60 acast.com Politics on the Couch https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch en © 2025 Politics,Psychology,Political Science,Cognitive Science,Current affairs Larchmont Productions The psychology behind political thought and behaviour. Rafael Behr examines how our minds respond to politics and how politicians mess with our minds.


In each episode an expert from the world of politics, psychology, history or philosophy joins Raf on our 'couch' to discuss what's driving our political thought and behaviour.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Rafael Behr examines how our minds respond to politics and how politicians mess with our minds.


In each episode an expert from the world of politics, psychology, history or philosophy joins Raf on our 'couch' to discuss what's driving our political thought and behaviour.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> false Larchmont Productions philip@larchmontfilms.com 6462652801a21a001146cc01 politicsonthecouch https://media.zencast.fm/politics-on-the-couch/rss episodic https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6462652801a21a001146cc01/show-cover.png https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch Politics on the Couch https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6462652801a21a001146cc01 Hypocrisy – why we hate it and why we can’t do without it Hypocrisy – why we hate it and why we can’t do without it Sat, 17 Jan 2026 05:35:12 GMT 44:54 696b1f07f0f57e95a021dccf false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/hypocrisy-why-we-hate-it-and-why-we-cant-do-without-it 696b1f07f0f57e95a021dccf 6462652801a21a001146cc01 hypocrisy-why-we-hate-it-and-why-we-cant-do-without-it Rafael Behr talks to Dr Michael Hallsworth, Chief Behavioural Scientist at the Behavioural Insights Teams in America full 54 Rafael Behr talks to behavioural scientist Dr Michael Hallsworth about his new book, “The Hypocrisy Trap: How Changing What We Criticise Can Improve Our Lives.”


They discuss:


  • How the concept of hypocrisy first emerged as part of an evolutionary status game; 
  • How calling others out can be more powerful than proclaiming our own virtue; 
  • Why we might tolerate some ‘polite’ hypocrisy at home but not in Westminster;
  • How hypocrisy is an inescapable part of any ‘civilisation, according to Sigmund Freud;
  • Should we be more discerning in the types we call out, but much tougher on the ‘double standards’ hypocrisy that corrodes trust, fairness and the basic promise that citizens stand equal before the law?


Dr Michael Hallsworth is Chief Behavioural Scientist at the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) in the Americas, where he applies behavioural science to policy, organisational design and real‑world behavioural change. He describes himself as someone “helping people apply behavioural science to real‑world problems.” 


At BIT, Michael has led numerous projects spanning government and private sector domains, bridging rigorous academic research with operational behavioural insight. 


More information about Dr Michael Hallsworth and his new book:


https://www.michaelhallsworth.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Rafael Behr talks to behavioural scientist Dr Michael Hallsworth about his new book, “The Hypocrisy Trap: How Changing What We Criticise Can Improve Our Lives.”


They discuss:


  • How the concept of hypocrisy first emerged as part of an evolutionary status game; 
  • How calling others out can be more powerful than proclaiming our own virtue; 
  • Why we might tolerate some ‘polite’ hypocrisy at home but not in Westminster;
  • How hypocrisy is an inescapable part of any ‘civilisation, according to Sigmund Freud;
  • Should we be more discerning in the types we call out, but much tougher on the ‘double standards’ hypocrisy that corrodes trust, fairness and the basic promise that citizens stand equal before the law?


Dr Michael Hallsworth is Chief Behavioural Scientist at the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) in the Americas, where he applies behavioural science to policy, organisational design and real‑world behavioural change. He describes himself as someone “helping people apply behavioural science to real‑world problems.” 


At BIT, Michael has led numerous projects spanning government and private sector domains, bridging rigorous academic research with operational behavioural insight. 


More information about Dr Michael Hallsworth and his new book:


https://www.michaelhallsworth.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Can Democracy Survive Social Media? Can Democracy Survive Social Media? Thu, 18 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMT 46:31 69431a80959d6e49509af6e6 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/the-digital-degradation-of-democracy-and-what-we-can-do-abou 69431a80959d6e49509af6e6 6462652801a21a001146cc01 the-digital-degradation-of-democracy-and-what-we-can-do-abou Rafael Behr talks to Psychology Professor Jay Van Bavel about the corrosive effects of social media on politics and democracy, and what we can do about it full 53 Politics feels angrier, harsher and more tribal than it used to - but how much of the blame can be laid at the door of social media?


Rafael Behr talks to NYU Psychologist Professor Jay Van Bavel, about how our ancient group instincts collide with 'god-like' digital technology to distort what we see, reward outrage, and erode trust in democratic institutions. 


Drawing on datasets of millions of social media posts, Professor Van Bavel discusses how; a tiny minority can dominate the online political conversation; platforms can make people seem more extreme, and silence the moderate voices. He also discusses what can be done about it; from redesigning incentives and rebuilding solidarity across group lines; to the small, practical choices individuals can make to resist the pull of performative moral outrage.


Jay Van Bavel's professional website - with links to academic papers


https://www.jayvanbavel.com


Inside the funhouse mirror factory: How social media distorts perceptions of norms


https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352250X24001313


How to strengthen democracy


https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2022/08/how-to-strengthen-democracy


Heineken Advert


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3a8MdloAAM&themeRefresh=1




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Politics feels angrier, harsher and more tribal than it used to - but how much of the blame can be laid at the door of social media?


Rafael Behr talks to NYU Psychologist Professor Jay Van Bavel, about how our ancient group instincts collide with 'god-like' digital technology to distort what we see, reward outrage, and erode trust in democratic institutions. 


Drawing on datasets of millions of social media posts, Professor Van Bavel discusses how; a tiny minority can dominate the online political conversation; platforms can make people seem more extreme, and silence the moderate voices. He also discusses what can be done about it; from redesigning incentives and rebuilding solidarity across group lines; to the small, practical choices individuals can make to resist the pull of performative moral outrage.


Jay Van Bavel's professional website - with links to academic papers


https://www.jayvanbavel.com


Inside the funhouse mirror factory: How social media distorts perceptions of norms


https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352250X24001313


How to strengthen democracy


https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2022/08/how-to-strengthen-democracy


Heineken Advert


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3a8MdloAAM&themeRefresh=1




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Changing minds about immigration Changing minds about immigration Sun, 09 Nov 2025 17:19:31 GMT 46:35 6910621c7728b8766c477a49 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/is-there-a-better-way-to-talk-about-immigration-with-authori 6910621c7728b8766c477a49 6462652801a21a001146cc01 is-there-a-better-way-to-talk-about-immigration-with-authori Rafael Behr hears from Dr Tessa Buchanan from the Cambridge Political Psychology Lab about how to talk about immigration with ‘authoritarian’ voters full 52 Rafael Behr talks to Dr. Tessa Buchanan, a former civil servant and now an academic at Cambridge’s Political Psychology Lab, about the psychology behind changing how some voters think about outsiders or immigrants, revealing why she believes attitudes aren’t always as fixed or hostile as they may seem.


From the media’s obsession with “small boats” to conflicting anxieties about national identity, Rafael and Tessa discuss how easy is it to move public opinion, and so public policy, on a topic that has dominated political debate in the UK, EU and US for almost a decade.


Links to topics mentioned in the podcast


How an authoritarianism-compatible text changes British attitudes towards EU immigration

Study from Cambridge University Political Psychology Lab


2019 YouGov survey looking at EU immigration


2024 US survey pre-Presidential election


Cambridge University Political Psychology Lab


Podcasts mentioned


Rafael Behr and Karen Stenner


https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/theauthoritatianpersonalitywithkarenstenner


Rafael Behr and Dr Lee de-Wit


https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/theleftstroublewithconnectingwithsocialonservatives



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]]> Rafael Behr talks to Dr. Tessa Buchanan, a former civil servant and now an academic at Cambridge’s Political Psychology Lab, about the psychology behind changing how some voters think about outsiders or immigrants, revealing why she believes attitudes aren’t always as fixed or hostile as they may seem.


From the media’s obsession with “small boats” to conflicting anxieties about national identity, Rafael and Tessa discuss how easy is it to move public opinion, and so public policy, on a topic that has dominated political debate in the UK, EU and US for almost a decade.


Links to topics mentioned in the podcast


How an authoritarianism-compatible text changes British attitudes towards EU immigration

Study from Cambridge University Political Psychology Lab


2019 YouGov survey looking at EU immigration


2024 US survey pre-Presidential election


Cambridge University Political Psychology Lab


Podcasts mentioned


Rafael Behr and Karen Stenner


https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/theauthoritatianpersonalitywithkarenstenner


Rafael Behr and Dr Lee de-Wit


https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/theleftstroublewithconnectingwithsocialonservatives



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> How to break the ‘democratic doom loop’ How to break the ‘democratic doom loop’ Wed, 02 Jul 2025 05:00:00 GMT 38:02 68645b302afa19dc3dd4e789 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/how-to-break-the-democratic-doom-loop 68645b302afa19dc3dd4e789 6462652801a21a001146cc01 how-to-break-the-democratic-doom-loop The urgent case for upgrading democracy full 51 Rafael Behr talks to Demos' CEO Polly Curtis about the urgent case for upgrading our democracy and repairing the broken relationship between citizen and state.


The conversation is loosely based around this new Demos paper released today (2 July) that sets out the challenges of the global democratic emergency, how this is threatening the political landscape in Britain and what we can do about it.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Rafael Behr talks to Demos' CEO Polly Curtis about the urgent case for upgrading our democracy and repairing the broken relationship between citizen and state.


The conversation is loosely based around this new Demos paper released today (2 July) that sets out the challenges of the global democratic emergency, how this is threatening the political landscape in Britain and what we can do about it.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Appetite for Chaos: Why some voters just want to watch the world burn Appetite for Chaos: Why some voters just want to watch the world burn Wed, 14 May 2025 05:00:00 GMT 43:38 6823b9ea75c05d72cf7548e6 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/appetite-for-chaos-why-some-voters-just-want-to-watch-the-wo 6823b9ea75c05d72cf7548e6 6462652801a21a001146cc01 appetite-for-chaos-why-some-voters-just-want-to-watch-the-wo full 50 Host Rafael Behr is joined by political scientist Prof. Michael Bang Petersen, whose research challenges the common belief that those who share misinformation are simply uninformed or gullible.


Instead, Petersen suggest that many of these individuals are politically savvy and highly motivated, not by truth, but by the usefulness of information in advancing their political goals.


The conversation also explores the concept of the "need for chaos": a psychological drive found in a significant minority who actively seek to destabilise political systems, not just support one side over another.


Petersen also talks how status anxiety, feeling stuck or left behind in a rigid social hierarchy, fuels this destructive impulse.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Host Rafael Behr is joined by political scientist Prof. Michael Bang Petersen, whose research challenges the common belief that those who share misinformation are simply uninformed or gullible.


Instead, Petersen suggest that many of these individuals are politically savvy and highly motivated, not by truth, but by the usefulness of information in advancing their political goals.


The conversation also explores the concept of the "need for chaos": a psychological drive found in a significant minority who actively seek to destabilise political systems, not just support one side over another.


Petersen also talks how status anxiety, feeling stuck or left behind in a rigid social hierarchy, fuels this destructive impulse.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA['Post-Pandemic Politics' – Did Covid change everything? Did it change anything? ]]> Wed, 30 Apr 2025 12:05:47 GMT 55:19 6811fd58f3c711a5d0fdfd5d false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/post-pandemic-politics-did-covid-change-everything-did-it-ch 6811fd58f3c711a5d0fdfd5d 6462652801a21a001146cc01 post-pandemic-politics-did-covid-change-everything-did-it-ch David Aaronovitch and Rafael Behr discuss whether any ripples from the pandemic are still shaping politics full 49 A conversation between Rafael Behr and writer and broadcaster David Aaronovitch, about ripples from the pandemic that still shape politics, with a digression on the ways that Britain is not America and whether that makes 'Maga-populism' less contagious.


Links


David Aaronovitch's substack - https://davidaaronovitch.substack.com


BBC's Briefing Room presented by David Aaronovitch - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002bj77


This is a Behr and Berman podcast production


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> A conversation between Rafael Behr and writer and broadcaster David Aaronovitch, about ripples from the pandemic that still shape politics, with a digression on the ways that Britain is not America and whether that makes 'Maga-populism' less contagious.


Links


David Aaronovitch's substack - https://davidaaronovitch.substack.com


BBC's Briefing Room presented by David Aaronovitch - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002bj77


This is a Behr and Berman podcast production


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Five Years: Our Brains Hurt A Lot Five Years: Our Brains Hurt A Lot Mon, 21 Apr 2025 12:12:47 GMT 45:27 680628a1380884156910c142 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/five-years-our-brains-hurt-a-lot 680628a1380884156910c142 6462652801a21a001146cc01 five-years-our-brains-hurt-a-lot Rafael Behr looks back at five years of Politics on the Couch full 48 An anniversary episode in which host Rafael Behr and producer Philip Berman look back over a tumultuous time and ponder what they have learned from putting politics on the couch.


Links to Politics on the Couch episodes discussed in this podcast


Anti-vaxxers – fear, anxiety and the psychology of misinformation

The authoritarian personality - why some voters feel drawn to populism and how to lure them away 


The Madness of King Don - a journey to the dark side of charisma, with Drew Westen


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> An anniversary episode in which host Rafael Behr and producer Philip Berman look back over a tumultuous time and ponder what they have learned from putting politics on the couch.


Links to Politics on the Couch episodes discussed in this podcast


Anti-vaxxers – fear, anxiety and the psychology of misinformation

The authoritarian personality - why some voters feel drawn to populism and how to lure them away 


The Madness of King Don - a journey to the dark side of charisma, with Drew Westen


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA['The Ideological Brain' – Are Some People Hard-wired for Radicalisation? ]]> Wed, 19 Mar 2025 14:58:15 GMT 54:05 67dada0a13f133b29d63bdfb false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/the-ideological-brain-are-some-people-hard-wired-for-radical 67dada0a13f133b29d63bdfb 6462652801a21a001146cc01 the-ideological-brain-are-some-people-hard-wired-for-radical Rafael Behr talks to award-winning political psychologist and neuroscientist Dr Leor Zmigrod full 47 To coincide with the launch of her new book (The Ideological Brain - A Radical Science of Susceptible Minds) Rafael Behr talks to Dr Leor Zmigrod, a political psychologist and neuroscientist, about the ingredients of dogmatic thinking, why some of us are more prone than others, and how we can protect ourselves.




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> To coincide with the launch of her new book (The Ideological Brain - A Radical Science of Susceptible Minds) Rafael Behr talks to Dr Leor Zmigrod, a political psychologist and neuroscientist, about the ingredients of dogmatic thinking, why some of us are more prone than others, and how we can protect ourselves.




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Red Wall, Blue Wall, Grey Area - a conversation about voter volatility with Professor Paula Surridge Red Wall, Blue Wall, Grey Area - a conversation about voter volatility with Professor Paula Surridge Wed, 05 Mar 2025 00:32:03 GMT 59:18 67c799e07da2435a87b9bad7 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/red-wall-blue-wall-grey-area-a-conversation-about-voter-vola 67c799e07da2435a87b9bad7 6462652801a21a001146cc01 red-wall-blue-wall-grey-area-a-conversation-about-voter-vola full 46 Rafael Behr talks to Paula Surridge Professor of Political Sociology about the fragmentation of support for the two big parties since Brexit, what's causing it and what it means for parties trying to maintain their voter coalitions.


Questions also covered:


  1. What drives support for Reform UK, and how vulnerable is their voter base?
  2. Are the Liberal Democrats benefiting from tactical voting, and can they sustain their recent gains?
  3. Why the Conservative Party faces so many difficulties in defining its identity?
  4. How are changing media consumption habits and voter expectations reshaping political engagement?


The discussion also touches on the impact of non-voters and the potential for electoral reform to become a more prominent issue.


This is a Rafael Behr and Philip Berman production.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Rafael Behr talks to Paula Surridge Professor of Political Sociology about the fragmentation of support for the two big parties since Brexit, what's causing it and what it means for parties trying to maintain their voter coalitions.


Questions also covered:


  1. What drives support for Reform UK, and how vulnerable is their voter base?
  2. Are the Liberal Democrats benefiting from tactical voting, and can they sustain their recent gains?
  3. Why the Conservative Party faces so many difficulties in defining its identity?
  4. How are changing media consumption habits and voter expectations reshaping political engagement?


The discussion also touches on the impact of non-voters and the potential for electoral reform to become a more prominent issue.


This is a Rafael Behr and Philip Berman production.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA['System Fail' - a conversation with Sam Freedman about the way Britain's broken politics can suffocate even the best intentions.]]> Thu, 22 Aug 2024 23:01:08 GMT 59:14 66c79f6a0f3233b2d3a19ed5 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/system-fail-a-conversation-with-sam-freedman-about-the-way-b 66c79f6a0f3233b2d3a19ed5 6462652801a21a001146cc01 system-fail-a-conversation-with-sam-freedman-about-the-way-b full 45 Host Rafael Behr talks to author, policy expert and podcaster Sam Freedman about his new book Failed State: Why Nothing Works and How We Fix It


Sam Freedman is a senior fellow at the Institute for Government and an Ark Schools adviser.


He writes about policy and politics for numerous outlets, including the Financial Times, Sunday Times, Guardian and New Statesman.


With his father, he runs ‘Comment is Freed’, Britain’s most popular politics Substack.


He has spent his career working in different policy-focused roles around Westminster, including as an adviser to the then opposition leader, David Cameron, and as a senior policy adviser at the Department for Education for three years, working with (friends of the podcast) Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings.


Feedspot has chosen Politics on the Couch as one of the Top 25 UK Psychology and Political Science Podcasts on the web.


https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts


https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Host Rafael Behr talks to author, policy expert and podcaster Sam Freedman about his new book Failed State: Why Nothing Works and How We Fix It


Sam Freedman is a senior fellow at the Institute for Government and an Ark Schools adviser.


He writes about policy and politics for numerous outlets, including the Financial Times, Sunday Times, Guardian and New Statesman.


With his father, he runs ‘Comment is Freed’, Britain’s most popular politics Substack.


He has spent his career working in different policy-focused roles around Westminster, including as an adviser to the then opposition leader, David Cameron, and as a senior policy adviser at the Department for Education for three years, working with (friends of the podcast) Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings.


Feedspot has chosen Politics on the Couch as one of the Top 25 UK Psychology and Political Science Podcasts on the web.


https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts


https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> ‘The gen Z revolution’ - how a student protest toppled a corrupt and violent government ‘The gen Z revolution’ - how a student protest toppled a corrupt and violent government Fri, 09 Aug 2024 11:01:29 GMT 55:18 66b5f53ca20d945cbc8bbdd0 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/the-gen-z-revolution-how-a-student-protest-toppled-a-corrupt 66b5f53ca20d945cbc8bbdd0 6462652801a21a001146cc01 the-gen-z-revolution-how-a-student-protest-toppled-a-corrupt full 44 In a week of protests, counter-protests and riots in the UK, 5000 miles away in Bangladesh student-led uprising led to 300 people being killed, the toppling of a corrupt PM and violent regime, and a Nobel Peace Prize winner being installed as head a new interim government. 


In this edition, we're talking about the violent and momentous events in Bangladesh with award-winning British-born investigative journalist David Bergman, who has been following and reporting on the country for almost 30 years. 


He's written widely about Bangladesh for The Daily Telegraph, Al Jazeera, the New York Times, and The Times. 


Between 2004 and 2017, he lived in Bangladesh, writing for several Bangladeshi newspapers, including New Age, The Daily Star and bdnews24.com.


He was forced to leave in 2017 due to his critical writing about government corruption and human rights violations.


Since then, he’s lived in London and helped found Netra News, a media platform based in Sweden that published investigative news and analysis on Bangladesh


He’s also won a Royal Television Society award for a documentary he worked on about the atrocities that took place during Bangladesh’s 1971 War of Independence. 


In the episode, David explains what happened there, what sparked it off, what’s next for the country, what we know about the next potential leader and the fascinating links between a new Labour Minister and the now deposed Bangladeshi PM and her party.


Links mentioned in the podcast


https://x.com/TheDavidBergman

https://x.com/muktadirnewage

https://x.com/nomhossain

https://x.com/taqbirhuda

https://www.facebook.com/shafiqul.alam.71216


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> In a week of protests, counter-protests and riots in the UK, 5000 miles away in Bangladesh student-led uprising led to 300 people being killed, the toppling of a corrupt PM and violent regime, and a Nobel Peace Prize winner being installed as head a new interim government. 


In this edition, we're talking about the violent and momentous events in Bangladesh with award-winning British-born investigative journalist David Bergman, who has been following and reporting on the country for almost 30 years. 


He's written widely about Bangladesh for The Daily Telegraph, Al Jazeera, the New York Times, and The Times. 


Between 2004 and 2017, he lived in Bangladesh, writing for several Bangladeshi newspapers, including New Age, The Daily Star and bdnews24.com.


He was forced to leave in 2017 due to his critical writing about government corruption and human rights violations.


Since then, he’s lived in London and helped found Netra News, a media platform based in Sweden that published investigative news and analysis on Bangladesh


He’s also won a Royal Television Society award for a documentary he worked on about the atrocities that took place during Bangladesh’s 1971 War of Independence. 


In the episode, David explains what happened there, what sparked it off, what’s next for the country, what we know about the next potential leader and the fascinating links between a new Labour Minister and the now deposed Bangladeshi PM and her party.


Links mentioned in the podcast


https://x.com/TheDavidBergman

https://x.com/muktadirnewage

https://x.com/nomhossain

https://x.com/taqbirhuda

https://www.facebook.com/shafiqul.alam.71216


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA[Is this what hope feels like? Rafael Behr's reflections on Labour's 2024 victory]]> Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:33:34 GMT 58:14 669e67d2e213d3c97e8b92b3 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/is-this-what-hope-feels-like 669e67d2e213d3c97e8b92b3 6462652801a21a001146cc01 is-this-what-hope-feels-like full 43 In this summer bonus episode, Raf and (producer) Phil discuss the changing mood around British politics since Labour's election victory, the restoration of seriousness after years of triviality, why some people can't adapt, why others want to believe that Keir Starmer can deliver the change he has promised and whether they are right.


Links to stuff mentioned in the podcast


More in Common report


Tony Judt's essay


Reform came 2nd in 89 of the seats that Labour won.


Lowest voter turnout for a General Election since universal suffrage began


This is a Raf Behr and Larchmont Productions podcast.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> In this summer bonus episode, Raf and (producer) Phil discuss the changing mood around British politics since Labour's election victory, the restoration of seriousness after years of triviality, why some people can't adapt, why others want to believe that Keir Starmer can deliver the change he has promised and whether they are right.


Links to stuff mentioned in the podcast


More in Common report


Tony Judt's essay


Reform came 2nd in 89 of the seats that Labour won.


Lowest voter turnout for a General Election since universal suffrage began


This is a Raf Behr and Larchmont Productions podcast.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Going Ape - a conversation about evolution, morality and political cooperation Going Ape - a conversation about evolution, morality and political cooperation Mon, 27 May 2024 14:24:36 GMT 49:46 66549485f9a48400127dc0fd false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/going-ape-a-conversation-about-evolution-morality-and-politi 66549485f9a48400127dc0fd 6462652801a21a001146cc01 going-ape-a-conversation-about-evolution-morality-and-politi Rafael Behr talks to Professor Nichola Raihani about the evolution of cooperation in nature and humans full 42 In this edition host Rafael Behr talks to Nichola Raihani, Professor of Evolution and Behaviour in the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland.


She's also the author of, 'The Social Instinct: How Cooperation Shaped the World'


Professor Raihani has unique insight into a problem that has appeared in various forms on this podcast over the years.


It's a question of collective action, solidarity, and cooperation. What motivates people to form units of political organisation or cooperation?


Tribes, parties, whole nations—what holds them together and what drives them apart? Why do some societies tend to be democratic and some go despotic? Is it an accident of history? Climate? Culture? Religion? Evolution. This is the fabric of politics, the very stuff societies are made of at the most fundamental level, and Professor Rehani shines an evolutionary light on it all.


This podcast is produced by Philip Berman of Larchmont Productions


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> In this edition host Rafael Behr talks to Nichola Raihani, Professor of Evolution and Behaviour in the School of Psychology at the University of Auckland.


She's also the author of, 'The Social Instinct: How Cooperation Shaped the World'


Professor Raihani has unique insight into a problem that has appeared in various forms on this podcast over the years.


It's a question of collective action, solidarity, and cooperation. What motivates people to form units of political organisation or cooperation?


Tribes, parties, whole nations—what holds them together and what drives them apart? Why do some societies tend to be democratic and some go despotic? Is it an accident of history? Climate? Culture? Religion? Evolution. This is the fabric of politics, the very stuff societies are made of at the most fundamental level, and Professor Rehani shines an evolutionary light on it all.


This podcast is produced by Philip Berman of Larchmont Productions


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Doom audit - a conversation with Jonathan Freedland about America, Israel, liberal angst and the unravelling West Doom audit - a conversation with Jonathan Freedland about America, Israel, liberal angst and the unravelling West Sun, 21 Apr 2024 13:25:26 GMT 59:23 6625105370a4890012260f48 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/doom-audit-a-conversation-with-jonathan-freedland-about-amer 6625105370a4890012260f48 6462652801a21a001146cc01 doom-audit-a-conversation-with-jonathan-freedland-about-amer full 41

In the wake of October 7th and Trump's bid to become US President again, Rafael Behr sits down with fellow Guardian columnist and friend - Jonathan Freedland - to discuss the current state of geopolitics, liberal politics, Israel and Jewish identity.


Events featuring Rafael Behr


Shoreham, West Sussex, Wed 24 April


An evening with Guardian columnist Rafael Behr and television producer Rob Burley in conversation with Ayesha Hazarika MBE, political commentator and broadcaster, and former special adviser to Gordon Brown, Harriet Harman and Ed Miliband.


More details


Central London, Thursday 25th April


What Everyone Knows About Britain* Except The British: Michael Peel in conversation with Rafael Behr


More details


J Freeland links


Award-winning edition of Unholy podcast


The latest edition of the Guardian's weekly US politics podcast


Jonathan Freeland and Israeli author Amos Oz


New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman



 


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]>

In the wake of October 7th and Trump's bid to become US President again, Rafael Behr sits down with fellow Guardian columnist and friend - Jonathan Freedland - to discuss the current state of geopolitics, liberal politics, Israel and Jewish identity.


Events featuring Rafael Behr


Shoreham, West Sussex, Wed 24 April


An evening with Guardian columnist Rafael Behr and television producer Rob Burley in conversation with Ayesha Hazarika MBE, political commentator and broadcaster, and former special adviser to Gordon Brown, Harriet Harman and Ed Miliband.


More details


Central London, Thursday 25th April


What Everyone Knows About Britain* Except The British: Michael Peel in conversation with Rafael Behr


More details


J Freeland links


Award-winning edition of Unholy podcast


The latest edition of the Guardian's weekly US politics podcast


Jonathan Freeland and Israeli author Amos Oz


New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman



 


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Moving the needle - Tom Gray of Gomez on swapping the recording studio for the campaign trail, and what being in a band teaches you about politics. Moving the needle - Tom Gray of Gomez on swapping the recording studio for the campaign trail, and what being in a band teaches you about politics. Tue, 05 Dec 2023 06:25:21 GMT 1:04:44 656e3a39a0bbe6001272d2cf false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/moving-the-needle 656e3a39a0bbe6001272d2cf 6462652801a21a001146cc01 moving-the-needle Rafael Behr talks to Tom Gray about his bid to become a Brighton MP full 40 Rafael Behr talks to Tom Gray from Gomez about his bid to become a Brighton MP.


Tom's had a hugely successful career in music with Gomez rocketing to fame in 1998, beating Pulp and Massive Attack, among others, to the Mercury Prize.


More recently he launched the Broken Record campaign, calling for a fairer deal for musicians from streaming services, among other industry reforms.


And now, having banged on the doors to demand political change from the outside, Tom wants to get on the inside.


He's on the shortlist to be selected as Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for the Brighton Pavilion constituency


That's the only seat in the country with a green MP right now, Caroline Lucas, although she's standing down at the next election.


Raf asks Tom what makes someone want to swap what looks like the perfect job, recording and performing music for eager fans, for the grim, and potentially thankless life of a politician where I think it's safe to say the audiences are less than adoring.


https://twitter.com/MrTomGray


https://twitter.com/TG4Pavilion




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Rafael Behr talks to Tom Gray from Gomez about his bid to become a Brighton MP.


Tom's had a hugely successful career in music with Gomez rocketing to fame in 1998, beating Pulp and Massive Attack, among others, to the Mercury Prize.


More recently he launched the Broken Record campaign, calling for a fairer deal for musicians from streaming services, among other industry reforms.


And now, having banged on the doors to demand political change from the outside, Tom wants to get on the inside.


He's on the shortlist to be selected as Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for the Brighton Pavilion constituency


That's the only seat in the country with a green MP right now, Caroline Lucas, although she's standing down at the next election.


Raf asks Tom what makes someone want to swap what looks like the perfect job, recording and performing music for eager fans, for the grim, and potentially thankless life of a politician where I think it's safe to say the audiences are less than adoring.


https://twitter.com/MrTomGray


https://twitter.com/TG4Pavilion




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA['Bonus Couch Chat' ]]> Fri, 29 Sep 2023 12:54:08 GMT 41:09 6516c8f041193e001162ae59 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/bonus-couch-chat 6516c8f041193e001162ae59 6462652801a21a001146cc01 bonus-couch-chat full 39 In a departure from our normal format Rafael Behr (host) and Philip Berman (the show's producer) agreed to press record when they met yesterday (Thursday 28 September) to discuss a new series idea for Politics on the Couch.


And this podcast is the end result, instead of a meta-cast talking about what we could talk about this Autumn, it's more of a casual ramble around Phil's break from Twitter, his despair about the state of political discourse and Raf's one-stop solution for all.


Topics covered (in no order of importance):


Twitter

Laurence Fox

GB News

Sunak's postion on net zero

The mood in Westminster

State capture

Democratic back-sliding

The preface to the paperback version of Rafael's new book.

https://rafaelbehr.com



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> In a departure from our normal format Rafael Behr (host) and Philip Berman (the show's producer) agreed to press record when they met yesterday (Thursday 28 September) to discuss a new series idea for Politics on the Couch.


And this podcast is the end result, instead of a meta-cast talking about what we could talk about this Autumn, it's more of a casual ramble around Phil's break from Twitter, his despair about the state of political discourse and Raf's one-stop solution for all.


Topics covered (in no order of importance):


Twitter

Laurence Fox

GB News

Sunak's postion on net zero

The mood in Westminster

State capture

Democratic back-sliding

The preface to the paperback version of Rafael's new book.

https://rafaelbehr.com



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA['Beyond the Red Wall']]> Thu, 20 Jul 2023 05:00:55 GMT 1:04:05 64b85325afb0250011425e2e false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/beyond-the-red-wall-a-conversation-about-the-ideological-unr 64b85325afb0250011425e2e 6462652801a21a001146cc01 beyond-the-red-wall-a-conversation-about-the-ideological-unr Rafael Behr talks to David Aaronovitch about the ideological unravelling of the Tory party and what comes next. full 38 Raf Behr talks to journalist, author and broadcaster David Aaronovitch about his recent visit to the National Conservatives conference, and what it taught him about state of the Tory party.


They discuss:


Was there really a re-alignment in British politics post-Brexit?


What do the Nat Cons have to offer us Brits apart from hardline anti-immigration vibes?


Why do some parts of the commentariat spend so much time talking about 'culture wars' when there are so many other issues to cover?


If, as expected, the next government is Labour and inherits an economic mess, will it be possible for them to make all the necessary hard decisions about taxation and spending, and stay in power?


David Aaronvitch's substack - https://davidaaronovitch.substack.com


Politics on the Couch has been chosen by Feedspot as both one of the Top 25 UK Psychology Podcasts and Political Science Podcasts on the web.


https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts


https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Raf Behr talks to journalist, author and broadcaster David Aaronovitch about his recent visit to the National Conservatives conference, and what it taught him about state of the Tory party.


They discuss:


Was there really a re-alignment in British politics post-Brexit?


What do the Nat Cons have to offer us Brits apart from hardline anti-immigration vibes?


Why do some parts of the commentariat spend so much time talking about 'culture wars' when there are so many other issues to cover?


If, as expected, the next government is Labour and inherits an economic mess, will it be possible for them to make all the necessary hard decisions about taxation and spending, and stay in power?


David Aaronvitch's substack - https://davidaaronovitch.substack.com


Politics on the Couch has been chosen by Feedspot as both one of the Top 25 UK Psychology Podcasts and Political Science Podcasts on the web.


https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts


https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA['Beyond parody' - a conversation with Rob Hutton about political journalism and its complex relationship with power]]> Fri, 07 Jul 2023 05:00:42 GMT 59:21 64a7311541e02c001100cc03 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/beyond-parody 64a7311541e02c001100cc03 6462652801a21a001146cc01 beyond-parody full 37 Rafael Behr talks to Rob Hutton, parliamentary sketch writer at the Critic, about the uneasy relationship between Westminster lobby journalists and MPs.


Often political journalists cultivate close relationships with politicians to find out what's really happening in the corridors of power.


But does a journalist's 'insider status' cloud their judgement when working out how to write about political stories or policy ssues, or whether to cover them at all?


Does it inevitably become a trade-off between, a steady stream of 'exclusives', and a fair and objective approach to reporting?


If so, what does this mean for democracy?


Rob Hutton is an author and freelance journalist. He spent 16 years covering the British government for Bloomberg, taking in five prime ministers, as many elections, and the odd referendum. Before that, he worked for the Mirror and the Financial Times. He now has a regular spot as sketchwriter for The Critic. His career has been a mix of seriousness and satire. While he was a reporter for Bloomberg, unquestionably The Global News Organisation Least Likely To Tell A Joke, he wrote Romps, Tots & Boffins, a satirical book about the words only journalists use. He followed that up with Would They Lie to You?, about the way politicians got around reality without actually uttering untruths (it was a more innocent age). According to Rob, his most recent book, Agent Jack, doesn’t have quite so many laughs, although he says there’s an incident with a jar of marmalade and a blueprint for a Vickers tank. 'Oh, and there’s a naked German in a wardrobe.' 


Here's a link to his Podcast - A Pod Too Far


Rafael Behr's first book was released in May, 2023


**'Politics, A Survivor’s Guide,'** is all about the infuriating toxicity of politics, how it got that way and how to resist the slide into cynicism and pessimism that are so corrosive of democracy. It’s about the challenge of staying engaged without getting enraged; the need to empathise with people whose views we cannot share and how that is different to appeasement of politics we believe to be dangerous.


Available from Waterstones:


https://www.waterstones.com/book/politics-a-survivors-guide/rafael-behr/9781838955045


Or, for those who are interested in signed copies, from City Books in Hove:


https://www.city-books.co.uk


Politics on the Couch has been chosen by Feedspot as both one of the Top 25 UK Psychology Podcasts and Political Science Podcasts on the web.


https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts


https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Rafael Behr talks to Rob Hutton, parliamentary sketch writer at the Critic, about the uneasy relationship between Westminster lobby journalists and MPs.


Often political journalists cultivate close relationships with politicians to find out what's really happening in the corridors of power.


But does a journalist's 'insider status' cloud their judgement when working out how to write about political stories or policy ssues, or whether to cover them at all?


Does it inevitably become a trade-off between, a steady stream of 'exclusives', and a fair and objective approach to reporting?


If so, what does this mean for democracy?


Rob Hutton is an author and freelance journalist. He spent 16 years covering the British government for Bloomberg, taking in five prime ministers, as many elections, and the odd referendum. Before that, he worked for the Mirror and the Financial Times. He now has a regular spot as sketchwriter for The Critic. His career has been a mix of seriousness and satire. While he was a reporter for Bloomberg, unquestionably The Global News Organisation Least Likely To Tell A Joke, he wrote Romps, Tots & Boffins, a satirical book about the words only journalists use. He followed that up with Would They Lie to You?, about the way politicians got around reality without actually uttering untruths (it was a more innocent age). According to Rob, his most recent book, Agent Jack, doesn’t have quite so many laughs, although he says there’s an incident with a jar of marmalade and a blueprint for a Vickers tank. 'Oh, and there’s a naked German in a wardrobe.' 


Here's a link to his Podcast - A Pod Too Far


Rafael Behr's first book was released in May, 2023


**'Politics, A Survivor’s Guide,'** is all about the infuriating toxicity of politics, how it got that way and how to resist the slide into cynicism and pessimism that are so corrosive of democracy. It’s about the challenge of staying engaged without getting enraged; the need to empathise with people whose views we cannot share and how that is different to appeasement of politics we believe to be dangerous.


Available from Waterstones:


https://www.waterstones.com/book/politics-a-survivors-guide/rafael-behr/9781838955045


Or, for those who are interested in signed copies, from City Books in Hove:


https://www.city-books.co.uk


Politics on the Couch has been chosen by Feedspot as both one of the Top 25 UK Psychology Podcasts and Political Science Podcasts on the web.


https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts


https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA[Trapped! Democracy's struggle to cope with modern life and what we can do to help – a conversation with Professor Ben Ansell.]]> Wed, 17 May 2023 07:42:51 GMT 1:18:33 64648394ce23940011b0c19b false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/trapped-democracys-struggle-to-cope-with-modern-life-and-wha 64648394ce23940011b0c19b 6462652801a21a001146cc01 trapped-democracys-struggle-to-cope-with-modern-life-and-wha Raf Behr talks to Professor Ben Ansell about his new book: Why Politics Fails full 36 On this edition Rafael Behr talks to Professor Ben Ansell about his new book Why Politics Fails: The Five Traps of the Modern World & How to Escape Them


Ben Ansell is Professor of Comparative Democratic Institutions at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. He was made Fellow of the British Academy in 2018, among the youngest fellows at that time. His work has been widely covered in the media, including in the World Bank's World Development Report, The New York Times, The Economist, The Times and on BBC Radio 4's 'Start the Week'. He was the Principal Investigator of the multi-million-pound ERC project 'The Politics of Wealth Inequality', is co-editor of the most-cited journal in comparative politics, and has written three award-winning academic books. Why Politics Fail is his latest book and his first for a wider audience.


Link to buy Ben's new book


https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/284663/ben-ansell


Link to Ben's substack


https://benansell.substack.com


Rafael Behr's first book was released Thursday 4 May, 2023


**'Politics, A Survivor’s Guide,'** is all about the infuriating toxicity of politics, how it got that way and how to resist the slide into cynicism and pessimism that are so corrosive of democracy. It’s about the challenge of staying engaged without getting enraged; the need to empathise with people whose views we cannot share and how that is different to appeasement of politics we believe to be dangerous.


Available from Waterstones:


https://www.waterstones.com/book/politics-a-survivors-guide/rafael-behr/9781838955045


Or, for those who are interested in signed copies, from City Books in Hove:


https://www.city-books.co.uk


Politics on the Couch has been chosen by Feedspot as both one of the Top 25 UK Psychology Podcasts, and Top 25 Political Science Podcasts on the web.


https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts


https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> On this edition Rafael Behr talks to Professor Ben Ansell about his new book Why Politics Fails: The Five Traps of the Modern World & How to Escape Them


Ben Ansell is Professor of Comparative Democratic Institutions at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. He was made Fellow of the British Academy in 2018, among the youngest fellows at that time. His work has been widely covered in the media, including in the World Bank's World Development Report, The New York Times, The Economist, The Times and on BBC Radio 4's 'Start the Week'. He was the Principal Investigator of the multi-million-pound ERC project 'The Politics of Wealth Inequality', is co-editor of the most-cited journal in comparative politics, and has written three award-winning academic books. Why Politics Fail is his latest book and his first for a wider audience.


Link to buy Ben's new book


https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/284663/ben-ansell


Link to Ben's substack


https://benansell.substack.com


Rafael Behr's first book was released Thursday 4 May, 2023


**'Politics, A Survivor’s Guide,'** is all about the infuriating toxicity of politics, how it got that way and how to resist the slide into cynicism and pessimism that are so corrosive of democracy. It’s about the challenge of staying engaged without getting enraged; the need to empathise with people whose views we cannot share and how that is different to appeasement of politics we believe to be dangerous.


Available from Waterstones:


https://www.waterstones.com/book/politics-a-survivors-guide/rafael-behr/9781838955045


Or, for those who are interested in signed copies, from City Books in Hove:


https://www.city-books.co.uk


Politics on the Couch has been chosen by Feedspot as both one of the Top 25 UK Psychology Podcasts, and Top 25 Political Science Podcasts on the web.


https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts


https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Kindness - a conversation about political empathy, its power and its limits, with Claudia Hammond Kindness - a conversation about political empathy, its power and its limits, with Claudia Hammond Thu, 04 May 2023 08:19:33 GMT 50:22 9fef3480-b928-4b84-9cd9-b9efc72346c4 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/kindness-a-conversation-about-political-empathy-its-power-and-its-limits-with-claudia-hammond 6462652e10dbac0011c22cb3 6462652801a21a001146cc01 full 35 Host Rafael Behr talks to Claudia Hammond about political empathy, its power and its limits.

Claudia is probably best known as the presenter of BBC Radio 4's long-running show, 'All in the Mind' which covers psychology, neuroscience & mental health.

She is also the Visiting Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Sussex.

Her latest book, 'The Keys to Kindness,' looks at what constitutes kindness, effective strategies to build more of it into our lives and the benefits of being kind.

She draws on the latest research from psychology and neuroscience, and her work in collaboration with the University of Sussex and the BBC, including the largest global survey ever undertaken into attitudes to kindness.

Links

https://claudiahammond.com/the-keys-to-kindness

https://claudiahammond.com/the-kindness-test

https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/centres/kindness/index

https://www.sussex.ac.uk/schools/psychology

Rafael Behr's first book is released today - Thursday 4 May, 2023

'Politics, A Survivor’s Guide,' is all about the infuriating toxicity of politics, how it got that way and how to resist the slide into cynicism and pessimism that are so corrosive of democracy. It’s about the challenge of staying engaged without getting enraged; the need to empathise with people whose views we cannot share and how that is different to appeasement of politics we believe to be dangerous.

The themes include migration, nationalism, family, identity, culture wars, technology, ideology, Europe, Brexit and a little bit of cardiology.

Available from Waterstones:

https://www.waterstones.com/book/politics-a-survivors-guide/rafael-behr/9781838955045

Or, for those who are interested in signed copies, from City Books in Hove:

https://www.city-books.co.uk

Raf will be speaking at literary festivals, theatres, pubs all around the UK. Often he will be in conversation with fellow journalists and authors, hopefully also in conversation with you in the audience. Below is a list of places and times. Click on date for tickets. There may be more to come...

10 May Brighton Festival


17 May Bath Festival


21 May Aye Write, Glasgow Book Festival


23 May 1000 Trades, Birmingham


25 May Hay Festival


7 June The Elephant and Castle Pub, Lewes (no link yet)


12 June Guardian Live, Kings Cross, London


Politics on the Couch has been chosen by Feedspot as both one of the Top 25 UK Psychology, and Political Science podcasts.

https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts

https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Host Rafael Behr talks to Claudia Hammond about political empathy, its power and its limits.

Claudia is probably best known as the presenter of BBC Radio 4's long-running show, 'All in the Mind' which covers psychology, neuroscience & mental health.

She is also the Visiting Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Sussex.

Her latest book, 'The Keys to Kindness,' looks at what constitutes kindness, effective strategies to build more of it into our lives and the benefits of being kind.

She draws on the latest research from psychology and neuroscience, and her work in collaboration with the University of Sussex and the BBC, including the largest global survey ever undertaken into attitudes to kindness.

Links

https://claudiahammond.com/the-keys-to-kindness

https://claudiahammond.com/the-kindness-test

https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/centres/kindness/index

https://www.sussex.ac.uk/schools/psychology

Rafael Behr's first book is released today - Thursday 4 May, 2023

'Politics, A Survivor’s Guide,' is all about the infuriating toxicity of politics, how it got that way and how to resist the slide into cynicism and pessimism that are so corrosive of democracy. It’s about the challenge of staying engaged without getting enraged; the need to empathise with people whose views we cannot share and how that is different to appeasement of politics we believe to be dangerous.

The themes include migration, nationalism, family, identity, culture wars, technology, ideology, Europe, Brexit and a little bit of cardiology.

Available from Waterstones:

https://www.waterstones.com/book/politics-a-survivors-guide/rafael-behr/9781838955045

Or, for those who are interested in signed copies, from City Books in Hove:

https://www.city-books.co.uk

Raf will be speaking at literary festivals, theatres, pubs all around the UK. Often he will be in conversation with fellow journalists and authors, hopefully also in conversation with you in the audience. Below is a list of places and times. Click on date for tickets. There may be more to come...

10 May Brighton Festival


17 May Bath Festival


21 May Aye Write, Glasgow Book Festival


23 May 1000 Trades, Birmingham


25 May Hay Festival


7 June The Elephant and Castle Pub, Lewes (no link yet)


12 June Guardian Live, Kings Cross, London


Politics on the Couch has been chosen by Feedspot as both one of the Top 25 UK Psychology, and Political Science podcasts.

https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts

https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Contrarianism, social media and the future of culture wars - a conversation with Atlantic writer Helen Lewis Contrarianism, social media and the future of culture wars - a conversation with Atlantic writer Helen Lewis Thu, 30 Mar 2023 20:26:46 GMT 1:16:54 8e5ca7a6-e9c3-46af-a295-66e2bf29a6f8 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/contrarianism-social-media-and-the-future-of-culture-wars-a-conversation-with-atlantic-writer-helen-lewis 6462652e10dbac0011c22cb4 6462652801a21a001146cc01 Helen Lewis helps host Rafael Behr make sense of the modern world, culture wars and confected contrarianism. full 34 In this wide-ranging and informal conversation*, Rafael Behr chats to former colleague Helen Lewis about whether Whatsapp has changed the way politics is conducted, her favourite Tik Tok channel, the incestous nature of Scottish politics, what's really behind the UK government's immigration policy, what we can learn from Florida culture wars, why the middle ground is so hard to occupy, what we have learnt from the pandemic, and Helen's take on why so many men love listening to other men on podcasts, plus much more.

*unstructured

Helen Lewis

Helen writes about the intersection of politics, society, and digital culture for The Atlantic.

Link to Helen’s long read on DeSantis, Trump and the future of American politicsfor The Atlantic

She is also the host of the BBC’s long-form interview series, The Spark.

Her next book, The Selfish Genius, is scheduled for publication in 2023.

Link to ‘The Bluestocking,’ Helen’s substack page.

Rafael Behr has a book out very soon about politics

If you're interested here's a link to pre-order:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Politics-Survivors-Engaged-without-Getting/dp/1838955046/

Now on with the podcast show we call Politics on the Couch.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> In this wide-ranging and informal conversation*, Rafael Behr chats to former colleague Helen Lewis about whether Whatsapp has changed the way politics is conducted, her favourite Tik Tok channel, the incestous nature of Scottish politics, what's really behind the UK government's immigration policy, what we can learn from Florida culture wars, why the middle ground is so hard to occupy, what we have learnt from the pandemic, and Helen's take on why so many men love listening to other men on podcasts, plus much more.

*unstructured

Helen Lewis

Helen writes about the intersection of politics, society, and digital culture for The Atlantic.

Link to Helen’s long read on DeSantis, Trump and the future of American politicsfor The Atlantic

She is also the host of the BBC’s long-form interview series, The Spark.

Her next book, The Selfish Genius, is scheduled for publication in 2023.

Link to ‘The Bluestocking,’ Helen’s substack page.

Rafael Behr has a book out very soon about politics

If you're interested here's a link to pre-order:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Politics-Survivors-Engaged-without-Getting/dp/1838955046/

Now on with the podcast show we call Politics on the Couch.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Populism, democracy and the parliamentary battle over Brexit Populism, democracy and the parliamentary battle over Brexit Tue, 21 Mar 2023 20:26:53 GMT 1:10:50 d5ff3b44-ecbb-4ac8-a6c0-e8610512d55b false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/6462652e10dbac0011c22cb5 6462652e10dbac0011c22cb5 6462652801a21a001146cc01 Rafael Behr talks to Meg Russell the co-author of a new book about the bitter arguments that occurred over Brexit. full 33 Rafael Behr talks to Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit and co-author, along with Research Fellow Lisa James, of a new book called: The Parliamentary Battle over Brexit, a detailed account of the extraordinary way the Brexit process played out in parliament.


Since the 2016 referendum, the hotly contested issue of Brexit has raised fundamental questions about the workings of British democracy. Nowhere was this more true than regarding the role of parliament. This book addresses important questions about parliament's role in the UK constitution, and the impact on this of the Brexit process. While initially intended to re-establish 'parliamentary sovereignty', Brexit wrought significant damage on the reputation of parliament, and the wider culture of UK democracy.


This book is published as part of the ‘Brexit, Parliament and the Constitution’ project, funded through Constitution Unit Director Meg Russell's Senior Fellowship with the ESRC-funded UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE) programme.

For more about the book (and a 30% discount code) see this link:


https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/parliamentary-battle-over-brexit


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Rafael Behr talks to Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit and co-author, along with Research Fellow Lisa James, of a new book called: The Parliamentary Battle over Brexit, a detailed account of the extraordinary way the Brexit process played out in parliament.


Since the 2016 referendum, the hotly contested issue of Brexit has raised fundamental questions about the workings of British democracy. Nowhere was this more true than regarding the role of parliament. This book addresses important questions about parliament's role in the UK constitution, and the impact on this of the Brexit process. While initially intended to re-establish 'parliamentary sovereignty', Brexit wrought significant damage on the reputation of parliament, and the wider culture of UK democracy.


This book is published as part of the ‘Brexit, Parliament and the Constitution’ project, funded through Constitution Unit Director Meg Russell's Senior Fellowship with the ESRC-funded UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE) programme.

For more about the book (and a 30% discount code) see this link:


https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/parliamentary-battle-over-brexit


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Party People - a stroll around the grassroots of democracy Party People - a stroll around the grassroots of democracy Tue, 14 Mar 2023 06:51:56 GMT 50:38 d92e9e00-3a8c-42c5-bed0-8ff3d8367c98 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/party-people-a-stroll-around-the-grassroots-of-democracy 6462652e10dbac0011c22cb6 6462652801a21a001146cc01 Host Rafael Behr talks to Prof. Tim Bale about why people join political parties and how the members impact the whole of UK democracy. full 32 Host Rafael Behr talks to Prof. Tim Bale about why people join political parties and how the members impact democracy.

Topics covered inlcude:

  • what people get from joining a political party;
  • what parties get from their members;
  • why membership of parties has declined;
  • in particular why so many Conservative women joined, and then left in their droves;
  • how membership differs between the two major parties;
  • how the role of members has changed; and
  • members impact on the democratic health of the nation

Tim Bale is Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London.

He's the author of several books on British and European party politics, including, Footsoldiers: Political Party Membership in the 21st Century, the research for which was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and generated the website http://esrcpartymembersproject.org.

His most recent book, The Conservative Party after Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation is out on 30 March 2023.

Tim's also a frequent contributor to broadcast and print media in the UK and abroad.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Host Rafael Behr talks to Prof. Tim Bale about why people join political parties and how the members impact democracy.

Topics covered inlcude:

  • what people get from joining a political party;
  • what parties get from their members;
  • why membership of parties has declined;
  • in particular why so many Conservative women joined, and then left in their droves;
  • how membership differs between the two major parties;
  • how the role of members has changed; and
  • members impact on the democratic health of the nation

Tim Bale is Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London.

He's the author of several books on British and European party politics, including, Footsoldiers: Political Party Membership in the 21st Century, the research for which was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and generated the website http://esrcpartymembersproject.org.

His most recent book, The Conservative Party after Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation is out on 30 March 2023.

Tim's also a frequent contributor to broadcast and print media in the UK and abroad.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> The French Connection - myth and misunderstanding across the Channel The French Connection - myth and misunderstanding across the Channel Wed, 08 Mar 2023 08:38:56 GMT 52:24 7c393d19-fd63-47f0-91c2-2f19db30a0af false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/6462652e10dbac0011c22cb7 6462652e10dbac0011c22cb7 6462652801a21a001146cc01 full 31 Ahead of the first bilateral summit between the two countries' leaders for five years, Rafael Behr talks to Georgina Wright, from the Institut Montaigne in Paris, about what the French really think about us Brits, and what we often get wrong about French discourse, customs and political culture. Quite a lot, as it happens.

Georgina Wright is Senior Fellow and Director of Institut Montaigne’s Europe Program. She is also a Visiting Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, associate of the Institute for Government in London and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Britain and Europe at the University of Surrey.

Before joining Institut Montaigne, she was senior researcher at the Institute for Government (2019-2020) and research associate at Chatham House (2014-2018). She has also worked for the European Commission and NATO in Brussels.

Georgina regularly represents Institut Montaigne on national and international news media, and has written widely for foreign policy outlets. She studied at the University of Edinburgh and the College of Europe (Bruges).

https://www.institutmontaigne.org/en/experts/georgina-wright

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Ahead of the first bilateral summit between the two countries' leaders for five years, Rafael Behr talks to Georgina Wright, from the Institut Montaigne in Paris, about what the French really think about us Brits, and what we often get wrong about French discourse, customs and political culture. Quite a lot, as it happens.

Georgina Wright is Senior Fellow and Director of Institut Montaigne’s Europe Program. She is also a Visiting Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, associate of the Institute for Government in London and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Britain and Europe at the University of Surrey.

Before joining Institut Montaigne, she was senior researcher at the Institute for Government (2019-2020) and research associate at Chatham House (2014-2018). She has also worked for the European Commission and NATO in Brussels.

Georgina regularly represents Institut Montaigne on national and international news media, and has written widely for foreign policy outlets. She studied at the University of Edinburgh and the College of Europe (Bruges).

https://www.institutmontaigne.org/en/experts/georgina-wright

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA['The world's a stage' - politics and storytelling with James Graham]]> Sat, 04 Mar 2023 17:37:34 GMT 57:58 8bc238ff-abc7-4c4a-b6a4-e6638e9987ab false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/6462652e10dbac0011c22cb8 6462652e10dbac0011c22cb8 6462652801a21a001146cc01 Host Rafael Behr talks to dramatist James Graham full 30 In this edition, Rafael Behr talks to England's most prodigious political screenwriter and playwright - James Graham.


He's probably most well known for writing the recent BBC1 hit drama 'Sherwood', which aired on BBC One in 2022 to rave reviews, and will return for a second series.


James also wrote Quiz (ITV) in 2020, which was one of the most watched UK television dramas of the year; and Brexit: An Uncivil War, which garnered huge public attention and critical acclaim in 2019. It was broadcast on Channel 4 and HBO, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie, and a BAFTA for Single Drama.


In this episode James talks to Rafael about how narratives are fundamental to political storytelling, what they are, why recently parties on the right seem to have been better at them, where James draws his inspiration for writing from, and what his next play is about.


More about James


For theatre, James’s play Best of Enemies, about the political debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr., opened at the Young Vic in 2021, and is currently playing on the West End. It has been nominated for an Olivier for Best New Play, and won a Critics’ Circle Theatre Award.


His new musical, Tammy Faye, with music from Elton John and lyrics from Jake Shears, opened at the Almeida in 2022.


Ink - about the early days of Rupert Murdoch - opened to huge praise at the Almeida before transferring to the West End in September 2017, where it played in the theatre next door to James’ other new play – political romantic comedy Labour of Love - creating theatre history.


James's breakout play This House premiered at the National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre in September 2012 and transferred to the Olivier in 2013 where it enjoyed a sell-out run. It garnered critical acclaim and a huge amount of interest and admiration from current and former MPs for his rendition of life in the House of Commons.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> In this edition, Rafael Behr talks to England's most prodigious political screenwriter and playwright - James Graham.


He's probably most well known for writing the recent BBC1 hit drama 'Sherwood', which aired on BBC One in 2022 to rave reviews, and will return for a second series.


James also wrote Quiz (ITV) in 2020, which was one of the most watched UK television dramas of the year; and Brexit: An Uncivil War, which garnered huge public attention and critical acclaim in 2019. It was broadcast on Channel 4 and HBO, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie, and a BAFTA for Single Drama.


In this episode James talks to Rafael about how narratives are fundamental to political storytelling, what they are, why recently parties on the right seem to have been better at them, where James draws his inspiration for writing from, and what his next play is about.


More about James


For theatre, James’s play Best of Enemies, about the political debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr., opened at the Young Vic in 2021, and is currently playing on the West End. It has been nominated for an Olivier for Best New Play, and won a Critics’ Circle Theatre Award.


His new musical, Tammy Faye, with music from Elton John and lyrics from Jake Shears, opened at the Almeida in 2022.


Ink - about the early days of Rupert Murdoch - opened to huge praise at the Almeida before transferring to the West End in September 2017, where it played in the theatre next door to James’ other new play – political romantic comedy Labour of Love - creating theatre history.


James's breakout play This House premiered at the National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre in September 2012 and transferred to the Olivier in 2013 where it enjoyed a sell-out run. It garnered critical acclaim and a huge amount of interest and admiration from current and former MPs for his rendition of life in the House of Commons.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA[Procrastination - the politics of putting off hard choices and why it's so bad for democracy]]> Wed, 22 Feb 2023 18:57:06 GMT 52:04 9e019284-3871-4966-b56f-a57c00d2a8d8 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/procrastination-the-politics-of-putting-off-hard-choices 6462652e10dbac0011c22cb9 6462652801a21a001146cc01 procrastination-the-politics-of-putting-off-hard-choices Host Rafael Behr talks to Professor Fuschia Sirois about the psychology of procrastination. full Host Rafael Behr talks to Fuschia Sirois, Professor of Social and Health Psychology at Durham University, and co-Editor-in-Chief at the British Journal Of Health Psychology, about procrastination.

In this free-flowing conversation, Fuschia and Rafael talk about what procrastination is, how it impacts politics and public policy, what we can do about it, and why Rafael may have incorrectly compared himself to Brad Pitt when he was a lot younger (Raf that is)

For more on Rafael Behr, and to order his eagerly anticipated first book:

https://rafaelbehr.com

Fuschia Sirois’ latest book

Procrastination: What It Is, Why It's a Problem, and What You Can Do About It

Some of her other recent publications

Biskas, M. Sirois, F. M., & Webb, T. L. (2022). Using social cognition models to understand why people, such as perfectionists, struggle to respond with self-compassion. British Journal of Social Psychology, 61, 1160-1182. Open access

Sirois, F. M., & Owens, J. (2021). A meta-analysis of loneliness and use of primary health care. Health Psychology Review. Open access

Baird, H. Webb, T. L., Sirois, F. M., & Gibson-Miller, J. (2021). Understanding the effects of time perspective: A meta-analysis testing a self-regulatory framework. Psychological Bulletin, 147 (3), 233-267. Link

Sirois, F. M., & Owens, J. (2021). Factors associated with psychological distress in health-care workers during an infectious disease outbreak: A rapid systematic review. Frontiers in Psychiatry. Open access.

Neff, K., Tóth-Király, I., Yarnell, L., Arimitsu, K., Castilho, P., Ghorbani, N., Guo, H., Hirsch, J., Hupfield, J., Hutz, C. S., Kotsou, I., Lee, W. K., Montero-Marin, J., Sirois, F. M., de Souza, L., Svendsen, J., Wilkinson, L., & Mantzios, M. (2019). Examining the Self-Compassion Scale in 20 diverse samples: Support for use of a total score and six subscale scores. Psychological Assessment, 31, 27-45. Link

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Host Rafael Behr talks to Fuschia Sirois, Professor of Social and Health Psychology at Durham University, and co-Editor-in-Chief at the British Journal Of Health Psychology, about procrastination.

In this free-flowing conversation, Fuschia and Rafael talk about what procrastination is, how it impacts politics and public policy, what we can do about it, and why Rafael may have incorrectly compared himself to Brad Pitt when he was a lot younger (Raf that is)

For more on Rafael Behr, and to order his eagerly anticipated first book:

https://rafaelbehr.com

Fuschia Sirois’ latest book

Procrastination: What It Is, Why It's a Problem, and What You Can Do About It

Some of her other recent publications

Biskas, M. Sirois, F. M., & Webb, T. L. (2022). Using social cognition models to understand why people, such as perfectionists, struggle to respond with self-compassion. British Journal of Social Psychology, 61, 1160-1182. Open access

Sirois, F. M., & Owens, J. (2021). A meta-analysis of loneliness and use of primary health care. Health Psychology Review. Open access

Baird, H. Webb, T. L., Sirois, F. M., & Gibson-Miller, J. (2021). Understanding the effects of time perspective: A meta-analysis testing a self-regulatory framework. Psychological Bulletin, 147 (3), 233-267. Link

Sirois, F. M., & Owens, J. (2021). Factors associated with psychological distress in health-care workers during an infectious disease outbreak: A rapid systematic review. Frontiers in Psychiatry. Open access.

Neff, K., Tóth-Király, I., Yarnell, L., Arimitsu, K., Castilho, P., Ghorbani, N., Guo, H., Hirsch, J., Hupfield, J., Hutz, C. S., Kotsou, I., Lee, W. K., Montero-Marin, J., Sirois, F. M., de Souza, L., Svendsen, J., Wilkinson, L., & Mantzios, M. (2019). Examining the Self-Compassion Scale in 20 diverse samples: Support for use of a total score and six subscale scores. Psychological Assessment, 31, 27-45. Link

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA['Putinophilia' - how America's radical right fell for a Kremlin strongman, a conversation with Anne Applebaum]]> Tue, 14 Feb 2023 09:58:43 GMT 31:39 59547349-e0c6-4a7d-b96f-9a9788d5b5cb false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/6462652e10dbac0011c22cba 6462652e10dbac0011c22cba 6462652801a21a001146cc01 full One year on from Russia's Invasion of Ukraine, host Rafael Behr talks to Anne Applebaum about why so many US Republicans and conservatives are still seduced by Putin’s anti-West rhetoric and tropes.

Anne, a Pullitzer-prize winning historian, is particularly well positioned to discuss this, and associated issues, given that her most recent book Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism looked at why some of her contemporaries had abandoned liberal democratic ideals in favor of strongman cults, nationalist movements, or one-party states.

Anne Applebaum

Anne Applebaum is a staff writer for The Atlantic and a Pulitzer-prize winning historian.

She is also a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the Agora Institute, where she co-directs Arena, a program on disinformation and 21st century propaganda.

A Washington Post columnist for fifteen years and a former member of the editorial board, she has also worked as the Foreign and Deputy Editor of the Spectator magazine in London, as the Political Editor of the Evening Standard, and as a columnist at Slate as well as the Daily and Sunday Telegraphs.

From 1988-1991 she covered the collapse of communism as the Warsaw correspondent of the Economist magazine and the Independent newspaper.

She has lectured at Yale, Harvard, Stanford and Columbia Universities, as well as Oxford, Cambridge, London, Heidelberg, Maastricht, Zurich, Humboldt, Texas A&M, Houston and many others.

In 2012-13 she held the Phillipe Roman Chair of History and International Relations at the London School of Economics.

She received honorary doctorates from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service and Kyiv-Mohyla University.

Anne Applebaum was born in Washington, DC in 1964. After graduating from Yale University, she was a Marshall Scholar at the LSE and St. Antony’s College, Oxford.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> One year on from Russia's Invasion of Ukraine, host Rafael Behr talks to Anne Applebaum about why so many US Republicans and conservatives are still seduced by Putin’s anti-West rhetoric and tropes.

Anne, a Pullitzer-prize winning historian, is particularly well positioned to discuss this, and associated issues, given that her most recent book Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism looked at why some of her contemporaries had abandoned liberal democratic ideals in favor of strongman cults, nationalist movements, or one-party states.

Anne Applebaum

Anne Applebaum is a staff writer for The Atlantic and a Pulitzer-prize winning historian.

She is also a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the Agora Institute, where she co-directs Arena, a program on disinformation and 21st century propaganda.

A Washington Post columnist for fifteen years and a former member of the editorial board, she has also worked as the Foreign and Deputy Editor of the Spectator magazine in London, as the Political Editor of the Evening Standard, and as a columnist at Slate as well as the Daily and Sunday Telegraphs.

From 1988-1991 she covered the collapse of communism as the Warsaw correspondent of the Economist magazine and the Independent newspaper.

She has lectured at Yale, Harvard, Stanford and Columbia Universities, as well as Oxford, Cambridge, London, Heidelberg, Maastricht, Zurich, Humboldt, Texas A&M, Houston and many others.

In 2012-13 she held the Phillipe Roman Chair of History and International Relations at the London School of Economics.

She received honorary doctorates from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service and Kyiv-Mohyla University.

Anne Applebaum was born in Washington, DC in 1964. After graduating from Yale University, she was a Marshall Scholar at the LSE and St. Antony’s College, Oxford.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA['Bregret' - how is Britain coping with a Brexit that nobody loves?]]> Tue, 07 Feb 2023 08:51:43 GMT 1:07:43 8f4e6dc7-871a-4e74-b646-331ba52ac4e8 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/bregret-how-is-britain-coping-with-a-brexit-that-nobody-loves 6462652e10dbac0011c22cbb 6462652801a21a001146cc01 full In this episode host Rafael Behr talks to Prof Anand Menon about what the latest polling on 'bregret' means for identity politics, Starmer's strategy on future EU relations, and the economic and democratic health of the UK.

Anand Menon is Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King's College London in the United Kingdom, and was appointed in January 2014 as director of the UK in a Changing Europe initiative.

Prior to arriving at King's College, London, Menon lectured at Birmingham University. Previously he was Lecturer in European Politics at Oxford University for ten years and a Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford for five.


Bibliography


His publications include European Politics (Oxford University Press, 2007), co-edited with Colin Hay and Europe: The State of the Union (Atlantic Books, 2008), and he has written for popular publications including the Financial Times, the London Review of Books and Prospect.[2][4]Anand was a Professor of West European Politics, and founding Director of the European Research Institute at the University of Birmingham.


For more information on Professor Menon: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/anand-menon


For more information on the UK in a changing Europe https://ukandeu.ac.uk/


For more on Rafael Behr, and to order his new book visit https://rafaelbehr.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> In this episode host Rafael Behr talks to Prof Anand Menon about what the latest polling on 'bregret' means for identity politics, Starmer's strategy on future EU relations, and the economic and democratic health of the UK.

Anand Menon is Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King's College London in the United Kingdom, and was appointed in January 2014 as director of the UK in a Changing Europe initiative.

Prior to arriving at King's College, London, Menon lectured at Birmingham University. Previously he was Lecturer in European Politics at Oxford University for ten years and a Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford for five.


Bibliography


His publications include European Politics (Oxford University Press, 2007), co-edited with Colin Hay and Europe: The State of the Union (Atlantic Books, 2008), and he has written for popular publications including the Financial Times, the London Review of Books and Prospect.[2][4]Anand was a Professor of West European Politics, and founding Director of the European Research Institute at the University of Birmingham.


For more information on Professor Menon: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/anand-menon


For more information on the UK in a changing Europe https://ukandeu.ac.uk/


For more on Rafael Behr, and to order his new book visit https://rafaelbehr.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Consciousness - a deep dive into the politics of brain science with Anil Seth Consciousness - a deep dive into the politics of brain science with Anil Seth Thu, 22 Dec 2022 06:07:59 GMT 59:58 298f7b34-5c7e-4d88-ac8a-7c505a72ffc7 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/consciousness-a-deep-dive-into-the-politics-of-brain-science-with-anil-seth 6462652e10dbac0011c22cbc 6462652801a21a001146cc01 thepoliticsofbrainsciencewithAnilSeth A conversation about what it means to be conscious and the political implications for a future where machines are cleverer than humans. full Anil Seth is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex alongside other eminent roles in the field of advanced research into the nature of consciousness and perception. His bestselling book ‘Being You: A New Science of Consciousness’ is a masterpiece of making complex scientific issues accessible to the non-expert reader.

Anil demonstrates that same skill in this relaxed and free-flowing discussion with Politics on the Couch host Rafael Behr. They talk about the essence of what it means to be a conscious being, whether we can ever be said to experience objective reality, whether our present self is really the same as our past self and some of the moral, philosophical and political issues provoked by those questions.

For more information on Professor Seth and ‘Being You’, visit https://www.anilseth.com/

Here's the perception census he mentions in the podcast: https://perceptioncensus.dreamachine.world

For more on Rafael Behr visit https://rafaelbehr.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Anil Seth is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex alongside other eminent roles in the field of advanced research into the nature of consciousness and perception. His bestselling book ‘Being You: A New Science of Consciousness’ is a masterpiece of making complex scientific issues accessible to the non-expert reader.

Anil demonstrates that same skill in this relaxed and free-flowing discussion with Politics on the Couch host Rafael Behr. They talk about the essence of what it means to be a conscious being, whether we can ever be said to experience objective reality, whether our present self is really the same as our past self and some of the moral, philosophical and political issues provoked by those questions.

For more information on Professor Seth and ‘Being You’, visit https://www.anilseth.com/

Here's the perception census he mentions in the podcast: https://perceptioncensus.dreamachine.world

For more on Rafael Behr visit https://rafaelbehr.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> The authoritarian personality - why some voters feel drawn to populism and how to lure them away The authoritarian personality - why some voters feel drawn to populism and how to lure them away Thu, 14 Jul 2022 09:23:11 GMT 1:18:20 3a59b312-2cde-4cd1-841a-f12108f7d953 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/theauthoritatianpersonalitywithkarenstenner 6462652e10dbac0011c22cbd 6462652801a21a001146cc01 theauthoritatianpersonalitywithkarenstenner Dr Karen Stenner talks to Rafael Behr about the authoritarian personality and why it plays such an important part in political behaviour. full In this episode host Rafael Behr talks to Dr Karen Stenner, the political psychologist & behavioral economist best known for long ago predicting the rise of Trump-like figures under the kinds of conditions we now confront. Her research on authoritarianism and 'Far Right' politics uses psychological theories and methods (in particular, Randomized Controlled Trials) to explain human behaviour.


She also use those same theories and methods (particularly RCTs) to shift human behaviour via communications and campaigns (of every kind), including designing and embedding messages that de-activate authoritarianism and diminish expressions of intolerance and racism in a society.


We also discuss the recent Labour victory in the Australian general election and the part that 'independent teals' played.


If you'd like to find out more about Dr Stenner and work please visit her site: https://www.karenstenner.com


And you may find her articles below of particular interest.


For Hope Not Hate on how to help authoritarians live in peace with liberal democracy.


https://hopenothate.org.uk/2020/11/01/authoritarianism


Her recent piece with Jessica Stern for Foreign Policy on how liberal democracy must treat authoritarianism as a chronic condition to be managed.


https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/11/capitol-insurrection-trump-authoritarianism-psychology-innate-fear-envy-change-diversity-populism/


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> In this episode host Rafael Behr talks to Dr Karen Stenner, the political psychologist & behavioral economist best known for long ago predicting the rise of Trump-like figures under the kinds of conditions we now confront. Her research on authoritarianism and 'Far Right' politics uses psychological theories and methods (in particular, Randomized Controlled Trials) to explain human behaviour.


She also use those same theories and methods (particularly RCTs) to shift human behaviour via communications and campaigns (of every kind), including designing and embedding messages that de-activate authoritarianism and diminish expressions of intolerance and racism in a society.


We also discuss the recent Labour victory in the Australian general election and the part that 'independent teals' played.


If you'd like to find out more about Dr Stenner and work please visit her site: https://www.karenstenner.com


And you may find her articles below of particular interest.


For Hope Not Hate on how to help authoritarians live in peace with liberal democracy.


https://hopenothate.org.uk/2020/11/01/authoritarianism


Her recent piece with Jessica Stern for Foreign Policy on how liberal democracy must treat authoritarianism as a chronic condition to be managed.


https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/11/capitol-insurrection-trump-authoritarianism-psychology-innate-fear-envy-change-diversity-populism/


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> The authenticity gap - can Labour seize the post-Boris moment? (recorded the day he resigned) The authenticity gap - can Labour seize the post-Boris moment? (recorded the day he resigned) Thu, 07 Jul 2022 15:14:14 GMT 1:01:45 66bafd75-e6f6-48e4-b771-183cf770800a false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/the-authenticity-gap-can-labour-seize-the-post-boris-moment 6462652e10dbac0011c22cbe 6462652801a21a001146cc01 full Rafael Behr talks to pollster and political strategist James Johnson about what's next for Labour, a matter of minutes after PM Johnson announced his resignation.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Rafael Behr talks to pollster and political strategist James Johnson about what's next for Labour, a matter of minutes after PM Johnson announced his resignation.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA[The Megacrisis - how the world's problems piled up - a conversation with Helen Thompson]]> Thu, 05 May 2022 16:44:12 GMT 1:06:42 e1e31999-357f-4148-8a96-8a6c31808325 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/the-megacrisis-how-the-worlds-problems-piled-up-a-conversation-with-helen-thompson 6462652e10dbac0011c22cbf 6462652801a21a001146cc01 Professor Helen Thompson discusses her new book Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century full This week, Rafael Behr and Professor Helen Thompson discuss her new book Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century.


The book, which was released on the day Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, recounts three histories—one about geopolitics, one about the world economy, and one about western democracies.


She explains how a confluence of different crises, building over many years, has created the current mood of global, epoch-defining disorder.


It shows how much of this turbulence originated in problems generated by fossil-fuel energies, and it explains why, as the green transition takes place, the longstanding predicaments energy invariably shapes will remain in place.

In light of her new book and the war raging in Ukraine, in this edition of Politics on the Couch Rafael and Helen discuss a wide-range of ideas and issues:


Topics discussed:


  1. Was the Russian invasion of Ukraine an inflection point in history and how do we know if we're living through one?
  2. Do individuals and charismatic personalities shape history or merely express longer-running trends and bigger forces?
  3. Does Johnson have any ideology? If so, what is it?
  4. Can the year we're born can shape our optimism about the future?
  5. Has the pandemic affected the way citizens view making big sacrifices for a greater good?
  6. How can strong political identities be forged from adversity?
  7. Do Western liberal democracies have the capacity to drive through the change needed to make the green transition?
  8. Is China as an authoritarian state at an advantage?
  9. What lessons has the Ukrainian war taught us about energy policy and green transition?

Politics on the Couch has been chosen by Feedspot as one of the Top 25 UK Psychology Podcasts and Top 25 Political Science Podcasts on the web.

https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts

https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> This week, Rafael Behr and Professor Helen Thompson discuss her new book Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century.


The book, which was released on the day Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, recounts three histories—one about geopolitics, one about the world economy, and one about western democracies.


She explains how a confluence of different crises, building over many years, has created the current mood of global, epoch-defining disorder.


It shows how much of this turbulence originated in problems generated by fossil-fuel energies, and it explains why, as the green transition takes place, the longstanding predicaments energy invariably shapes will remain in place.

In light of her new book and the war raging in Ukraine, in this edition of Politics on the Couch Rafael and Helen discuss a wide-range of ideas and issues:


Topics discussed:


  1. Was the Russian invasion of Ukraine an inflection point in history and how do we know if we're living through one?
  2. Do individuals and charismatic personalities shape history or merely express longer-running trends and bigger forces?
  3. Does Johnson have any ideology? If so, what is it?
  4. Can the year we're born can shape our optimism about the future?
  5. Has the pandemic affected the way citizens view making big sacrifices for a greater good?
  6. How can strong political identities be forged from adversity?
  7. Do Western liberal democracies have the capacity to drive through the change needed to make the green transition?
  8. Is China as an authoritarian state at an advantage?
  9. What lessons has the Ukrainian war taught us about energy policy and green transition?

Politics on the Couch has been chosen by Feedspot as one of the Top 25 UK Psychology Podcasts and Top 25 Political Science Podcasts on the web.

https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts

https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Is Democracy Rational? A conversation with Steven Pinker Is Democracy Rational? A conversation with Steven Pinker Fri, 29 Oct 2021 19:48:10 GMT 1:01:06 da3d7818-ed77-4b05-bb93-d6298594d105 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/6462652e10dbac0011c22cc0 6462652e10dbac0011c22cc0 6462652801a21a001146cc01 Host Rafael Behr talks to Professor Steven Pinker about rational thinking in a democracy full 22 Human beings routinely make terrible choices but humanity still achieves amazing things.

How does this paradox work?

And is it still working when technology seems to amplify the worst in us.

In this episode, Politics on the Couch host Rafael Behr talks to Professor Steven Pinker about the constant struggle between evidence and emotion for control of the political agenda; whether truth and fact are winning the long war against superstition and falsehood, and why rationality always has the last word.

Professor Steven Pinker is Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and the author of a number of highly acclaimed and prize-winning books about psychology, cognitive science, linguistics and history.

His latest book Rationality: What it is; why it seems scarce; why it matters was published in September.

https://stevenpinker.com/publications/rationality-what-it-why-it-seems-so-scarce-and-why-it-matters

More about Steven Pinker:

https://stevenpinker.com/biocv

Other books by Steven Pinker mentioned in episode

The Better Angels of our Nature

https://stevenpinker.com/publications/better-angels-our-nature

Enlightenment Now https://stevenpinker.com/publications/enlightenment-now-case-reason-science-humanism-and-progress

A couple of references in this episode that might be useful as further reading.

Michael Ignatieff’s book Fire and Ashes, about a failed career in politics

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/27/michael-ignatieff-fire-ashes-review

Jonathan Rauch’s book The Constitution of Knowledge, about the crisis of trust in institutions

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jun/26/the-constitution-of-knowledge-review-jonathan-rauch-trump

Politics on the Couch has been chosen by Feedspot as one of the Top 25 UK Psychology Podcasts and Top 25 Political Science Podcasts on the web.

https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts

https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Human beings routinely make terrible choices but humanity still achieves amazing things.

How does this paradox work?

And is it still working when technology seems to amplify the worst in us.

In this episode, Politics on the Couch host Rafael Behr talks to Professor Steven Pinker about the constant struggle between evidence and emotion for control of the political agenda; whether truth and fact are winning the long war against superstition and falsehood, and why rationality always has the last word.

Professor Steven Pinker is Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and the author of a number of highly acclaimed and prize-winning books about psychology, cognitive science, linguistics and history.

His latest book Rationality: What it is; why it seems scarce; why it matters was published in September.

https://stevenpinker.com/publications/rationality-what-it-why-it-seems-so-scarce-and-why-it-matters

More about Steven Pinker:

https://stevenpinker.com/biocv

Other books by Steven Pinker mentioned in episode

The Better Angels of our Nature

https://stevenpinker.com/publications/better-angels-our-nature

Enlightenment Now https://stevenpinker.com/publications/enlightenment-now-case-reason-science-humanism-and-progress

A couple of references in this episode that might be useful as further reading.

Michael Ignatieff’s book Fire and Ashes, about a failed career in politics

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/27/michael-ignatieff-fire-ashes-review

Jonathan Rauch’s book The Constitution of Knowledge, about the crisis of trust in institutions

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jun/26/the-constitution-of-knowledge-review-jonathan-rauch-trump

Politics on the Couch has been chosen by Feedspot as one of the Top 25 UK Psychology Podcasts and Top 25 Political Science Podcasts on the web.

https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts

https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Order and chaos - why the left keeps losing Order and chaos - why the left keeps losing Fri, 30 Jul 2021 12:24:45 GMT 1:01:36 f13ba6d1-7bd4-4925-8f1d-e6d358725ac2 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/order-and-chaos-why-the-left-keeps-losing 6462652e10dbac0011c22cc1 6462652801a21a001146cc01 theleftstroublewithconnectingwithsocialonservatives Rafael Behr talks to Dr Lee de-Wit about how moral psychology can help us understand why some parts of the left struggle to connect with socially conservative voters. full In this episode Rafael Behr talks to Cambridge University political psychologist Dr Lee de-Wit about the problem with progressive arguments over patriotism, and Labour's constant struggle to connect with socially conservative voters.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Dr Lee de-Wit's Cambridge University homepage

https://www.psychol.cam.ac.uk/people/lee-de-wit

Arnold Kling's book

https://cdn.cato.org/libertarianismdotorg/books/ThreeLanguagesOfPolitics.pdf

Haidt and Moral Foundations Theory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_foundations_theory

Tariq Modood's site

http://www.tariqmodood.com

YouGov poll on immigration

https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2019/09/13/what-policy-do-british-voters-want-on-eu-immigration-is-there-a-hidden-consensus/

Dr Lee de-Wit's book

http://eandtbooks.com/books/whats-your-bias/

Dr Lee de-Wit's recent article in the Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/11/politics-left-right-tories-advantage-labour

Politics on the Couch has just been selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 25 UK Psychology Podcasts on the web.

This is the most comprehensive list of Top 25 UK Psychology Podcasts on the internet and we're honored to have been selected!

https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> In this episode Rafael Behr talks to Cambridge University political psychologist Dr Lee de-Wit about the problem with progressive arguments over patriotism, and Labour's constant struggle to connect with socially conservative voters.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Dr Lee de-Wit's Cambridge University homepage

https://www.psychol.cam.ac.uk/people/lee-de-wit

Arnold Kling's book

https://cdn.cato.org/libertarianismdotorg/books/ThreeLanguagesOfPolitics.pdf

Haidt and Moral Foundations Theory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_foundations_theory

Tariq Modood's site

http://www.tariqmodood.com

YouGov poll on immigration

https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2019/09/13/what-policy-do-british-voters-want-on-eu-immigration-is-there-a-hidden-consensus/

Dr Lee de-Wit's book

http://eandtbooks.com/books/whats-your-bias/

Dr Lee de-Wit's recent article in the Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/11/politics-left-right-tories-advantage-labour

Politics on the Couch has just been selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 25 UK Psychology Podcasts on the web.

This is the most comprehensive list of Top 25 UK Psychology Podcasts on the internet and we're honored to have been selected!

https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_psychology_podcasts

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Empire State of Mind, with Sathnam Sanghera Empire State of Mind, with Sathnam Sanghera Thu, 08 Jul 2021 20:29:55 GMT 1:02:03 2ca1a8e1-03af-498e-8abc-9f5ffd45bf28 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/empire-state-of-mind-with-sathnam-sanghera 6462652e10dbac0011c22cc2 6462652801a21a001146cc01 Rafael Behr talks to Sathnam Sanghera about Empireland, his recent book that delves into that Imperial legacy, how it shapes our nation, our culture and defines so much of our politics to this day. full "Britain's vast colonial project, amassed over centuries and covering a quarter of the world at its height, is unavoidable in any discussion of race and identity in modern Britain."


Our host Rafael Behr talks to Sathnam Sanghera about his latest book - Empireland - that delves into our imperial legacy, how it shapes our nation, our culture and defines so much of our politics to this day.


Sathnam has won multiple awards for his journalism in the Financial Times and the Times. His 2009 memoir, The Boy with the Topknot, was shortlisted for the Costa Book Award, as was his 2014 novel, Marriage Material.




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> "Britain's vast colonial project, amassed over centuries and covering a quarter of the world at its height, is unavoidable in any discussion of race and identity in modern Britain."


Our host Rafael Behr talks to Sathnam Sanghera about his latest book - Empireland - that delves into our imperial legacy, how it shapes our nation, our culture and defines so much of our politics to this day.


Sathnam has won multiple awards for his journalism in the Financial Times and the Times. His 2009 memoir, The Boy with the Topknot, was shortlisted for the Costa Book Award, as was his 2014 novel, Marriage Material.




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Radicalisation - how minds go to extremes, and how to turn them back Radicalisation - how minds go to extremes, and how to turn them back Sun, 09 May 2021 18:49:05 GMT 1:04:02 d94d1081-4a1c-4099-919b-18f046378455 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/radicalisation-how-minds-go-to-extremes-and-how-to-turn-them-back 6462652e10dbac0011c22cc3 6462652801a21a001146cc01 Rafael Behr talks to the cognitive scientist and radicalisation expert Nafees Hamid about what makes extremists tick and how to change their minds. full Rafael Behr talks to Cognitive Scientist of Political Violence, Nafees Hamid, about what makes extremists tick and how to change their minds.

Nafees discusses the conditions that push people towards extremist ideologies and whether a martyr's mind is wired differently to the rest of us.

Along the way, Rafael and Nafees explore identity, sacred values, devoted actors, and how extremists can be walked back from acts of violence.

Nafees Hamid is a Fellow at ARTIS International (https://artisinternational.org) and an Associate Fellow at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (https://icct.nl) in The Hague.

His research focuses on the psychology of radicalisation and social fragmentation in Western countries.

His methods include ethnographic interviews, survey studies, social network analysis, and psychology and neuroscience experiments with mostly Western members of extremist organisations, their friends and family, supporters of such networks, and the general communities from where they originate.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Rafael Behr talks to Cognitive Scientist of Political Violence, Nafees Hamid, about what makes extremists tick and how to change their minds.

Nafees discusses the conditions that push people towards extremist ideologies and whether a martyr's mind is wired differently to the rest of us.

Along the way, Rafael and Nafees explore identity, sacred values, devoted actors, and how extremists can be walked back from acts of violence.

Nafees Hamid is a Fellow at ARTIS International (https://artisinternational.org) and an Associate Fellow at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (https://icct.nl) in The Hague.

His research focuses on the psychology of radicalisation and social fragmentation in Western countries.

His methods include ethnographic interviews, survey studies, social network analysis, and psychology and neuroscience experiments with mostly Western members of extremist organisations, their friends and family, supporters of such networks, and the general communities from where they originate.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA[Fear of Change - Matt d'Ancona on fixing a broken politics]]> Sat, 13 Mar 2021 16:46:33 GMT 57:06 d911ba16-aefb-426e-99ee-6be70cad4705 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/fear-of-change-matt-dancona-on-fixing-a-broken-politics 6462652e10dbac0011c22cc4 6462652801a21a001146cc01 full Rafael Behr talks to Matt d'Ancona about his new book: 'Identity, Ignorance, Innovation: Why the Old Politics is Useless - and what to do about it.'

https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Identity-Ignorance-Innovation-by-Matthew-DAncona-author/9781529303995

They discuss why the 'liberal left' needs to adapt to a new politics that is being shaped much more by digital networks and identity politics than the older institutional forces.

Matt joined The Sunday Telegraph in 1996 as deputy comment editor and columnist, before becoming deputy editor. He wrote a weekly political column in The Sunday Telegraph for a decade.

He succeeded Boris Johnson as editor of The Spectator.

In January 2015, d'Ancona joined The Guardian as a weekly columnist.

He left the paper in 2019 to become an editor and partner at https://www.tortoisemedia.com

He also writes columns for the Evening Standard, GQ and The New York Times.

He is chairman of the liberal Conservative think tank, Bright Blue, a trustee of the Science Museum and a Visiting Research Fellow at Queen Mary University of London.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Rafael Behr talks to Matt d'Ancona about his new book: 'Identity, Ignorance, Innovation: Why the Old Politics is Useless - and what to do about it.'

https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Identity-Ignorance-Innovation-by-Matthew-DAncona-author/9781529303995

They discuss why the 'liberal left' needs to adapt to a new politics that is being shaped much more by digital networks and identity politics than the older institutional forces.

Matt joined The Sunday Telegraph in 1996 as deputy comment editor and columnist, before becoming deputy editor. He wrote a weekly political column in The Sunday Telegraph for a decade.

He succeeded Boris Johnson as editor of The Spectator.

In January 2015, d'Ancona joined The Guardian as a weekly columnist.

He left the paper in 2019 to become an editor and partner at https://www.tortoisemedia.com

He also writes columns for the Evening Standard, GQ and The New York Times.

He is chairman of the liberal Conservative think tank, Bright Blue, a trustee of the Science Museum and a Visiting Research Fellow at Queen Mary University of London.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA[Optimism - how we're drawn to the bright side, even in a pandemic]]> Tue, 23 Feb 2021 21:59:21 GMT 59:54 2b6c7df4-1549-4252-90dc-f8a7487ad339 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/optimism-how-were-drawn-to-the-bright-side-even-in-a-pandemic 6462652e10dbac0011c22cc5 6462652801a21a001146cc01 Rafael Behr talks to Professor Tali Sharot about optimism bias full Rafael Behr talks to neuroscientist and author Tali Sharot about the optimism hard-wired into our thought processes, how it affects the way we look at the world – and what it means for politics.

The conversation also covers the relationship between emotion and reason, how we should respect some of the more primitive parts of our brains, what messages work best to encourage people to act on climate change, and what connects sourdough and the hunt for a coronavirus vaccine.

Tali Sharot is a professor at the Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, where she is Director of the Affective Brain Lab, and Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/research/experimental-psychology/person/dr-tali-sharot/Sheis

the author of The Optimism Bias:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Optimism-Bias-were-wired-bright/dp/1780332637

and The Influential Mind:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Influential-Mind-Reveals-Change-Others/dp/0349140634/

This podcast is hosted by wwww.zencast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Rafael Behr talks to neuroscientist and author Tali Sharot about the optimism hard-wired into our thought processes, how it affects the way we look at the world – and what it means for politics.

The conversation also covers the relationship between emotion and reason, how we should respect some of the more primitive parts of our brains, what messages work best to encourage people to act on climate change, and what connects sourdough and the hunt for a coronavirus vaccine.

Tali Sharot is a professor at the Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, where she is Director of the Affective Brain Lab, and Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/research/experimental-psychology/person/dr-tali-sharot/Sheis

the author of The Optimism Bias:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Optimism-Bias-were-wired-bright/dp/1780332637

and The Influential Mind:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Influential-Mind-Reveals-Change-Others/dp/0349140634/

This podcast is hosted by wwww.zencast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Identity – David Baddiel on Jewishness, antisemitism (and a bit about football) Identity – David Baddiel on Jewishness, antisemitism (and a bit about football) Thu, 04 Feb 2021 18:14:03 GMT 1:01:27 cd95a322-bdf6-4bf3-ad67-63971de06c2f false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/identity-david-baddiel-on-jewishness-antisemitism-and-a-bit-about-football 6462652e10dbac0011c22cc6 6462652801a21a001146cc01 full Rafael Behr talks to author and comedian David Baddiel about his book “Jews Don't Count” – a closely argued polemic about the failure of progressive-left politics to treat antisemitism with the same moral rigour as is applied to other kinds of racism.

The frank and at times raw conversation deals with the social and cultural dimensions of one of history's oldest prejudices, as well as the individual emotional and psychological components of a secular Jewish identity. They also talk a little bit about football.

David Baddiel's book is published by TLS Books

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/jews-dont-count-david-baddiel-tls-books-extract/


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Rafael Behr talks to author and comedian David Baddiel about his book “Jews Don't Count” – a closely argued polemic about the failure of progressive-left politics to treat antisemitism with the same moral rigour as is applied to other kinds of racism.

The frank and at times raw conversation deals with the social and cultural dimensions of one of history's oldest prejudices, as well as the individual emotional and psychological components of a secular Jewish identity. They also talk a little bit about football.

David Baddiel's book is published by TLS Books

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/jews-dont-count-david-baddiel-tls-books-extract/


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Anti-vaxxers – fear, anxiety and the psychology of misinformation Anti-vaxxers – fear, anxiety and the psychology of misinformation Sat, 23 Jan 2021 14:44:50 GMT 49:49 ab5a4cb5-7922-4d48-80ea-0c05ebf4697a false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/the-psychology-of-misinformation-with-imran-ahmed 6462652e10dbac0011c22cc7 6462652801a21a001146cc01 the-psychology-of-misinformation-with-imran-ahmed Rafael Behr talks to Imran Ahmed the founder of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate about misinformation. full Rafael Behr explores the causes of resistance to vaccine science and its links with far-right propaganda with Imran Ahmed, founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate.

The chat ranges from the emotional vulnerabilities that lead people to take comfort from conspiracy theories to the political obligations on social media companies to help defend democracy from malevolent, weaponised lies.

Along the way, Rafael and Imran touch on politics, psychology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, the scientific method, Hugo Boss's Nazi tailoring and some practical advice for dealing with toxic falsehood online.

The two reports mentioned in the episode are Don't Feed the Trolls:

https://www.counterhate.com/dont-feed-the-trolls

And the Anti-Vaxx Playbook:

https://www.counterhate.com/playbook

Imran also mentions Ashli Babbit who was killed in the Washington DC Capitol riot:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/09/ashli-babbitt-capitol-mob-trump-qanon-conspiracy-theory

And a Guardian report about the Tuskegee Study Imran discusses:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jun/08/guatemala-victims-us-syphilis-study

Our podcast was recently chosen by Feedspot as one of the best 15 English-speaking political science podcasts in the world.

https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Rafael Behr explores the causes of resistance to vaccine science and its links with far-right propaganda with Imran Ahmed, founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate.

The chat ranges from the emotional vulnerabilities that lead people to take comfort from conspiracy theories to the political obligations on social media companies to help defend democracy from malevolent, weaponised lies.

Along the way, Rafael and Imran touch on politics, psychology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, the scientific method, Hugo Boss's Nazi tailoring and some practical advice for dealing with toxic falsehood online.

The two reports mentioned in the episode are Don't Feed the Trolls:

https://www.counterhate.com/dont-feed-the-trolls

And the Anti-Vaxx Playbook:

https://www.counterhate.com/playbook

Imran also mentions Ashli Babbit who was killed in the Washington DC Capitol riot:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/09/ashli-babbitt-capitol-mob-trump-qanon-conspiracy-theory

And a Guardian report about the Tuskegee Study Imran discusses:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jun/08/guatemala-victims-us-syphilis-study

Our podcast was recently chosen by Feedspot as one of the best 15 English-speaking political science podcasts in the world.

https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021: What happens next? Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021: What happens next? Sun, 03 Jan 2021 20:36:41 GMT 57:01 12e794da-35f9-4806-bdd9-301af53ded97 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/goodbye-2020-hello-2021-what-happens-next 6462652e10dbac0011c22cc8 6462652801a21a001146cc01 Rafael Behr looks ahead to the challenges facing Labour, Tories, Remainers and Brexiteers in 2021. full Host Rafael Behr answers some listeners' questions and looks ahead to the challenges facing the main political parties in 2021 as they try to navigate their way through a pandemic, levelling up, calls for Scottish independence and the reality of Brexit. Plus, reflections on the future for remainers and the prospects for a campaign to re-join the EU. Also features one book recommendation and a very extended metaphor about coral.

Cultural Amnesia by Clive James

https://uk.bookshop.org/books/cultural-amnesia-notes-in-the-margin-of-my-time/9780330481755

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Host Rafael Behr answers some listeners' questions and looks ahead to the challenges facing the main political parties in 2021 as they try to navigate their way through a pandemic, levelling up, calls for Scottish independence and the reality of Brexit. Plus, reflections on the future for remainers and the prospects for a campaign to re-join the EU. Also features one book recommendation and a very extended metaphor about coral.

Cultural Amnesia by Clive James

https://uk.bookshop.org/books/cultural-amnesia-notes-in-the-margin-of-my-time/9780330481755

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA['Dissonance Theory' – why no-one says they were wrong]]> Mon, 28 Dec 2020 14:19:13 GMT 57:45 0e1510d7-1dfb-49de-b589-42326048e79b false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/dissonance-theory-why-no-one-says-they-were-wrong 6462652e10dbac0011c22cc9 6462652801a21a001146cc01 American social psychologist Dr Carol Tavris explains cognitive dissonance and how it works in the world of politics. full Host Rafael Behr talks to Dr Carol Tavris about the mental obstacles that stop us from admitting that we may have made a mistake.


Dr Tavris is a pre-eminent social psychologist specialising in the field of cognitive dissonance and co-author of “Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)”, a seminal book on the subject that was recently updated to include a chapter on Donald Trump's support base.


Carol has written articles, op-eds, and book reviews on a wide array of topics in psychological science for the TLS, Wall Street Journal, Skeptic magazine, Los Angeles Times, and many other venues.


This episode was recorded just before Christmas 2020 and touches on some of the reasons why (so far) not many people have changed their minds about their support for (or opposition to) the idea of Brexit, and why the reality in 2021 is unlikely to trigger mass conversions.


Links to interesting stuff mentioned in this podcast


https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/oct/23/sarah-silverman-apologises-after-louis-ck-masturbation-comments


https://lincolnproject.us


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Festinger


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_cult


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliot_Aronson


Amazon UK link to Carol's book


Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions and Hurtful Acts (2020 edition - updated and revised)


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mistakes-Were-Made-but-Not/dp/1780666950/ref=sr_1_1?

crid=1JHS0EFOUNOK3&dchild=1&keywords=mistakes+were+made+but+not+by+me&qid=1609202077&sprefix=mistakes+were+%2Caps%2C285&sr=8-1

Amazon US link

https://www.amazon.com/Mistakes-Were-Made-but-Third/dp/0358329612/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=mistakes+were+made+but+not+by+me+third+edition&qid=1591458464&s=books&sr=1-1

Our podcast was recently chosen by Feedspot as one of the best 15 English-speaking political science podcasts in the world.

https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Host Rafael Behr talks to Dr Carol Tavris about the mental obstacles that stop us from admitting that we may have made a mistake.


Dr Tavris is a pre-eminent social psychologist specialising in the field of cognitive dissonance and co-author of “Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)”, a seminal book on the subject that was recently updated to include a chapter on Donald Trump's support base.


Carol has written articles, op-eds, and book reviews on a wide array of topics in psychological science for the TLS, Wall Street Journal, Skeptic magazine, Los Angeles Times, and many other venues.


This episode was recorded just before Christmas 2020 and touches on some of the reasons why (so far) not many people have changed their minds about their support for (or opposition to) the idea of Brexit, and why the reality in 2021 is unlikely to trigger mass conversions.


Links to interesting stuff mentioned in this podcast


https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/oct/23/sarah-silverman-apologises-after-louis-ck-masturbation-comments


https://lincolnproject.us


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Festinger


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_cult


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliot_Aronson


Amazon UK link to Carol's book


Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions and Hurtful Acts (2020 edition - updated and revised)


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mistakes-Were-Made-but-Not/dp/1780666950/ref=sr_1_1?

crid=1JHS0EFOUNOK3&dchild=1&keywords=mistakes+were+made+but+not+by+me&qid=1609202077&sprefix=mistakes+were+%2Caps%2C285&sr=8-1

Amazon US link

https://www.amazon.com/Mistakes-Were-Made-but-Third/dp/0358329612/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=mistakes+were+made+but+not+by+me+third+edition&qid=1591458464&s=books&sr=1-1

Our podcast was recently chosen by Feedspot as one of the best 15 English-speaking political science podcasts in the world.

https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Nostalgia - canvassing the politics of memory lane Nostalgia - canvassing the politics of memory lane Sat, 12 Dec 2020 22:20:20 GMT 42:21 68734079-320c-4599-a0e7-e50739f1269f false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/nostalgia-canvassing-the-politics-of-memory-lane 6462652e10dbac0011c22cca 6462652801a21a001146cc01 Prof. Constantine Sedikides and Prof. Tim Wildschut explain the psychology behind nostalgia. full Politics on the Couch host Rafael Behr talks to Professors Constantine Sedikides and Tim Wildschut of the University of Southampton, about the way people narrate the stories of their past, what they get from the process and the way political campaigns can exploit those feelings.

Prof. Constantine Sedikides

https://www.southampton.ac.uk/psychology/about/staff/cs2.page

Prof Tim Wildschut

https://www.southampton.ac.uk/psychology/about/staff/timw.page

Nostalgia website

https://www.southampton.ac.uk/nostalgia/

Our podcast was recently chosen by Feedspot as one of the best 15 English-speaking political science podcasts in the world.

https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Politics on the Couch host Rafael Behr talks to Professors Constantine Sedikides and Tim Wildschut of the University of Southampton, about the way people narrate the stories of their past, what they get from the process and the way political campaigns can exploit those feelings.

Prof. Constantine Sedikides

https://www.southampton.ac.uk/psychology/about/staff/cs2.page

Prof Tim Wildschut

https://www.southampton.ac.uk/psychology/about/staff/timw.page

Nostalgia website

https://www.southampton.ac.uk/nostalgia/

Our podcast was recently chosen by Feedspot as one of the best 15 English-speaking political science podcasts in the world.

https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> The Madness of King Don - a journey to the dark side of charisma, with Drew Westen The Madness of King Don - a journey to the dark side of charisma, with Drew Westen Thu, 12 Nov 2020 21:28:50 GMT 1:25:07 8613de7e-ba2d-4f46-a5a8-91da6af545c6 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/the-madness-of-king-don-a-journey-to-the-dark-side-of-charisma-with-drew-westen 6462652e10dbac0011c22ccb 6462652801a21a001146cc01 trump-a-journey-to-the-dark-side-of-charisma full In the aftermath of the US presidential election, Rafael Behr talks to Professor Drew Westen about different forms of charisma, the struggle to communicate liberal arguments to Republican voters and the symptoms of severe personality disorder exhibited by Donald Trump.


Drew Westen is a professor in the Psychology and Psychiatry Department at Emory University, Atlanta Georgia. He is also a political consultant and author of the highly influential book "The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation."


Our podcast was recently chosen by Feedspot as one of the best 15 English-speaking political science podcasts in the world


https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> In the aftermath of the US presidential election, Rafael Behr talks to Professor Drew Westen about different forms of charisma, the struggle to communicate liberal arguments to Republican voters and the symptoms of severe personality disorder exhibited by Donald Trump.


Drew Westen is a professor in the Psychology and Psychiatry Department at Emory University, Atlanta Georgia. He is also a political consultant and author of the highly influential book "The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation."


Our podcast was recently chosen by Feedspot as one of the best 15 English-speaking political science podcasts in the world


https://blog.feedspot.com/political_science_podcasts


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Election Anxiety - Trump, the media and fear for American democracy Election Anxiety - Trump, the media and fear for American democracy Thu, 29 Oct 2020 23:29:31 GMT 41:07 8723175e-517c-4c98-bc25-08c2bbf5c783 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/election-anxiety-trump-the-media-and-fear-for-american-democracy 6462652e10dbac0011c22ccc 6462652801a21a001146cc01 New York Times columnist Ben Smith discusses the 2020 US presidential election. full In this bonus episode, podcast host Rafael Behr turns to his old friend and New York Times columnist Ben Smith for analysis of the state of US politics a week before the biggest election in living memory, and for reassurance that, maybe, everything is gonna be alright.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> In this bonus episode, podcast host Rafael Behr turns to his old friend and New York Times columnist Ben Smith for analysis of the state of US politics a week before the biggest election in living memory, and for reassurance that, maybe, everything is gonna be alright.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> The Political Animal - a breed apart? The Political Animal - a breed apart? Sun, 25 Oct 2020 20:29:50 GMT 50:43 4c8dfb7a-c0dd-4e25-897e-c8b50d41c8b5 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/the-political-animal-a-breed-apart 6462652e10dbac0011c22ccd 6462652801a21a001146cc01 Rafael Behr talks to social anthropologist Emma Crewe about Parliament and politicians. full Rafael Behr speaks to social anthropologist Emma Crewe about parliament; what makes MPs tick, the psychological mechanisms they need to function in one of the country's weirdest workplaces - and their relationship with journalists.

Professor Crewe, of SOAS, University of London, is the only anthropologist to have been based inside the Palace of Westminster, having spent years embedded in both the Lords and the Commons, enjoying uniquely privileged access to the inner workings of the legislature.

You can read more about her research on parliaments and other topics at her Global Research Network on People and Parliaments website: www.grnpp.org or on her personal site www.emmacrewe.com

Routledge will be publishing her latest book - 'An Anthropology of Parliaments: entanglements in democratic politics' in 2021.

This podcast is hosted by https://wwww.zencast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Rafael Behr speaks to social anthropologist Emma Crewe about parliament; what makes MPs tick, the psychological mechanisms they need to function in one of the country's weirdest workplaces - and their relationship with journalists.

Professor Crewe, of SOAS, University of London, is the only anthropologist to have been based inside the Palace of Westminster, having spent years embedded in both the Lords and the Commons, enjoying uniquely privileged access to the inner workings of the legislature.

You can read more about her research on parliaments and other topics at her Global Research Network on People and Parliaments website: www.grnpp.org or on her personal site www.emmacrewe.com

Routledge will be publishing her latest book - 'An Anthropology of Parliaments: entanglements in democratic politics' in 2021.

This podcast is hosted by https://wwww.zencast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA[Brexit and the revolutionary mentality, with Fintan O'Toole]]> Sun, 11 Oct 2020 11:38:52 GMT 1:03:31 7e18bd4c-891d-4fbe-a74e-d763e3c6a216 false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/brexit-and-the-revolutionary-mentality-with-fintan-o-toole 6462652e10dbac0011c22cce 6462652801a21a001146cc01 full In this episode Rafael Behr speaks to celebrated Irish author and journalist Fintan O'Toole about their shared fascination with nationalism and the myths of foreign oppression that fired a very English revolution. Also featuring digressions on the Scottish independence movement, Irish attitudes to Brexit and the Italian Job.

Fintan O'Toole is a historian, critic and cultural commentator; author of many books that range across questions of culture, identity, nationhood in Ireland and Britain. He is one of Ireland's most prominent and eminent political writers.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> In this episode Rafael Behr speaks to celebrated Irish author and journalist Fintan O'Toole about their shared fascination with nationalism and the myths of foreign oppression that fired a very English revolution. Also featuring digressions on the Scottish independence movement, Irish attitudes to Brexit and the Italian Job.

Fintan O'Toole is a historian, critic and cultural commentator; author of many books that range across questions of culture, identity, nationhood in Ireland and Britain. He is one of Ireland's most prominent and eminent political writers.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Truth, lies and statistics - Rafael Behr meets Tim Harford Truth, lies and statistics - Rafael Behr meets Tim Harford Sun, 13 Sep 2020 19:02:22 GMT 57:06 e53dad32-a6cc-441e-8ae6-649bb50487bc false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/rafael-behr-talks-to-bbc-radio-4-s-more-or-less-presenter-tim-harford-about-his-new-book 6462652e10dbac0011c22ccf 6462652801a21a001146cc01 full This week Rafael Behr talks to Tim Harford, BBC Radio 4's presenter of More or Less and FT columist, about his new book: How To Make The World Add Up.

Tim Harford writes the Undercover Economist column for the FT and was previously an economics leader writer for the FT.

He is also the author of seven books, including the million-selling, The Undercover Economist and before that, Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy.

He is also a regular presenter for BBC radio.

He was made an OBE in the 2019 new year honours list “for services to improving economic understanding.

Link to buy the book: www.hive.co.uk/Product/Tim-Harford/How-to-Make-the-World-Add-Up--Ten-Rules-for-Thinking-Diff/25138829)

If you have a questions, comments or suggestions for Rafael about the podcast please email potc@larchmontfilms.com

If you enjoy this podcast do please like, share and review it.

Phil (the producer)

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> This week Rafael Behr talks to Tim Harford, BBC Radio 4's presenter of More or Less and FT columist, about his new book: How To Make The World Add Up.

Tim Harford writes the Undercover Economist column for the FT and was previously an economics leader writer for the FT.

He is also the author of seven books, including the million-selling, The Undercover Economist and before that, Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy.

He is also a regular presenter for BBC radio.

He was made an OBE in the 2019 new year honours list “for services to improving economic understanding.

Link to buy the book: www.hive.co.uk/Product/Tim-Harford/How-to-Make-the-World-Add-Up--Ten-Rules-for-Thinking-Diff/25138829)

If you have a questions, comments or suggestions for Rafael about the podcast please email potc@larchmontfilms.com

If you enjoy this podcast do please like, share and review it.

Phil (the producer)

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Farewell to normal? Farewell to normal? Sun, 23 Aug 2020 18:56:45 GMT 28:35 14185f14-d16f-4c4b-b9ab-c3a4605813bd false https://politics-on-the-couch.zencast.website/episodes/farewell-to-normal 6462652e10dbac0011c22cd0 6462652801a21a001146cc01 bonus Host Rafael Behr looks ahead to a new political season that promises to be like none in recent memory and reflects on a lost summer of coronavirus denial, with some digressions on party conferences, Brexit and Cliff Richard.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Host Rafael Behr looks ahead to a new political season that promises to be like none in recent memory and reflects on a lost summer of coronavirus denial, with some digressions on party conferences, Brexit and Cliff Richard.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> We can log out but can we ever leave? Helen Lewis talks about the trouble with Twitter We can log out but can we ever leave? Helen Lewis talks about the trouble with Twitter Wed, 17 Jun 2020 23:12:23 GMT 31:28 6975a87e-16f3-482f-bb27-5b257f2e9415 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/twitter-trump-and-witches-in-conversation-with-helen-lewis 6462652e10dbac0011c22cd1 6462652801a21a001146cc01 twitter-trump-and-witches-in-conversation-with-helen-lewis full 5 This week Rafael Behr and Helen Lewis discuss social media's corrosive effect on politics and public discourse, and how we can all respond.

Helen Lewis is a staff writer at the Atlantic, was deputy editor at the New Statesman, presents BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour, and is a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4's News Quiz. She's written a book about the history of feminism, is ambivalent towards Twitter but likes the Sopranos and embroidery.

Helen's new book - (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/feb/16/difficult-women-history-of-feminism-11-fights-helen-lewis-review)

Helen's newsletter - http://helenlewis.substack.com

Helen's writing in the Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/author/helen-lewis

Helen's lecture on the failure's of political journalism - https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/video/helen-lewis-failures-political-journalism

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> This week Rafael Behr and Helen Lewis discuss social media's corrosive effect on politics and public discourse, and how we can all respond.

Helen Lewis is a staff writer at the Atlantic, was deputy editor at the New Statesman, presents BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour, and is a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4's News Quiz. She's written a book about the history of feminism, is ambivalent towards Twitter but likes the Sopranos and embroidery.

Helen's new book - (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/feb/16/difficult-women-history-of-feminism-11-fights-helen-lewis-review)

Helen's newsletter - http://helenlewis.substack.com

Helen's writing in the Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/author/helen-lewis

Helen's lecture on the failure's of political journalism - https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/video/helen-lewis-failures-political-journalism

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Trust in the Time of Coronavirus Trust in the Time of Coronavirus Mon, 08 Jun 2020 20:41:29 GMT 49:34 297d8a64-5d9c-47d3-8823-85b45f018b5d false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/trust-in-the-time-of-coronavirus 6462652e10dbac0011c22cd2 6462652801a21a001146cc01 trust-in-the-time-of-coronavirus full 4 This week, Rafael Behr talks to Bobby Duffy from The Policy Institute at King's College London about trust in the government during the Coronavirus pandemic and how our identities and cognitive biases affect who we trust in politics.

Topics discussed in order

1-4

Fall-out from Dominic Cummings;Public health messaging during lock-down;Stats coronavirus tests it says it’s been carrying out;Bobby Duffy conversation starts

5-10

King's College new report;support for the government coming out of the lock-down;How identities influence how we view the government's response to the pandemic;Growth of tribal identities;Conflict extension theory;Potential for a culture war like the US?

10.30

Connections between leave/remain tribes and trust in how govt. is dealing with Coronavirus;National pride;Confirmation bias How do political identity and self-preservation interact?

14

How good are we at assessing risk?Emotional innumeracy

17.40

Good that we overestimate risk in such scenarios?System 1 v System 2 thinkingDo politicians exploit our ‘faulty thinking’?

21

Do we understand reality more or less than the 1940s?

22

Deliberative democracy;What is it?Is it underused?

24

Eire using DD before their 2018 abortion referendum;Is context important?

29

Has trust in politicians declined recently?Is it rational not to trust politicians?

31

Do we suffer from rosy retrospection?Does identity come before people’s politics?

36

Progressives, facts and trust;Moral outlook and who we trustHow Trump communicates trust via a distorted view of reality.

40

How will we look back at our unity at the start of the lock-down?room for optimism?optimism/uncertainty about how we come out of Coronavirus;generational conflict?

48

In conclusion

49
End


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> This week, Rafael Behr talks to Bobby Duffy from The Policy Institute at King's College London about trust in the government during the Coronavirus pandemic and how our identities and cognitive biases affect who we trust in politics.

Topics discussed in order

1-4

Fall-out from Dominic Cummings;Public health messaging during lock-down;Stats coronavirus tests it says it’s been carrying out;Bobby Duffy conversation starts

5-10

King's College new report;support for the government coming out of the lock-down;How identities influence how we view the government's response to the pandemic;Growth of tribal identities;Conflict extension theory;Potential for a culture war like the US?

10.30

Connections between leave/remain tribes and trust in how govt. is dealing with Coronavirus;National pride;Confirmation bias How do political identity and self-preservation interact?

14

How good are we at assessing risk?Emotional innumeracy

17.40

Good that we overestimate risk in such scenarios?System 1 v System 2 thinkingDo politicians exploit our ‘faulty thinking’?

21

Do we understand reality more or less than the 1940s?

22

Deliberative democracy;What is it?Is it underused?

24

Eire using DD before their 2018 abortion referendum;Is context important?

29

Has trust in politicians declined recently?Is it rational not to trust politicians?

31

Do we suffer from rosy retrospection?Does identity come before people’s politics?

36

Progressives, facts and trust;Moral outlook and who we trustHow Trump communicates trust via a distorted view of reality.

40

How will we look back at our unity at the start of the lock-down?room for optimism?optimism/uncertainty about how we come out of Coronavirus;generational conflict?

48

In conclusion

49
End


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> Has Cummings cut through - in all the wrong ways? Has Cummings cut through - in all the wrong ways? Wed, 27 May 2020 13:33:13 GMT 23:24 e0506a85-90f8-44b1-9d55-0ed787c60f5d false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/hasCummingscutthrough 6462652e10dbac0011c22cd3 6462652801a21a001146cc01 hasCummingscutthrough bonus 3 In this bonus edition Rafael Behr takes a break from his lock-down holiday to ask - what is 'political cut-through' and why Dominic Cummings appears to have cut so deep into the national conversation? In the midst of a pandemic, has a political mover renowned for capturing the mood of nation misjudged it this time?


NB This episode was recorded on the morning of 26 May before any post-conference opinion polls.




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> In this bonus edition Rafael Behr takes a break from his lock-down holiday to ask - what is 'political cut-through' and why Dominic Cummings appears to have cut so deep into the national conversation? In the midst of a pandemic, has a political mover renowned for capturing the mood of nation misjudged it this time?


NB This episode was recorded on the morning of 26 May before any post-conference opinion polls.




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> <![CDATA[How does it feel ? In conversation with Parliament's only politician and psychotherapist]]> Thu, 07 May 2020 14:46:56 GMT 47:22 8a5ba864-53ea-4688-ba62-d7833c9238e7 false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/InconversationwithJohnAlderdice 6462652e10dbac0011c22cd4 6462652801a21a001146cc01 InconversationwithJohnAlderdice full 2 This week Rafael Behr talks to The Lord John Alderdice about his incredible life as a politician, psychiatrist and psychotherapist.


They discuss how his formative years living in Northern Ireland influenced his decision to train as a psychiatrist and then psychotherapist; how this then informed his whole approach to politics and his political philosophy; and how it also helped him as a key negotiator in the Good Friday Agreement talks. He also gives some advice to any intolerant liberal progressives out there!


If you're interested in reading more about him and his work - this link will prove helpful.


https://lordalderdice.com/publications


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> This week Rafael Behr talks to The Lord John Alderdice about his incredible life as a politician, psychiatrist and psychotherapist.


They discuss how his formative years living in Northern Ireland influenced his decision to train as a psychiatrist and then psychotherapist; how this then informed his whole approach to politics and his political philosophy; and how it also helped him as a key negotiator in the Good Friday Agreement talks. He also gives some advice to any intolerant liberal progressives out there!


If you're interested in reading more about him and his work - this link will prove helpful.


https://lordalderdice.com/publications


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> How pandemics affect our political brain How pandemics affect our political brain Sat, 11 Apr 2020 16:56:00 GMT 41:13 29f5120f-e3e2-4bb7-bd97-4362737ea88b false https://shows.acast.com/politicsonthecouch/episodes/how-pandemics-affect-our-political-brain 6462652e10dbac0011c22cd5 6462652801a21a001146cc01 how-pandemics-affect-our-political-brain Host Rafael Behr talks to cognitive psychologist Dr Leor Zmigrod about how different personalities react differently in times of national crisis. full 1 This week our host Rafael Behr is in conversation with Dr Leor Zmigrod about how cognitive science can help us understand how political identities are formed, and how people's ideological affiliations might affect how they respond to a national crisis.

If you want to delve further into the topic

Reader-friendly essays

Zmigrod, L. (2019). The partisan brain: cognitive study suggests people on the left and right are more similar than they think.

https://theconversation.com/the-partisan-brain-cognitive-study-suggests-people-on-the-left-and-right-are-more-similar-than-they-think-123578

Zmigrod, L. (2018). Brexit: how cognitive psychology helps us make sense of the vote.

https://theconversation.com/brexit-how-cognitive-psychology-helps-us-make-sense-of-the-vote-95031

Relevant academic papers

Zmigrod, L. (2020). The Role of Cognitive Rigidity in Political Ideologies: Theory, Evidence, and Future Directions. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 34, 34-39.

See paper here.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.10.016

Zmigrod, L., Ebert, T., Götz, F. M., & Rentfrow, J. (2020). The Psychological and Socio-political Consequences of Infectious Diseases. Retrieved from psyarxiv.com/84qcm

Tybur, J. M., Inbar, Y., Aarøe, L., Barclay, P., Barlow, F. K., De Barra, M., ... & Consedine, N. S. (2016). Parasite stress and pathogen avoidance relate to distinct dimensions of political ideology across 30 nations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(44), 12408-12413 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1607398113

Murray, D. R., Schaller, M., & Suedfeld, P. (2013). Pathogens and politics: Further evidence that parasite prevalence predicts authoritarianism. PloS One, 8(5). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0062275

Kim, H. S., Sherman, D. K., & Updegraff, J. A. (2016). Fear of Ebola: The influence of collectivism on xenophobic threat responses. Psychological Science, 27(7), 935-944. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616642596


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]> This week our host Rafael Behr is in conversation with Dr Leor Zmigrod about how cognitive science can help us understand how political identities are formed, and how people's ideological affiliations might affect how they respond to a national crisis.

If you want to delve further into the topic

Reader-friendly essays

Zmigrod, L. (2019). The partisan brain: cognitive study suggests people on the left and right are more similar than they think.

https://theconversation.com/the-partisan-brain-cognitive-study-suggests-people-on-the-left-and-right-are-more-similar-than-they-think-123578

Zmigrod, L. (2018). Brexit: how cognitive psychology helps us make sense of the vote.

https://theconversation.com/brexit-how-cognitive-psychology-helps-us-make-sense-of-the-vote-95031

Relevant academic papers

Zmigrod, L. (2020). The Role of Cognitive Rigidity in Political Ideologies: Theory, Evidence, and Future Directions. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 34, 34-39.

See paper here.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.10.016

Zmigrod, L., Ebert, T., Götz, F. M., & Rentfrow, J. (2020). The Psychological and Socio-political Consequences of Infectious Diseases. Retrieved from psyarxiv.com/84qcm

Tybur, J. M., Inbar, Y., Aarøe, L., Barclay, P., Barlow, F. K., De Barra, M., ... & Consedine, N. S. (2016). Parasite stress and pathogen avoidance relate to distinct dimensions of political ideology across 30 nations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(44), 12408-12413 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1607398113

Murray, D. R., Schaller, M., & Suedfeld, P. (2013). Pathogens and politics: Further evidence that parasite prevalence predicts authoritarianism. PloS One, 8(5). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0062275

Kim, H. S., Sherman, D. K., & Updegraff, J. A. (2016). Fear of Ebola: The influence of collectivism on xenophobic threat responses. Psychological Science, 27(7), 935-944. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616642596


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

]]>