Political theorist Philip Cunliffe argues that globalism is dying and Britain has a rare chance to lead the world into whatever comes next - but only if it rediscovers what sovereignty actually means.

Philip Cunliffe on:

* Why we're witnessing the collapse of globalist political structures that layered transnational governance over democratic nation states,

* How ruling elites from the 1980s onwards deliberately fragmented political power to escape working-class demands, creating the regulatory "blob" that can't build railways or defend territory but excels at shuffling PowerPoint decks,

* The failure of populists like Trump and Meloni to break free from globalist institutions, despite their rhetoric - and why even "America First" gets sucked back into Middle Eastern quagmires,

* Why Brexit was a precocious early move in this global transition, giving Britain unique advantages as other nations will "inevitably have to follow us down as globalism continues to decay,"

* The case for "new nations" - not territorial breakups but politically renewed nation-states that can actually defend their interests, requiring proportional representation, ending devolution, and forcing politicians to think in terms of national interest rather than international virtue signaling,

* How a revitalised Britain could seize unprecedented opportunities in a multipolar world without a single hegemon - if it's willing to focus on what sovereignty actually means.

The National Interest: Politics After Globalization

Dan Tomlinson MP, Labour's official growth mission champion, boards the KC-3 to discuss what Britain needs to sacrifice for economic growth and whether we're still a country capable of big things.

Dan Tomlinson on:

* Why Britain has lost the ability to do "big and bold" things like the Apollo missions, trapped by endless processes, consultations, and judicial reviews that would make a modern space program impossible,

* Testing Labour's growth priorities against various "sacred cows" - from building on the greenbelt (yes) to fracking and North Sea drilling (no) to social housing in central London (complicated),

* Whether high immigration helps or hurts growth, arguing that the recent scale (equivalent to adding Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool combined) has unclear benefits for GDP per capita despite official studies,

* His three-pillar growth strategy of stability, investment, and reform - particularly planning reform that could add £7 billion to GDP - and why he believes Chancellor Rachel Reeves has the right approach,

* His vision for Britain in 50 years.

Further reading

Dan asked us to share this clip of a happier time, when the country struggled under the weight of GP appointments that were simply too easy to obtain: Watch it on YouTube.

From the King Charles III Space Station, Tom and Calum welcome Alex Fitzgerald, founder of Isembard - a micro-factory startup that's building Britain's manufacturing future one CNC machine at a time.

Alex explains how Britain's manufacturing crisis isn't just about big factories closing - it's about the hidden supply chain of small family-owned machine shops that actually make the parts for everything from F-35 jets to AirPods. With 95% of CNC machines owned by small businesses, and those business owners now retiring en masse, the West faces a manufacturing capacity cliff just as geopolitical tensions increase demand.

“Fundamentally, how you build great product is having engineers ingest pain and then output product.”

The episode explores:

* Whether distributed manufacturing is more resilient than centralized factories

* How Britain's hidden aerospace and defense supply chains actually work

* Why small machine shops are the real manufacturing base, not big assembly plants

* The role of risk capital in building trillion-dollar manufacturing businesses

* How software and AI are transforming traditional machining and production

* What young engineers can do to build world-changing manufacturing businesses

Further reading

Isembard - Faster, Cheaper, Greener Manufacturing

The Manufacturing Manifesto

Careers at Isembard