The Edition: Streeting vs Starmer, medical misinformation & the surprising history of phallic graffiti
Best of the Spectator
The Spectator
4.4 • 785 Ratings
🗓️ 21 November 2024
⏱️ 43 minutes
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Summary
Ahead of next week’s vote on whether to legalise assisted dying, Health Secretary Wes Streeting is causing trouble for Keir Starmer, writes Katy Balls in the magazine this week. Starmer has been clear that he doesn’t want government ministers to be too outspoken on the issue ahead of a free vote in Parliament. But Streeting’s opposition is well-known. How much of a headache is this for Starmer? And does this speak to wider ambitions that Wes might have?
Katy joins the podcast to discuss, alongside Labour MP Steve Race. Steve explains why he plans to vote in favour of the change in the law next week (00:57).
Then: how concerned should we be about medical misinformation?
President-elect Donald Trump has announced vaccine sceptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services in the US. In the magazine this week, Matt Ridley explains that it’s not the man himself that’s as interesting, as the reasons how he has ended up in such a position: scientific misinformation has fuelled his rise. So how concerned should we be about medical misinformation? Firstly, Matt joined the podcast to explain his thesis and why reactions to the covid pandemic are to blame (16:24).
Later, Sander van der Linden, professor of social psychology at the University of Cambridge, also joins the podcast to discuss his concerns and how susceptible we are here in Britain to misinformation (23:46).
And finally: did you know that crude graffiti has a storied history?
Harry Mount examines the notorious penis gang that has appeared in Dulwich, daubing penises across trees. Whatever you think of such graffiti, scribbling phalluses, and even erotic art, are actually as old as time – from ancient Rome to India. What’s the line between graffiti and erotic art? And should Westerners be less prudish when confronted with these images? Harry joins the podcast alongside academic, and author of Pha(bu)llus: A Cultural History, Dr Alka Pande (30:50).
Hosted by William Moore and Lara Prendergast.
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Spectator magazine is home to wonderful writing, insightful analysis, and unrivaled books and arts reviews. |
| 0:06.1 | Subscribe today for just £12 and receive a 12-week subscription in print and online. |
| 0:11.2 | Alongside that, you get a 20-pound John Lewis or Waitrose Voucher. |
| 0:14.7 | Go to spectator.com.uk forward slash voucher. |
| 0:31.2 | Hello and welcome to the edition podcast from The Spectator, where each week we shed a little light on the thought process behind putting the world's oldest weekly magazine to bed. |
| 0:36.6 | I'm Laura Prendergast, the Spectator's Executive Editor. |
| 0:40.1 | And I'm William Moore, the Spectator's Features Editor. This week, why Wes Streeting is causing trouble |
| 0:45.6 | for Kirstama, how the science community is fuelling the rise in science misinformation, |
| 0:51.3 | and what's the ancient roots of crude graffiti? |
| 0:56.8 | I've made it clear that I'll be voting against the assisted dying bill this time. |
| 1:03.1 | That's mainly because I don't think that palliative care, end-of-life care, is where it needs to be to give people a real choice. |
| 1:09.4 | I'm concerned about the risk of people being coerced |
| 1:12.3 | into taking their lives sooner than they would have liked. |
| 1:15.3 | That was the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, |
| 1:17.5 | explaining why he plans to vote against assisted dying next week. |
| 1:21.8 | Ever since Kim Ledbetter tabled a private member's bill |
| 1:24.7 | to legalise assisted dying, |
| 1:26.8 | there's been a fierce debate between |
| 1:28.2 | those who see this as a progressive measure to alleviate suffering and those who are worried about |
| 1:33.0 | where it could all lead. The last time there was a vote in Parliament on the issue of assisted |
| 1:36.8 | dying almost a decade ago, Kirstama voted in favour of changing the law. Despite this, the Prime |
| 1:42.3 | Minister has promised a free vote, and he's |
... |
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