On this week’s episode, Angus Hanton, author of Vassal State: How America Runs Britain, explains why his book emerged from one simple question: “How much of the UK is controlled by the Americans?”

In seeking the answer, he uncovers shocking numbers that reveal the extent to which American capital, corporations, and influence permeate the UK economy and society. Remarkably, Hanton’s analysis anticipated the risks of a Trump presidency—making his warnings more urgent and relevant than ever considering recent events.

We ask why does the British government seem unconcerned about who owns British industry? How was the British “national jumble sale” allowed to happen? While Americans may act like lions, Hanton insists the real question is how Britain, as the zookeeper, has allowed this situation to develop. His recommendations? There are three key actions needed to take back control.

And what about the media? Is the BBC playing its proper role, or does it appear to lean too heavily toward an Atlanticist perspective?

Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.

@peteryork.bsky.social

LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast

Good Egg Productions

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Katherine Stewart is the investigative journalist who’s spent twenty years following the money, myths, and masterminds behind America’s new right — from Bible Belt Sunday schools to Silicon Valley boardrooms and shadowy donor networks that span continents. Her new book, Money, Lies and God, exposes the billionaires, strategists, and true believers who, she argues, are reshaping not just America, but democracy itself.

We talk about the rise of Christian nationalism — how “Caesar” Trump, “an imperfect ruler that God chose to enact his will,” ended up crowned by what Katherine calls “the angriest group of winners I’ve ever seen.” How did they pull it off?

What did “billions of dollars” capture? What was the master plan? What three things did Trump promise “over 1,000 pastors in New York City”? Why the push to target “children aged 4 to 14” - and what’s behind the “persecution narrative”?

We also peer into the mindset of the wealthy funders — those who, feeling they don’t quite deserve their fortunes still justify “squelching the voices of their critics.”

Is this all just an American phenomenon? What is a $1.6 billion trust funding here in the UK?

And, finally — we talk fashion. Fancy a T-shirt with guns saying I’m going RINO hunting? But we’re not talking about the horned variety.

Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.

@peteryork.bsky.social

LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast

Good Egg Productions

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sir Martin Sorrell is the man who turned a plastics shell company, WPP, into the world’s biggest ad and marketing empire, snapping up the old Mad Men giants of Madison Avenue. By the time he left WPP in 2018, it was the world sector leader.

Transformed by the internet, is this now the “golden age” of a “trillion-dollar” advertising industry? Are the “nation state”-sized big tech companies to be regulated — and should we be more relaxed about them? After all are they just our modern-day equivalents of the Beaverbrooks and Murdochs?

And what of politics — which executive order was Martin “flummoxed by”? Are there signs of a successful midterm for Trump — and with democracy sliding, is a Trump dynasty emerging?

As AI and technology reshape everything, transforming labour markets and creating significant social disruption, Martin dissects how the world is fragmenting into a slow-growth environment — and which country he thinks is in “deep doo-doo”. What can be done? Is there scope for a Sorrell Foundation?

Please do check out my latest book, A Dead Cat On Your Table – available online and in all good book shops.

@peteryork.bsky.social

LinkedIn: Peter York's Culture Wars House Party podcast

Good Egg Productions

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.