The Edition: How much longer can Boris Johnson keep going?
Best of the Spectator
The Spectator
4.4 • 785 Ratings
🗓️ 21 April 2022
⏱️ 41 minutes
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Summary
In her cover piece this week, Katy Balls writes that although Boris Johnson believes he can survive the partygate scandal, he has some way to go until he is safe, while in his column, James Forsyth writes about why the Tories have a summer of discontent ahead of them. They both join the podcast to speculate on the Prime Minister’s future. (00:44)
Also this week: Why is the Rwandan government taking our asylum seekers?
We have heard the arguments behind the Home Office’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda. But why is Rwanda up for this arrangement? Michela Wrong, the author of Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad, explores this question in this week’s Spectator and she joins the podcast along with MP Andrew Mitchell. (14:50)
And finally: Can AI take on the art world?
Sean Thomas writes in this week’s magazine about how some AI programs appear to have become rather good at painting. But what does this mean for the future of art? He joins the podcast along with Lukas Noehrer the organiser of The Alan Turing Institute’s AI & Arts group and Professor Stefano Ermon of Stanford whose research has made much of this technology possible. (28:16)
Hosted by Lara Prendergast and William Moore
Produced by Sam Holmes
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This podcast is sponsored by Canacord Genuity Wealth Management, award-winning wealth managers who go above and beyond to support and guide you. |
| 0:09.3 | Visit can-dowealth.com to start building your wealth with confidence. |
| 0:17.2 | Hello and welcome to the edition podcast from The Spectator. |
| 0:23.2 | Every week we take a look at some of the most important and intriguing stories from the issue with the writers behind them. I'm Laura Prendergars, |
| 0:29.0 | the Spectator's executive editor. And I'm William Moore, the Spectator's Features Editor. |
| 0:33.8 | This week is Boris going to limp on? Plus, why is the Rwandan government taking our asylum seekers? |
| 0:40.9 | And finally, can AI take on the art world? |
| 0:44.8 | First up, in her cover piece this week, Katie Balls writes that |
| 0:49.1 | although Boris Johnson believes he can survive the party gate scandal, |
| 0:52.9 | he has some way to go until he's safe. |
| 0:55.9 | While in his column, James Forsyth writes about why the Tories have a summer of discontent |
| 1:01.1 | ahead of them. They both join us now. Katie, a lot of our listeners will have seen |
| 1:08.0 | Boris Johnson's apology in the Commons this week. But after that, he addressed |
| 1:12.6 | a private meeting of Tory MPs. From what you've heard about the meeting, what was his tone like |
| 1:19.1 | then? So as one MP described to me in terms of this meeting, Boris Johnson gave an opening |
| 1:25.9 | address and then it rolled out to questions |
| 1:27.7 | from MPs. And it was much more election rally type speech that he opened with. And actually, |
| 1:34.0 | he did not mention party gate once. So in what was meant to be, and in a way had been |
| 1:39.2 | pitched and briefed to the various papers of the weekend as Boris Johnson reaching out to his party. |
| 1:44.9 | It was in some ways, but the message he was trying to give was stick with us, we're going |
| 1:48.5 | to win the next election, and we've got lots of good things. |
| 1:50.5 | And he did this call and respond where he said, you know, who would you rather have in charge |
... |
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