Ways to Change the World with Krishnan Guru-Murthy

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Omar El Akkad: Gaza war made me 'deeply cynical' about the West Feb 17, 2025

Show notes

It appears the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has been brought back from the brink as Hamas now says they will now release Israeli hostages as planned on Saturday after Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump threatened the militant group.

But for award-winning author Omar El Akkad, the war in Gaza has already been a turning point for his relationship with the West - the part of the world that took him in as a child refugee. He says the faith he had in the cultural and political values he believed underpinned the West has been totally shattered by its response to the Israel-Gaza war.

In this episode of Ways to Change the World, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks to him about his new book ‘One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This’ and asks if he has any hope for the future.

Produced by Silvia Maresca, Calum Fraser, Max Velody.

Blur's Alex James: Rock stars either die or end up on a farm Dec 18, 2024

Show notes

On this week’s episode of Ways to Change the World, Blur bassist Alex James speaks to Krishnan Guru-Murthy about Jeremy Clarkson, Oasis, band break ups, diets, and how he went from a rock and roll star “swinging from chandeliers” to a farmer with five kids.

Alex James’ new book Over The Rainbow tells the story of Blur’s reunion tour last year and the struggles of a middle aged man to fit in the jeans he last wore as a young rock star.

Produced by Silvia Maresca.

Omid Djalili: Finding humanity through comedy, from 9/11 to the Middle East wars Dec 11, 2024

Show notes

Comedian Omid Djalili talks to Krishnan Guru-Murthy about Syria, Israel, Gaza and the Iranian regime, and why the West should care about the Middle East.

In this episode of Ways to Change the World, Djalili says a combination of his Baha’i faith, his heritage and the encouragement of friends is what has kept him resilient in the face of setbacks, including being “cancelled” after the 9/11 attacks.

Produced by Silvia Maresca

Tim Minchin on his viral speech, quitting social media and being kind Dec 04, 2024

Show notes

Tim Minchin has never been one for following the rules—or even having a dream. “I ran towards unpigeonholeability,” he tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy, reflecting on his career as a comedian, musician, and writer who refuses to fit into a single box.

Best known for his sharp wit, powerful lyrics, and smash-hit musical Matilda, Minchin explains why he doesn’t see comedy as a vehicle for his worldview and how the messiness of life fuels his creativity.

In this episode of Ways to Change the World, he opens up about stepping away from social media, the rise of polemicists in public discourse, and why kindness and generosity are central to the stories he wants to tell, and the kind of person he wants to be.

Produced by Shaheen Sattar, Silvia Maresca and Ka Yee Mak.

Brianna Ghey’s mother on dangers of the internet and banning social media for under-16s Nov 20, 2024

Show notes

Esther Ghey is the mother of Brianna Ghey, the 16-year-old transgender girl who was stabbed to death in a park in Cheshire, England in 2023.

In the wake of her daughter’s brutal murder, Esther has been campaigning to ensure that Brianna’s legacy is an improvement in the mental health of children and teenagers, something she believes can be achieved by limiting their access to harmful online content from an early age, as well as with teaching mindfulness in schools.

In this episode of Ways to Change the World, she tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy why protecting young people online is not only the parents’ responsibility, but that of governments and social media companies. She also talks about the importance of teaching empathy and compassion to children, and why she supports Labour MP Josh MacAlister’s proposal of banning social media apps for under-16s in the UK.

Produced by Silvia Maresca.

Economist Torsten Bell MP explains how to fix Britain Sep 20, 2024

Show notes

Economist-turned-Labour MP Torsten Bell knows all too well that things have not been going great for Britain - but is optimistic that a different future is possible.

The UK’s economy has been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the last few years: wages are flatlining, taxes are on the rise, and public services are on the brink of collapse. The younger generation can’t afford to buy a home, the old aren’t receiving the social care they need and an increasing number of people are reliant on food banks. So what’s at the root of all these problems - and crucially, how do you fix it?

In this episode of Ways to Change the World, Torsten Bell, the Labour politician and former Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, talks to Krishnan Guru Murthy about Britain’s “catch up potential” to turn things around and build a more equal and better off country.

Produced by Silvia Maresca.

Nate Silver on Trump-Harris election, Elon Musk and AI Sep 03, 2024

Show notes

American political forecaster Nate Silver explains who will win the US election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, why he thinks Elon Musk’s comments during the riots in the UK were acceptable, and how AI will change the world.

Silver is the founder of the influential polling and politics website FiveThirtyEight, but now writes on his website Silver Bulletin. He’s just published a new book called ‘On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything’ where he argues that “professional risk takers” such as low-stakes poker players, crypto kings, venture-capital billionaires and hedge fund managers are “winning” in American society, and what they can teach us about handling the uncertainties of the 21st century.

In this episode of Ways to Change the World, American election forecaster, Nate Silver, tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy the chances of Kamala Harris or Donald Trump winning the US election, why he thinks Elon Musk’s tweets on X during the 2024 UK summer riots were part and parcel of having freedom of speech, and the transformative impact of AI on the world.

Produced by Silvia Maresca.

US Presidential candidate Cornel West on Israel Hamas war, greedy ruling class and Biden vs Trump May 10, 2024

Show notes

US Presidential candidate Dr Cornel West is a philosopher and prominent advocate for social and racial justice. He’s taught at some of the top universities in the US including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, but has one major plan if he becomes President: to “dismantle the American empire”.

The 71-year-old activist, who campaigned for Biden in 2020, has recently been vocal against both the Democratic and Republican’s party’s stance on Gaza, which he calls “morally bankrupt”. Though he faces very long odds in winning the race, he says he wants to appeal to a group of disillusioned voters who have given up on the American two-party system.

In this episode of Ways to Change the World, Dr Cornel West tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy why he thinks US foreign policy on Israel is enabling destruction in Gaza, how both Biden and Trump are problematic for oppressed groups, and why it’s difficult to have hope to change the world without also being in despair at the suffering we see.

Produced by Silvia Maresca

Economist Joseph Stiglitz on Pro-Palestine campus protests, Trump and rethinking freedom May 07, 2024

Show notes

Nobel Prize Laureate Joseph Stiglitz is one of the most influential economists in the world, having advised multiple Democratic Presidents of the US and the World Bank, where he worked as Chief Economist and senior Vice President. His latest book, called “The Road to Freedom: Economics and the Good Society,” argues that the economic right’s concept of “freedom” doesn’t take into account the necessary trade-offs, that one person’s freedom often comes at the expense of another’s. And that “free” - unregulated - markets, far from promoting growth and enterprise, in fact lessen economic opportunities for majorities and syphon wealth from the many to the few. Stiglitz, now 81, is a Professor at Columbia University in New York, where freedom of speech and the right to protest have been making headlines in recent weeks, with hundreds of pro-Palestinian student protesters occupying the campus and clashing with police. The movement has now spread from the US, and encampments around the world are being launched, where the common demand is asking universities to divest and disclose their financial support of the war in Gaza. In this episode of Ways to Change the World, economist Joseph Stiglitz tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy why more government intervention is desirable, whether campus protests in the US are going “over the line” and why stalling living standards “create a fertile field” for demagogues like Donald Trump. Produced by Shaheen Sattar and Silvia Maresca

Comedian Bassem Youssef on the Israel-Gaza war, the Arab Spring, and why we can’t change the world Apr 11, 2024

Show notes

Bassem Youssef thinks that he’s come on the wrong podcast. “People in power don't really care about any of our suggestions to change the world”, he tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy, “because if our ways to change the world affect their interests, they will stop you.”

And he knows what he’s talking about, having fled his home country of Egypt after his TV comedy became no longer acceptable to the authorities there.

Bassem started his career as a heart surgeon, then moved to political comedy in response to the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, taking on the ruling elite in his country. His political satire show, ‘Al-Bernameg’ was the most watched show in Egyptian TV history, but soon became a thorn in the side of the authorities there, forcing him into exile.

In this episode of Ways to Change the World, Bassem Youssef talks about his view that Israel should be held accountable for the war in Gaza, how the Egyptian revolution was a turning point in his life, and why he feels disillusioned with the West's "lecturing" on human rights and international law.

Produced by Shaheen Sattar, Silvia Maresca and Hila May.

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