Fire at Will

Apr 09 2025 115 ep. 49 mins 73

Fire at Will Podcast artwork

A safe space for dangerous conversations, from The Spectator Australia.
The Spectator is the world’s longest-running magazine of news, arts and ideas.
Hosted by Will Kingston.

News Society & Culture

Copy RSS

Subscribe on Podcast Addict

Free minds and free markets, with Nick Gillespie

Apr 09 2025 62 mins

Freedom is under assault across the West. The US is reverting to 18th century economic protectionism, the UK are jailing people for tweets, and Australia gave up on the pretense of rugged individualism a long time ago. How do we fight for freedom in a world that is becoming less free? To help Will with that question, he is joined by Nick Gillespie. Nick is an Editor-at-large at Re

The coming British Civil War, with David Betz

Apr 02 2025 49 mins

The UK is in a dark place, but surely it couldn't reach the point of civil war? Don't be so sure. To discuss the possibility of a looming conflict, Will is joined by David Betz. David is Professor of War in the Modern World at King's College London and a Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Follow Will Kingston and Fire at Will on social media here [https://link

The shameless cross-promotion episode, with Alex Armstrong

Mar 26 2025 57 mins

If you turn on the news in the UK, the chances are the stories will be negative. Mass migration, two-tier justice, woeful economic forecasts, net zero lunacy, and a complete inability of politicians to fix these problems. Are things really as bad as they appear? To help Will understand the real state of the United Kingdom in 2025, he is joined by the host of The Saturday Five (6-9

The Eurasian Century, with Hal Brands

Mar 19 2025 44 mins

We often think of the modern era as the age of American power. In reality, we're living in a long, violent Eurasian century. Eurasia is a strategic prize without equal—which is why the world has been roiled, reshaped and nearly destroyed by clashes over the supercontinent. To discuss the fight for Eurasia in 2025 and beyond, and how to compete with China, Russia, and Iran, Will

The fight for Western civilisation, with Tony Abbott

Mar 12 2025 31 mins

Will recently attended the ARC conference in London, which was basically Coachella for conservatives. During the conference, he sat down with Australia's 28th Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, to discuss the small matter of the future of Western civilization. The interview was released on Spectator TV, the Spectator's YouTube channel. You can watch the interview on YouTube here [https

Ukraine: Three years on, with Francis Dearnley

Mar 06 2025 57 mins

The conversation that surrounds the conflict in Ukraine has become, for the most part, a political Rorschach Test. That's a problem, because there are shades upon shades of grey in this conflict. Whilst principles and moral culpability still matter, "Good Guy v Bad Guy" morality tales don't necessarily get us closer to the truth. As we move into the fourth year of this conflict, i

How tribalism ruined politics, with Andrew Heaton

Feb 26 2025 63 mins

Politics shouldn't be a team sport, but it has become one. Far too many of us blindly support politicians or parties as opposed to critically assessing ideas and policies. Where has this tribalism come from, how has it got so bad, and what do we do about it? To help Will answer those questions, he is joined by comedian, political satirist and author, Andrew Heaton. Andrew's new b

The definitive guide to the German election, with Ralph Schoellhammer

Feb 19 2025 63 mins

The Economist recently described Germany as "the hole at the heart of Europe". That's a reasonable description, particularly given it accounts for a quarter of the EU's output, but it has been in recession for the past two years. Another way to look at it is that Germany is a representation of Europe, and all of its challenges. Mass migration has ripped at the social fabric, with

The myth of free speech in Britain, with Winston Marshall

Feb 12 2025 53 mins

Whilst illiberal progressivism (or woke for short) appears to be in retreat, what will take its place is an open question. The right in the UK has splintered, Europe is still being suffocated by the weight of the leftist social democratic model, free speech is under assault in Australia (as it is pretty much everywhere), and whilst the Republicans are resurgent in the US, Trump's b

The Reform revolution, with Rupert Lowe

Feb 05 2025 42 mins

There's an interesting historical pattern in British politics, and you can see it in various shapes and forms since the days of William the Conqueror. About once every century, there is a realignment that completely changes the nature of politics in the country. The last great realignment was the 1922 election, with the Liberal Party falling to third-party status, the Conservatives