TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE - FROM EUROPE'S RADICAL RIGHT, AND EX-BREXIT PARTY MEP NATHAN GILL!

Nick Cohen and Arthur Snell - the author and ex-diplomat - discuss political corruption and treason - following the sentencing of Nathan Gill, the former Brexit Party MEP and ex-leader of UKIP in Wales. They discuss the deply disturbing case of Gill- convicted of eight counts of bribery, after an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing uncovered how he received payment in return for making statements which supported the presence of pro-Russian media outlets in Ukraine.

Arthur explains the enduring love affair between Putin's Russia and Europe's Radical Right politicians. Gill and others have collaborated with pro-Kremlin politicians to spread anti-Ukrainian propaganda. Nick and Arthur explore the unique aspects of corruption across different countries and highlighted an upcoming trial involving charges of bribery related to pro-Kremlin propaganda activities. The discussion concluded with an examination of the complex relationship between the radical right in Western countries and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian Influence in European Politics

Arthur explains the widespread pro-Russian sentiment among far-right European politicians, noting examples like Farage's admiration for Putin and Tice's connection to a Russian financier. He emphasises that while Nathan Gill's influence was limited, his propaganda echoed broader Russian efforts to insert pro-Russian narratives into mainstream media Nick highlights how Russian disinformation, amplified through social media and media outlets, can shape public opinion, referencing instances like Nigel Farage's paid appearances on Russia Today, the Putin propaganda channel now banned from UK airwaves. Both Arthur and Nick agree about the reluctance of British authorities to investigate Russian interference, particularly in the context of Brexit, due to political sensitivities.

Arthur Snell's substack column is Not all doom & his regular inciteful podcast is Behind the Lines. Arthur's first not fiction book is How Britain Broke the World: War, Greed and Blunders from Kosovo to Afghanistan, 1997-2022 .

Nick Cohen's @NickCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond. Read Nick's latest column, Can Europe resist Trump's gangsterism? Does it have the willpower to try?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick Cohen and Robert Saunders, the author and academic, discuss historical political party splits in Britain, particularly in the 1920s when the Liberals split and Labour formed, contrasting with the current situation where both left and right-wing votes are fragmented. Nick and Robert analyse the current political landscape, noting that while the right-wing vote is divided with Nigel Farage being popular, the centre-left could dominate British politics if it remains united. The discussion highlighted the challenges of multi-party democracy under the first-past-the-post system and the potential for new parties like the Greens and a Corbyn-led radical left party to impact the political landscape.

They talk about the decline of the two-party system in the UK, highlighting how Labour's popularity has dropped significantly since the 2024 election. Labour barely won a third of the vote in 2024 but still secured a majority of seats under the first-past-the-post system, leading to concerns about the system's fairness. Robert explains that the decline of the two-party system can be traced back to the 1950s, when Labour and the Conservatives together accounted for 97% of the vote, compared to 65% by 2010. They also discuss how Brexit and the implosion of the Liberal Democrats in 2015 temporarily reversed this trend, but Robert believes these were anomalous elections and that the longer-term pattern of decline continues.

Tory party is dying on its feet

Possibly the most dramatic and most influential event driving current politics is the slow agonising death of the Conservative Party. Robert says "This is a party that used to be anchored in all sorts of important institutions that was very deeply rooted in the world of British business. That was connected to institutions like the Church of England, the armed forces, the kind of voluntarist culture, and that also meant it had a lot of kind of different sources of information and ideas flowing into it. It's either cut itself off from those things, or those things have essentially died. So it's become a kind of tree with no roots, and then I don't think it's entirely surprising, therefore, that it crashed down in the way that it did in 2024. "

He adds "The biggest danger for the conservative party was that they took refuge in comfortable myths about their defeat. And I think that's what they've been doing."

Read all about it!

Robert Saunders - @redhistorian - author and academic. Author of "Yes to Europe! The 1975 Referendum & Seventies Britain". "A jaw-dislocating page turner"(Andrew Marr). Co-director the Mile End Institute @MileEndInst , Reader Queen Mary's @QMHistory

Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick Cohen talks to and Ronan McCrea about the current state and future challenges of the gay rights movement. Ronan expressed concerns about the potential reversal of LGBTQ+ gains due to weakening secular and liberal forces, arguing that the movement's expansion beyond gay rights has become counterproductive and risks alienating straight allies. The discussion concluded with Ronan emphasising the need for continued vigilance and moderate strategies to maintain long-term gay rights gains, while acknowledging the challenges of balancing conservative and liberal approaches in an evolving political landscape.

Andrew and Ronan discussed the scheduling of a program to air at the end of October, prioritizing it over live political news. They then delved into the topic of gay rights, with Ronan expressing concern that the gains of the past 60 years could be reversed due to the weakening of broader forces such as secularism and liberalism. Ronan emphasized the importance of maintaining the unprecedented freedom already achieved rather than pushing for further expansions of the LGBTQIA+ agenda, which he believes could make the movement more vulnerable to setbacks.

Ronan warns, "It's really dangerous for us, because it's not only in the US Interestingly in the UK, in France, the numbers of people who say that homosexuality is morally acceptable are now declining.

For the first time in 40 years, they've been, they had been just steadily rising. Rising, rising. you know, the, the change is not yet huge, but there is a kind of, there's a definite change. It's no longer rising. It's falling, and we are, people are much more vulnerable than the gay People are much more vulnerable than they realise".

Ronan adds "All of the political dynamics are, are, are now that were, that had sustained the gay rights movement and given it energy for 50 years are now fading." He says of LGBTQ+ campaigner, " by making gay rights appear part of a movement that challenges all their, all conservatives cherished norms. They make gay rights their top target, and they alienate moderate conservative support that the gay rights

movement absolutely will need to be long term viable."

Gays rely on straight majority for their rights

Ronan articulates a tragic fact about gay people and theirn reliancer on the straight majority for their rights. " it'd be lovely if gay people could say, screw you. We're not gonna think about what straight people think of us, " he says. We're just gonna get on and, and determine our own future. But until they find they form some gay micro state, that's not gonna happen. That's just the tragic reality of gay politics. We will always depend on what I call in the book, the Kindness of Strangers, and that is. I think the straight, the straight majority."

Read all about it!

Ronan McCrea @RonanMcCrea is professor of constitutional & European law at @ucl His book 'The End of the Gay Rights Revolution - How Hubris and Overreach Threaten Gay Freedom is published by @politybooks

Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.