The Edition: Chambers of horrors, the ‘Dubai-ification’ of London & the enduring obsession with Diana
Best of the Spectator
The Spectator
4.4 • 785 Ratings
🗓️ 1 May 2025
⏱️ 37 minutes
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Summary
Garden Court Chambers has a ‘reassuringly traditional’ facade befitting the historic Lincoln’s Inn Fields in the heart of London’s legal district. Yet, writes Ross Clark in the cover article this week, ‘the facade is just that. For behind the pedimented Georgian windows there operates the most radically effective cell of left-wing activists in Britain’.
Ross argues that cases taken on by Garden Court lawyers raise questions of impartiality. Is this just another example of ‘law’s expanding empire’ over the domain of elected politicians, as former Supreme Court judge Jonathan Sumption has warned?
The Spectator’s editor, and former Justice Secretary, Michael Gove joined the podcast to discuss. (1:16)
Next: cultural desert
‘From its gloopy green-filled chocolate to its soulless towers, Dubai is exerting a cultural influence over our capital’ writes Angus Colwell in the magazine this week. More and more young people might be moving to the city, but its influence is being exported back.
With around 250,000 Brits living in the Middle Eastern Emirate, why is Dubai so popular? Angus worries that we may lose some of the ‘pleasingly chaotic’ aesthetic of London to Dubai’s ‘artificial construction’. Angus joined the podcast alongside the writer Louise Perry. (13:43)
And finally: the enduring obsession with Princess Diana
Almost 30 years on from her death, why has a fascination with Princess Diana endured? Philip Hensher reviews Dianaworld: An Obsession, by Edward White, in the magazine this week which explores the effect that Diana had – and still has – on people around the world. Why did people feel such a connection to the late Princess of Wales?
Philip joined the podcast alongside royal commentator Angela Levin. Philip explains that a ‘passive victimhood’ has crept into society since Diana’s death while, for Angela, the public felt they ‘owned’ the Princess. (22:32)
Presented by William Moore and Lara Prendergast.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We are heading into perhaps the most consequential local election in recent memory. |
| 0:05.0 | Forecasters are expecting big gains for reform in the Lib Dems and a bad showing for Labour and the Tories. |
| 0:09.8 | Could we be looking at the end of the two-party system? |
| 0:12.5 | To make sense of what comes next, please do come along to our local elections shake-up event. |
| 0:17.6 | Join the spectators panel and special guests Sir Jacob Reesmog and Zia Yusuf as they |
| 0:22.3 | analyse the results on the 7th of May at the Emanuel Centre in Westminster. For tickets, go to |
| 0:27.7 | www.com.com.combe, forward slash local elections live. |
| 0:51.0 | Hello. Hello and welcome to the edition podcast from The Spectator, where each week we shed a little light on the thought process behind putting the world's oldest weekly magazine to bed. |
| 0:53.3 | I'm William Moore, the Spectator's features editor. |
| 0:54.6 | And I'm Laura Prendergars, the Spectator's Species Editor. And I'm Laura Prendergast, |
| 1:01.0 | the Spectators Executive Editor. On this week's podcast, we ask, is Garden Court Chambers home to Britain's most radical lawyers? Should we care about the debaification of London? And what |
| 1:07.4 | motivates people who are still obsessed with Princess Diana? |
| 1:16.5 | Thank you. And what motivates people who are still obsessed with Princess Diana? First up, Garden Court Chambers in Lincoln's Inn Fields has a reassuringly traditional facade, |
| 1:24.1 | yet, writes Ross Clark in his cover piece for the magazine this week, |
| 1:28.0 | The facade is just that. |
| 1:30.0 | For behind the Georgian windows, there operates arguably the most radically effective cell of left-wing |
| 1:35.8 | activists in Britain. |
| 1:37.5 | From defending vandalism on ideological grounds to preventing convicted criminals from being deported, |
| 1:43.3 | the cases taken on by Garden Court lawyers |
| 1:46.0 | raised questions about impartiality. Is this just another example of laws expanding empire |
| 1:51.9 | over the domain of elected politicians? The Spectators editor and former Justice Secretary, |
| 1:57.6 | Michael Gove, joined the podcast to discuss. I started by asking Michael to take listeners |
... |
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