The Critic Show

Outpost Studios
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Weekly podcast from the Critic, Britain’s most civilised magazine. www.outpoststudios.net

  1. The Critic Show Special: Wine Club

    6 DAYS AGO

    The Critic Show Special: Wine Club

    This month’s Wine Club finds Henry Jeffreys joined by Tom Innes of Fingal Rock, a Burgundy specialist and a merchant with a gift for finding serious yet affordable wines. Before the bottles are opened, Tom talks Henry through his unusual route into wine, from an abandoned legal career to a shop in Monmouth, and from there to decades of legwork among small Burgundian growers. This month, there’s a bright, lively white Coteaux Bourguignons, Le P’tit Bonheur, that punches far above its station, an opulent and characterful Bourgogne Épineuil Léger with a wonderful backstory, and a richer, more structured Domaine Gachot-Monot Côte de Nuits-Villages that delivers proper red Burgundy depth for a remarkably modest sum. There is, though, a slight note of melancholy hanging over the tasting. After severe flooding at his Monmouth shop and with retirement looming, Tom is no longer shipping new stock, which means that once these bottles are gone, they are gone. A rare chance, then, to buy from one of Burgundy’s great independent romantics while there is still wine left in the cellar. If you’d like a mixed case with two bottles of each featured in the episode, follow the link below: https://thecritic.co.uk/wine-club/ For the full show, please subscribe to Outpost via the link below: https://www.outpoststudios.net/s/the-critic-show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.outpoststudios.net/subscribe

    21 min
  2. How the Spanish Left Uses the Right to Hold Power

    6 APR

    How the Spanish Left Uses the Right to Hold Power

    This week on The Critic Show, Chris and Tom are joined by Jack Davey as they turn to the politics of Spain, exploring the rise of Pedro Sánchez and what his success could mean for centre-left leaders like Keir Starmer. With separatist movements, particularly the Catalans, decisively occupying the middle ground, they examine how Sánchez built a governing strategy based on consolidating anti-right support, enabling him to hold power without commanding a majority of the electorate. The flip side, of course, is the Spanish right, the growth of Vox, and the wider forces driving political radicalisation. Right-wing parties are gaining ground in Spain, yet, as is his strategy, this polarisation may be good news for Sanchez. As Spain still struggles with the legacy of Franco, how do its shifting class and regional divides shape voting behaviour, and what does that mean for a fragmenting political system, both in Spain and beyond? For the full episode, follow the link below: https://www.outpoststudios.net/p/how-the-spanish-left-uses-the-right-65a And don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.outpoststudios.net/subscribe

    30 min
  3. The Green Myth

    30 MAR

    The Green Myth

    As another Easter draws near, so does a new issue of The Critic. Tom, Chris and Graham take listeners through some of their favourite picks from the April edition. Chris unpacks his latest article on green energy, asking why electricity remains expensive if renewables are meant to be cheap. There is widespread misunderstanding of how the national grid actually functions and, as a result, serious discussion is all but impossible. This month, Tom spoke to Neil O’Brien, the Conservative Party’s policy brain, about how data can inform lawmaking. While he is a dedicated, intelligent and practical figure, is well-argued policy enough to define the broader Conservative philosophy? Or is the party still stuck in the politics of bans? As is so often the case, any discussion of Tory policy inevitably speaks to the Conservatives’ struggle to regain public trust, with lingering damage from the Brexit era and the missed opportunities of Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak. While the party is not finished, the path back to power is steep. The team also touch on land use and farming policy, and a new essay by Dominic Green, which traces the arc of Western civilisation and explores how different political traditions, particularly on the American right, compete to define what “civilisation” really means. We hope you enjoyed this episode, and make sure to subscribe to Outpost so you never miss an episode of The Critic Show. Subscribe now at www.outpoststudios.net This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.outpoststudios.net/subscribe

    43 min
  4. Why The Left Has Nowhere Left To Go

    23 MAR

    Why The Left Has Nowhere Left To Go

    This week on The Critic Show, Chris and Tom discuss the article “The Left Is Intellectually Exhausted”, which argues that so-called progressives have failed to keep up with the times. At a moment when Britain is widely described as broken, the left should be politically ascendant. Instead, they argue, it has struggled to offer any serious analysis of how government and the state have drifted into stagnation. Chris and Tom suggest the deeper problem is that the modern left struggles to face political realities. Moral questions are often treated as substitutes for practical ones, leaving basic policy problems unanswered. By focusing on signalling the right values rather than addressing difficult trade-offs, the left often ends up asking the wrong questions altogether. They also look ahead and predict how the left may eventually have to choose where it stands within an increasingly fragmentary right-wing political structure. Head to https://www.outpoststudios.net/s/the-critic-show for full access to this episode and more thought-provoking political analysis. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.outpoststudios.net/subscribe

    23 min
  5. The Welfare State

    16 MAR

    The Welfare State

    This week on The Critic Show, Tom and Chris discuss the numbers behind Britain’s welfare state. Around 53 per cent of adults are net recipients of the state, yet most people who fall into that category would never describe themselves as being on benefits. Universal Credit, tax credits, disability payments, housing support: the money adds up, yet who is actually on benefits, and how much it all costs, is rather difficult to say. Without its people explicitly voting for it, Britain has drifted into a high-tax, high-transfer system, with little to show in terms of infrastructure or service quality. Once a “temporary” tax is introduced, it is rarely retired. As Tom points out, a welfare system designed around personal benefit and vote-winning is politically unsustainable. Chris traces the rot to the managerial politics of the mid-1990s, where presentation overtook reform. As the state dominates ever more in the lives of its citizens, personal responsibility becomes an ever more alien idea. The statistics may be imperfect, but the trend is worrying. Britain needs serious structural reform. Head to https://www.outpoststudios.net/s/the-critic-show for full access to this episode, and more thought-provoking political analysis. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.outpoststudios.net/subscribe

    21 min
  6. The Sectarian State

    9 MAR

    The Sectarian State

    This week, Tom and Chris explore the rise of sectarianism in British politics, specifically, the role of Biraderi networks and the extended family structures that shape political behaviour of immigrant populations in Britain today. In urban constituencies where traditional civic associations are weak, Britain’s individualistic political culture offers little institutional counterweight, and, as a result, Britain’s political culture becomes ever more transactional. As theLabour coalition of immigrants and the working class, which it has depended upon for decades, fragments and new parties seek to mobilise voters along cultural and demographic lines, politics risks drifting toward an informal “ethnic headcount”, where identity can matter as much as, if not more than, policy. Is modern mainland British politics becoming more like that of Northern Ireland, or even reminiscent of Balkans and the Middle East? And, when established, are such dynamics self-reinforcing? If in-group preference becomes a normal organising principle, can liberal, cross-community politics can be sustained? What do we really need to prevent permanent political fragmentation? For the full, uncensored episode, go to: https://www.outpoststudios.net/p/the-sectarian-state Next week: Chris and Tom turn their attention to the British Welfare State. www.outpoststudios.net This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.outpoststudios.net/subscribe

    21 min
  7. Who are The Tories?

    2 MAR

    Who are The Tories?

    This week, Tom is joined by Poppy Coburn to look at the Conservative Party’s identity crisis and ask whether this is more than another bad election cycle. Whilst the top of the party is seemingly happy under the Badenoch regime, the grassroots have been hollowed out. The councillors, donors and activists, the footsoldiers of any election campaign are drifting away. As local associations wither and the coffee mornings and action days are ever more sparsely attended, the party has to ask itself, what does it stand for now? Voters themselves, fed up with years of betrayal are turning to Reform, while the Conservatives lash out at their populist challengers. Fiscal discipline is still invoked, but many doubt the party can follow through on its promises. The gap between Westminster and provincial Britain is widening, especially on touchstone issues like immigration and crime. Brexit once channelled a rebellious mood; that energy has moved on. If the Conservatives no longer set the terms of the right, are they still a leader, or just another fringe player, trading on the legacy of the past? Subscribers can listen to or watch the full uncensored episode here: https://www.outpoststudios.net/p/who-are-the-tories-full Subscribers get access to full versions of The Critic Show, alongside the wider Outpost slate of podcasts and documentaries. Subscribe now at www.outpoststudios.net This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.outpoststudios.net/subscribe

    22 min
  8. Fracturing the Left

    23 FEB

    Fracturing the Left

    Chris Bayliss speaks to Fleur Meston about the slow break-up of the British left, and the end of the Labour party’s gauche-domination from Bloomsbury to Sedgefield. In the 21st century, this challenge mostly comes from the socialist ecologists of the Green Party. The Greens have evolved from their 1970s roots as a niche protest vehicle into something more electorally serious, drawing in voters uneasy with Labour in government and making electoral headway from Bristol to Brighton. What was once fringe now serves as a political home for a largely middle-class, self-described radical bloc, energised by Zack Polanski and his five MPs, not much different, in terms of parliamentary seats, from Reform UK. But who benefits from this fragmentation? Can the Greens turn local strength into real gains, or will they remain influential but limited? If Reform consolidates its insurgent vote, tactical voting could reshape key seats. With Labour under strain in parts of its base and smaller parties sensing opportunity, Chris and Fleur ask whether Britain is moving into a genuinely multi-party era, and what that means as the protest vote becomes a means of tangible political power. To subscribe, please go to www.outpoststudios.net This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.outpoststudios.net/subscribe

    32 min
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About

Weekly podcast from the Critic, Britain’s most civilised magazine. www.outpoststudios.net

Information

  • Creator
    Outpost Studios
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    195
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Outpost Studios
  • Show Website
    The Critic Show

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