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Listen to the full panel ‘Gender Wars: No End in Sight?’ recorded at the Battle of Ideas on Saturday the 19th October.
Chair: Claire Fox, director, Academy of Ideas.
Panelists:
Jo Phoenix, professor of Criminology.
Simon Calvert, deputy director, The Christian Institute
Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns, Sex Matters
Bev Jackon, co-founder and trustee, LGB Alliance
Stephen Knight, Reporter and podcaster.
0:00 Claire Fox: Intros
6:16 Jo Phoenix: Opening arguments
14:27 Simon Calvert: Opening arguments
20:59 Fiona McAnena: Opening arguments
29:08 Bev Jackson: Opening Arguments
36:45 Stephen Knight: Opening Arguments
43:42 Audience Questions
52:30 Jo Responds
54:49 Simon Responds
56:55 Fiona Responds
58:19 Bev Responds
01:00:30 Stephen Knight Responds
01:03:18 More audience questions
01:23:51 The panelist’s final thoughts.
Full panel info: https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/session/whats-the-future-of-the-gender-wars/
The Academy of Ideas: https://academyofideas.org.uk/
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.
Listen to Stephen Knight's opening arguments from The Battle Of Ideas panel Gender wars: no end in sight?, live from Westminster, London.
This week on Taking The Myth, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) and Iram Ramzan of sedaa.org (@Iram_Ramzan) discuss all the big topics.
0:00 Intro
1:49 Stephen and Iram will be doing a live podcast at October’s Battle Of Ideas in London
5:51 A year on from the 7th of October terror attacks in Israel and war in the middle-east.
25:10 Police officers fired for Bianca Williams stop and search win appeal.
33:34 Violent incident at Manchester airport
37:57 Summer riots in the UK, misinformation, excuse making for thuggery.
48.42 The re-emergence of white identity politics
51:05 Misinformation, Elon Musk and whether ‘X’ is sustainable.
54:00 Atheism on the rise: What are the consequences of declining religiosity? Do humans need a god?
01:05:58 The Marieha Hussain ‘coconut’ sign trial.
01:23:09 Dogs: Iram’s controversial article about man’s best friend.
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Sedaa: www.sedaa.org
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.
This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) speaks to Sall Grover. Sall is a businesswoman currently embroiled in a legal row for trying to create a single sex social App called ‘Giggle’
0:00 Intro
0:59 About Sall and what happened with her App.
5:22 At what point in time did it become controversial to say that “men aren’t women”?
7:23 What does it mean to be “peaked”?
9:23 Why say “there is no such thing as trans”?
11:53 How much of this is ‘cultural’?
15:53 Has trans rights activism hijacked the gay rights movement?
19:38 Does Sall have public support for her legal case and setting a precedent.
25:10 Tickle V Giggle
28:31 Being asked to attend ‘sex and gender’ training.
32:34 Why are men so desperate to access women only services?
35:26 The failure and role of modern feminism.
40:17 The ‘gender row’ at the Paris Olympics with Imane Khelif
45:24 Why do these scandals not appear to change anything?
48:10 How can people help Sall in her legal case?
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.
This week on Taking The Myth, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) and Iram Ramzan of sedaa.org (@Iram_Ramzan) discuss all the big topics.
0:00 Intro
0:19 Obligatory instance of British people moaning about weather.
2:57 Euros 2024
4:30 General Election: Thoughts on a Labour victory and what The Conservatives got wrong.
11:26 The attempted assassination of Donald Trump
15:26 The mental decline of President Joe Biden
19:14 The partisan tribalism with Dems V GOP.
20:58 Tenacious D: Kyle Gass’s Trump assassination joke and the right’s hypocrisy on ‘cancel culture’.
30:50 Endless online conspiracy theories thanks to social media
39:20 The independent government enquiry into claims there have been a “surge” in trans child suicides since puberty blockers were banned.
52:33 The ‘Muslim vote’: Religious sectarianism at the election?
01:02:15 Audience Questions: Trans ‘conversion therapy ban’01:06:08 Audience Question: Thoughts on Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s conversion to Christianity.
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Sedaa: www.sedaa.org
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) Journalist and Author Andrew Gold (@AndrewGold_OK) returns to talk about hid fascinating new book ‘The Psychology of Secrets: My Adventures with Murderers, Cults and Influencers’.
You can watch the video version at www.youtube.com/gspellchecker
0:00 Intro
0:08 Air conditioning and summer heat
1:24 Andrew’s YouTube success and avoiding audience capture
3:51 Doe accusations of bigotry hurt?
8:59 Prosocial lies: How do we recognise when we aren’t being honest?
14:14 Is it dangerous to talk to extreme people? Why cover the most dark, heinous topic possible?
19:42 Do you ever worry people will make judgments about you for the dark topics you write about?
28:27 Andrew Gold’s experience with Piers Morgan
36:46 The fear of running out of things to say in interviews and pushing back with your guests.
41:57 Are the left unwilling to debate their ideas? And does being ‘ex-communicated’ from your ’tribe’ make you more extreme?
51:46 Utopian thinking, Stephen going soft on vegetarianism and the value of religion.
57:18 Jews and Santa
01:02:34 Lie detector tests and the cult leader aspect of ‘influencers’.
01:09:20 Are other people’s secrets a burden?
Buy Andrew’s book: https://amzn.eu/d/bccQLCJ
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.
This week on Taking The Myth, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) and Iram Ramzan of sedaa.org (@Iram_Ramzan) discuss all the big topics.
0:00 Intro
0:21 Where the hell have we been?!
1:19 Iram’s trip to Tel Aviv
16:13 Social media
20:44 Palestinian student has UK student visa revoked for comments about October 7th terror attacks and the topic of Palestinian refugees.
36:37 New proposals for single sex spaces in UK public spaces
44:59 New guidance banning teaching ‘gender ideology’ in schools.
49:52 The Cass Review into gender services for children
57:59 Man tries to enter women’s loos in Central Park
59:53 Is New York Safe?
01:01:29 Michaela School: Muslim student loses prayer ban challenge
01:26:55 Audience Question: Dark or milk chocolate biscuits?
01:18:14 Audience Question: Review of RoboDoc
01:20:14 Audience Question: Ninja swords!
01:27:03 Lucky to be in Britain
Iram reporting from Tel Aviv: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13372277/hamas-kidnapped-grandfather-wife-heartache.html
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Sedaa: www.sedaa.org
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
In November 2023 Stephen Knight spoke on the Panel ‘In the Wake of Terror: Antisemitism today’ at The Battle of Ideas.
Here are his opening arguments and some highlights from the panel.
You can watch the full debate on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uvrilBoPRQk?si=qacsvKWBbGnVfsVL
This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) speaks to musician Louise Distras (@LouiseDistras)
0:00 Intro
0:37 About Louise
1:00 On the perception of ‘cancel culture’ and a bad childhood.
6:13 Policing the language women are allowed to use in this debate
7:13 The political climate in the music industry.
11:20 What first got you in to trouble on the gender debate?
13:28 Being banned from Bandcamp and dropped from her booking agent.
20:27 Is Louise able to record new music now?
22:02 The Smiths singer Morrisey
25:26 Online trans activist mobs
26:55 What happened with Billy Bragg?
30:02 Religious and cult-like behaviour
32:20 Is there a class issue in all this?
35:44 Would Louise keep quiet about this issue if she could go back in time?
39:08 The power of smears and cause for optimism?
43:06 Has your fanbase increased?
45:19 The problem with Spotify
This conversation was recorded before Louise was arrested in December 2023.
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.
This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) speaks to motivational speaker and transgender activist Buck Angel (@BuckAngel).
Watch the video version at www.youtube.com/gspellchecker
0:00 Intro
1:29 About Buck Angel
4:42 Is trans activism hurting the cause for trans people?
6:31 Is there a disproportionate focus on male to female trans people?
8:43 What is it like to experience ‘gender dysphoria’.
11:54 When did Buck decide to transition?
16:08 Do trans activists defend rights or push ideology?
18:30 Does Buck annoy the far-left and the Christian right?
20:26 Is Buck’s sexuality linked to their gender identity?
23:07 Buck’s career in the adult entertainment industry
30:16 The American right’s problem with transgenderism
33:38 Trans activism going too far
36:09 People that say they are “born in the wrong body”.
37:01 “internalised lesbophobia”
38:22 Buck being used as a poster boy for trans success and restroom use. 40:39 The abandonment of young girls in sport 44:07 Buck as a trans success story
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.
This week on Taking The Myth, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) and Iram Ramzan of sedaa.org (@Iram_Ramzan) discuss all the big topics.
0:00 Intro
1:22 France
5:14 French school ‘row’ over renaissance art and Muslim pupils
18:20 The UK’s diplomatic spat with Greece over Parthenon marbles.
25:10 Stephen speaking at The Battle Of Ideas in Buxton
28:38 The march against antisemitism in London and the arrest of Tommy Robinson
34:00 American college presidents, free speech and antisemitism.
45:36 Italian carbonara row
48.14 Owen Jones reviews October 7th massacre footage
57:16 Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?
59:00 Audience questions
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Sedaa: www.sedaa.org
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.
This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) speaks to Author Dr Rakib Ehsan (@rakibEhsan) about his book 'Beyond Grievance: What The Left Gets Wrong About Ethnic Minorities'.
Watch the video version at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE9CIlh4AQg
0:00 Intro
0:10 About Rakib Ehsan
1:49 Why talk about ‘race’ given how controversial it is?
3:04 Does it matter what publications you write for?
5:50 Is religious faith really a solution to our problems?
9:35 Freedom of expression at pro-Palestinian protests and the failure of the Metropolitan Police.
14:04 Reflecting on the Brexit referendum.
16:40 The white saviour complex of the progressive left.
19:18 Is it ethical to limit certain types of immigration?
22:18 ‘The traditional family’ argument.
25:22 The outcome of Bianca Williams’s stop and search case.
32:21 The problem with importing American identity politics and grievances to the UK
37:29 Is the gender debate really all that important to the general public and our election cycle?
41:40 Reflecting on the problem of Jeremy Corbyn
45:44 Do ethnic minorities in the UK lean conservative?
48:55 Is patriotism important to a modern Britian?
55:25 ‘White privilege’ and anti-white attitudes.
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.
This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) speaks to Author, Journalist and editor of The Jewish Chronicle, Jake Wallis Simons about his book ‘Israelophobia’.
Watch the video version at www.youtube.com/gspellchecker
0:00 Intro
0:32 About Jake
2:03 Why the title of ‘Israelophobia’ for Jake’s book?
3:49 Disagreement with David Baddiel
8:18 Israel and the power dynamic
9:40 The left’s problem with Israel and reality
11:40 The problem of Jeremy Corbyn
12:29 Does Keir Starmer understand the problem?
17:08 People who take a position of neutrality on the conflict
19:53 Israel screening footage of Hamas’s atrocities for journalists.
22:04 Islamist and Arab support for Israel from within Israel
28:32 Is Israel an ‘apartheid state’?
34:48 History repeating itself and younger generations
41:36 Is antisemitism a unique form of racism?
45:22 Pro-Palestine marches and freedom of expression
51:46 Are more people openly supporting Israel now?
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.
This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@Gspellchecker) welcomes the return of counter-extremist Liam Duffy. Liam has recently released a report chronicling the problem of violence in response to perceived ‘blasphemy’ in the west. They will discuss the high profile cases and the effect this has had on freedom of expression in the West.
Watch the video version: www.youtube.com/gspellchecker
0:00 Intro
01:02 Have we failed to make any progress on the issue of Islamic ‘blasphemy’ in the west?
01:14 What is ‘The Counter Extremism Project’?
05:41 How are we defining ‘blasphemy’?
08:27 Sensitivity surrounding Islam’s prophet Muhammad
14:32 The chilling effect on free speech: Is it now just a bad idea to publish cartoons that will inevitably inspire violence?
18:03 Elon Musk and should Muhammad cartoons violate Twitter’s rules?
23:56 Are modern blasphemy controversies in the west almost exclusively Islam related?
28:45 The reaction to the attempted murder of Salman Rushdie in New York
35:09 The silence from the UK Government on the Batley teacher forced into hiding.
38:10 Will we see more isolated attacks rather than largescale ones?
44:11 UK ‘hate speech’ laws as secularized blasphemy codes.
Report: Violence Against Perceived Blasphemers In The West – From Khamenei’s Fatwa To The Present: https://www.counterextremism.com/sites/default/files/2023-06/Violence%20Against%20Perceived%20Blasphemers%20in%20the%20West_July%202022.pdf
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Support the podcast at http://www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.
This week on Taking The Myth, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) and Iram Ramzan of sedaa.org (@Iram_Ramzan) discuss all the big topics.
0:00 Intro
2:06 Tommy Robinson’s contempt of court case used as a case study in new Journalism Law textbook.
6:06 Iram meets movie legend Jean Claude Van Damme
10:14 The moral implications of the ‘new’ Beatles song ‘Now and Then’.
14:42 The best Arnold Schwarzenegger impressions you’ll ever hear.
16:52 Elon Musk’s advertiser problems on ‘X’/Twitter.
26:59 The allegations against Russell Brand and his reinvention as a political commentator and ‘guru’.
38:30 Female Newcastle football fan is interviewed by the police and has club membership terminated for tweets about trans people.
32:34 Trans footballer quits women’s team and threatens to sue as rival team refuses to play against them
47:18 Israel/Gaza conflict
01:05:05 Audience Questions: Nigel Farage in I’m A Celeb and daytime drinking.
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Sedaa: www.sedaa.org
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.
This week on Taking The Myth, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) and Iram Ramzan of sedaa.org (@Iram_Ramzan) discuss all the big topics.
0:00 Intro
0:28 Barbie or Oppenheimer?
3:34 Iram stays overnight in a Welsh mine.
10:04 Kevin Spacey found not guilty in court.
18:49 Nigel Farage being ‘debanked’ by Coutts
35:03 Sadiq Khan’s ‘maaate’ campaign and gender lunacy.
49:05 Keir Starmer causes controversy by saying a woman is an ‘adult human female’.
50:48 Ending membership with Humanists UK
55:20 Audience Question: Test Cricket in Manchester
56:30 Audience Question: Fight or leave in the face of institutional capture?
59:22 Audience Question: More on ‘maate’.
59:43 Tobias Ellwood’s comments on Afghanistan
Iram’s Welsh mine article: https://www.mailplus.co.uk/edition/features/292700/now-thats-what-you-call-a-deep-sleep
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Sedaa: www.sedaa.org
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.
This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@Gspellchecker) welcomes author Matt Johnson. They will be discussing Matt’s new book ‘How Hitchens Can Save the Left: Rediscovering Fearless Liberalism in an Age of Counter-Enlightenment’.
Video Version on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6a4Ccp9zhQ
0:00 Intro
0:29 Why focus on Christopher Hitchens to make the points in your book?
2:59 Why does ‘the left’ need saving?
5:55 Leaving the left for the right and Dave Rubin.
09:36 What is meant by ‘the counter-enlightenment’?
11:30 Trump and the right’s hypocrisy on free speech
14:10 Richard Seymour’s terrible book on Christopher Hitchens (‘Unhitched’)
18:36 How much did ‘The Rushdie Affair’ impact the life of Christopher Hitchens?
22:04 Has freedom of speech improved where Islam is concerned since the death of Christopher Hitchens?
25:20 Would it help for people to simply admit they are scared to criticise Islam for safety reasons?
28:57 Stephen Knight’s debate with Chris Hedges about Islam
30:28 What explains the Putin apologism from the American right?
33:34 Christopher Hitchens’s support for the invasion of Iraq
40:12 What did Christopher Hitchens think about identity politics?
45:18 What is ‘fearless liberalism’? How can it be applied?
49:16 The legacy of Jeremy Corbyn
56:34 Disappointment with Hitchens’s dislike of Sci-fi and preference for limericks over puns.
01:00:14 Sensationalist Youtube Thumbnails
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Buy Matt Johnson’s Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitchens-Save-Left-Rediscovering-Counter-Enlightenment/dp/1634312341
Support the podcast at http://www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.
This week on Taking The Myth, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) and Iram Ramzan of sedaa.org (@Iram_Ramzan) discuss all the big topics.
0:00 Intro
1:25 Golliwog controversy pub closes down
4:21 Iram investigates Brazilian Jiujitsu with Roger Gracie
15:17 Andrew Bridgen spreading vaccine falsehoods
28:04 The unlawful tactics of ‘Just Stop Oil’ protests
35:10 Anti-Monarchy protests and police overreach
47:46 Sarah Comrie: The pregnant NYC nurse dubbed ‘racist Karen’ in bike altercation.
1:00:28 Audience Question: Is Artificial Intelligence an existential risk?
1:05:11 Audience Question: What explains the people that support Putin?
1:09:16 Audience Question: Guardians of The Galaxy volume III
1:10:12 Audience Question: Oxford students needing mental health protection from Kathleen Stock
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Iram tries BJJ: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12100889/IRAM-RAMZAN-tries-hand-Britains-fastest-growing-sport-Brazilian-jiu-jitsu.html
Sedaa: www.sedaa.org
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.
This week on Taking The Myth, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) and Iram Ramzan of sedaa.org (@Iram_Ramzan) discuss all the big topics.
0:00 Intro
0:44 The Dalai Lama asking a child to “suck my tongue”.
6:17 Stephen Knight reporting from Kellie-Jay Keen event in London
10:16 The Nashville school shooting in the USA.
18:11 Police seize ‘Golliwog’ dolls from a UK pub after complaints.
30:53 Kier Starmer Vs Rishi Sunak on women with penises.
35:21 The backlash to Dylan Mulvaney’s Nike and Bud light endorsements.
45:17 Elon Musk V Substack
51:33 Megan Markle not attending the Coronation of King Charles
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Sedaa: www.sedaa.org
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
This week on Taking The Myth, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) and Iram Ramzan of sedaa.org (@Iram_Ramzan) discuss all the big topics.
0:00 Intro
0:21 Ramadan
5:10 Shamima Begum loses citizenship appeal and her BBC podcast
14:59 Kellie-Jay Keen (Posie Parker) mobbed in New Zealand
30:13 World Athletics say trans athletes must compete in their correct sex category
40:27 Roald Dahl books changed by publisher to make them more progressive.
54:06 The Wakefield school Quran blasphemy controversy.
01:03:16 Audience Question: Do mobs that shutdown gender critical events actually help to grow support for the gender critical side?
01:06:36 Audience Question: What is going on with Eddie Izzard?
Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com
Sedaa: www.sedaa.org
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker
Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.