In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with science writer and sceptic Michael Shermer to debate truth, morality, atheism, and whether reason alone can ground a moral system.

We examine David Hume’s is-ought problem, the foundations of human flourishing, and Shermer’s argument that survival and well-being provide a rational basis for ethics. I challenge him on whether this is simply a different kind of leap of faith, and whether Enlightenment liberalism ultimately rests on inherited Judeo-Christian assumptions about the individual, the soul, and human dignity.

The conversation explores empiricism, pragmatism, evolution, and the limits of reason, alongside debates about Christianity, secular humanism, and whether religion provides measurable social benefits. We also tackle the legacy of New Atheism, the rise of woke ideology, environmentalism as a quasi-religion, and whether the moral arc of history truly bends toward justice.

A wide-ranging and philosophical exchange about faith, reason, truth, and whether the modern West can defend its moral foundations without returning to religion.

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Chapter

00:00 – Can You Derive Morality from Science?

01:28 – Hume’s Is–Ought Problem Explained

05:00 – Why Human Flourishing Is the Moral Starting Point

08:04 – Survival vs Death: The Ultimate Moral Question

12:27 – Christianity vs Enlightenment Morality

19:25 – Do Religious People Live Longer?

23:04 – Empirical Truth vs Religious Truth

25:00 – The Resurrection: Literal or Literary?

28:14 – Can Reason Justify Reason?

30:00 – Is Religion “Pragmatically True”?

35:15 – New Atheism & the Rise of Wokeism

38:06 – Environmentalism as a New Religion

45:06 – Does History Bend Toward Justice?

47:47 – Grooming Gangs, Slavery & Modern Injustice

50:00 – Trans Ideology, Moral Reversal & Vigilance

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

I want to see you in New York for Dissident Dialogues! Get your tickets HERE : https://dissidentdialogues.org/

In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with novelist and cultural critic Lionel Shriver for a wide-ranging conversation on immigration, national identity, childlessness, and the psychological roots of progressive politics.

We begin with the backlash to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s claim that Britain has been “colonised,” and explore why immigration has become the most morally charged issue in Western politics. Shriver argues that debates over borders, demographic change, and the so-called “great replacement” divide societies into irreconcilable camps, and that mass migration touches deep anthropological instincts that elites refuse to acknowledge.

The discussion moves beyond economics into culture and psychology, examining performative guilt, self-righteousness, and what Shriver calls the narcissism at the heart of modern progressive ideology. We explore why national identity has been hollowed out, why anti-border politics often coexists with hyper-individualism, and how the collapse of religious faith has left a moral vacuum filled by activism.

We also debate falling birth rates, the status of motherhood, childlessness, and whether Western societies can survive demographic decline without either restoring cultural confidence or radically transforming themselves. Shriver argues that a civilisation unwilling to reproduce itself cannot expect to endure.

A provocative and deeply philosophical conversation about immigration, identity, family, and whether the West still believes in itself.

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WATCH THE EXTENDED CONVERSATION HERE:: https://www.winstonmarshall.co.uk/

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Chapters

00:00 – Introduction

02:17 Has Britain Been “Colonised”?

05:38 The Great Replacement: Theory or Demographic Fact?

08:15 Why Immigration Became a Moral Absolute

11:29 White Guilt, Vanity & Progressive Psychology

14:35 The Nation State vs Borderless Ideology

18:06 Self-Obsession & the Progressive Mindset

23:31 The White Saviour Complex Explained

26:39 Do the Left Even Believe in Countries?

31:35 From Liberal to Conservative: Shriver’s Turning Point

35:49 Women, Motherhood & the Politics of Immigration

41:08 Childlessness, Status & Cultural Decline

49:01 Radical Individualism & the Loss of Norms

57:40 If We Don’t Have Children, We’ll Be Replaced

1:12:38 Immigration Rage, Identity & What People Really Feel

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

In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with investigative journalist and feminist campaigner Julie Bindel for a forensic and deeply disturbing conversation on Britain’s grooming gang scandal, institutional failure, and the ongoing cover-up.

Julie traces the origins of the r*pe gang crisis back to the 1990s, long before it became national news, and explains how police, social services, and local authorities repeatedly ignored warnings from families. We discuss cases from Leeds, Blackpool, Rotherham, Telford, and London, and examine why organised child sexual exploitation by predominantly Pakistani Muslim gangs was treated as politically untouchable.

The conversation explores the role of multiculturalism, fear of being labelled racist, and the systematic refusal to prosecute perpetrators or protect victims. Julie outlines how many abused girls were instead criminalised, dismissed as troublesome, or left trapped in prostitution, while those responsible faced little accountability.

We also examine Sadiq Khan’s denial of grooming gangs in London, the contrast between county lines drug crime and organised r*pe networks, and Rupert Lowe’s independent inquiry into the scandal.

Julie argues that without a full statutory inquiry, with real legal consequences, justice will remain out of reach for thousands of victims.

A harrowing and unflinching discussion about child sexual exploitation, state failure, political cowardice, and whether Britain is finally prepared to confront one of the darkest chapters in its modern history.

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To see more exclusive content and interviews consider subscribing to my substack here: https://www.winstonmarshall.co.uk/

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FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Substack: https://www.winstonmarshall.co.uk/

X: https://twitter.com/mrwinmarshall

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/winstonmarshall

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/winstonmarshall

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:41 The Origins of Grooming Gangs

07:13 Police & Social Services Failures

09:41 Why the Media Refused to Report It

14:28 The Charlene Downes Case Explained

18:55 The Guardian Rejection

22:23 Politics & Institutional Fear

26:37 The London Grooming Gangs Reality

31:53 Sadiq Khan, County Lines & Race Baiting

35:48 Why the Victims Were Blamed

47:16 The National Inquiry & What It Must Expose

53:22 Trafficking Girls to Pakistan

59:58 “Hundreds of Thousands” of Victims

1:02:25 Quashing Victim Convictions & Amnesty

1:05:09 Starmer, Political Will & What Happens Next

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