The Edition: Christmas Special
Best of the Spectator
The Spectator
4.3 • 825 Ratings
🗓️ 15 December 2022
⏱️ 65 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Up first: What a year in politics it has been. 2022 has seen five education secretaries, four chancellors, three prime ministers and two monarchs. But there is only one political team that can make sense of it all. The Spectator's editor Fraser Nelson, deputy political editor Katy Balls and assistant editor Isabel Hardman discuss what has surely been one of the most dramatic years in British political history (01:13).
Then: Christmas is a time to spare a thought for our neighbours. While in the UK we have our own hardships, families in Ukraine are facing a Christmas under siege. The Spectator's Svitlana Morenets joins the podcast alongside author Andrey Kurkov, dialling in from Lazarivka near Kiev to discuss traditions in Ukraine (16:29).
Next: We have a special Christmas treat for our listeners. For our festive triple issue of the magazine, historian Tom Holland interviews the author Robert Harris about everything from eco-radicals and interpreting history, to why the monarchy is so essential. They have kindly allowed us to hear some their conversation (25:58).
Also this week: In his piece for The Spectator's Christmas issue, travel writer Sean Thomas reflects on a recent cruise around the Antarctic peninsula, a trip which gave him a new answer to the question which perpetually plagues him: what is the best place you have ever been? He is joined by explorer Felicity Aston who in 2012 became the first person to ski solo across Antarctica (40:59).
And finally: Pantomime dames are as synonymous with Christmas as mince pies and a Spectator Christmas issue, but what makes a truly great dame? This is the question that Robert Gore-Langton asks in our festive magazine. He is joined by pantomime legend Christopher Biggins and Martin Vander Weyer, The Spectator’s business editor and amateur pantomime dame (51:52).
Throughout the podcast you will also hear from some of our favourite answers to our Christmas poll: what gives you hope? Including Robert Tombs (15:19), Mary Beard (24:58), Susan Hill (39:15) and Peter Hitchens (50:58).
Hosted by William Moore.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Subscribe to The Spectator this Christmas and get the next 12 weeks of print and online access |
| 0:04.3 | as well as a bottle of Polroger champagne all for just £12. |
| 0:08.3 | This offer is available in the UK only. |
| 0:10.1 | Go to www.spictator.com.com.combe to subscribe. Hello and welcome to this special Christmas episode of the edition podcast. |
| 0:29.2 | I'm William Moore, the Spectator's Features Editor. |
| 0:32.5 | On the podcast, I'll be looking back on the year in politics, discussing Christmas traditions in Ukraine, |
| 0:38.2 | hearing an extract from Tom Holland's interview with Robert Harris for the magazine, |
| 0:42.3 | investigating the beauty of Antarctica, and finally, asking what makes a great pantomime dame. |
| 0:49.2 | Throughout the podcast, we will also hear some of the answers from our Christmas poll question, |
| 0:54.0 | What Gives You Hope? |
| 0:56.1 | Firstly, what a year in politics it has been. |
| 0:59.4 | 2022 has seen five education secretaries, four chancellors, three prime ministers, two monarchs, |
| 1:05.1 | but only one political team to make sense of it all. |
| 1:08.8 | I'm joined now by the spectators Fraser Nelson, Katie Balls and |
| 1:12.3 | Isabelle Hardman. Fraser, in his column for the magazine, James Forsyth suggests that the turmoil of this |
| 1:18.7 | year is a sign that British politics is becoming fundamentally less stable. Do you agree? |
| 1:24.7 | It was truth that if you spend like drunken Keynesians, as the Conservatives have done, |
| 1:30.5 | you then find it difficult to reconcile this with your loyal tax pledge, |
| 1:33.8 | which you give voters at election time. |
| 1:36.5 | And then this is the dilemma upon which the conservatives find themselves impaled upon. |
| 1:43.9 | Now, you know, you'll hear some Tories who |
| 1:46.2 | will basically be saying, well, you know, no man born of women could govern this country. It's |
... |
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