Prospect Lives: Restroom censorship and mates rates

A barrel of rotting apples: Political corruption in modern Britain

Lying, lobbying, and luxury donor gifts—has UK politics gone crooked? This week, Ellen and Imaan are joined by Robert Barrington, professor of anti-corruption practice at Sussex University’s Centre for the Study of Corruption. He argues that corruption is more widespread than assumed in Britain, from politicians to prisons, the monarchy to the Met. Robert discusses the Boris Johnson era misconduct, the “good chap theory”, and his four-part test for corruption. He also analyses corporate scandals from Grenfell to Thames Water sewage. Do conspiracy theorists have a point? What’s at stake if things continue as they are? And, with a new prime minister on the cards, what can be done to tackle the problem? ‘Corrupted Kingdom: Britain's Disappearing Integrity–And How We Can Get It Back’ will be published by Profile Books on 16th July. [https://profilebooks.com/work/corrupted-kingdom/] To read more from our website, click here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics. [https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Prospect Lives: I can’t stop singing my thoughts

This month, our Mindful life writer Sarah Collins explains how her OCD had her singing her thoughts, while Second life writer Vitali Vitaliev asks: what’s in a nose? A trip to the Museum of Brands takes actor Sheila Hancock down memory lane, while Alice Garnett asks her parents for advice on uncertainty. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Jens Beckert: Democracy won’t beat climate change

As a heatwave sweeps across Europe, Ellen and Imaan are joined by sociologist Jens Beckert, the author of 'How We Sold Our Future: The Failure to Fight Climate Change'.  He argues that the cultural, political and economic structures of capitalist modernity are themselves barriers to fighting the climate crisis. From profit maximisation to short term limits for politicians, is capitalist democracy ill-equipped to tackle climate change?  He also discusses the philosophical roots of the problem, stemming from the Enlightenment, and suggests the idea of progress may actually be hindering us.  Jens explores geopolitical inequality, the role of corporate power in blocking climate action, and whether renewables are really the answer. He offers a sobering analysis of the situation but also offers solutions, explaining why pragmatism is our best bet, and what we can do next.   How We Sold Our Future: The Failure to Fight Climate Change is published by Polity. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

It's time to take maternal mental health seriously

The UK has a maternal mental health support crisis. The leading cause of maternal deaths in the UK is mental health issues, including suicide, with maternal deaths from suicide having risen by seventy-four per cent in the last seven years alone. How can we address this urgent need for improved support? Speaking to Prospect's Alona Ferber, Biogen's medical lead Teresa Shering, consultant adult and perinatal psychiatrist Dr Getrude Seneviratne OBE and Laura Kyrke-Smith MP examine the factors behind these alarming statistics and the practical changes that could help secure positive steps forward. Hosted in partnership with and funded by Biogen UK & Ireland. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

World Cup 2026: Does Maga hate football?

What does the World Cup mean to you? This year’s tournament has been highly political so far: as it began, one of the host nations was at war with one of the competitors and referees and staff have been banned from the United States. This week, Philip and Ellen are joined by sports writer and sociologist David Goldblatt, the author of Injury Time: Football in a State of Emergency to discuss the stakes. With eye-watering ticket prices, is this a World Cup of the super-rich? And how much can Trump really make his mark on the tournament? Plus, David makes his predictions—from the most underrated team to the biggest scandal. To read David’s piece ‘How the world cup took over the planet’, click here or head to prospectmagazine.co.uk. [https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/north-america/73775/fifa-donald-trump-world-cup-took-over-planet] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.