The Edition: migration mystery, Ipso’s trans muddle & are you a ‘trad dad’?
Best of the Spectator
The Spectator
4.4 • 785 Ratings
🗓️ 30 January 2025
⏱️ 46 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How many people live in the UK? It’s a straightforward question, yet the answer eludes some of the nation’s brightest statistical minds, writes Sam Bidwell for the cover this week. Whenever official figures are tested against real-world data, the population is almost always undercounted. For example, in England alone, nearly 64 million patients are registered with GP practices – higher than the Office for National Statistics (ONS)'s estimated population of 58 million. Sam argues there are serious consequences for our society at large, including for tax, housing and our utilities. Who is to blame for this data deficiency? And why is Britain so bad at tackling illegal migration? Sam joined the podcast alongside the broadcaster Trevor Phillips. (1:03)
Next: has gender ideology taken over the press regulator?
Two months ago, the press regulator Ipso upheld a complaint against The Spectator for the way in which writer Gareth Roberts referred to transgender author Juno Dawson. One person who wasn’t surprised by the ruling was Conrad Roeber, who was lead author of a report for the regulator examining how the press treats trans-related issues. In the magazine this week, he argues: ‘It effectively asked me to mark its homework,’ and he worries that the case demonstrates that a contentious ideology has taken over the regulator. What does this case mean for the intersection of equality, free speech and a free press? Conrad joined us to discuss, alongside The Spectator’s editor Michael Gove. (21:35)
And finally: trad dads vs female breadwinners
Arabella Byrne argues in favour of ‘trad dads’, saying that she is quite happy with her traditional family life with her husband as the main breadwinner. Her piece was (in part) a response to an article by Theo Hobson, published in The Spectator several weeks ago, where he shared his conflicting feelings about his wife being the main earner in his family. How much have societal norms really changed? What impact is there on a spouse who isn’t the breadwinner? And for all the talk of gender parity professionally, can it ever truly be achieved in the familial home? Both Arabella and Theo joined us to discuss. (36:00)
Hosted by Lara Prendergast and William Moore.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | If you enjoyed the Spectator's podcasts, why not subscribe to the magazine as well? |
| 0:04.2 | You can get 12 weeks of The Spectator for just £12, plus a free £20 £10,000 or weight raise voucher |
| 0:10.6 | if you go to spectator.com.uk forward slash voucher. |
| 0:14.7 | This is a podcast-only deal, and we hope you take us up on it. |
| 0:30.1 | Hello and welcome to the edition podcast from The Spectator, |
| 0:33.4 | where each week we shed a little light on the thought process behind putting the world's oldest weekly magazine to bed. |
| 0:37.2 | I'm Laura Prendergast, the Spectator's Executive Editor. |
| 0:40.1 | And I'm William Moore, the Spectator's Features Editor. |
| 0:43.2 | In this week's episode, |
| 0:45.5 | is there an answer to Britain's great migration mystery? |
| 0:49.9 | Has Ipso been captured by gender ideology? |
| 0:53.0 | And should you care who the breadwinner is in your family? |
| 1:03.7 | How many people live in Britain? |
| 1:06.1 | It's a question that seems like it should have a pretty straightforward answer, |
| 1:10.0 | and yet it has alluded some of the |
| 1:11.6 | nation's brightest statistical minds. That's what Sam Bidwell writes in this week's cover piece. |
| 1:17.6 | He exposes the faults in the official estimates of Britain's population, particularly when it comes |
| 1:22.6 | to undercounting, and he argues that this has serious consequences for housing and tax, for our schools |
| 1:28.6 | and healthcare system, and for society at large. So what can be done to address it? Sam joined me |
| 1:34.5 | earlier to discuss, along with the broadcaster Trevor Phillips. I started by asking Sam to explain |
| 1:39.6 | why he is sceptical of official estimates. Look, there are, of course, official figures produced |
| 1:46.7 | by bodies like the Office for National Statistics, the ONS, but we are in the territory of |
... |
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