Latest news with #KonstantinKisin
Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Triggernometry debates Guilty Feminist — and both sides lose
Deborah Frances-White, the host of the impeccably progressive podcast The Guilty Feminist, says she is interested in 'reaching across the divide'. Anyone who caught her incoherent appearance on Konstanin Kisin's popular anti-woke podcast Triggernometry will conclude that she didn't so much reach across the political divide as haplessly pratfall into it. The Kisin-White encounter — probably the single worst debate I have ever heard — represents the undignified collision of two echo chambers. Both antagonists have made successful careers telling their audiences what they want to hear (woke=good; woke=bad) and both seem to have rendered themselves mentally incapable of coping with another point of view. Listening to this conversation is about as intellectually edifying as watching two drunks headbutt each other in a pub
The National
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
Socialism can bring hope amid anger and despair
But I have never been interested in constructing a political or personal identity around my ethnic background, or in dwelling for too long. My father arrived in Glasgow aged four from Pakistan. He grew up on Allison Street in Govanhill. My mother was born in Scotland to parents from Dundee. READ MORE: UK Government must act urgently over £200m promise for Grangemouth, says Kate Forbes At the time, mixed marriages were far less common than they are today. But again, it's not something which has taken up much discussion at the dinner table over the years. In terms of faith, I was raised in the Church of Scotland, though this fell away during my teenage years. Yet I have also been on the receiving end of instances of Islamophobia and associated police profiling as a result of my appearance, which goes to show that this is indeed a type of racism – and one at the sharp end today. So while it is a background which may be interesting to one extent or another, it has consumed relatively little of my thinking. This has started to change. Not because I have a sudden interest in researching family trees but as a result of the unsurprising yet perturbing direction in which the discussion about immigration is being driven. Here, the parameters are extending far more in terms of ethnicity, colour and religion than they have in years gone by. Now, large social media channels, parts of the mainstream press and numerous political personalities openly argue that the only way one can be 'English' is to be white. In one recent example, Konstantin Kisin, a right-wing podcaster, claimed Rishi Sunak could not possibly be English owing to him being a 'brown Hindu'. As part of the discussion, the former editor of The Spectator, Fraser Nelson (below), rejected the idea, arguing that since he was born and bred in England, he was, of course, English. For Nelson, who is part of the more cosmopolitan and neoliberal wing of the British conservatism, ethnic nationalism is to be repudiated. This interaction went viral and spawned any number of columns and videos in response. (Image: PA) The correlation between national identity and ethnicity once forced back into the margins of far-right crankery is making a comeback. But I disagree with the notion that progress has never been made in this area, and that we are doomed to fighting the same fights for all time on a loop. This, it seems to me, undermines the great struggles against racism in the 1970s and 80s which brought about real and positive change – especially when they were based around the organisations and communities of the working class. And it also generates a kind of nihilism about the human condition that only benefits the forces of reaction. But that does not mean we should not be vigilant, and register where there are problems. And there are, depressingly, many. In Ireland, we see that nationalism can go in many directions. It has the potential to project democratic, anti-colonial and even socialist principles. Yet it is a fluid and unpredictable substance, which unfortunately is being weaponised and usurped by so-called 'Irish patriots' to promote a vitriolic racism and the kind of scapegoating we see from the far-right in England. It goes without saying that, despite the progressive attitude of the independence movement of 2014, we are not immune from this type of ethnic nationalism in Scotland either. (Image: PA) The modern SNP have always distanced themselves from this in favour of cultivating a diverse, and open form of civic nationalism. But we know what can happen when there is anger, fear and uncertainty about the future. In many ways, it is the conflict between hope and despair that contours the popular response to a society that often feels like it is falling apart at the seams, or on the verge of social explosions like those of last summer, when hotels housing asylum seekers and refugees were set alight and pogrom-like attacks took place across England. Yet, despite the difficulties, it is worth saying that this is a battle that can be won, and that I believe will be won, with the right strategy and political approach. It means getting our hands dirty, by engaging with those who have fallen for the propaganda of the radical right, and winning them round. It means pursuing a socialist politics, which not only challenges the failed status quo, but also brings people together in a spirit of class unity that can struggle for better housing, democratic control of our resources and with a genuinely internationalist outlook, not one confined to the interests of global capitalism and multinational corporations. These are powerful and inspiring ideas, and they can be organised around. But they require belief and confidence, and where that doesn't exist, it is easier to punch downwards. It is a statement of the obvious to say we are not going to get this from a widely discredited political class or indeed from a system which teeters from one crisis to the next as living standards and civil liberties are further eroded. This is why, then, when thinking about the discussions around multiculturalism, nationalism and ethnicity I don't start with my identity as a Scottish-Pakistani. But instead with the ideals that come with being a socialist.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Konstantin Kisin: anti-woke libertarian who reluctantly calls himself ‘right wing'
Konstantin Kisin has until this week been best known as a libertarian, pro-free speech independent podcaster, and for a viral appearance at the Oxford Union arguing that 'woke culture has gone too far'. His profile has suddenly risen, however, after hosting the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, on his podcast, and arguing in an episode with Fraser Nelson, the former editor of the Spectator, that Rishi Sunak was not English owing to his 'brown Hindu' background – triggering criticism on social media. Kisin has rounded off the week by giving a keynote speech at the hard-right Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (Arc) conference where he delivered one of his often-repeated jokes: 'I love this country and I say so publicly, which is how you know I still haven't integrated into British culture.' In a speech covering anti-woke themes, he argued 'identity politics and multiculturalism … are two failed experiments' and railed against diversity, equality and inclusion as 'anti-meritocratic discrimination'. Kisin did not directly address the controversy about his Sunak comments in his speech, but responded to a journalist challenging him on X, saying: 'The Moron Industrial Complex is desperately trying to fabricate outrage over the fact that I said there is a difference between being British, an umbrella imperial identity into which we can all integrate, as I have done, and being English which is a group that, at the very least, has an ethnicity dimension.' Related: US culture war show comes to London – and strikes a chord with European populists A Soviet Russian-born former pupil of a Bristol boarding school, who initially forged a career as a comedian, Kisin is co-host with the comedian Francis Foster of a podcast known as Triggernometry. It has 1.25 million subscribers and has featured guests from Reform UK's Nigel Farage, to the centre-right Tory Rory Stewart and the Canadian psychology professor and culture warrior Jordan Peterson. The podcast is known for its promotion of free speech and attraction to controversial subjects, with Kisin named in 2023 by the New Statesman as one of the top 50 rightwingers in British politics. But despite hosting many rightwing antagonists on his podcast, Kisin has long fought off the description of his politics – anti-woke, pro-west, in favour of defending borders and recently pro-Trump – as 'right wing'. Kisin, who describes himself as a 'politically non-binary satirist', claims to be challenging the perception that defence of free speech should be a rightwing position, and has previously referred to himself as a centrist-liberal remainer who has only ever voted Labour or Lib Dem, and whose comedy heroes are Bill Hicks and George Carlin. He has also written a Sunday Times bestseller called An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West, which identifies the west as suffering from guilt in discussions about the history of slavery and colonialism. In the book, which is part memoir, he recounts a family history of repression and persecution in Soviet Russia, giving rise to his own commitment to defending free speech. His father served as a junior minister in one of Boris Yeltsin's cabinets before coming to the UK. A repeated critic of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, he appeared on the BBC's Question Time in 2022 to condemn Russia's actions and recently called Trump's description of Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a dictator 'absurd'. He is, however, a defender of Trump in other ways. On his own social media, Kisin is forthright on a number of hard-right talking points, posting on X in 2023: 'Diversity = anti-white people, inclusion = exclusion, anti-racism = racism.' He does appear to acknowledge that he has been on something of a journey politically. Kisin recently recorded a YouTube video, in which he described his opposition to some Democratic policies on trans issues and relief that Trump had won the US election, saying: 'If opposing this insanity makes me right wing, then so be it. The choice is between civilisation and people who think men can give birth. Everything else is fluff.' The video is entitled: 'Fine, call me 'right wing'.'
The Guardian
22-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Konstantin Kisin: anti-woke libertarian who reluctantly calls himself ‘right wing'
Konstantin Kisin has until this week been best known as a libertarian, pro-free speech independent podcaster, and for a viral appearance at the Oxford Union arguing that 'woke culture has gone too far'. His profile has suddenly risen, however, after hosting the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, on his podcast, and arguing in an episode with Fraser Nelson, the former editor of the Spectator, that Rishi Sunak was not English owing to his 'brown Hindu' background – triggering criticism on social media. Kisin has rounded off the week by giving a keynote speech at the hard-right Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (Arc) conference where he delivered one of his often-repeated jokes: 'I love this country and I say so publicly, which is how you know I still haven't integrated into British culture.' In a speech covering anti-woke themes, he argued 'identity politics and multiculturalism … are two failed experiments' and railed against diversity, equality and inclusion as 'anti-meritocratic discrimination'. Kisin did not directly address the controversy about his Sunak comments in his speech, but responded to a journalist challenging him on X, saying: 'The Moron Industrial Complex is desperately trying to fabricate outrage over the fact that I said there is a difference between being British, an umbrella imperial identity into which we can all integrate, as I have done, and being English which is a group that, at the very least, has an ethnicity dimension.' A Soviet Russian-born former pupil of a Bristol boarding school, who initially forged a career as a comedian, Kisin is co-host with the comedian Francis Foster of a podcast known as Triggernometry. It has 1.25 million subscribers and has featured guests from Reform UK's Nigel Farage, to the centre-right Tory Rory Stewart and the Canadian psychology professor and culture warrior Jordan Peterson. The podcast is known for its promotion of free speech and attraction to controversial subjects, with Kisin named in 2023 by the New Statesman as one of the top 50 rightwingers in British politics. But despite hosting many rightwing antagonists on his podcast, Kisin has long fought off the description of his politics – anti-woke, pro-west, in favour of defending borders and recently pro-Trump – as 'right wing'. Kisin, who describes himself as a 'politically non-binary satirist', claims to be challenging the perception that defence of free speech should be a rightwing position, and has previously referred to himself as a centrist-liberal remainer who has only ever voted Labour or Lib Dem, and whose comedy heroes are Bill Hicks and George Carlin. He has also written a Sunday Times bestseller called An Immigrant's Love Letter to the West, which identifies the west as suffering from guilt in discussions about the history of slavery and colonialism. In the book, which is part memoir, he recounts a family history of repression and persecution in Soviet Russia, giving rise to his own commitment to defending free speech. His father served as a junior minister in one of Boris Yeltsin's cabinets before coming to the UK. A repeated critic of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, he appeared on the BBC's Question Time in 2022 to condemn Russia's actions and recently called Trump's description of Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a dictator 'absurd'. He is, however, a defender of Trump in other ways. On his own social media, Kisin is forthright on a number of hard-right talking points, posting on X in 2023: 'Diversity = anti-white people, inclusion = exclusion, anti-racism = racism.' He does appear to acknowledge that he has been on something of a journey politically. Kisin recently recorded a YouTube video, in which he described his opposition to some Democratic policies on trans issues and relief that Trump had won the US election, saying: 'If opposing this insanity makes me right wing, then so be it. The choice is between civilisation and people who think men can give birth. Everything else is fluff.' The video is entitled: 'Fine, call me 'right wing'.'
