Join host Chris Wright as he delves into some of the most pressing political and social topics of our time, featuring an incredible lineup of guests:

• John O’Brennan: Jean-Monnet Professor of European Integration at the National University of Ireland Maynooth
• Christina Patterson: Writer, broadcaster, executive coach, and columnist
• Daniel Freeman: Columnist and Managing Editor at the Institute of Economic Affairs

🔍 Talking Points This Week

1. Donald Trump
   • John O’Brennan reflects on why he misjudged the recent U.S. election.
   • A breakdown of how and why Donald Trump performed so well.
2. The British Right
   • Is the Reform Party becoming the de facto opposition to the Conservatives?
3. Inequality and Populism
   • Exploring the strong connection between economic inequality and the rise of populist movements.
4. Immigration
   • Why does immigration provoke such strong emotions?
   • Is it actually detrimental, or is the backlash misguided?
5. Western Fertility Rates
   • Do declining fertility rates in the West pose a serious problem?
6. Generational Divide
   • Housing inequality and its growing impact on younger generations.
7. Productivity and the Workforce
   • UK unemployment as of Q3 2024 stands at 4.3%, or 1.5 million people.
   • A staggering 2.8 million are out of work due to long-term illness, a rise exacerbated since the Covid-19 pandemic.
8. Post-Brexit Migration
   • Why have the Conservatives enabled mass legal migration despite their anti-immigration rhetoric?
9. Tory Leadership
   • Could Kemi Badenoch be the one to lead the Conservatives into the next election?

🎧 Tune In
Catch this insightful discussion now on your favourite podcast platform! Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with friends.

📢 Connect with Us
Have thoughts on today’s topics? Join the conversation on X at @ChrisWChrysalis

You can also contact the production team at tom@soundsapien.com

'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner.

© Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.

Rock around the clock productions AB.

www.rockaroundtheclock.co

This episode was produced by Tom Platts at Sound Sapien

Soundsapien.com

This podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com

Topics:

• Keir Starmer’s smoking ban
• The history of smoking regulation in the UK

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• Tackling obesity in the UK
• The broken food system
• Ultra Processed food
• The Ozempic weight loss drug

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• Companies breaking gambling laws
• Immoral advertising
• Gambling addiction and how to tackle it

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• The Oasis ticketing fiasco: what really happened and will it happen again?

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• Is John as confident that Kamala Harris will win as he was last time?
• Our unhealthy obsession with polling both sides of the Atlantic.

In this week’s episode Chris Wright is joined by:

Nick Blackburn to help us shine some light on the mass chaos around Oasis’s new tour tickets. A former director at Ticketmaster, chartered accountant in the music industry, having worked for Chrysalis and Decca records. He is also the founder of See Tickets, the international ticketing services company based in Nottingham, England.

Green Party Peer, Natalie Bennett who led the party in the years up to and through the 2015 general election. She released a book this year entitled ‘Change Everything’ which proposes complete reform to how British society and the economy works, especially in relation to food and the environment. We hear her thoughts as Chris and panel discuss the government’s proposed outdoor smoking ban, and the wider topic of government intervention in our lives, including in tackling obesity.

Jean-Monnet Professor of European Integration at the National University of Ireland Maynooth, John O’Brennan. Following on from the health issues of smoking and obesity, John’s recent research work encompasses a focus on the societal impact of gambling in Ireland and Europe, a subject he speaks about today.



We hope you enjoy this episode and feel free to get in touch with messages, comments or feedback at tom@soundsapien.com


Many thanks,

WOTN Team



'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner.

© Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.

Rock around the clock productions AB.

www.rockaroundtheclock.co



This episode was produced by Sound Sapien
soundsapien.com

This podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com

In this week’s episode Chris Wright is joined by:

Jean-Monnet Professor of European Integration at the National University of Ireland Maynooth, John O’Brennan. John, among his many academic and journalistic accolades is a member of the Institute for European and International Affairs' 'Global Europe', Ireland's leading international affairs think tank.

We also have Edward Hardy, an accomplished journalist across a range of subjects, but for our interest today, a prominent commentator on US as well as UK politics.

We welcome back Eric Schurenberg, a long-time journalist and media executive, former CEO of Inc. and Fast Company, and now the founder of the Alliance for Trust in Media.

We also welcome Matt Malone, the former President and Editor in Chief of America Media, which covers religion, society, politics and culture from a Catholic perspective in the US.


Talking points:

• What would have happened if Trump had been killed?
• How did Biden come to the decision to pull out the race?
• Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump?
• How will the issue of immigration play in the US election?
• Trump’s decision to make J.D Vance his running mate
• Who will Harris choose as her running mate?
• Will Gaza play a role in the debate?
• How will women vote with abortion a major issue in the US?
• Who will win, Trump or Harris?
  
  

We hope you enjoy this episode and feel free to get in touch with messages, comments or feedback at tom@soundsapien.com

Many thanks,
WOTN Team


'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner.
© Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.
Rock around the clock productions AB.
www.rockaroundtheclock.co

This episode was produced by Sound Sapien
Soundsapien.com

This podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com