The Reaction Podcast

On this episode, Reaction’s political reporter Max Mitchell speaks to historian Henry Hemming about his new book Four Shots in the Night: A True Story of Stakeknife, Murder and Justice in Northern Ireland. They talk about the importance of intelligence during the Troubles, the evolution of the IRA and its eventual involvement in the democratic process, Margaret Thatcher’s lack of interest and inept diplomacy in Northern Ireland and Operation Kenova’s case against the agent known as Stakenife. 

Ahead of the London Defence Conference, host Iain Martin speaks to Sir Michael Fallon, former defence secretary, about establishing Western deterrence in a new age of geopolitical uncertainty. They touch on AUKUS, Britain’s relationship with its European allies, a potential national service and why deterrence saves lives and money in the long term.

On this episode, host Iain Martin speaks to John Rentoul about the consequences of the local elections, the Tory defections, Labour’s readiness for government and what Keir Starmer believes in. 

On this episode of the Reaction Podcast, host Iain Martin is joined by Tim Shipman, chief political commentator at The Sunday Times, to talk about his new book, No Way Out: Brexit: From the Backstop to Boris. They discuss the political gambles, successes and failures that led Brexit Britain to where it is today, the legacy of Theresa May’s premiership, what the Brexit moment tells us about historical revolutionary times, the dishonesty of both Brexiteers and Remainers and the future of Britain outside the EU.

On this episode, Max Mitchell (standing in for Iain Martin) speaks to author and journalist Kapil Komireddi about the upcoming Indian elections. They discuss the domineering figure of Narendra Modi, the rise of Hindu nationalism, the tumultuous history of modern India and Kapil’s book, Malevolent Republic: A Short History of the New India, which has just been released in a new and revised paperback edition.

In this conversation hosted by Reaction, Political Reporter and Podcast Editor Max Mitchell speaks to author and journalist James Kaplan about his new book 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool. They discuss the genius of Miles Davis, how these musicians came together to create the best-selling jazz album of all time, the economic and social conditions that affected mid-20th century jazz and Kind of Blue’s lasting power.

On this episode, Reaction’s Executive Editor Maggie Pagano sits in for Iain Martin and is joined by commentator and founder of ConservativeHome Tim Montgomerie. They discuss whether Rishi Sunak will survive till the next election, who might take over the party, why Labour is courting the corporate world and what it means for a potential Labour government, the state of the economy and why DEI has gone too far. 

On this episode, host Iain Martin speaks to historian and author Jade McGlynn about the Russian myths and propaganda powering the war in Ukraine. Calling in from Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, Jade talks about her two important books on modern Russia, Russia’s War and Memory Makers: The Politics of the Past in Putin's Russia. The discussion also touches on Ukrainian morale, the ethical catastrophe engulfing an ever more chaotic Russia, European military capacity and what might happen in the war’s third year.

In this episode, host Iain Martin speaks to geopolitical expert and Reaction columnist Tim Marshall about the state of global conflict. They touch on the recent developments in the Israel-Hamas war, the future of the Middle East, how the growing Axis of Resistance is enabling Putin’s war in Ukraine, European rearmament and deterrence with or without the US and the end of the end of history.

On this episode, host Iain Martin talks to Merryn Somerset Webb, Bloomberg columnist and author, about her prescient book Share Power. The discussion touches on the origins of ESG, how huge amounts of money poured into sustainability funds, its vague and subjective definitions, how ESG could only exist in a low interest rate environment, what Jeremy Hunt will do in the Spring Budget and the failure of central banks.

On this week’s podcast, host Iain Martin speaks to Elisabeth Braw, senior fellow at Atlantic Council and author of the new book Goodbye Globalisation. Since the end of the Cold War, many saw the adoption of market economies by previously communist countries as a sign that a liberal democratic system of government had prevailed definitively over authoritarian and totalitarian regimes. Those who argued for globalisation said that if goods, services and dollars crossed borders, then soldiers would not. But the world is changing again. War has returned to Europe with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the US and China are at loggerheads over Taiwan and there's the Middle East once again in crisis. There are concerns about supply chains and the viability of the global trading system. All themes addressed in Goodbye Globalisation.Iain and Elisabeth discuss the development of globalisation, the philosophy underpinning it, the huge financial and cultural successes, its increasing volatility, whether it will last and what financial system might replace it.

Host Iain Martin talks to Ed Conway about his book Material World. From the extraction processes to treatment, through the supply chains and on to the consumer, Ed’s new book follows the stories of the key substances that have built the modern world: sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium. We are heavily reliant on these substances but often ignorant of where they come from, how they are made and how civilisation would crumble without them. In this episode, Iain and Ed discuss how climate change, the energy crisis and the threat of new global conflict will affect our relationship to the material world.

This week, host Iain Martin talks to Francis Hoar, barrister and legal commentator, about the disaster of political decision-making during the pandemic. The discussion ranges from the fallacy of zero Covid to the embarrassment of politicians standing in the way of an honest reckoning with the mistakes made. Francis argues that society has to reassess its relationship with risk, health and liberty.

On this episode, host Iain Martin interviews Lord Arbuthnot, Post Office scandal campaigner, about the heroic role he played, helping to pave the way for justice. They discuss the history of the scandal, the groupthink of Post Office and Fujitsu employees, the fallacy of blind faith in machines, the scandal's similarities to the 1994 Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash and potential governmental and judicial reforms.

On the first episode of the new year, host Iain Martin sits down with Tim Montgomerie to look at the year ahead in politics. With almost two billion people in 60 countries heading to the polls in 2024, it is sure to be a year of geopolitical shifts. Iain and Tim discuss what the Tory party can do to salvage the election, the rise of the Labour party and its potential style of governance, the seeming inevitability of Donald Trump's return, the consequences of the EU elections for European security and whether 2024 will see further escalations in Ukraine, Israel and other conflicts.

Host Iain Martin speaks to Gerry Baker, editor-at-large of the Wall Street Journal, about his new book American Breakdown: Why We No Longer Trust Our Leaders and Institutions and How We Can Rebuild Confidence. They talk about the loss of legitimacy in American politics, hyperpartisanship, inequality, how American democracy can be saved, what next year's presidential election means for global politics and Henry Kissinger.

Host Iain Martin and guest Paul Goodman, editor of Conservative Home, discuss the crisis facing Rishi Sunak and long-term Tory problems.

Host Iain Martin and guest Tim Montgomerie on the Autumn Statement, immigration numbers and the rise of Reform, the party that with Nigel Farage could turn Conservative defeat into a rout.

This week, Iain Martin speaks to Helen Thompson about the geopolitics of energy. They touch on why the Ukraine war hasn’t sparked a European awakening on energy security, the energy picture around Israel and the Middle East, why Trump 2.0 could be bad news for European security and her book Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century which is now out in paperback.  

On this episode, Iain Martin talks to Maggie Pagano, executive editor of Reaction, about the Suella Braverman debacle, the state of the economy ahead of the Autumn Statement, the potential of electoral reform, the influence of social justice activism on businesses, the coming year of elections and a potential Biden-Trump re-run.

This week, Iain Martin speaks to David Petraeus, retired four star US Army general and former director of the CIA, about a new age of global conflict. They discuss his book Conflict, co-authored with Andrew Roberts, the danger of the Gaza ground invasion, what the Middle East looks like post-war, his experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, China's geopolitical goals and the war in Ukraine.

What's going wrong at the Covid inquiry? This week on the Reaction Podcast, host Iain Martin is joined by  Robert Dingwall, emeritus professor of sociology at Nottingham Trent University and Alastair Benn, deputy editor of Engelsberg Ideas. They discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, the revelations from the inquiry and whether we have learned any lessons for next time round.

This week on the Reaction Podcast, Iain Martin is joined by Maggie Pagano, executive editor and columnist at Reaction, to discuss the Middle East crisis, the death of corporate Britain and the Covid inquiry. They touch on the geopolitical consequences of escalation in the Middle East and what it means for US-Iran relations, how the pro-Palestinian protests have turned sour across the West, why Britain's pensions and capital markets are in such a mess, how Britain can stimulate growth and the recent revelations of the Covid inquiry.

This week on the Reaction Podcast, Iain Martin is joined by Tim Marshall, leading geopolitical expert, best-selling author and Reaction columnist to discuss the Middle East crisis. They discuss the geopolitical consequences of the Hamas attack on Israel, how Israel was caught off-guard, the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict, the geographical complications of Israel’s potential war on several fronts and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s future as his nation's leader.

This week on the Reaction Podcast, Iain Martin is joined by Mick Ryan, leading strategist and retired major general from the Australian Army. They discuss the prospects for the war in Ukraine, the geopolitical threat of China, his own experiences in the field and as a military adviser and what we can learn from military history.  

On this week's edition, Iain Martin is joined by George Trefgarne, CEO and Founder at Boscobel & Partners, to discuss the disastrous HS2 project and Max Mitchell from Reaction's Young Journalist's Programme talking party conferences and the second Republican debate. 

On the latest Reaction podcast Iain Martin talks to Walter Russell Mead, WSJ columnist and leading geopolitical commentator. They discuss the US election, China-US tensions, Taiwan, Europe's declining status, the rise of Asia, and Britain post-Brexit.

Iain Martin is joined by political commentator Tim Montgomerie. They discuss the state of British politics, Rishi Sunak's prospects, the next Tory leadership contest, the transformation of the Labour party and what the future of British politics looks like.

The Reaction Podcast is back. Host Iain Martin sits down with his friend and Times colleague Daniel Finkelstein to talk about his new book, Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad: A Family Memoir of Miraculous Survival.

Maggie Pagano, editor of Reaction, talks to Joe Murphy, doyen of Westminster hacks and former political editor of the Evening Standard, and Mark Fox, deputy chairman of Reaction, about Liz Truss's departure, who might take over and what it means for the future of the party. And whether the Tories can still win the next election with a new "unifying" leader. 

Can Boris Johnson survive the twin by-election defeats? Why has Dowden resigned? What on earth are the Tories playing at?

In this episode, Iain Martin is joined by Tim Montgomerie. They discuss the Tory leadership, inflation and central banks, and divides in the West over Ukraine.

In this episode Iain Martin is joined by Tim Montgomerie. They discuss the Tory leadership, inflation and central banks, and divides in the West over Ukraine.

In this week’s podcast, Iain Martin, Maggie Pagano and Alastair Benn discuss Britain's energy crisis and the Chancellor's package to help Britons with the cost of living. Plus, what will be the legacy of Partygate for Boris Johnson's leadership?

n this week’s podcast, Iain Martin, Maggie Pagano and Alastair Benn discuss a possible trade war between the EU and the UK, whether Putin is making progress in the Donbas, and the pros and cons of WFH.

In this week’s podcast, Iain Martin, Maggie Pagano and Alastair Benn discuss the results of the French Presidential Election, Covid fines and the cost of living, and shifting war aims in Ukraine.

Partygate divisions, scandal that will bring him down, Ukraine war and French election

In this week's podcast Iain Martin and Maggie Pagano discuss Sunak's non-dom downfall, British science giving grounds for optimism and the conference hosted by Reaction and King's College London's on the Defence of Europe scheduled for the 9th of May. 

In this week's podcast Iain Martin, Maggie Pagano and Alastair Benn discuss  how bad the UK economy is going to get and how world leaders can avoid escalating the war in Ukraine.

In this week's podcast Iain Martin talks to Maggie Pagano and Alastair Benn about the West's astonishing economic response to Putin's invasion of Ukraine, what has surprised them most about the course of the war and whether the war means Boris Johnson will survive.

In the latest edition of the Reaction podcast, Iain Martin, Maggie Pagano and Alastair Benn discuss the crisis in Ukraine and the historical backdrop. How should the West respond? Will sanctions work? Is this a war likely to be limited to Ukraine or should the West prepare for a wider conflict if Putin challenges NATO?

In the latest episode of the weekly Reaction podcast, editor Iain Martin and Alastair Benn discuss the impact of the pandemic. We all want it gone, but before it slips into the rear view mirror of history what lessons are there to learn about the way it reshaped our politics and society?

The Reaction podcast is back in its original format. This week, the team Britain has taken a robust position on Russia and Ukraine. Have British policymakers called it right or the French drive for compromise more sensible. Iain Martin, Maggie Pagano and Alastair Benn, from the Reaction team, also discuss Boris Johnson's chances of survival, post-Covid politics and gender neutral toilets.

Reaction Press Review, the show where Reaction editors discuss the best stories, writing, podcasts and videos that have caught their attention in the last week. This week on episode 19, Iain Martin is joined by Mattie Brignal and Alastair Benn. They discuss whether the West has underestimated Vladimir Putin's capacity to withstand sanctions, whether New Zealand will ever move on from Covid, and how Boris et al have taken us all for fools, as well as earbuds, Jacques Rueff’s quest for monetary order, and the wonders of Essex.

On this latest episode of Press Review, editors Iain Martin, Maggie Pagano and Alastair Benn discuss Tory turmoil, Biden’s troubles, the threat of war, some economic good news, Shane Warne and more.

Merryn Somerset Webb talks to Reaction editor Iain Martin about her new book Share Power: How ordinary people can change the way that capitalism works - and make money too. Who is shaping the big investment decisions globally? What should companies care about? Why don't more shareholders realise they have individual and collective power? What can be done to fix it? This is the latest episode of the Author in Conversation show on Reaction. Merryn Somerset Webb is Editor-in-Chief of MoneyWeek, a columnist for The Financial Times and one of the world's leading commentators on investment.

Azeem Azhar is the author of Exponential: How Accelerating Technology is Leaving us Behind and What to do About it. Here he talks to Reaction editor Iain Martin, in the latest of our authors in conversation series. There is a growing gap between technologists and the rest of us, what Azeem describes as the exponential gap. What are the implications and how should we adapt?

In this extended podcast Iain Martin speaks to Iain Dale about his new book The Presidents: 250 Years of American Political Leadership. Iain Martin hosts Press Review episode 14 where the team cover stories on fears over the next pandemic, central banks and growing fears of inflation, the migration crisis in Europe, why the supply chain bottlenecks are finally easing up and the ongoing fallout following the Owen Paterson scandal. Maggie Pagano hosts Press Review episode 15 on US stocks slide on news of new covid variant in South Africa, the English Channel tragedy, the flooding at The Smithsonian, how the internet has stopped us all being able to forget and the decline of the male novelist.