Coffee House Shots: who would be a Conservative? – Kate Andrews vs Michael Gove

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4.4 • 785 Ratings

🗓️ 8 March 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

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Summary

It’s a special (and emotional) edition of Coffee House Shots this Saturday because it is the last with Kate Andrews on this side of the Atlantic. She joins our editor Michael Gove and political correspondent James Heale for a debate on ideology. Kate – a liberal, in the classical British sense – explains exactly why she is not a Conservative and the various tenets that distinguish liberalism from conservatism, whilst Michael makes the case for being a 'pessimistic' conservative.

So, what makes a liberal? What makes a conservative? And was Hayek right in saying that while there isn’t much to choose between these two political creeds, ultimately, they need each other.

Produced by Cindy Yu and Oscar Edmondson.

Kate Andrews' suggested reading on liberalism:

F. A. Hayek: The Road to Serfdom

Adam Smith: The Wealth of Nations

Deirdre McCloskey: Why Liberalism Works

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of Coffee House Shots is sponsored by Alliance Witten Investment Trust. From the OPEC
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0:46.3	Hello and welcome to the special Saturday edition of Coffee House Shots. I'm James Heel
0:50.1	and I'm joined today by Cain Andrews and Michael Gove. And today is a sort of mixed day, isn't it?
0:55.5	Kate, because you are leaving us but not leaving us.
0:57.9	You're going from being the economics editor here in London
0:59.8	to instead becoming the US deputy editor.
1:03.0	It's true, James, and it's very, very emotional, very happy, sad.
1:09.5	I've been thinking about returning to the States for some time.
1:12.8	It's where I'm from. I feel very American. And as a journalist, there are so many exciting things
1:18.7	going on over there, good and bad. I feel incredibly privileged to have this opportunity to go
1:23.9	with The Spectator. It's also been five years here at the Spectator mothership in the UK,
1:29.4	an experience that has fundamentally changed my life. I could gush for hours,
1:36.2	but I've been so lucky to have the best colleagues, the best experiences, the best editors,
1:41.3	who really whip my writing into shape. I've never learned more. I've never had more
1:47.1	fun. And what a time the past five years to be at an institution like The Spectator. But yes,
	...

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