07-04-2025
How to Survive in Politically Volatile Times
By David French
Produced by Jillian Weinberger
In this episode of 'The Opinions,' the columnist David French and Rory Stewart explore how small-c conservatives can keep hope alive in the midst of a populist onslaught.
Below is a transcript of an episode of 'The Opinions.' We recommend listening to it in its original form for the full effect. You can do so using the player above or on the NYT Audio App, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
The transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
David French: I'm David French, a columnist for The New York Times. A lot of us are feeling politically homeless right now. The Democrats are flailing while trying to figure out how to stand up against Donald Trump, and there are people like me. I left the Republican Party in 2016 after Trump's rise. Looking at the political landscape, I wonder: Where do we fit in?
Our friends in the United Kingdom are going through their own destabilizing political moment. I wanted to see how they're realigning to see what we can learn from them and how they're keeping up the fight. That's why I wanted to talk to Rory Stewart. He's a co-host of a podcast called 'The Rest Is Politics' and the author of the book 'How Not to Be a Politician.'
For a long time, he was deeply embedded within the Tory Party, a traditional British conservative. He was a member of the British government, a minister. Rory campaigned against Brexit, and Boris Johnson eventually expelled him from the party.
I wanted to talk to Rory about how those of us who care about democracy keep hope alive in the midst of a populist onslaught. It's a conversation that's political, certainly, but it also gets personal about how each of us can engage and persevere when engagement carries a cost.
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