook with a dislike of Western values …but None of this is true! Putin being surprisingly warm and friendly Putin watching the BBC a lot to improve his English Putin being a John Simpson fan! Very very charming John meeting Gaddafi and Saddam Gaddafi being ‘just a nutter’ Nutters can be quite exciting Is Putin dangerous? He can be deeply disruptive Putin idea of none of the dangers that face our planet How the finger on the button/ambitious plan to rule the world Putin doesn’t really exist Although it’s not a bad idea to be a bit nervous of Putin John asking Putin’s chief of security how many of their journalists can end up dead The job of a foreign correspondent being to ask hard questions Could John Simpson have Putin in a fight John’s learning to box as a child Putin semi-naked on a horse The real message Putin wants to show the world How UK politics would be a lot more fun if Boris Johnson got his kit off on a horse Are the Russians fiddling with our politics? Putin wants to weaken the West The mixture of enormous wealth (china) and considerable cunning (Russia) is something we will have to face up to soon Could the China/Russia relationship be beneficial to us? How we are stuck with the old ‘we’ve got to have an enemy’ and need to move beyond that John’s passion for translating Chinese poetry Funny Chinese food products and ‘fried cock’ Ultimately we’re seeing Putin’s long term attraction to voters is finally going down But does this mean he will do something silly to reverse this…?

    24 min

  4. 16/09/2019

    What’s Really Happening in the US?

    If you’ve found yourself wondering WTF is going on in the USA – which we’re pretty sure the whole world has – this episode is for you. With over 53 years of political reporting behind him John gives us his unique take on American politics from the 60s until today and the explains the reasons behind the success of Trump. Along with producer Lisa Francesca Nand, John talks about presidents past and present, news reporting, perceived BBC bias, Brexit, immigrants, guns, the electoral college system, Facebook fiddling and above all why we should sod Make America Great Again and instead Make America Cool Again. You heard it here first.   On this episode we cover:   One man giving some people a voice The weird US constitution and electoral college system A strange vengeance about the Trump administration John being covering US politics since the Kennedy days The US was run by a section of society – more open than British society then People who thought differently were silenced Covering the 1964 election with President Johnson and Barry Goldwater The Republican party allowing Goldwater to go forward because they knew they couldn’t win Ronald Regan allowing the rich to get richer with fewer taxes The divisions between rich and poor being far higher now than the 1980s A side effect of this being a bitterness in American society It is THIS that has lead to Trump’s success Trump’s ‘ineffable’ tweets from his lonely bedroom A multi millionaire how has screwed plenty of little people over the decades pretending he’s standing up to the little man The excitement of seeing a president say the sort of thing some people who are thinking How do Trump and Farage convince people they’re on their side? People want to be convinced Grabbing women by the pussy The religious right being among Trump’s strongest supporters The confusing contrasts of the US Britain having nothing to pat itself on the back for at present President Regan scrapping the law that broadcasting had to be balanced The subsequent rise of the shock jock The chances of Trump winning the elections of November 2020 Whether the electoral college system will change Most political scientist in the US feeling it doesn’t change the popular will Social media and Facebook being used by nefarious organisations John being a product of the ‘intellectual elite’ Being the BBC’s longest serving journalist, probably Does the BBC really strive to make things balanced? Do the BBC have an internal bias? How the BBC balancing the argument in the referendum had the opposite effect People allowed to broadcast outright lies The BBC’s strict fact checking process Listen up Daily Mail – there is no official editorial line to toe at the BBC John feeling the BBC has to fight against an institutional timidity The importance of diversity in recruiting How casting the same white, middle aged, privately educated men ain’t helpful Lisa getting John sacked The other things going on in the US How a controversial figure like Trump generates alternative views on the other side People who have never had a voice before on both sides The sons and daughters of immigrants and even immigrants now speaking out The US being a great society How Lisa wants to ‘Make America Cool Again’ Who would want to share a bed with Trump? John’s liberating first visit to the US in the 60s Returning to England ‘like catching a sailing ship back to the middle ages’ Nowadays Britain and Europe being far ahead of the US in many ways How can you buy automatic weapons over the counter? Seen the US move from the most advanced society in the West to an old-fashioned regressive society Britain isn’t perfect, but you cant buy sub machine guns over the counter Our message to the USA Let’s Make America Cool Again

    31 min

  5. 07/08/2019

    18 Months to Save the Human Race?

    Have we reached a crisis point in the race to save the planet from doom? And do we only have, as Prince Charles said, 18 months to save the human race? Whilst we’ve all been busy talking about Brexit, Trump and China have we let it get too late to do something about the disastrous decline of the planet? On this episode John Simpson and his producer Lisa Francesca Nand talk big government initiatives, debauched heatwaves and question whether we really do have 18 months to save us all from disaster.   On this episode we cover:   Prince Charles saying we have 18 months to save the human race Wondering if we actually have less than that John’s crazy trip through Peru Being too busy talking about Brexit, Trump and China that we have taken our eyes off the ball We are facing absolute disaster Being worried for his 13 year old son and a future of ‘horrible decline and despair’ Pressure needing to be put on our political leaders Calls by the Green Party for greater initiatives Big government initiatives needed John Simpson being mistaken for David Attenborough (pisses John off) has David Attenborough had plastic surgery…? (no we don’t really think so…) But does have bow-legs The gathering of commonwealth leaders in the next 18 months Trump being pathetic when it comes to climate change ‘Short-termism killing us’ in democracies Being too late for ordinary methods We need to demonstrate in the streets Whether John will demonstrate in the streets Would his BBC contract permit him to…? Reporting on the 2003 Iraq protests There ain’t going to be an afterwards if we don’t watch it Justifying flying around the world Stopping eating meat Public opinion shifting People travelling more than ever John’s travelling Flying going to have to cost more Train travel being expensive and out of reach of most families Travel spreading love – cheesy but true! Temperatures rising in the UK London going to have the temperature of Barcelona British resorts becoming more attractive The heat wave of 2018 being rather debauched Is the message getting through M&S food being covered in plastic Morrison’s stopping plastic wrapping on fruit and veg Change will happen for commercial reasons Generations gone by being better than us John thinking we have less than 18 months to save the planet Sea levels rising Cities like New York, LA, London will be increasingly under threat Indonesia, Malaysia, part of the African literal will be a matter of life and death John not being much of a Trump fan… Not liking deliberate lying and falsehoods Parallels between Germany in the 1930s The general public sleepwalking into Nazi Germany

    20 min

  6. 07/08/2019

    Why Are We Here...? Introducing John Simpson's World Podcast.

    Why is John Simpson is doing a podcast? Why he is not doing it with the BBC? On this episode John (and producer Lisa Francesca Nand) introduce the podcast, what topics we're going to cover in Season 1, some of the amazing guests we have lined up for Season 2, namedrop everyone John's met from Castro to Saddam Hussein and have the pleasure of hearing John say naughty words he can't usually get away with (don't listen with small children in ear shot). Welcome to John Simpson's World! You're going to love it.    On this episode we cover:  Why is John Simpson is doing a podcast? Why he is not doing it with the BBC? The relief of being able to say what he really thinks The guests we have lined up for season 2 What he feels about George Galloway Not wanting to tell Fidel Castro to shut up John Simpson doesn’t say ‘f*ck’ on the BBC (aha but he does on this podcast…) The incredible historical figures he has met – Saddam, Gaddafi and more The weird quirks of working for the BBC Is it irresponsible to send a man in his 70s into a war zone Whether John would ever get on the front page of the Daily Mail #compoface The Americans dropping bombs on him Going to the Pentagon to threaten to sue them What to expect from this season: 18 months to save the planet What’s really happening in America What’s really happening in Russia What happens with Europe after Britain goes out the EU John’s much-anticipated return to the deepest darkest Amazon

    20 min
  • 6 episodios

Acerca de

Foreign correspondent and world affairs editor John Simpson has risked life and limb reporting for the BBC for over 52 years. The Tiananmen Square massacre, Iraq, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Bosnia – you name it he was there. He’s been punched by a UK Prime Minister, bombed by US ‘friendly fire’, watched Saddam Hussein’s execution and whilst experimenting with some hallucinogenic offerings in the deepest Amazon was once hugged by a six foot goldfish wearing sunglasses. On season 1 of John Simpson's World John and producer Lisa Francesca Nand talk about the biggest issues facing the world right now with warmth, humour and a just little bit of bad language. Not afraid of an opinion, John Simpson, on this completely independent podcast, can (and indeed does) say and do whatever he likes. Join John and select guests for lively conversation and much more on the unmissable John Simpson's World. Produced by Lisa Francesca Nand Edited by Alex George

Información

  • Creador
    John Simpson
  • Años de actividad
    2 k
  • Episodios
    6
  • Clasificación
    Explícito
  • Copyright
    © John Simpson/Lisa Francesca Nand
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    John Simpson's World Podcast

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