Matthew D'Ancona, journalist on the "dark, dark stuff"

Welcome to Peter York’s Culture Wars House Party. This episode, I’m joined by Matthew d’Ancona—former Spectator editor, Guardian columnist, and early prophet of the post-truth age. He left The Spectator, as he puts it, “when the world was falling apart,” and when “politics suddenly became downstream from culture.”

We trace his career—and his defence of identity politics, along with the “big fat message” he believes liberalism needs to hear.

Then there’s the “dark, dark stuff”: mass deportation as blunt-force politics, culture wars by design, and the question hanging over the media—has it already crossed the line from reticence to irresponsibility? Should words like fascist be in the BBC’s vocabulary?

What happens to political parties when the pendulum no longer swings back? Matthew has thoughts – and a few warnings. 

And finally—we learn what he’d rather have been than a journalist.

Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.

@peteryork.bsky.social

LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast

Good Egg Productions

https://goodeggproductions.uk/

---

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