The Edition: Trump's Arctic madness, political treachery & banning social media
Best of the Spectator
The Spectator
4.3 • 826 Ratings
🗓️ 23 January 2026
⏱️ 46 minutes
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Summary
Another week, another foreign policy crisis – this time over Greenland. America's European allies watched as Trump increased the tension over the Arctic territory, only to announce he 'won't use force' in a set-piece speech in Davos. For the Spectator's cover this week, Paul Wood examines the strategic role of the Arctic, both against Russia and China and from nuclear energy to the space race. With a deal supposedly done between Denmark and the US, is there method in Trump's madness?
For this week’s Edition, host William Moore is joined by deputy editor Freddy Gray, online commissioning editor Lara Brown and broadcaster Miriam Cates. Saying she feels sorry for Keir Starmer, the former Conservative MP argues that Britain is a 'vassal state' and needs to wake up to the fact America is not benevolent. Is Britain's attitude towards the special relationship realistic or naive?
The also discuss: how 'Brand Britain' is losing its value by cosying up to the Chinese; how – despite the defection of Robert Jenrick – Reform is still very vulnerable to an anti-Farage pact; the merits of banning social media for children under the age of 16; and finally, how concerned the global west should be about the radicalisation of young women.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Subscribe to The Spectator and get 12 weeks of Britain's most incisive politics coverage, |
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| 0:33.7 | Hello and welcome to the edition from The Spectator. |
| 0:38.7 | I'm William Moore, the Spectator's Features Editor, and the magazine has just gone to print. |
| 0:44.6 | To talk about what's inside it, I'm delighted to be joined by Freddie Gray, our deputy editor |
| 0:49.8 | and the editor of Spectator World, Laura Brown, the Spectator's commissioning editor, |
| 0:54.7 | and broadcaster and fora Tory MP, Miriam Cates. |
| 0:59.2 | Thank you very much indeed for joining me. |
| 1:06.3 | Let's talk about the cover piece first, |
| 1:08.3 | which is Paul Wood on the battle for Greenland. |
| 1:11.7 | Freddie, wonder if you could start by telling our viewers and our listeners how this cover |
| 1:15.7 | came about? |
| 1:17.3 | Well, we should probably start by saying that Donald Trump has very frustratingly, because |
| 1:20.8 | he's determined to make life miserable for journalists, just said that he won't use force |
| 1:25.6 | on Greenland, against Greenland, to take Greenland. |
| 1:29.4 | I may, because people thought I would use force. |
| 1:31.5 | I don't have to use force. |
| 1:32.6 | I don't want to use force. |
... |
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