Is the 'vibe shift' real? Or are we kidding ourselves that we are past “peak woke”?

Bestselling novelist Lionel Shriver joins the Free Speech Union’s general secretary Lord Young to explain why the 'long war' on free speech is just beginning.

They discuss

*Immigration: the subject of Lionel’s latest novel “A Better Life” and why immigration has become the litmus test for progressives.

*The Trans Debate: Why Lionel is resisting the urge to write the "predictable" trans novel. *Ideological Conformism: The chilling reason why most intellectuals choose "ideological collusion" over truth.

* Political Violence: Reaction to the murder of Charlie Kirk and the rising temperature of the far-left.

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Read Lionel Shriver’s latest novel A Better Life: https://https://www.amazon.co.uk/Better-Life-Lionel-Shriver/dp/0063482142

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Ex-cop Rick Prior worked in the Met police's Culture, Diversity and Inclusion department. He reveals how he witnessed the adoption of the sort of woke ideologies that lead to two-tier policing and situations like the arrest of dying victim Henry Nowak. #freespeech #twotierpolicing #henrynowak

Read the Free Speech Union's briefing "With Fear and Favour: Britiain's Policing Emergency": https://freespeechunion.org/publications/fear-and-favour-policing-emergency

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Former BBC editor Rob Burley talks about his recent Unherd investigation: "Inside the capture of the BBC How transgenderism killed impartiality."

This is an insider account of how bosses at one of Britain’s most important institutions became scared of young, woke employees and speaking freely. #freespeech #bbc #bbcnews

Read Rob's article for Unherd: https://unherd.com/2026/05/inside-the-capture-of-the-bbc/

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Journalist Janet Murray tells Connie Shaw how her views about trans impacted her community choir. The "Singing Striders" were dropped by disability charity Scope from performing at the London Marathon. Scope objected to Janet's views, even though they were unrelated to her work with the choir. Scope backed down at the last minute, but too late for the show to go on. The choir row is just the latest attack Janet has suffered in a long campaign against her. #freespeech #transgender #ukpolitics

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After Independent Councillor John Edwards asked questions about a scheme for housing Afghan migrants, he found himself under investigation by the local council. Even though he was cleared by an independent investigator, he still faces a hearing and has had to launch a CROWDFUNDER to defend himself.

JOHN'S CROWDFUNDER: https://www.gofundme.com/f/silenced-for-telling-the-truth-about-an-afghan-hotel-scheme?attribution_id=sl:a3a0cd74-42ae-4834-88c9-c9ee17ae16da&lang=en_GB&ts=1778681504&utm_campaign=man_sharesheet_dash&utm_content=amp20_t1&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

Follow John https://linktr.ee/John_EdwardsUK

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The conservative MP talks cover‑ups, community tensions, and free speech with FSU General Secretary Lord Young #GroomingGangs #freespeech #onlinesafety

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Can a man be a woman? When student Samiksha Bhattacharjee organised a campus debate on the topic "all hell broke out." #transgender #charliekirk #UKPolitics

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