The Edition: how twee triumphed, Graham Brady on Tory turmoil & celebrating pigs in blankets
Best of the Spectator
The Spectator
4.4 • 785 Ratings
🗓️ 5 December 2024
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Gareth Roberts writes the cover article this week, arguing against what he sees as the hideous triviality of our times. ‘The British have lost their aversion to glutinous sentimentality,’ he declares. How did we get here, and who are the worst offenders? Gareth argues that the triumph of twee has left us unable to face serious things with seriousness. Could there be sinister consequences if we don’t take this more seriously? Gareth joined the podcast to make his case, alongside Josh Cohen, psychoanalyst and author of All The Rage (00:49).
Then: was Graham Brady the ‘kingmaker’ or the ‘kingslayer’ of the past Tory era?
The shadow cabinet member and Conservative M.P. Alex Burghart has reviewed Graham Brady’s new book Kingmaker: Secrets, Lies and the Truth about Five Prime Ministers in the books section of the magazine this week. Looking back on his time as chair of the influential 1922 Committee, Graham provides his reflections on what has been an historic, and often turbulent, period in British politics. Having now taken a seat in the Lords, Graham joins the podcast with The Spectator’s political editor, Katy Balls, to reveal what he really thought about that time in office and what his advice to his successor would be (16:07).
And finally: are pigs in blankets the best Christmas food?
It would seem so, according to The Spectator’s data editor Michael Simmons, who provides his notes on the festive treat in the magazine this week. His only gripe, as a proud Scot, is that they should really be called ‘kilted sausages’. He reveals that Brits are expected to eat a whopping 668 million of them over the Christmas season. Why are they so good, and how can you elevate your Christmas meal over the coming season? Michael joins the podcast alongside Martyn Lee, head of product at Yeo Valley and the former executive chef of Waitrose and Tesco. Plus, a guest appearance of pigs in blankets from The Spectator’s local pub, The Two Chairmen – will they pass Michael’s taste test? (26:58).
Hosted by William Moore and Lara Prendergast.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons, Oscar Edmondson, and Cindy Yu.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Get a free bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label Whiskey when you subscribe to The Spectator in a Black Friday sale. |
| 0:06.0 | Go to spectator.com.uk forward slash Friday. |
| 0:15.4 | Hello and welcome to the edition podcast from The Spectator, where each week we shed a little light on the thought |
| 0:22.5 | process behind putting the world's oldest weekly magazine to bed. I'm Laura Prendergars, the |
| 0:28.2 | Spectator's executive editor. And I'm William Moore, the Spectator's Features Editor. This week, we |
| 0:34.1 | look at how Tweed took over the world. we interview the so-called kingmaker of the |
| 0:39.4 | Conservative Party, and we ask, what is the best part of Christmas dinner? |
| 0:48.6 | First up, in our cover piece this week, Gareth Roberts declares that Britain is drowning in a sea of Tui. |
| 0:55.8 | He argues that our country has become far too sentimental, almost horror of horrors, a little American in our sentimentality. |
| 1:03.8 | So has society really become too Tweed? |
| 1:06.7 | And if so, what is the danger in that? |
| 1:08.8 | Is it something we just bemoan? |
| 1:10.4 | Or are there darker issues underneath the surface? |
| 1:13.9 | Gareth joined me earlier alongside Josh Cohen, the psychoanalyst and author of All the Rage. |
| 1:22.3 | Gareth, your cover piece this week has the headline World War Tui, and in it you look at how British society |
| 1:29.0 | has become, as you say, too Tui and too sentimental. When did you start to notice this? |
| 1:34.5 | It's difficult this one, because a lot of people pin it down and say, well, this was at the time |
| 1:39.6 | of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, that everyone kind of unburdened themselves and |
| 1:44.8 | unleashed themselves and suddenly were being emotional. |
| 1:48.4 | But I think that was more, that was more of a sort of operatic grand emotion that you might |
| 1:53.7 | find, you know, on the continent. |
| 1:56.8 | That's kind of Italian emotion, you know. |
... |
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