Politics
• Analysis
Michael Gove austerity episode: Radical Thinking's recommended reading, from the Spectator to the Cameron years
The Radical Thinking podcast episode on Michael Gove's austerity politics, hosted by Aditya Chakrabortty and released on 18 October 2026, points listeners to Nesrine Malik's column on the Spectator, a paper on the economics of the Cameron years, and Phil Burton-Cartledge's blog on party coalitions.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 18, 2026
• 2 Min Read
Malik's question about Britain's oldest political magazine
Alongside the Michael Gove austerity conversation at the centre of the episode, the podcast recommends Nesrine Malik's Guardian column on the Spectator. Malik asks why Britain's oldest political magazine has become, in her words, a cheerleader for Islamophobia. Her column puts the question in these terms:
Why has Britain's oldest political magazine become such a rabid cheerleader for Islamophobia?
The economics of the Cameron years
Another pointer is a paper on the economics of the Cameron years. It argues that the Tories failed to move the UK away from being a country of renters towards a country of makers. Two of its authors were due back on a later episode of the series.
Tracking party coalitions
The episode also directs listeners to Phil Burton-Cartledge, who writes a blog on British politics tracking how each party is trying to marshall a coalition of voters, including a post on Kemi Badenoch.
Where the episode fits in the series
The episode, which features the interview with Michael Gove on austerity, was released on 18 October 2026 with Aditya Chakrabortty as host. The series continues, with the two authors of the Cameron-years paper scheduled to appear on a later episode.
