Episode Details

Broadcasts live every Wednesday at 7:00p.m. uk time on Radio Soapbox: http://radiosoapbox.com

With Shelley away for the evening, I held the fort solo and ranged across a lively mix of stories and reflections before welcoming my old friend Alex to the programme. We touched on current headlines, the pressures facing farmers, questions around interdependence, and a moving remembrance of the human cost of war, including a powerful clip from Harry Patch and some thoughts on the legacy of the Somme. I also shared the delight of reconnecting with Broken Romeo, whose music featured in the show, alongside more gems from the Jeff Nichols archive.

The heart of the episode was a thoughtful, good-humoured conversation with Alex about climate, pollution and critical thinking. We explored whether you need to believe in man-made climate change to want a cleaner, less polluted world, and looked at the tensions between environmental ideals, political messaging, energy infrastructure and real-world economics. From wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicles to media narratives, personal bias and the importance of humility, it was a wide-ranging discussion about how we make sense of complex issues without losing sight of shared values.