Spectator Out Loud: Michael Simmons, Kapil Komireddi, Margaret Mitchell, David Abulafia and Melissa Kite
Best of the Spectator
The Spectator
4.4 • 785 Ratings
🗓️ 4 August 2025
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Michael Simmons argues that Trump is winning the tariff war with China; Kapil Komireddi reviews Robert Ivermee’s Glorious Failure: The Forgotten History of French Imperialism in India; Margaret Mitchell watches a Channel 4 documentary on Bonnie Blue and provides a warning to parents; David Abulafia provides his notes on wax seals; and, Melissa Kite says that her B&B is the opposite of organic.
Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to Spectator Out Loud. Each week we choose some of our favourite pieces from the magazine and ask their writers to read them aloud. I'm Petra Gibbons and on this week's podcast, from Stockholm, Michael Simmons argues that Trump |
| 0:21.8 | is winning the tariff war with China, as he speaks to US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant. |
| 0:27.4 | Reviewing Robert Iverme's glorious failure, the forgotten history of French imperialism in India, |
| 0:32.7 | Kapil Comeretti says that the French were history's losers. |
| 0:36.4 | Finding out that she used to be an NHS financial recruiter, Margot Mitchell says that the French were history's losers. Finding out that she used to be an NHS financial |
| 0:38.8 | recruiter, Marga Mitchell says that she understands Bonnie Blue better, as she reviews a new Channel 4 |
| 0:44.2 | documentary on the Onlyfans creator. Professor David Abilafia provides his notes on wax seals, |
| 0:50.1 | following the news that the government will reduce their use. And finally, in her live column, |
| 0:57.1 | Melissa Kite says that her B&B is the opposite of organic and reflects on just how expensive things are in Ireland. |
| 1:01.0 | Up first, Michael Simmons. |
| 1:03.6 | Stockholm. |
| 1:04.7 | This week, the fate of the global economy could have been decided over a Mongolian barbecue in a Stockholm tourist trap. |
| 1:13.6 | On Tuesday, just 50 yards from Sweden's seat of government, Rosembad, where the US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and the Chinese Vice |
| 1:18.8 | Premier Hei Lifeng had been wrangling over trade negotiations. The Chinese delegation suddenly |
| 1:24.8 | exited the talks and headed for lunch near the Mongolian Buffy |
| 1:28.0 | place where they had eaten the day before. Its windows were covered up and a sign announced |
| 1:33.0 | it would be closed for three days for a private event. The Americans stayed behind, making |
| 1:37.8 | do with salad. The Chinese had left to report back to the mothership, as Besson later put it, |
| 1:44.0 | but the mothership apparently did notessent later put it. But the mothership apparently |
| 1:45.3 | did not budge. After talks resumed, it soon became clear that no breakthrough agreement had been |
| 1:51.0 | struck. China wanted another extension to its tire of truce with America, which expires on 12th August. |
| 1:57.0 | Besant said that was a call for his mothership, Donald Trump. The Treasury Secretary seemed to hint that Trump would approve such an extension. |
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