‘America is now an adversary’
Political Fix
Financial Times
4.2 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 21 February 2025
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The future of Ukraine and the defence of Europe will dominate when Keir Starmer jets out to the White House for talks with Donald Trump next week. Can the UK prime minister help save 80 years of Pax Americana? Or is the US on the verge of becoming an ‘adversary’ to Europe? Host Lucy Fisher is joined by FT colleagues Robert Shrimsley, Gideon Rachman and John Paul Rathbone to discuss the military implications for Britain and Europe, as calls grow for rapid rearmament across the continent.
Plus, the FT’s media editor Dan Thomas joins the panel to lift the lid on the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (Arc) conference this week, at which Nigel Farage, Jordan Peterson and Kemi Badenoch spoke. Part ‘megachurch’, part political rally, Lucy, Dan and Robert unravel what the movement is.
Follow Lucy on Bluesky or X: @lucyfisher.bsky.social, @LOS_Fisher, Robert: @robertshrimsley.bsky.social, @robertshrimsley, Gideon @gideonrachman.bsky.social, @gideonrachman; JP Rathbone @JP_Rathbone; Dan Thomas @DanielThomasLDN
Want more? Free links:
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Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Lulu Smyth. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Original music and mixed by Breen Turner. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, I'm Lucy Fisher and this is Political Fix from the Financial Times. Welcome. |
| 0:09.8 | Coming up, Kier Starma is set to head to the White House next week, but is he the man to save 80 years of Pax Americana? |
| 0:17.3 | Plus exporting the spirit of Maga. |
| 0:20.3 | You're the men and women, individuals made in the image of God, |
| 0:23.6 | who stumble eternally uphill towards the Jerusalem on the hill, |
| 0:28.6 | the shining city on the hill. |
| 0:31.6 | The right-wing psychologist Jordan Peterson there, |
| 0:34.6 | speaking at the Ark Conference in London this week. It was part |
| 0:38.3 | megachurch, part political rally, promoting American-style Christian values in the UK. But will it |
| 0:44.6 | catch on this side of the pond? It's been another dramatic week of world-shaking interventions |
| 0:49.8 | from Donald Trump, who, lest we forget, has only been in office a month so far. |
| 0:55.1 | To dissect the latest and throw ahead to the important period of diplomacy in coming weeks, |
| 1:00.1 | I'm joined by political-fix regular Robert Schimsymsley. Hi, Robert. Hi, Lucy. |
| 1:04.2 | And the FTs chief foreign affairs commentator, Gideon. Hi, Gideon. Hello, Lucy. |
| 1:08.6 | Plus, the FTs defense editor, John Paul Rathbone. Hi, J.P. Hello, Lucy. Plus, the FTs defense editor, John Paul Rathbone. |
| 1:11.3 | Hi, JP. |
| 1:12.1 | Hello, Lucy. |
| 1:17.3 | So, Gideon, take us through the big moments of the week. |
| 1:20.4 | Trump has called Zelensky a dictator. |
| 1:22.7 | He's claimed Ukraine started the war, |
| 1:25.1 | and he's kicked off U.S.-Russia talks about the future of Ukraine without |
| 1:28.9 | Kiev being present. Yeah, absolutely. And I think it all started actually at the Munich Security |
... |
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