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Philippe Marlière, Professor of French and European Politics at University College London, joins Roifield Brown in conversation to examine the tensions shaping French politics. They explore the polarisation between Marine Le Pen’s far right and Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s radical left, the argument that France’s electorate has shifted to the right, and what that could mean in a hypothetical presidential run-off between the two. The discussion also addresses disturbing accounts of flash-ball injuries, including a school student losing an eye, highlighting the human stakes of France’s social tensions. After 14 years of conversation, Mid-Atlantic is now on YouTube and Substack too. Follow, subscribe and join the debate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can English football enforce its rules when the stakes include Gulf wealth, political influence and Britain’s relationship with the UAE? On Mid Atlantic, Roifield Brown is joined by John Gunnison in Dublin and Tonye Altrade in London to explore the Manchester City controversy. John, a City supporter who spent eight years living in Abu Dhabi, offers an insider’s perspective on the emirate’s ambitions. Arsenal supporter Tonye examines the consequences for rival clubs and the credibility of English football. They debate the financial allegations, which City denies, the blurred boundaries between royal wealth and state power, and whether investment in Manchester risks becoming political protection. From relegation to a change of ownership, what would meaningful accountability look like—and who should bear the consequences? A passionate discussion about football, fairness and whether the beautiful game has become too valuable to govern. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does a ceasefire mean when Palestinians are still being killed—and what future can a people build when their homes and land keep disappearing? Roifield Brown welcomes Palestinian analyst Mouin Rabbani back to Mid Atlantic for a searing examination of Gaza, the occupied West Bank and the politics behind the promises of peace. Rabbani argues that Trump’s Board of Peace risks entrenching foreign control, that settlement expansion is dismantling the foundations of Palestinian statehood, and that replacing Netanyahu may offer Palestinians little meaningful change. From Hamas and Mahmoud Abbas’s failing leadership to the E1 settlement project, Israeli elections and international accountability, this conversation asks who holds power—and who pays the price. Can growing global solidarity become political action, or will “peace” remain a word that conceals dispossession? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Roifield Brown is joined by Logan Phillips, founder of Race to the White House, to ask whether America is heading for a historic Democratic blue wave in the 2026 midterms. They explore how frustration over living costs, healthcare and the Iran war is shaping the election, why races in Iowa and Kansas are suddenly competitive, and what Democratic control of the House and Senate could mean for Donald Trump’s final two years. Can Democrats turn voter dissatisfaction into victory—and an effective check on presidential power? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The episode discusses Prime Minister Mark Carney’s push to reduce Canada’s economic dependence on the United States after escalating tensions with Donald Trump, including tariffs and repeated comments threatening Canadian sovereignty such as calling Canada a “51st state” and referring to Canadian prime ministers as governors. Carney toured Europe and proposed a broad Canada–Europe “alliance for the future” spanning defense, energy, critical minerals, AI, research, and digital trade; Ursula von der Leyen floated the idea of Canada as the EU’s first associate member. An Abacus Data poll shows 81% support closer integration with Europe while staying outside the EU (49% support full membership). The conversation explores whether this is durable strategy or reaction to Trump, the complexities of adopting EU rules, Canadian protectionism (dairy, poultry, forestry), internal political and constitutional hurdles, and how Carney’s popularity has reshaped Canadian politics and weakened Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s path forward. 00:00 Canada Turns to Europe 01:37 Canadians React to EU Idea 02:27 Trump Threats and Sovereignty 05:08 Is the Rift Permanent 07:06 Who Opposes Integration 09:06 Carney Middle Powers Strategy 11:51 EU Rules and Trade Frictions 15:34 Associate Membership Hurdles 17:30 Carney Reshapes Politics 20:24 Carney and Liberal Leadership 22:03 Wrap Up and Farewell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the pressure on Donald Trump turning into a political backlash and is America ready for an even bigger upheaval? On this episode of Mid Atlantic, Roifield Brown joins Mike Donahue in Las Vegas to discuss the Iran war, rising fuel prices and Democratic hopes ahead of November’s midterms. Mike argues that household finances are doing more to erode Trump’s support than outrage over his conduct, while questioning whether Republican dissent amounts to a meaningful break with the president. Then the conversation turns to artificial intelligence and a sharp disagreement over whether its development should slow down. From cybersecurity and national competition to mass unemployment and concentrated wealth, Roifield and Mike explore two possible futures: shared prosperity or a society where millions survive on the margins. Can politicians prepare for the changes ahead, or will they act only once the damage is done? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does American liberty depend on God, and what happens when the country’s actions contradict its founding ideals? On this episode of Mid Atlantic, Roifield Brown welcomes author, West Point graduate and former Army officer Randy DeSoto to discuss the updated edition of We Hold These Truths. DeSoto argues that God-given rights and divine providence have shaped America’s defining moments. Roifield challenges that interpretation through the history of slavery, Indigenous dispossession and the gap between the Declaration of Independence’s promise of equality and its practice. The conversation moves from the religious convictions of America’s founders to abortion, Donald Trump’s character and the moral compromises of his Christian supporters. It culminates in a passionate exchange over evangelical support for Israel, Palestinian rights and the destruction in Gaza. A robust but civil encounter between sharply different worldviews, asking whether faith provides a consistent moral standard, and whose liberty gets defended when belief meets political power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The political map of Birmingham has been redrawn. After decades of Labour dominance, the May elections left Birmingham City Council with no overall control. Anger over the city's financial crisis, the prolonged bin strike, rising council tax and declining public services produced one of the most dramatic electoral shifts in the city's modern history. In this wide-ranging conversation, Roifield Brown sits down with Tyrone Fowles, Labour's candidate for Bordesley & Highgate, who narrowly lost his seat by just 94 votes. Together they explore: Why Labour suffered such heavy losses across Birmingham.Whether Keir Starmer became a liability on the doorstep.The impact of the city's financial crisis and bin strike.Why voters are turning towards the Greens, Liberal Democrats and independents.Andy Burnham's emergence as Labour's new standard bearer.Whether British politics needs a new generation of leaders who understand social media and modern political communication.Poverty, crime and deteriorating public services in Birmingham.Tyrone's journey from the UK Youth Parliament to Labour candidate.Why local politics must reconnect with communities before trust can be rebuilt. It's an honest discussion about political failure, renewal and what happens when one of Britain's largest cities decides enough is enough. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mid-Atlantic Podcast SummaryThis week's Mid-Atlantic examined two stories where sport, politics, identity, and power collided. In the first half, Roifield Brown was joined by John Gunnerson and Tonye Altrade to discuss the 2026 World Cup. The conversation explored FIFA's relationship with political power, visa refusals affecting officials and visitors, Gianni Infantino's leadership, Donald Trump's use of the tournament as a showcase for American influence, and growing concerns that the World Cup is becoming increasingly entangled with geopolitical tensions. The panel questioned whether the tournament can still serve as a global celebration when participants, journalists, and officials from some countries face barriers to entry. They also debated whether FIFA's pursuit of profit and political patronage has undermined the spirit of the game. The second half focused on the riots in Belfast following the attempted murder case involving a Sudanese asylum seeker. The discussion examined how a criminal incident became a flashpoint for wider debates about race, immigration, social media, political opportunism, and public trust. The panel explored the role of figures such as Elon Musk, the influence of online platforms, media responsibility, and whether Britain is becoming increasingly vulnerable to division driven by grievance politics. Despite concerns about rising tensions, the discussion ended on a note of cautious optimism, asking whether Britain can still pull itself back from the edge and reaffirm its tradition of tolerance and democratic resilience. Five Main Quotes"The difference is here is that America is denying people to come to the party.""Football doesn't need to be chasing dirty politics to get money.""I think he wants to be on camera. He wants Gianni Infantino to kiss his ass.""They need to continue keeping them emotionally enraged.""Whilst Belfast shows a very ugly side of human nature... we have seen what people are also capable of in this country to turn the tide."Key ThemesThe politicisation of the World CupFIFA, power, and accountabilityTrump's America and global sportImmigration, race, and public angerElon Musk's influence on political discourseThe role of media and social media in amplifying conflictWhether Britain's institutions can withstand growing polarisationHope versus grievance in modern democratic societies Overall, the episode argues that both the World Cup and the Belfast riots are symptoms of a broader global struggle over identity, belonging, power, and who gets to shape the narrative in an increasingly fragmented world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode summaryWestminster was meant to be projecting calm. Instead, this episode of Mid-Atlantic finds Labour staring into a leadership crisis, with Keir Starmer under pressure after bruising local election results and a party increasingly unsure what, or whom, it represents. The panel weighs whether Starmer can survive, how a Labour leadership contest would work, and why Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting and others are being talked up as possible successors. The conversation then moves from palace intrigue to the larger political fracture: Reform gaining ground in working-class areas, the Greens attracting disillusioned progressives, and Labour struggling to explain what it has actually achieved in government. Palestine, energy prices, public ownership, immigration and the cost of living all surface as signs of a party caught between managerial caution and a country demanding something with a pulse. And because despair has its limits, the panel ends where all serious political analysis eventually must: the World Cup. America is apparently excited, England is apparently good, and Arsenal fans are, as ever, treating optimism as a constitutional right. Pull quotes“Political parties appear detached from the people they are created to represent.”“Nobody knows what this Labour Party actually stands for.”“The middle ground is losing.”“Reform are more than the opposition. They’re the favourites now.”“We’re in this constant psychodrama.”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode SummaryOn this week’s Mid-Atlantic, Roifield Brown convenes his transatlantic panel to examine two democracies straining under the weight of power, personality and public distrust. In Washington, President Trump’s State of the Union address is dissected less as governing document and more as performance art, heavy on self congratulation, generous with medals and applause lines, and sharply combative toward Democrats. The panel questions whether such rhetoric represents democratic resilience, institutions holding firm, or simply the normalization of political antagonism as spectacle. Across the Atlantic, the arrest of Prince Andrew under investigation, alongside renewed scrutiny stemming from the Epstein files, pushes Britain into uncomfortable constitutional territory. Is this elite accountability finally catching up with power, or is it a carefully managed distancing exercise by an institution that has survived by cutting loose liabilities? The monarchy’s durability, its relationship to political neutrality, and the erosion of deference are all put under the microscope. Comparisons with the United States are unavoidable, particularly the appetite, or lack thereof, for holding powerful figures to account. The conversation then turns to the Gorton and Denton by election, a contest that feels bigger than its geography. With Labour, Reform and the Greens in a tight race, the panel debates whether Britain is entering a period of structural political realignment. Is Reform’s ascent a populist vindication or a short term protest vehicle? Can the Greens convert authenticity and digital savvy into sustained influence? And are the Conservatives facing something more existential than a bad polling cycle? On both sides of the Atlantic, the episode leaves listeners with a bracing question, are these systems bending or quietly being remade? Five Key Quotes“It’s presidential politics as world wrestling, this is what Trump does.”“You can’t tell people that things are great when they’re not.”“There’s a reason they’ve survived for 1,100 years, they’re experts at survival.”“The splintering is extraordinary, it’s all to play for.”“Authenticity is the difference, people can tell.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Mandelson affair didn’t arrive as a shock so much as a delayed detonation. On Mid-Atlantic, Roifield Brown and his panel argue that the controversy surrounding Peter Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to the US was neither unforeseeable nor accidental. It was the result of a conscious political decision one that traded judgment and party trust for perceived expediency, and one now threatening to corrode Labour’s credibility as a governing force. Steve O’Neill frames the issue bluntly as a failure of judgment at the very top. Keir Starmer’s admission that he knew about Mandelson’s ongoing relationship with Jeffrey Epstein at the time of the appointment turns the scandal from an oversight into a choice. Leah Brown widens the lens, describing a cultural problem inside Labour’s leadership: a growing comfort with elite networks, transactional politics, and risk-taking that sits uneasily with the party’s professed values. Mandelson, long distrusted by Labour’s rank and file, becomes less an anomaly than a symptom. The panel also grapples with why this scandal has landed so forcefully in Britain while similar Epstein-adjacent figures in the United States remain largely untouched. Mike Donahue argues that American politics has lost its capacity for collective shame, trapped in hyper-partisanship and institutional paralysis. In contrast, Britain—still angry, poorer, and distrustful of elites after Brexit—retains a shared sense that some lines simply should not be crossed. Whether Starmer survives the fallout may depend less on process than on whether Labour can convince voters that this was an aberration, not a reflection of who now governs in its name. Five Key Quotes“This wasn’t bad luck. It was a conscious choice.”“You can have all the vetting processes you like, but someone still decides to override them.”“Mandelson was playing from a different playbook one far closer to billionaires than to Labour members.”“In the US, we’ve lost our sense of shame. Not even this is enough to force accountability.”“The problem isn’t just Mandelson being found out it’s how many others are playing the same game.”Further Reading / References MentionedChannel 4 Dispatches (2019) investigation into Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey EpsteinHistorical comparison: The Profumo Affair (1960s UK political scandal)Ongoing criminal and parliamentary investigations relating to Epstein-linked figures Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Mid-Atlantic, Roifield Brown sits down with Canadian political commentator and host of The O Show, Laura Babcock, to dissect Canada’s unexpected political upheaval and its new identity on the world stage. With Mark Carney now prime minister, what was once unimaginable has become policy: a technocratic, globally respected leader is now seen by many Canadians as their country’s best defense against the growing unpredictability of the United States under Donald Trump. Babcock explains how Trump’s revived “51st state” rhetoric and a separatist push from Alberta have shaken Canadian politics out of its usual calm. Mark Carney, a former governor of both the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada, was drafted into leadership in a moment of national anxiety. The result? What many are calling the “Carney Doctrine” a centrist, pragmatic, globally cooperative approach that reasserts Canada's place as a serious voice in a chaotic international landscape. But this isn’t a cheerleading session. Carney’s past as a global banker still raises eyebrows among populists, and there are strategic risks in rebalancing trade and security away from the U.S. toward other powers like China. Still, Babcock argues that Carney's blend of calm pragmatism and sharp global insight has given Canada a renewed sense of unity, purpose and relevance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode of Mid-Atlantic, the panel dissects two unsettling scenes of political drama — one on the streets of Minneapolis, the other in the corridors of Westminster. The fatal ICE shooting of a civilian in Minneapolis, initially misrepresented by the Trump administration, has unleashed a bipartisan backlash. Tensions flare as footage shows an unarmed veteran stepping in to aid a protester only to be shot dead. Host Roy Field Brown is joined by panelists Logan Phillips and Mike Donahue for a conversation that shifts from outrage to hard political analysis, exposing a nation’s frayed moral seams. Across the pond, the Labour Party blocks Andy Burnham — the “King of the North” — from contesting a Westminster seat, triggering speculation of Keir Starmer’s insecurity. Is this about party discipline or political self-preservation? Corey Bernard decodes the local maths in Manchester’s Gorton and Denton constituency, while Leah Brown challenges Starmer’s leadership style, likening it to brittle control masquerading as strategy. This episode weaves grief, fury, and policy fatigue with snappy transatlantic banter — and asks the fundamental question: when institutions crack, what do ordinary people do? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you thought the idea of the US buying Greenland was a historical curiosity, think again. In this episode of Mid-Atlantic, Roifield Brown returns to YouTube with geopolitical analyst Pyotr Kurzin of The Global Gambit to peer into the mess that is Trump-era foreign policy is creating in the North Atlantic. Spoiler: It’s not just about a frozen island with more musk oxen than people. It’s a full-blown stress test for NATO, Europe, and what’s left of the post-WWII international order. Kurzin lays out the Trump worldview: alliances are optional, leverage is everything, and territorial sovereignty is up for negotiation. European leaders are adjusting, some more bravely than others. Macron is saying the quiet part out loud, Germany is quietly recalibrating, and the UK is hedging its bets, Brexit hangover and all. This isn’t just about Greenland. It’s about whether Europe can finally stop outsourcing its security to a partner that may now be actively undermining it. The conversation ends with an uncomfortable but necessary truth. If this is the new normal, then Europe, Britain included, needs to grow up, gear up, and rethink everything from trade to deterrence. Selected Quotes from the Episode “Trump sees Greenland as an extension of the Americas, which therefore by default is de facto America’s to control.”“Europe needs to behave in the reality that it is, not in the way that it wants it to be.”“We live in an age of international disorder.”“Britain needs to pick a side. Be more consistent in its messaging and positioning.”“Hope is not a strategy.” Further Reading & References from the Episode The Global Gambit YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@TheGlobalGambit The Global Gambit Substack https://theglobalgambit.substack.com Financial Times illustration of global powers carving up the world https://www.ft.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.