Best Cory Ruth Podcasts (2025)

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The budget’s good bit: Terri White and Ruth Patrick on the two-child benefit limit 35:51

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1h ago35:51

35:51

Seven MPs were suspended for rebelling on the two-child benefit limit last year. Now that the government has announced it will lift the policy, what will change? And why was this such a major focus for anti-poverty campaigners? Ellen and Alona are joined by two experts on the subject: journalist and campaigner Terri White and Ruth Patrick, professo…

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Prospect Lives: Chatbot friends and corresponding with strangers 32:24

3d ago32:24

32:24

This month, Anglican priest Alice Goodman explains why she has mixed feelings about pilgrimages, while Gen Z-er Alice Garnett despairs at the development of AI friends. Sarah Collins contracts a case of burnout, while Kiran Sidhu enters into correspondence with a stranger. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

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Cory Doctorow: How the internet went to sh*t 51:02

2d ago51:02

51:02

Why does every platform seem to get worse over time? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by journalist, tech activist and sci-fi writer Cory Doctorow, who coined the term “enshittification” to describe the decay of digital services into exploitative, user-hostile platforms. As constraints that once kept platforms in check have broken down, Cory s…

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172. Liberty as Independence -- John McGowan 1:16:40

3d ago1:16:40

1:16:40

John McGowan joins me to discuss Liberty as Independence, Quentin Skinner's new book about the way that our ideals of liberty were formed in in 17th and 18th century debates. The book covers legendary figures, such as Hobbes, Milton, Locke, Swift, Paine, and Jefferson, as well as many lesser-known figures that they engaged with. For more from John …

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How Palantir infiltrated the state 30:11

7d ago30:11

30:11

Palantir has acquired key UK government contracts, promising to make government more effective. But Peter Thiel’s controversial company has also worked with the US government and ICE on deportations and with Israel’s military during its war on Gaza. This week, investigative journalist Mark Wilding joins Ellen to explain how the tech giant has becom…

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Serhii Plokhy: How close are we to nuclear war? 38:43

18d ago38:43

38:43

In a world of unpredictable strongman leaders, do nuclear weapons keep us safe or make us more vulnerable? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Serhii Plokhy, historian and author of The Nuclear Age, to discuss the threat of nuclear conflict. From Putin’s war in Ukraine to China’s expanding arsenal and new nuclear “threshold” states, Serhii dis…

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171. Reel Politik -- Nathan Gelgud 1:01:04

28d ago1:01:04

1:01:04

Nathan Gelgud joins me to discuss Reel Politik, a comics collection about a group of Brechtian revolutionaries who take over the movie theatre they work in. Nathan and I discuss our shared love for movies, the radical nature of paying attention to a movie screen, and The Chelsea Theater, a local movie theatre in Chapel Hill that Nathan and I both l…

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Yanis Varoufakis on Mamdani, hope and resistance 48:30

21d ago48:30

48:30

How should the left resist fascism? This week, Prospect’s Ben Clark speaks to Yanis Varoufakis, economist and Greece’s former finance minister, whose most recent book is Raise Your Soul: A Personal History of Resistance. Yanis reflects on writing a feminist history as a man, what his family’s encounters with Nazism taught him, and whether today’s l…

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The Future of Aid 36:55

27d ago36:55

36:55

In this episode of Policy Insights, sponsored by ASI and produced by Prospect Publishing, Prospect deputy editor Ellen Halliday talks to Annalisa Prizzon from ODI Global, Daniel Pimlott from ASI, and Stefan Dercon from the Blavatnik Institute and Oxford University about the future of foreign aid. Our expert guests share their perspectives on the ch…

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170. The Biblical Curse of Wealth -- Pastor Micah 1:00:47

1M ago1:00:47

1:00:47

Pastor Micah joins me to share a radical reading of the Book of Genesis in which wealth isn't a blessing on God's people, but a curse! I recently appeared on Micah's podcast, The Word in Black and Red, to discuss the 10 Commandments with Micah. That link is here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s-2-20-exodus-19-20-arrival-at-mt-sanai-the-ten-…

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Halloween special: AI and modern monsters 38:56

1M ago38:56

38:56

Zombies, werewolves and...ChatGPT? In this week’s spooky special, Ellen and Alona are joined by historian and “monster consultant” Surekha Davies, who argues that humans have always created monsters to understand the world—and ourselves. In her new book Humans: A Monstrous History, she explores a history of monsters, as well as the weird and horrif…

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169. The Teacher and Society -- Alfie Kohn 41:01

1M ago41:01

41:01

Alfie Kohn returns to the show to discuss his new podcast, the role of teachers in social progress, and why someone's view on chatbots in the classroom tells you eveything you need to know about their view of education. You can listen to Kohn's Zone wherever you get your podcasts, or get it straight from his website: https://www.alfiekohn.org/podca…

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‘Petty rules make no sense in an authoritarian takeover!’ 52:19

1M ago52:19

52:19

Does Washington need a shake up? As the Democratic party faces its lowest favourability ratings on record, one man wants to completely change its brand. This week, Prospect’s Ben Clark speaks to Saikat Chakrabarti, progressive political adviser and former chief of staff to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is now running for Congress himself. Saikat di…

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Trump, texting and taking a stand 37:16

2M ago37:16

37:16

This month our writers are reflective: Alice Goodman asks how to be a priest in divided times, while Gen Z-er Alice Garnett questions the assumptions that underpin modern texting etiquette. Mindful life writer Sarah Collins decides to shift her pessimistic mindset, while rural life writer Kiran Sidhu learns to let go. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com…

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Robert Jenrick and the rise of British ethnonationalism 41:48

2M ago41:48

41:48

This week, political columnist Ben Ansell joins Prospect’s Alona and Imaan to discuss the rise of ethnonationalism in British politics, and the popularisation of the term “white British”. Ben explains the origin and implications of a term that has gone politically “viral”. He also discusses how a national conversation about asylum policy has “metas…

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168. Enshittification -- Cory Doctorow 34:47

2M ago34:47

34:47

It's not your imagination: everything is getting worse. And there's a reason why.

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Israeli genocide scholar: ‘My country is in denial’ 32:48

2M ago32:48

32:48

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Does Labour have a ‘culture problem’? With Lucy Powell and Stella Creasy 52:51

2M ago52:51

52:51

The Labour government is struggling and the party is divided. Meanwhile, Reform is on the rise, and the Tories are collapsing. What kind of change does Labour need, if it is to get back on track? This week, Ellen and Alona dial in from the party conference in Liverpool, where they’re joined by Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy, and deputy leadership can…

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167. Henry Fonda for President -- Alexander Horwath 1:34:34

2M ago1:34:34

1:34:34

The film Henry Fonda for President is showing this Thursday, October 2 at Duke University. Please join us if you are in the area! https://cinematicarts.duke.edu/screensociety/screenings/henry-fonda-president-alexander-horwath-2024 More than any other individual, Henry Fonda was a symbol for better, more leftist, more social democratic America, from…

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166. Goliath's Curse -- Luke Kemp 1:18:04

2M ago1:18:04

1:18:04

According to conventional history, the last 12,000 years has seen the steady march of progress from primitive savagery to enlightened civilization. In the age of Trump, Elon, Bezos, Zuckerberg, Putin, Xi, Orbán, Netanyahu, Erdoğan, and Khamenei, this story can't be true. Luke Kemp joins me to offer another story, one in which mutual aid is what mak…

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Cass Sunstein: How corporations are manipulating us 39:03

2M ago39:03

39:03

Are we all being manipulated? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Cass Sunstein–one of the scholars behind “nudge” theory–who explains how companies exploit our cognitive biases for their own profit. Cass is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard, and author of Manipulation: What It Is, Why…

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What is antisemitic? 54:16

3M ago54:16

54:16

The question of what is antisemitic and what is legitimate criticism of the state of Israel has long been a difficult question—but it has become even more fraught since 7th October 2023 and the continuing atrocities in Gaza. On 31st July 2025, Prospect brought two experts together to debate and discuss which kinds of speech and criticism are accept…

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Gratitude, goodbyes and glad rags 33:32

3M ago33:32

33:32

On the podcast this month, Ukrainian journalist and Second Life writer Vitali Vitaliev explains why he hates book signings, while sex worker Tilly Lawless argues that porn doesn’t make her clients more violent. Meanwhile Anglican Priest Alice Goodman celebrates the power of hope in the face of climate despair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy…

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165. Politics in Hollywood Westerns-- Ruth Kinna 1:10:12

2M ago1:10:12

1:10:12

Happy 4th Anniversary to Everyday Anarchism! For this year's anniversary episode, Ruth Kinna comes on to talk about a couple of Hollywood Westerns: Fort Apache (John Ford, 1948) and Rancho Notorious (Fritz Lang, 1952). Hollywood Westerns are about law and order, violence and vigilantism, community and individualism, savagery and civilization, and i…

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Should Starmer embrace populism? 44:31

3M ago44:31

44:31

As Labour tanks in the polls, left and right-wing populists are on the rise. This week, Ellen and Alona and are joined by Prospect’s political columnist Ben Ansell, whose cover essay in this month’s magazine explored the government’s big challenge. From Zohran Mamdani to Zack Polanski, left populists are attracting votes and attention. Should Keir …

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Are we losing our civil liberties? 46:13

3M ago46:13

46:13

Is Britain becoming a police state? This week, Ellen and Imaan are joined by Conor Gearty, a barrister and professor of human rights law at LSE, who explains how his views on the future of protest have changed. As hundreds have been arrested for supporting the recently proscribed group Palestine Action, Conor discusses his reaction to the ban. He c…

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164. Slow Cinema as Democratic Cinema -- Paul Schrader 46:05

3M ago46:05

46:05

In normal cinema, the goal of the director is to control the audience, to direct their gaze, to dictate their emotions. What does it mean when directors make movies where the audience is allowed to decide what the film means to them? Legendary filmmaker Paul Schrader (screenwriter of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull; director of Mishima: A Life in Four …

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163. Capitalism and Nature -- Alyssa Battistoni 51:40

3M ago51:40

51:40

Alyssa Battistoni joins me to discuss her new book Free Gifts: Capitalism and the Politics of Nature. Capitalist theory generally describes nature as a "free gift." If gifts are already free, why does capitalism have to claim that nature is a "free gift"? And why does capitalism keep declaring that nature is "worth" some billions or trillions of do…

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Books, sex and a sacred summer 33:40

4M ago33:40

33:40

From country walks to telephone box libraries, our Prospect Lives writers are enjoying the summer. Sex Worker Tilly Lawless reflects on the fragmentation of the sex industry in the age of OnlyFans, and Alice Goodman explores memory, homeland, and the meaning of Passover. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

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162. Divorcing Anarchism and Liberalism -- Alexandre Lefebvre 43:24

4M ago43:24

43:24

Alex comes back on the podcast and we try to separate liberalism and anarchism, with some success! (I think the problem is that what Alex and I agree on is democratic socialism - so liberal socialism and anarchist socialism end up pretty close). The business of basketball is our central example, so sorry if that part bores you to tears. Being bored…

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Does the UK need ID cards? 32:32

4M ago32:32

32:32

The government is considering introducing digital ID cards as a way to curb illegal immigration and improve the administration of public services. But is it a good idea? In this week’s Prospect Podcast, former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett debates Rebecca Vincent, from the civil liberties group Big Brother Watch. Blunkett oversaw the introdu…