The Sceptic

Welcome to Episode 36 of the Sceptic! On the show this week, host Laurie Wastell speaks to the following guests: Karl Williams, Research Director at the Centre for Policy Studies, and the author of the recent CPS report ‘Here to Stay? Estimating the Scale and Cost of Long-Term Migration’, on why Keir Starmer’s immigration announcement is not as radical as it seems. Dan Hitchens, Senior Editor at First Things, on what's at stake in the crunch third reading of the assisted suicide Bill. And for our premium subscribers, Laurie is joined by Tom Jones, writer and Conservative councillor, on Reform’s surge at the local elections, and what they will and won't be able to do with their newly held councils. Donate to the Daily Sceptic to access our premium content [http://www.dailysceptic.org/donate/].  Follow Laurie on X [https://x.com/L_Wastell].  Follow Karl on X [https://x.com/MalvernianKarl]. Read his latest Centre for Policy Studies report, ‘Here To Stay? Estimating the Scale and Cost of Long-Term Migration’ here [https://cps.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Here-to-stay-Feb-2025.pdf].  Follow Dan on X [https://x.com/ddhitchens]. Follow Tom on X [https://x.com/93vintagejones]. Subscribe to the Daily Sceptic YouTube Channel here [https://www.youtube.com/@TheDailySceptic/subscribe].  Produced by Richard Eldred. Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.

Welcome to Episode 35 of the Sceptic! On the show this week, host Laurie Wastell speaks to the following guests: Andrew Doyle, comedian, broadcaster, and author, on Labour minister Lucy Powell's outrageous dismissal of the grooming gangs scandal as a “dog whistle” – and what it says about her party. Plus a preview of his new book, The End of Woke. Andrew Orlowski, business columnist at the Telegraph, who joins Laurie in the studio to discuss the problems with the UK-India trade deal, why Reform councils are right to take on Net Zero and much more. And for our premium subscribers, Laurie is joined by Canadian filmmaker Dean Rainey, on his new documentary on the plight of a Canadian man who suffered a debilitating vaccine injury, Why Can’t We Talk About This? Donate to the Daily Sceptic to access our premium content [http://www.dailysceptic.org/donate/].  Follow Laurie on X [https://x.com/L_Wastell].  Follow Andrew Doyle on X [https://x.com/andrewdoyle_com]. Read his article on the Daily Sceptic here [https://dailysceptic.org/2025/05/06/what-lucy-powells-grooming-gang-comments-tell-us-about-labour/]. Follow Andrew Orlowski on X [https://x.com/AndrewOrlowski/]. Daily Sceptic readers can watch Why Can’t We Talk About This with an exclusive discount: 1) Use code Sceptic50 for 50% off video stream rental or purchase on Vimeo [https://vimeo.com/ondemand/whycantwetalkaboutthis]. OR 2) Use code Sceptic50 for $5 off a DVD purchase by following this link [https://titdr6-un.myshopify.com/discount/Sceptic50?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Ffrontpage]. Visit Rainey’s website here [http://raineymedia.com]. Donate to Mike’s GoFundMe here [https://www.gofundme.com/f/benefit-for-the-love-of-mike]. Subscribe to the Daily Sceptic YouTube Channel here [https://www.youtube.com/@TheDailySceptic/subscribe].  Produced by Richard Eldred. Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.

In this Special Episode of the Sceptic, Laurie speaks to Doug Stokes, Professor of International Security and Strategy at Exeter University, Senior Advisor at the Prosperity Institute and author of books including Against Decolonisation: Campus Culture Wars and the Decline of the West. Doug and Laurie discuss whether peace is on the cards in Ukraine, the effect of the war on Russia’s geopolitical position, whether MAGA is right to lament America’s position as global superintendent, the future of NATO and what the war means for Europe and Trump’s trade war and whether it will spell the end of dollar hegemony. And in the premium section they discuss the long-term possibility of detente with Russia, whether the need to re-arm will mean the end of the Net Zero here in Britain and the roots of the free-speech crisis in Britain's universities.   Donate [http://www.dailysceptic.org/donate/] to the Daily Sceptic to access our premium content. Follow Laurie on X [https://x.com/L_Wastell]. Follow Doug on X [https://x.com/profdws]. Subscribe to the Daily Sceptic YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/@TheDailySceptic/subscribe]. Produced by Richard Eldred. Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.

In this Special Episode of the Sceptic, Laurie speaks to Dr Mario Trabucco della Toretta, classical archaeologist and writer. In this extended interview, Laurie and Mario discuss the British Museum and why it’s the best in the world, its magnificent collection and where it came from, why the ‘decolonise’ lobby is so wrong to claim it’s all ‘looted’, the truth about the Elgin Marbles, why the arguments for repatriating them don’t stack up, what’s behind the anti-Westernism of the ‘decolonisers’ and how we can fight back. NOTE: Premium subscribers will notice that this is an extract from the premium section of Episode 34 [https://dailysceptic.org/2025/04/11/episode-35-of-the-sceptic-fred-de-fossard-on-trumps-tariffs-sam-bidwell-on-muslim-sectarianism-and-mario-trabucco-on-why-the-elgin-marbles-belong-in-britain/]. We’re sorry that there is no new episode today. This is due to circumstances beyond our control. The Sceptic will return next week as usual. Donate [http://www.dailysceptic.org/donate/] to the Daily Sceptic to access our premium content. Follow Laurie on X [https://x.com/L_Wastell]. Follow Mario on X [https://x.com/Mario_Trabucco]. Subscribe to the Daily Sceptic [https://www.youtube.com/@TheDailySceptic/subscribe] YouTube Channel. Produced by Richard Eldred. Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.

In this Special Episode of the Sceptic, Laurie speaks to Ben Cobley, commentator and author of The Tribe: The Liberal-Left and the System of Diversity and The Progress Trap: The Modern Left and the False Authority of History, out next month. They discuss Ben’s concept of the “system of diversity” we find ourselves living in our multicultural society, Laurie’s research on hate crime and why that’s a prime example of it, why it’s so unforgiving, the concept of ‘community leaders’ and whether they are authentic, and ‘Islamophobia’ and the unholy fusion of ultraconservative Islam with Left-wing sociology. In the premium section, they discuss why Labour is so afraid of a national grooming gangs inquiry, why the wheels are coming off for Jess Phillips, how to recover from our two-tier society and Ben’s new book on the falsehoods of progressivism. Donate [http://www.dailysceptic.org/donate/] to the Daily Sceptic to access our premium content Follow Laurie on X [https://x.com/L_Wastell] Follow Ben on X [https://x.com/bencobley] Pre-order The Progress Trap here [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Progress-Trap-Modern-Authority-History/dp/1509567623] Subscribe to the https://www.youtube.com/@TheDailySceptic/subscribeDaily Sceptic YouTube Channel [https://www.youtube.com/@TheDailySceptic/subscribe] Produced by Richard Eldred. Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.