Liberal universalism has become a technology of cultural assimilation. I cite Javaad Alipoor's show 'Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World' as an example of how otherness can be performed without needing to be understood 4/

javaadalipoor.co.uk/our-work/thi...

Culture war arguments (flags, free speech) are nothing new. But the left has singularly failed to leverage control of public discourse away from the right on issues of identity three decades after Fusco's speech 3/

It's inspired by performance artist Coco Fusco's keynote address at the 1993 National Review of Live Art, where she described how American conservatives (led by Pat Buchanan) had invented internal enemies -'non-conformist identities' - after the fall of the Soviet Union 2/

It's so good. The podcast in general is a fun way of exposing the hollowness of what counts for intellectual debate today.

Which is itself a problem whose solution cannot be read less if students are to grapple with complex subjects

Let's not forget that Tim Davie drew up a plan to change the BBC's output to specifically target and appease nativist sentiment. And the BBC is the single biggest contributor to the creation of Farage as a media personality.

bylinetimes.com/2025/06/09/b...

Staying above the culture wars was a striking & surprising feature of 2014, 2016 and 2018 given the coincidence of the key centenary moments with the Scottish and EU referendums, and the 2016-19 stalemate