The IPA's Looking Forward Podcast - A weekly podcast of debate and discussion about politics and ideas hosted by Scott Hargreaves, Editor of the IPA Review and Chris Berg of RMIT University and Fellow of the IPA
Episodes
Thursday Jul 30, 2020
Thursday Jul 30, 2020
Intellectual inquiry at Universities is under threat after the Federal Court overturned Peter Ridd’s initial victory in the Federal Circuit Court. What influenced the court’s decision and what does it mean? (0:00-26:24)
Welcome reform of Australia’s model defamation laws has been accepted by all states. How has defamation law been blocking free speech and what change will reform bring for media giants? (26:24-39:21)
As the joy of working from home begins to wear off, what will be the long-term implications of remote work on office policy, culture and economics? (39:21-55:43)
Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Gideon Rozner to discuss these questions and share their culture picks. This week’s picks include the classic TV series’ Kath and Kim, Anne Applebaum’s Twilight of Democracy and Rick Wilson’s Running Against the Devil. (55:43-1:20:50)
Show Notes
Defamation law reform a ‘generational change’; Michael Pelly https://www.afr.com/politics/defamation-law-reform-a-generational-change-20200727-p55fxe
Google staff to stay working from home until at least July 2021; Rob Copeland and Peter Grant https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/google-staff-to-stay-working-from-home-until-at-least-july-2021/news-story/5e3c34c00b48649429caafdc59ce6a10
Working from home? You’ve just had a pay rise; Adam Creighton https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/coronavirus-recession-is-going-to-hit-poor-hardest/news-story/aa77f370a0f39282e8341d6a8209512b
Companies start to think remote work isn’t so great after all; Chip Cutter https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/the-wall-street-journal/companies-start-to-think-remote-work-isnt-so-great-after-all/news-story/2b73e90e38d39fe5479477d187520cd5
Mobility reform key to offset youth jobs pain: Treasury; John Kehoe https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/mobility-reform-key-to-offset-youth-jobs-pain-treasury-20200728-p55g3c
Culture Picks
Kath and Kim (TV Series)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0272397/
Twilight of Democracy; Anne Applebaum https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/621076/twilight-of-democracy-by-anne-applebaum/
Running Against the Devil; Rick Wilson https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/623822/running-against-the-devil-by-rick-wilson/
Wednesday Jul 22, 2020
Wednesday Jul 22, 2020
After months of contradictory communication about the efficacy of face masks, they’re now increasingly mandatory: in what ways do they work and should we be required to wear them? (1:43-17:00)
Federal Parliament has been punted once again after the PM cancelled the next two sitting weeks. With every other Australian business expected to adapt and function as COVIDSafe, why can’t Parliament? (17:00-27:48)
Legislative reform is on the cards for Australia’s unwieldy environmental regulations: will green tape finally be cut to unleash economic recovery? (27:48-40:50).
Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Evan Mulholland to address these questions and dive into their isolation culture picks. This week’s picks include the film Mr Jones, the TV Series’ McMillions as well as Sir Patricks Stewart’s A Sonnet A Day.
Show Notes
Face Coverings Mandatory for Melbourne and Mitchell Shire
UK’s Virtual Parliament, Ranked; Annabelle Dickson
Independent Review of the EPBC Act; Professor Graeme Samuel AC
https://epbcactreview.environment.gov.au
EPBC Act Review: Jobs Win Over Litigious Green Activists
https://ipa.org.au/publications-ipa/epbc-act-review-jobs-win-over-litigious-green-activists
Culture Picks
Mr Jones (2019 Film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr_Jones_(2019_film)
McMillions (TV Series)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9148598/
A Sonnet A Day; Sir Patrick Stewart
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLLiEya-Q4RQdTJb97i8gU6MXHZs_HUlB
Shakespeare's Sonnets & Poems (Folger)
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0743273281/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_KH3fFbDG4HQ56
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
Well may we say God save the Queen because nothing will save the conspiracy theories about the Whitlam Government’s Dismissal. The released palace letters do however reveal deeper truths about our democracy and the falsity of Republican claims (2:24-25:16) As the US election gets closer, Republican are wondering if Trumpism would survive a loss and what’s in it for them afterwards (25:16-41:07) The woke media wars flare again as New York Times Opinion Editor Bari Weiss resigns under pressure. Does this reflect the birth of a new media model how can economics and philosophy explain this media moment? (41:07-1:00:47)
Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Andrew Bushnell to answer these questions and share their culture picks. This week’s picks include the film First Man, Kendrah Morgan and Lesley Harding’s Modern Love, as well as the TV series’ Upload.
Show Notes
Most surprising of the Palace letters shines new light on Whitlam; Anne Twomey
The Palace letters are every bit the bombshell they promised to be; Jenny Hocking
Running Against the Devil: A Plot to Save America from Trump- and Democrats from Themselves; Rick Wilson
https://www.amazon.com.au/Running-Against-Devil-Trump-Themselves/dp/0593137582
The Death - and Rebirth - of the Newspaper?; Chris Berg
https://www.spectator.com.au/2020/07/the-death-and-rebirth-of-the-newspaper/
Resignation Letter; Bari Weiss
Bari Weiss Resigns From New York Times Opinion Post; Edmund Lee
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/business/media/bari-weiss-resignation-new-york-times.html
Culture Picks
First Man; Damien Chazelle
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213641/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
Modern Love: The Lives of John and Sunday Reed; Kendrah Morgan and Lesley Harding
https://www.mup.com.au/books/modern-love-paperback-softback
Upload (TV Series)
Wednesday Jul 08, 2020
Wednesday Jul 08, 2020
It's a double case of Déjà vu in Victoria as it enters Stage 3 lockdown once again, just as the State's finances look like they're headed for a crisis reminiscent of the 1990s, meaning the rest of Australia might once again have to bail it out.
The panel of Scott Hargreaves, Chris Berg and Daniel look at how the outbreak has derailed the national coronavirus containment strategy, and followed a series of failures by the State Government (2:25-22:19). They also analysed the electoral implications of Trump's landmark 4th July speech at Mt Rushmore, which drew the election battlelines with him the side of Western Civilisation versus cancel culture (22:19-39:42) and returning to Victoria the panel looks at IPA research showing the State's plunge into massive debt predated the COVID depression, driven by fantastically expensive transport projects.(39:42-53:45)
In the Books and Culture segment the panel reviews the forthcoming Friedman Conference, the release of the musical Hamilton on Disney streaming service, and demographer Joel Kotkin's book out of the USA on the middle class under pressure from what he calls "neo-feudalism".
Show Notes
Déjà vu in Dan Andrewstan; Daniel Wild
https://www.spectator.com.au/2020/07/deja-vu-in-dan-andrewstan/
Tunnel Vision; Scott Hargreaves and Daniel Wild
https://ipa.org.au/ipa-review-articles/tunnel-vision
Acting on Climate Change and Health in Victoria; Brett Sutton et al.
https://www.mja.com.au/system/files/issues/212_08/mja250527.pdf
Remarks by President Trump at South Dakota’s 2020 Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration
Lin-Manuel Calls “Hamilton” Cancel Culture Criticisms “Valid”; Erika Marie
Culture Picks
Friedman Conference; Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance
The Coming of Neo-Feudalism; Joel Kotkin
https://www.amazon.com.au/Coming-Neo-Feudalism-Warning-Global-Middle-ebook/dp/B07VCG8RPF
Hamilton The Musical; Lin-Manuel Miranda
https://www.disneyplus.com/movies/hamilton/3uPmBHWlO6HJ
Thursday Jul 02, 2020
Thursday Jul 02, 2020
Will the increase in humanities course fees be effective driving job-ready graduates and incentivising academics to deliver meaningful degrees? (03:12-28:00). Modern day ‘witch hunts’ and cancel culture: what has our society come to when militant minorities can make your life hell? (28:01-43:49). The panel discusses the IPA’s new Podcast Five Favourite Books, kicking off with special guest Greg Sheridan as an exclusive to IPA members, and more generally the ideas and literature of our heritage. (47:01-53:19). Your co-hosts Scott Hargreaves and Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Bella d’Abrera to answer these questions as well as share their culture picks.
This week’s picks include The Room Where It Happened: A White House; John Bolton, The Spy and the Traitor; Ben Macintyre, and War for Eternity; Benjamin Teitelbaum. (55:46-1:15:05)
Show Notes
Special IPA Membership Offer: Five Favourite Book
Lead Headline and Sub-Header for The New York Times; Tyler Cowen https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2020/06/lead-headline-and-sub-header-for-the-new-york-times.html
Culture Picks
The Room Where It Happened: A White House; John Bolton https://www.amazon.com/Room-Where-Happened-White-Memoir/dp/1982148039
The Spy and the Traitor; Ben Macintyre
https://www.amazon.com/Spy-Traitor-Greatest-Espionage-Story/dp/1101904194
War for Eternity; Benjamin Teitelbaum
https://www.penguin.com.au/books/war-for-eternity-9780241431078
Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
The movement to tear down statues of historical figures and the past they represent has swept across continents. What do these statues represent and what is their place in the collective history of the nation? (1:57-25:24)
Former Minister, Adem Somyurek, resigned from the ALP after allegations of branch stacking. What light does this shed on the business model of political parties and what does it reveal about the nature of politics? (25:24-39:37)
The NRL has used the power of the people to fight to get out from under the COVID-19 government restrictions. Should other organisations follow suit and what does this tell us about how to get industries back up and running? (39:37-51:34)
Your co-hosts Scott Hargreaves and Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Zachary Gorman to answer these questions as well as share their culture picks. This week’s picks include Delta Blues: The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionised American Music, Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and The Light as well as the popular YouTube channel PewdiePie. (51:34-1:06:16)
Wednesday Jun 10, 2020
Wednesday Jun 10, 2020
This week saw thousands of Australians breaking social distancing laws protesting racism. As more people vote with their feet and ignore lockdown laws, is the pandemic effectively over and what does this mean for lockdown laws? (2:15-16:29) The protestors in the United States are now advocating for the police force to be defunded. What is the place for the police in our society and what would reasonable reform entail? (16:29-30:45) At the New York Times a staff revolt forced an editor to resign just for publishing an opinion piece by a Republican Senator. Has campus woke culture taken over newspapers and is there still a place for legitimate debate in news outlets? (30:45-46:40) Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Director of Policy, Gideon Rozner, to answer these questions as well as share their culture picks. This week’s picks include the Netflix series Space Force, Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson’s Narrow Corridor and Ian Kershaw’s To Hell and Back. (46:40-1:02:41)
Show Notes
How Pandemics End; Gina Kolata
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/10/health/coronavirus-plague-pandemic-history.html
NSW Police Minister Says Protests Larger than 10 People will be Deemed Illegal; Lisa Visentin and Dana McCauley
Calls to Cut Funding for Police Grow in Wake of Protests; Eliza Collins
Why Are the Police in Charge of Road Safety?; Alex Tabarrok
When Journalists Stop Believing in Debate; Damon Linker
https://theweek.com/articles/918140/when-journalists-stop-believing-debate
Culture Picks
Space Force (TV Series)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Force_(TV_series)
The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty; Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
https://www.amazon.com.au/Narrow-Corridor-States-Societies-Liberty-ebook/dp/B07MCRLV2K
To Hell and Back: Europe 1914 - 1945; Ian Kershaw
https://www.amazon.com.au/Hell-Back-Europe-1914-1949/dp/0143109928
Wednesday Jun 03, 2020
Wednesday Jun 03, 2020
As protests and riots break out across America the important issues of policing and police immunities are getting lost, but will feature at election time. But when civil order is challenged by rioters, what options do Governments have but law and order? Is it Trump or the Democrat-controlled cities who have most to do? (2:12-40:02) The Federal Court made a landmark decision to hold a company liable for defamatory comments made by third parties on its Facebook page, putting the fear of god into all sorts of users of the platform? (40:02-46:54) The Liberal government has reached out to Big Business and Big Unions expecting industrial relations reform, but what hopes do we have when the process lacks both vision and involvement by the forgotten people? (46:54-56:24) Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by IPA Adjunct Fellow Aaron Lane to answer these questions as well as share their culture picks. This week's picks include the movie The Leopard, the hit tv-series The Great and John Grisham's The Guardians. (56:24-1:05:57)
Show Notes
ACTU Rump in Morrison's Tent But Quiet Aussies Are Left Out; Daniel Wild
Monopoly on Violence; Max Weber
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopoly_on_violence#Max_Weber's_theory
Our leaders have dithered and lied about the riots as the nation goes up in flames; Tucker Carlson
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-nation-flames-leaders-dithered
Culture Picks
The Great (TV Series); Tony McNamara
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_(miniseries)
The Leopard (Movie); Luchino Visconti
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057091/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
The Guardians; John Grisham
https://www.amazon.com.au/Guardians-John-Grisham/dp/0385544189
Wednesday May 27, 2020
Wednesday May 27, 2020
As Australia is once again faced with the desperate need to liberalise and our reinvigorate our economy post-lockdown, we're joined by an intellectual warrior of the last great era of reform in 80's and 90's, Professor Emeritus Wolfgang Kasper, to explore what's similar and what's different between then and now, and what are the eternal truths about how to mobilise labour, capital and entrepreneurship by cutting red and green tape and getting government out of the way.
Drawing on compelling case studies from post-war German, Spain, Malaysia and indeed Australia, liberalisation is shown to deliver great benefits. But there is a whole new challenge to be faced, and not just from left, as free market reformers grapple with an intellectual landscape convinced deregulation somehow failed and that Governments are best placed to mobilise capital, and the exposure of reliance on China for key supplies has changed everything. The best responses draw on the greats, on Locke and Smith, and also the simple realities of trade where it impossible to untangle supply chains. Wolfgang joins regular co-hosts Scott Hargreaves and Chris Berg and guest panelist Andrew Bushnell to discuss needed reforms, reflect on the Prime Minister's National Press Club address, and question whether the language of reform in the 80's will cut through in 2020s.
Wednesday May 20, 2020
Wednesday May 20, 2020
Just as Trump throws a grenade at the WHO it agrees to a bodged up review into the coronavirus pandemic. Is there a place for a global health organisation that has underperformed and who is possibly doing more harm than good? (2:20-16:10) Peter Ridd, featured on the IPA’s new Heretic Podcast, was sacked by James Cook University for speaking out against its climate change studies. The Heretic’s auteur Gideon Rozner tells how the Podcast came to be (16:10-30:56) The ACCC is drafting a code which will force technology giants to pay media companies for their news. Is this just evening up the bargaining power or a catastrophically dumb and outrageous example of government sanctioned theft (thanks Chris)? (30:56-50:40) Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Gideon Rozner to answer these questions as well as share their culture picks. This week’s picks include the hit Australian TV series Lego Masters, Peter Coleman’s The Liberal Conspiracy and the Netflix film Have a Good Trip. (50:40-1:08:24)
Show Notes
The Heretic Membership Offer
https://ipa.org.au/hereticoffer
Donald Trump’s letter to Dr. Tedros of the World Health Organisation
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1262577580718395393
ACCC calls for consultation to set news bargain between Google, Facebook and media; Lilly Vitorovich and Leo Shanahan
Lego Can Avoid Ai WeiWei, But It Can’t Avoid Politics; Chris Berg
https://chrisberg.org/2015/10/lego-can-avoid-ai-weiwei-but-it-cant-avoid-politics/
Did Lego Really Block Ai WeiWei?; Scott Hargreaves
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/did-lego-really-block-ai-weiwei-scott-hargreaves/
Culture Picks
Lego Masters
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Masters_(Australian_TV_series)
The Liberal Conspiracy: The Congress for Culture Freedom and the Struggle for the Mind of Postwar Europe; Peter Coleman
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0029064813/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_9JZWEbGWJZ2QM
Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/have_a_good_trip_adventures_in_psychedelics