In this week’s News Roundtable episode, Chris is joined by multi-award-winning i newspaper journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, author, broadcaster and political commentator Christina Patterson, and the presenter of the Times Radio Early Breakfast show Rosie Wright.The conversation kicks off with a discussion on what is in store for Suella Braverman after her sacking on Monday. Is her perception of her popularity over-inflated? The whole country was shocked by the appointment of former prime minister David Cameron. Was this big call the right one?On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled on the Government’s illegal immigration Rwanda policy, finding it unlawful. The panel discuss whether ‘stopping the boats’ is one of the top issues for the electorate, but also what alternative avenues the government could take to improve the situation. Yasmin offers deep insight as an expert on immigration. The other great ongoing issue of the week was that of the war in Gaza and the UK parliament’s vote against a ceasefire. The panel fought over whether this was the right decision and discussed the revolt against Starmer in the Labour Party. They round up with an update and analysis on the Covid Inquiry and the news of Nigel Farage accepting a spot on ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’ for a record fee. We’d love to hear what you think of the episode at email@wrightonthenail.fm, or get in touch if you just want to say hi! WOTN Team 'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.co This episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

In this week’s News Roundtable episode, Chris Wright is joined by political commentators, Marina Purkiss, Edward Hardy, and political commentator and Communications Officer for the Institute of Economic Affairs Reem Ibrahim.This week’s debate kicks off and remains with the issues surrounding Home Secretary Suella Braverman. She has yet again been called out for the use of toxic language in the public sphere, criticising the Metropolitan Police claiming they have a left-wing bias regarding their treatment of protesters, and calling the pro-Palestinian demonstrations ‘hate marches’. The panel analyses and discusses the significance of language in politics.In a similar vein, the panel discuss and disagree deeply over Carol Vorderman having to step down from the BBC and her radio show. The non-political radio host has been forced out due to her influential online presence as a rather left-wing political voice. The panel get to the bottom of the hypocrisy of this development, similar to that of Gary Lineker’s situation some months ago. The panel reflect on the King’s Speech and the very British constitution that continues this tradition. Is the world laughing at us?-        Suella Braverman, was she trying to get sacked with her rogue police-bashing article.-        The pro-Palestine protest on Remembrance Day and why the language around it is so important. -        Carol Vorderman forced to leave the BBC because of her political activism outside of her radio show. Is there a Conservative bias in the BBC, and is this cancel culture at play? -        Did King Charles enjoy reading out Rishi Sunak’s policies in the State Opening of Parliament? And how the world is laughing at Britain’s anachronistic traditions. We’d love to hear what you think of the episode at email@wrightonthenail.fm, or get in touch if you just want to say hi! WOTN Team 'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.co This episode was produced by Tom Platts This podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

In this week’s News Roundtable episode, Chris Wright is joined  in the debate by the wonderful professor of European Politics, and Jean Monnet Chair of European Integration at the National University of Ireland Maynooth, John O’Brennan, Conservative political commentator, Lee Harris and Labour NEC member, Jess Barnard.The conversation kicks off with the latest Conservative Party scandals of Peter Bone and Crispin Blunt. Is this the final nail in the coffin for the government? The conversation opens up a broader discussion on those who are accused and tried and found guilty on social media and on the front page of the papers before they are tried by the court of law. However, there is clearly a deep sickness in Westminster involving the abuse of power. While country-wide, just 5% of rapes that were given an outcome by the police in the year ending December 2021 resulted in a charge.Then they move on to the upcoming Financial Statement, and whether Sunak should sack Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor, or even Suella Braverman as Home Secretary. Is the economy or immigration the most important issue for voters? Who could be the next Chancellor? Well, it’s likely Rachael Reeves will be there in the not-too-distant future. The panel analysed her standing from giving a great speech at the Labour Party Conference a few weeks ago to recently being accused of serious plagiarism in her new book. The second half of the conversation focuses on the elephant in the room. Israel-Gaza. Keir Starmer has come into some very hot water over his comments that endorsed Israel’s “right to defend itself” and Israel’s war crimes on Palestinians. The panellists analyse the conflict, significantly, the domestic and international response to it. Jess Barnard speaks of her visit to Palestine last year giving a firsthand account of the treatment of Palestinians by Israel and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). This is a very emotive topic to debate and that was certainly the case here… We hope you enjoy this longer episode which we believe the length is backed up by the depth of discussion.  We’d love to hear what you think of the episode at email@wrightonthenail.fm, or get in touch if you just want to say hi! Yours faithfully, WOTN Team 'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.co This episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

This week we are reflecting on some of our best interview episodes with giants of the music industry and, specifically, when they talked about how the megastars they’ve worked with became successful. The special guests in this episode include: -        Emma Banks: The representative for some of the world’s top artists, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Florence And The Machine, Katy Perry, System of a Down, Muse, Kraftwerk and many more. (full episode 17 Aug 2022) -        Carl Leighton-Pope: Starting out in the music industry at a similar time to host Chris Wright of Chrysalis Records, Carl has been a manager, promoter, and agent for some of the biggest names in music over the decades, including Van Morrison, Bryan Adams, Billy Ocean, and Michael Bublé. (full episode 7 Jul 2023) -        Sir Robin Millar: One of the most successful music producers in the world whose career ignited when he produced Sade's debut album "Diamond Life". (full episode 8 Sep 2023) -        Miles Copland: Former manager of the Police and Sting. In 1979, he founded the I.R.S. Records label, producing R.E.M., the Bangles, Berlin, the Cramps, Dead Kennedys, the Alarm, and the Go-Go's, to mention just a few. (full episode 27 Aug 2021)In this segment about Sting, Chris fondly remembers having Jerry Moss, co-founder of A&M Records, over for dinner shortly before the time of recording. Sadly, Moss passed away on the 15th of August this year aged 88. Sting has paid tribute by expressing how big an impact he had on his life and career. (full episode 27 Aug 2021) We’d love to hear what you think of the episode at email@wrightonthenail.fm, or get in touch if you just want to say hi! Yours faithfully WOTN Team 'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.co This episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

In this week’s News Roundtable episode, Chris Wright is joined by former Political Editor of the Sunday Mirror, Nigel Nelson, writer and broadcaster, Christina Patterson, and Labour Councillor and Cabinet Member for Environment and Community Safety at Preston Council, Freddie Bailey.The topics they discuss:-        Who had the best 2023 conference – the Conservatives or Labour?-        Was Sunak trying to be more of a president than a prime minister?-        What was Farage doing at the Tory Party Conference?-        The war between Israel and Gaza: the polarisation of debate on the crisis, and how            it impacted the Labour conference.   -        The leaders’ performances: Sunak vs Starmer, Hunt vs Reeves. -        Did Labour send the right message to help secure the general election win?   We’d love to hear what you think of the episode at email@wrightonthenail.fm, or get in touch if you just want to say hi! WOTN Team 'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.co This episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

This week, Chris Wright interviews Lisa Gordon. Lisa has been a top business executive for over 25 years. As a technology specialist, she has surfed the wave of the technological revolution from the infancy of the internet to this day where she is Chairman of Cavendish, the merger of Cenkos and FinnCap, a non-Exec at Alpha Group Intl - one of the fastest growth of companies listed on the UK Stock Exchange, as well as holding several other major non-Exec and advisory positions. The conversation starts with Chris and Lisa’s work together at Chrysalis where they were at the forefront of technological change in the industry. They shine a light on what personal attributes caused their huge business success, and what led to their occasional failures. The second half turns to the country at large where Lisa provides some fascinating observations from her perspective as a business insider. They tackle the issue of sexism and all kinds of discrimination in the workplace, what can be done to ensure diversity and why it’s so important for business as well as social mobility. The topics are: -           How Chris gave Lisa her biggest career break-           How Lisa and Chris could have been Google, and why it all went wrong-           How technology has impacted the business of music-           The power and limitations of the City of London-           What’s wrong with business today and how to fix it-           The key guidelines for being successful in business-           How to foster gender diversity in the workplace and the importance of childcare-           Politics and Britain’s position on the world stage-           What Sunak should have done with HS2-           Meeting Gordon Brown and how he stays hopeful about politics   We’d love to hear what you think of the episode at email@wrightonthenail.fm, or get in touch if you just want to say hi! Yours faithfully, WOTN Team 'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.co This episode was produced by Tom Platts This podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

In this week’s News Roundtable episode, Chris Wright is joined by the presenter of Times Radio Early Breakfast show, Rosie Wright, UK and US political commentator, Edward Hardy, and former LibDem parliamentary candidate for Cotswolds and founder of Save British Farming, Liz Webster.The starting gun has been fired for the next general election. What can the Tories do to turn around the opinion polls? Is Labour’s strategy of holding back on publishing hard policy working? Could Rishi Sunak call the general election as soon as October this year? The panel discuss how the Tories are just as lost Labour on their political identity. They look globally to where our relations with our European neighbours stand.  Liz tells us the Liberal Democrat’s true position on Brexit. They then discuss the prospect of the Tories scrapping inheritance tax and HS2, whilst Sunak told the North this week that they’ll sort out the potholes first. That’d be something! The panel discuss why Britain is so bad at big infrastructure projects.We’d love to hear what you think of the episode at email@wrightonthenail.fm, or get in touch if you just want to say hi!Yours faithfully, WOTN Team 'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.co This episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

This week Chris Wright sat down with Loraine Burgon to discuss her life, as described in her recently released book Magical Highs – Alvin Lee & Me. Loraine was the longtime partner of Alvin Lee through his rise to fame as the lead singer and guitarist of Ten Years After, and Chris Wright was the band’s manager in the same period. This is a highly unique conversation between two people from the heart of the Woodstock era of Rock’n’roll, exposing what really went on among the stars. Loraine’s experience brings home what it was like to be a woman in this time and among individuals like Beatle George Harrison -  it wasn’t plain sailing that’s for sure!Grab yourself a copy of Magical Highs – Alvin Lee & Me by Loraine BurgonTopics of the conversation:-        Coming from Nottingham -        Being the longtime partner of Alvin Lee, leader of Ten Years After -        Woodstock 1969 -        Led Zeppelin-        Life on tour-        Sexual misconduct in the music and fashion industries-        George Harrison’s entitlement-        Magical Highs and life unravellingWe’d love to hear what you think of the episode at email@wrightonthenail.fm, or get in touch if you just want to say hi!Thanks for listening,WOTN Team 'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.co This episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

In this week’s News Roundtable episode, Chris Wright is joined by GBNews broadcaster and columnist Emily Carver, former Corbyn advisor and co-founder of Momentum James Schneider, and writer and broadcaster Christina Patterson.The panel kick-off by discussing the record of the current and previous governments on their spending priorities. Whilst public spending is high, it is not going to the right places as we see schools physically crumbling and NHS waiting lists in England at the record high of 7.68 million people. Is Keir Starmer laying out an alternative approach that will make a positive difference to this deterioration?  The conversation progresses to the issue of competence in government whilst ministers are rotated like rolling substitutes in a football team. They discuss the systemic conditions like the toxic media landscape that creates a situation where we have a relatively incompetent bunch of politicians who cannot stay in their jobs long enough to make any meaningful progress in their ministerial departments.  Chris then turns the talk to international politics with the issue of Joe Biden’s age, and then the new developments in Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin’s relationship and what all this means for the world.We’d love to hear what you think of the episode at email@wrightonthenail.fm, or get in touch if you just want to say hi! Thanks for listening, WOTN Team 'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.co This episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

This week Chris Wright is joined by one of the most successful music producers in the world whose career ignited when he produced Sade's debut album "Diamond Life". Sir Robin Millar is also a highly successful businessman, and he is the Chair of Scope UK, the national charity representing the 16 million disabled people in the UK.The conversation jumps straight into the deep end of things with the problems of cancel culture and the issues caused when people in business, and life, hold grudges against you. They then explore the significance of Robin having a West Indian mother and how this impacted his outlook and life experiences. They then discuss the painful subject of Robin’s blindness and the difference between being born blind and developing blindness like Robin did. Chris then asks about the formative years of his career that led him to the vast success he has enjoyed for several decades, including his breakthrough in getting a job at the Château d'Hérouville recording studio in the Northwest of Paris. Robin tells his story of Sade. Producing on Diamond Life with her was what took Robin from being a successful producer to the stratosphere of being sought after around the globe. This then opens up a fascinating discussion about the two-tone music of the late 70s/early 80s that Chris Wright was instrumental in reviving, having signed record deals with bands like the Specials (famous for the song ‘Ghost Town’ among many others). They return to Sade where Robin explains how she became a hit in America and then what it entails for an artist and their records to become mega-famous. They finally talk in-depth about the business of music including the ins and outs of their business partnership at Chrysalis and a possible new venture together! We’d love to hear what you think of the episode at email@wrightonthenail.fm, or get in touch if you just want to say hi!Thanks for listening, WOTN Team 'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.co This episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

In this week’s News Roundtable episode, Chris Wright is joined by award-winning I journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, US and UK political commentator Edward Hardy, and commentator and communications officer for the Institute of Economic Affairs Reem Ibrahim.The conversation starts off with the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s recent expansion of ULEZ as a public health and environmental measure. The panel discuss if it is the right policy in view of its benefits and the short-term impact on individuals. Chris then asks whether Labour are doing the right thing in allowing their political image to seem little different to the Conservatives’. They then discuss the country at large and how the North has once again been neglected. Would Labour truly invest in economic infrastructure outside of London?The conversation then delves into an honest discussion on whether the ethnicity of our current and recent leaders Rishi Sunak, Suella Braverman, and Priti Patel has politically enabled them to take a crueller stance on migrants than white ministers have historically – and Yasmin explains another reason why this might be.They then discuss whether it is right for the UK to welcome Mohammed bin Salman of human rights abusing Saudi Arabia to its shores, as well as, whether Putin killed the late head of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin?We’d love to hear what you think of the episode at email@wrightonthenail.fm, or get in touch if you just want to say hi!Thanks for listening,WOTN TeamThis episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

In this ‘Nailed It!’ episode we look back on two episodes in which, it’s fair to say, Chris and his guests touched on more revolutionary political theories than they usually do. In Lockdown Regret, Starmer's Betrayal - is socialism dead? (March 2023) Nima Tavallaey Roodsari explains that the current Labour Party is really a liberal party, calling for the formation of a truly socialist party. He had a particular leader in mind… Panellists Nima, David Osland, and Reem Ibrahim discuss whether Keir Starmer was right to kick Jeremy Corbyn out of the Labour Party. Is a broad church of liberals and socialists in the Labour Party a functional marriage? They discuss the rising age of retirement and dispute the amount of tax workers pay towards pensions compared to the rest of Europe. Is our system socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor? The final excerpt is taken from Chris’s conversation with James Schneider, How the Left Can Win by 2030, and Why They Must. We’d love to hear what you think of the episode at email@wrightonthenail.fm, or get in touch if you just want to say hi!Thanks for listening,WOTN TeamOur Bloc: How We Win by James Schnieder  'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.coThis episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

In this episode, Chris Wright is joined by political commentator Marina Purkiss, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration at the National University of Ireland Maynooth John O’Brennan, and political commentator Lee Harris.The conversation kicks off with Donald Trump's Monday night indictment in which he was charged with conspiring to overturn the 2020 US election result. This opens up a wider discussion on the spread of populism worldwide, including in the UK with the antics of Boris Johnson and the ever-right-leaning Conservative Party.Chris then asks the panel about immigration. Lee Harris defends the government whilst Marina and John offer alternative solutions to this critical global issue. They discuss the causes of immigration to northern Europe and the harsh reality of being a migrant fleeing a country and trying to cross the highly dangerous English Channel.A topic throughout the conversation is the role of the right-wing press that make up the majority of the UK’s most powerful media outlets, and Chris focuses the discussion on the fact that super-rich foreigners like Rupert Murdoch own these outlets and influence their news agendas with almost no regulation. Is this right?We’d love to hear what you think of the episode at email@wrightonthenail.fm, or get in touch if you just want to say hi!Thanks for listening,WOTN Team'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB. This episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

In this ‘Nailed It!’ episode we look back on Chris’s two conversations with author and journalist Otto English, picking out some of the most entertaining, moving, and eye-opening moments from those episodes: ‘‘Fake History’ with Otto English’ and ‘‘Fake Heroes’ an Interview with Author Otto English’. Topics:-        What did Winston Churchill actually say?-        How the propagation of ‘the good old days’ philosophy caused Brexit.-        Would Che Guevara’s image be so iconic if he weren’t so “damned good-looking?”-        Otto’s childhood hero John Wayne and how he let him down. -        Chris's story about the Beatles, Dick James, and Robin Hood.We’d love to hear what you think of the episode at email@wrightonthenail.fm, or get in touch if you want to say hi!Thanks for listening,WOTN TeamGet your own copy of Otto’s books Wright here:Fake History: Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the Worldhttps://www.waterstones.com/book/fake-history/otto-english/9781787396425Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How they Altered the Course of History https://www.waterstones.com/book/fake-heroes/otto-english/9781802795899'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.coThe episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

This week Chris Wright CBE is joined by Green Party Peer and former leader Natalie Bennett. The topics they discuss are:-        What’s all this fuss about ULEZ?-        Is the Green Party coming out of the shadows?-        Why the argument that Britain shouldn’t bother tackling climate change when we are so much smaller than China doesn’t hold up.-        How Britain’s environmental and food standards will likely drop as we move to Pacific trade rather than EU. -        The pressing issue of food security. -        Natalie Bennett’s upbringing to a life in politics.-        Reforming the House of Lords.-        The interlinked Green social, economic, and environmental philosophy.-        The consensus about the privatisation of water, and other public utilities and services in the UK.-        Natalie explains why to abandon tactical voting and just vote Green.-        Green’s original social policies.Natalie’s new book, Change Everything: https://unbound.com/books/change-everything/?utm_campaign=change-everything&utm_medium=AuthorSocial&utm_source=AuthorActivity'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.co This episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

In this week’s news roundtable episode, Chris Wright CBE is joined by two bright young political minds with opposing standpoints: political commentator, and Communications Officer at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Reem Ibrahim, and Labour Party National Executive Committee Member, Jess Barnard. The conversation kicks off with Labour’s recent political crisis over ULEZ in the backdrop to their by-election defeat in Uxbridge. They ask why green policies seem to be hurting working-class families. Chris and the panel talk about pay and taxation. Is the system fair? How do we solve the housing crisis? Is it just building more houses - or even, more affordable housing - or do we need the government to make laws that bring prices down in the housing and rental markets? Whilst discussing whether we should build on green belt land, Reem tells us what ‘nimbies’ are…    They turn to Nigel Farage and discuss how he manages to get away with portraying himself as a man of the people in this week’s media sprawl regarding his Coutts bank account closure. Finally, Chris turns the discussion to Elon Musk and why he seems to have bought Twitter to destroy it. Since his takeover, Twitter’s stock value reduced drastically and the recent logo rebrand from the iconic blue bird to an ‘X’ has caused outrage. The panel discuss the importance of Twitter in politics and political debate and the implications of Musk’s actions.“It’s hard to hear how the Tories approached the ULEZ debate from some kind of moral standpoint as if they cared about working-class people.” - Jess Barnard“The solution to tackling poverty is not taxing the rich more it is incentivising growth.” – Reem Ibrahim  'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.coThis episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

In this episode, Chris Wright is joined by James Schneider, co-founder of Momentum - the movement that seeks to bring a more socialist agenda to the Labour Party. He was an advisor to former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, and the discussion is built around his fascinating book Our Bloc: How We Win - written in the backdrop to Corbyn’s defeat to Boris Johnson in the 2019 general election.The conversation starts with the mess that Keir Starmer will likely inherit from over 14 years of Conservative rule in Britain. James and Chris dissect the taxation system to explain how Britain can provide ‘for the many, not the few.’  They analyse why Corbyn didn’t become prime minister, and Chris asks James whether young people are engaged enough in politics.  How significant is the right-wing media establishment in keeping down progressive forces?  Was Brexit a vote against the broader system rather than simply against the EU?  They discuss why the Tories will terrifyingly keep moving even further towards the populist right.  Finally, James gives a damning verdict on Keir Starmer, and takes us through his own plan, quite frankly, to save the world through uniting progressive forces; expanded upon in his 2022 book Our Bloc: How We Win.Get your copy of the book here 'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.coThis episode was produced by Tom Platts.This podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

This week Chris Wright, co-founder of Chrysalis Records in 1968, is joined by Carl Leighton-Pope who began his career in the music industry at almost the same time as the WOTN host. Carl has been a manager, promoter, and agent for some of the biggest names in music over the years, including Van Morrison, Bryan Adams, Billy Ocean, and Michael Bublé.Chris and Carl reminisce about their formative years in the music industry in 1960s London, with venues such as the Marquee Club playing a significant part. They discuss the music industry’s roles of managers, agents, running record labels, and which is more enjoyable. They review contemporary artists and why we need stars like Harry Styles. The episode is full of wonderful anecdotes and stories of the personal bonds Carl has built with stars like Billy Ocean and Michael Bublé. Carl came from a Welsh mining family, and this episode shows the mindset, as well as the knowledge and talent, required to get to where he is today. Inspiring is the word this week, as Chris also answers questions from Carl about his extraordinary music career.We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did recording it! If you like the episode, we would really appreciate it if you could give the podcast a review, rating, and a follow on your chosen streaming platform. It makes an unimaginable difference.'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.coThis episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

In this week’s News Roundtable episode, Chris Wright CBE is joined by UK & US political commentator and journalist, Edward Hardy, political commentator and Communications Officer at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Reem Ibrahim, and Conservative Political Commentator, Lee Harris.The discussion starts with the week’s big news on the government’s Illegal Immigration Bill and the ruling against it by the Court of Appeal, the highest court within the Senior Courts of England and Wales that deals only with appeals from other courts or tribunals. The panel discuss whether the policy proposal is fundamentally flawed, and further about what broader approach to immigration the government should take. The conversation opens up to the funding of public services and the Conservatives’ recent historic record of trying to pass unlawful bills.  Chris then asks the panel whether Rishi Sunak’s wealth makes him unfit to tackle the cost-of-living crisis in which public servants are selling their homes in order to survive. They turn to the Thames Water crisis and the question of whether to nationalise water to avoid the government having to further bail out profiteering private companies. Reem Ibrahim explains why the privatisation of public services and utilities isn’t working in the UK and why many don’t have the same problems as the UK abroad. Despite their political differences, the panel agree on the question of whether the Conservative government seem to have downed tools, and if a general election should be called right now.  The final topic is the newly released Equity in Cricket report. It shows that 87% of people with Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage, 82% of people with Indian heritage and 75% of all Black people in cricket report to have been discriminated against in the last five years. The panel discuss the wider issue of racism in our society and the ways it can be tackled. With the issue of elitism also involved in the report, Chris asks the panellists whether they went to a private school, and their answers may not be what you expected…   'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.coThis episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts

In this week’s News Roundtable episode, Chris Wright CBE is joined by John O’Brennan the Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration at the National University of Ireland Maynooth. John is a leading spokesman, columnist and academic on European Politics. In particular, he works on the process and politics of the EU's Enlargement policy and on Ireland's relationship with the European Union.Chris and John kick-off with economics. With UK inflation at 8.7% and inflation in the Eurozone at around 6%, John and Chris discuss the discrepancy. Can we just blame Covid and Ukraine or are other effects such as Britain’s backwards housing market at play? They rain down judgment on the economic management of the UK over the last two decades and then compare its performance to the rest of Europe. John explains Ireland’s peculiar measure of economic success. It isn’t long before the B-word (Brexit) is mentioned. John explains why Britain’s plunge into independence from the EU has been so unsuccessful. What are the UK’s prospects outside of the EU? What was the true cause behind the 52% vote to leave? How significant was the press? How much should we blame David Cameron and the Remain Campaign? This opens up a conversation about the significance of AI in the battle against misinformation in the future.They talk about the role of leadership in the crisis that Brexit has created for the UK including Rishi Sunak and previous Conservative Prime Ministers’ crippling political ties to Brexiteers in their party. They discuss the macro politics of Europe and how Britain is still very much united with the Continent. John explains the origins of the concept of ‘cakeism’ in relation to Britain’s relationship with the EU, and the imminent threat in Europe of the far-right through the likes of Marine Le Pen. Chris asks John how the international community’s view of the UK has changed since 2016. How has Brexit really changed immigration into and out of the EU? Has the UK gone from having the best of both worlds to the worst of both worlds?Is there hope for the UK to progress in the future under a Labour government after what will be over 14 years of Conservative rule?   'I Hit The Nail Right On The Head' by Billy Bremner. © Fridens liljor/Micke Finell.Rock around the clock productions AB.www.rockaroundtheclock.coThis episode was produced by Tom PlattsThis podcast is published by New Thinking: www.newthinking.com Explore New Thinking podcasts via our website: www.newthinking.com/podcasts