The Lowdown from Nick Cohen

HS2 - The rail to nowhere

RAIL TO NOWHERE - HS2 - THE POSTER CHILD PROJECT OF A FAILED BRITISH POLITICAL CLASS In this week's Lowdown podcast, Nick Cohen talks to author and doyen transport writerChristian Wolmar about the serial UK failed high-speed railway project. HS2 has spiralled to an estimated cost of £87-102 billion pounds due to political fickleness, mismanagement, inefficiency, and excessive environmental requirements. Christian Wolmar, author of "Fast Track: The Extraordinary Story of High-Speed Rail," explains how Treasury interference, lack of coherent government strategy, and environmental concerns (including a notorious £130 million bat tunnel) contributed to the project's catastrophic cost overruns. Nick and Christian compare Britain's failure with successful high-speed rail implementations in Spain, China, and other countries that maintained national strategic vision and better project management. Christian expressed skepticism about current Labour government reforms, noting that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has apparently shown little interest in the Euston station project despite being the local MP. READ ALL ABOUT IT! Christian Wolmar Christian Wolmar is an award-winning writer and broadcaster specialising in transport and is the author of a series of books on railway history. He has spent nearly all of his working life as a journalist, and his interest in transport began at The Independent when he was appointed transport correspondent in 1992, a job he did until 1997. Christian's latest book is Fast Track: The Extraordinary Story of High-Speed Rail. [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fast-Track-Christian-Wolmar/dp/0241775515/ref=asc_df_0241775515?mcid=d37c6d86f310345d9fe4bc09d1097800&th=1&psc=1&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=788954392054&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10063218045991640619&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045907&hvtargid=pla-2475695265246&psc=1&hvocijid=10063218045991640619-0241775515-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1] Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 [https://x.com/NickCohen4] latest Substack column Writing from London [https://nickcohen.substack.com/] on politics and culture from the UK and beyond. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

All we have comes by sea

IRAN AND THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ CRISIS REVEAL HOW MUCH WE OWE TO OUR MERCHANT MARINERS This week, Nick Cohen talks to author, travel writer and writer-mariner Horatio Clare about the hidden world of merchant marines and the critical role they play in global trade. Horatio shares insights from his experience as a writer-in-residence on container ships, describing the challenging conditions faced by seafarers stuck in the Gulf during the ongoing conflict, including extreme heat, isolation, and the constant threat of Iranian drone attacks. They discuss how modern shipping relies on a largely invisible workforce of approximately 18 people per large vessel, predominantly from countries like the Philippines, who maintain the world's supply chains while facing dangerous working conditions and minimal oversight. Horatio explains how containerisation moved ports away from cities, making shipping less visible to the public while simultaneously making globalisation possible, with shipping costs representing just one cent for goods transported globally. They also discuss the environmental impact of shipping, with vessels contributing significantly to global pollution, and the lack of journalism or union representation in the industry, leaving seafarers vulnerable to abuse and dangerous practices like throwing stowaways overboard to avoid fines. READ ALL ABOUT IT! Robert Saunders - @redhistorian [https://x.com/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 [https://x.com/MileEndInst] , Reader Queen Mary's @QMHistory [https://x.com/QMHistory] Horatio Clare, @HoratioClare [https://x.com/HoratioClare?lang=en] is an author, with books including We Came By Sea; Your Journey; Heavy Light, Down to the Sea in Ships, Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot, Running for the Hills. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Britain's broken politics

IS INSTABILITY THE NEW NORMAL WITH THE UK'S BROKEN POLTICIS. In this week's Lowdown podcast, Nick Cohen talks to author and historian Robert Saunders about Britain's transition from decades of political stability to having six prime ministers in ten years and how this reflects deep systemic pressures rather than just poor individual leadership. Robert explains that modern leaders have faced an unprecedented convergence of global crises—including Brexit, COVID-19, and soaring public debt—with very little governance experience. He views Brexit as both a symptom of long-term political decline and an amplifier that polarized the electorate into rigid identities and normalised political dishonesty. Unlike the unstable 1920s, which maintained experienced leadership and defended democratic norms against extremism, today's crisis is unprecedented because both major parties have lost their traditional social roots, resulting in a highly volatile electorate. This instability is compounded by massive public debt, which severely constrains government action. Rather than addressing these constraints honestly, modern politicians have largely abandoned their "educative" role, choosing to hide difficult economic trade-offs from the public. This systemic decay is further accelerated by a plutocratic assault on democracy, led by billionaire-controlled platforms and populist media that actively promote anti-establishment sentiment. Robert argues that mainstream politicians must stop legitimising this "anti-politics" rhetoric and instead actively defend democratic institutions by highlighting their tangible successes. Ultimately, he warns that universal suffrage is less than a century old, and citizens must stop acting as complacent "vandals" of a highly fragile democratic ecosystem. READ ALL ABOUT IT! Robert Saunders - @redhistorian [https://x.com/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 [https://x.com/MileEndInst] , Reader Queen Mary's @QMHistory [https://x.com/QMHistory] Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 [https://x.com/NickCohen4] latest Substack column Writing from London [https://nickcohen.substack.com/] on politics and culture from the UK and beyond. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Why we think what we think!

WHY WE THINK WHAT WE THINK! THE FACTORS BEYOND OUR CONTROL THAT FORM OUR BELIEFS! Nick Cohen chats to author, journalist and entrepreneur Turi Munthe about his latest book "Why We Think What We Think," which explores how non-rational factors significantly influence political and social beliefs. In an increasingly polarised and fractious world, the issue of people's beliefs and think and why they hold them is becoming increasingly of importance, and for our sinister tech giants, of monetary value! Turi Munthe discusses various research findings showing how physical attributes like beauty, neurological differences, climate, and cultural background shape political preferences, including examples like taste bud variations between liberals and conservatives, and how collectivist versus individualist cultures affect moral reasoning. Turi's research also reveals how factors such as good looks can have an inordinate influence on people''s belief systems and how they succeed or fail in life. Nick and Turi discuss concerns about using biological research to pathologise political differences, the importance of free speech in allowing different perspectives to emerge, and how gender differences in political attitudes have shifted over time. Turi concludes by emphasising that humans think better in conversation than alone, suggesting that robust debate remains essential for understanding and potentially overcoming our predisposed opinions. READ ALL ABOUT IT! Turi Munthe FRSA is an Anglo-French journalist and entrepreneur. He is the founder of Demotix, which became the largest network of photo-journalists in the world, as well as Parlia, an encyclopaedia of opinion. His book Why we think what we think, The unexpected origins of our deepest beliefs [https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/458410/why-we-think-what-we-think-by-munthe-turi/9781529153842] is published by Penguin. Nick Cohen's @NickCohen4 [https://x.com/NickCohen4] latest Substack column Writing from London [https://nickcohen.substack.com/] on politics and culture from the UK and beyond. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Brexit Britons - away with the fairies!

LOWDOWN ELECTION SPECIAL WITH RAFAEL BEHR OF THE GUARDIAN BREXIT BRITONS AWAY WITH THE FAIRIES- AND BELIEVING IN AT LEAST 6 IMPOSSIBLE THINGS BEFORE BREAKFAST! In the local - and national elections, British voters voted for parties in Wales & Scotland that want to destroy the United Kingdom and for Nigel Farage and his fellow Reform con artists who conned 17.4 million people into voting for Brexit and geo-political isolation and economic impoverishment! WTF planet do these people inhabit? In his latest Lowdown podcast, Nick Cohen talks to Rafael Behr - the distinguished Guardian columnist - about the political crisis facing Britain and the Labour Party following recent election defeats across Scotland, Wales, London, and English local government. The two political commentators discuss Labour's leadership challenges, with Sir Keir Starmer facing significant unpopularity, and examine potential successors including Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner, and Andy Burnham. They discuss how the Labour Party lacks a clear identity or heartland support, while also addressing the rise of the Green Party and Reform Party as electoral forces. Nick and Raf conclude with analysis of Britain's broader political fragmentation, including the dominance of pro-independence parties across Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, and the challenges facing centrist politics in the current political environment. READ ALL ABOUT IT! Rafael's recent book Politics: A Survivor's Guide: How to stay engaged without getting enraged [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Politics-Survivors-Engaged-Without-Getting/dp/B0C113JP71/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.grYaKsYNBQSAI9-lFQbV93k-zJ-gVLaKNeQU80LXh8TJ2bs4UvcHGkVy1YtE9gmnbwTnJNJC6kHRd9bdMV7fGEfOp6A8ZB_oZPx5_dskZKBZiduwKr6qm748qjoiQkVGW-jRKt3DD7FTBGL_Va4i3-JXZOM97RRqpFJa_XfsUuxYJLqHudS9kUsXV8v2LmRVAZm2sXeUzdKWMA7cw7ofrg.jJQ19vq3j_GpQHH4gGJiMA_RBE_b5joCjt_uivtp4qg&dib_tag=se&qid=1726236066&refinements=p_27%3ARafael+Behr&s=books&sr=1-1] is published by W.F.Howes Ltd and available at Amazon and in all good bookshops. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2181263/support] You can also read his wonderful columns in the Guardian [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/27/mps-assisted-dying-bill-vote-right-to-die]. His X handle is @rafaelbehr [https://x.com/rafaelbehr] Nick Cohen's @NickCohen4 [https://x.com/NickCohen4] latest Substack column Writing from London [https://nickcohen.substack.com/] on politics and culture from the UK and beyond. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.