And Finally…

James Delinpole and I recorded our first podcast in two months this afternoon and while it began with James’s usual introduction – “Welcome to London Calling with me James Delingpole and my very good friend Toby Young” – it was more like an extended edition of Culture Corner than the usual ding-dong about current affairs. As James pointed out in the podcast, it was my decision to call a halt on our usual cock-up versus conspiracy exchanges, having concluded there was little to be gained from having the same argument week in, week out, either for us or the listeners. I told James I was open to continuing the argument in another format, such as a public debate, but he had no interest in that or in a series of written exchanges. Nevertheless, we did get around to discussing the grim reality of getting older, as well as the books we’ve read and the TV shows we’ve seen recently, including The Starbuck Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell, Phineas Finn, Phineas Redux, The Small House at Allington and The Last Chronicle of Barset, all by Anthony Trollope, Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham, and Foundation, Generation V and One Piece.

You can listen to the podcast here and subscribe on iTunes here.