The Lowdown from Nick Cohen

THE CENSORS' THREAT TO ART

In his latest Lowdown podcast, Nick Cohen talks to Sally Gimson, editor of Index on Censorship, discussing her report on censorship and the lack of political drama in the British arts scene. Sally explains that despite a strong left-wing political passion in the arts, there is a dearth of political theatre, with institutions playing it safe to avoid controversy. She describes how plays are now heavily workshopped and censored by committees, leading to bland and inoffensive productions. Sally highlights specific examples, such as the canceled production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Royal Exchange in Manchester, which was deemed too political. Nick and Sally also discuss the chilling effect of funding dependencies, such as deals with China, and political pressures, particularly in Scotland where the SNP's dominance has stifled satire. Sally concludes with a critique of the self-censorship and institutional timidity that is rendering the arts irrelevant and apolitical.

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@SallyGimson is editor of @IndexCensorship, aTrustee of Abortion Talk. Sally's Fabian pamphlet Building Bridges in the wake of the Labour Party's 2019 defeat on what it needed to enhance its futjure election chances https://fabians.org.uk/publication/building-bridges/ was published in 2020.

Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 regular Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond is another must-read.
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HOW TRUMP'S U.S. STUPIDLY ENGINEERED ITS OWN HUMILIATION

This week, Nick Cohen interviews Phillips O'Brien, a professor of strategic studies at St. Andrews University, about the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran. O'Brien explained how Iran has effectively "toyed with America" by continuing attacks despite Trump's attempts to de-escalate, forcing the U.S. to resume military operations. He describes how Iran is exploiting two key American vulnerabilities: Trump's need to declare victory and the pressure on U.S. allies in the Gulf region.

Phillips highlights the significant depletion of America's missile stockpiles, noting that the U.S. and its partners are firing as many Patriot missiles in one week as they would build in a year. He criticises the corruption and division within American institutions, including the military, which he said has been compromised by Trump's promotion of loyalists over competent officers. Phillips and Nick discuss Iran's potential war aims, including control over the Strait of Hormuz, maintaining their nuclear program, sanctions relief, and withdrawal of U.S. military presence in the region. Phillips concludes that the conflict would likely end after the November 2026 election, as the war has become increasingly unpopular and pressure would mount on Washington to find a settlement.

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Read Phillips' own regular Substack column - Phillips's Newsletter. Phillips is also professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews.

Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 regular Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond is another must-read.
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No end in sight to Trump's moronic war of choice with Iran

Nick Cohen and Charlie Sykes discuss what they describe as Donald Trump’s two reckless “wars”: the shooting conflict with Iran and the trade war with Canada. Sykes argues both are driven largely by Trump’s personal whims, lack public support, and have not been properly authorised or explained to Americans.

On Canada, Sykes says almost no ordinary Americans see Canada as an enemy, making Trump’s tariffs especially irrational and damaging. He argues the episode shows allies can no longer assume the US will honour agreements, whether on trade, NATO, or security guarantees.

On Iran, Sykes says Trump promised to avoid “forever wars” but is now trapped by his fear of looking weak. He warns that Trump’s corruption, isolation, and reliance on loyalists have made US policy more erratic, while nuclear deals with Saudi Arabia and unreliable American guarantees may encourage more countries to seek nuclear weapons.

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Charlie Sykes @SykesCharlie is a leading highly respected United States conservative political commentator who was formerly editor-in-chief and founder of the highly influential website The Bulwark. Charlie has been a leading Never Trump Conservative since Trump stood for the presidency in 2015. Charlie's Substack - To the contrary is a must read, and his regular podcast - also called To the contrary - a must listen. He has also been a columnist and author for the progressive channel MSNBC.

Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.
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The Right has power & money to destroy our world

Nick Cohen talks to academic Emma L.Briant about a neglected threat: right-wing attacks on free speech. While acknowledging that left-wing censoriousness has damaged liberal politics, he argues that conservatives who claimed to defend open debate are now adopting authoritarian methods. The central example is the Trump administration’s attempt, through Marco Rubio and the State Department, to revoke or threaten visas and immigration status for foreign researchers who study misinformation, disinformation, platform harms, and technology policy. Emma L Briant explains that the Coalition for Independent Technology Research, of which she is a member, advocates for independent access to platform data so researchers can assess harms without depending on tech companies’ permission.

Emma argues that the real target is not “censorship” but transparency. Researchers, she says, are being punished for measuring and exposing uncomfortable facts about social-media platforms, algorithmic harms, propaganda, and failures of accountability. Tech companies and their political allies frame this research as censorship because governments may use it to inform regulation, but Emma stresses that researchers do not make policy: they analyse evidence. She connects this to a wider alliance between the political Right and powerful technology executives, especially in the United States, who oppose European-style regulation such as the Digital Services Act because it threatens their control over data, platform design, verification systems, and public scrutiny.

The interview broadens into a critique of oligarchic power over media and democracy. Briant and Cohen discuss wealthy figures and tech elites using immense resources to shape politics, weaken regulation, influence media institutions, and promote far-right agendas. Emma warns that extreme wealth creates unprecedented political power and a sense of entitlement among billionaire and trillionaire elites, whose interests are increasingly aligned with authoritarian right-wing politics. Her proposed response is tougher, more targeted accountability: not merely media literacy or content moderation, but laws and
enforcement aimed at the actors behind disinformation, whether states, platforms, PR firms, or political funders.

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Dr Emma L. Briant is a leading expert on misinformation and propaganda and a published author. She is Visiting Associate Professor (Research) at University of Notre Dame. She is a Fellow in the Human Rights Program at Bard College, an Associate at the Center for Financial Reporting and Accountability, University of Cambridge and a Fellow of the Media and Journalism Research Centre Previously she held faculty positions.

Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.
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THE RIGHT & THE RISE OF INTOLERANCE

Nick talks about the the rise of intolerance and the suppression of debate, highlighting how both right and left-wing political movements are moving toward authoritarianism by excluding individuals who disagree with core policies. He gives specific examples including Kemi Badenoch's statements that Conservative candidates must accept Net Zero targets and European Convention on Human Rights, and Amnesty International's controversial report targeting organisations that disagree with gender ideology. Nick argues that while these movements claim to be protecting their respective ideologies, they are actually demonstrating intellectual decline by using fear and exclusion rather than debate to win arguments, and suggested that the public will ultimately reject such authoritarian approaches.

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