In this conversation, Melanie Phillips joins John Anderson to discuss the crisis of Western resolve and moral decline. Drawing on her decades as a commentator, Phillips argues that Iran's perceived strength reflects Western weakness and hesitation. She also explores how anti-Zionism and elite failure have hollowed out Western values A pre-eminent voice in British public discourse, Melanie Phillips possesses a storied journalistic pedigree. Having established her reputation at The Guardian and the New Statesman, she now provides sharp political and social analysis for The Times, The Jerusalem Post, and The Jewish Chronicle. A familiar and formidable presence on the airwaves, she has long served as a regular panellist for BBC Radio 4’s The Moral Maze and BBC One’s Question Time. Phillips was honoured with the Orwell Prize for Journalism in 1996 during her tenure at The Observer, and her extensive bibliography includes her candid memoir, Guardian Angel: My Story, My Britain. Sign up to John's newsletter here: https://johnanderson.net.au/contact/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1:03 – Introduction 1:50 – Trump's strike on Iran: courage or overreach? 7:53 – Why the Iranian regime can't be negotiated with 10:57 – Is the Middle East less stable now? 14:22 – Trump's political calculus and the chance he resumes the war 16:07 – Allied failure: Britain's missing warship 18:24 – "No problem was ever solved by war" 22:26 – The axis of evil and China's surveillance state 23:24 – Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory 27:36 – Western media as a weapon against the West 32:16 – Bondi and the crisis facing Jewish Australians 39:05 – Anti-Zionism as a Trojan horse for the West 46:58 – The rise of populism, explained 49:20 – The welfare state's founding lie: wants vs needs 1:01:26 – Sharia courts and the "one law for all" principle -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Conversations feature John Anderson, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, interviewing the world's foremost thought leaders about today's pressing social, cultural and political issues. John believes proper, robust dialogue is necessary if we are to maintain our social strength and cohesion. As he puts it; "You cannot get good public policy out of a bad public debate." If you value this discussion and want to see more like it, make sure you subscribe to the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtnYSEGViOnb7k8ezUaWUww?sub_confirmation=1 And stay right up to date with all the conversations by subscribing to the newsletter here: https://johnanderson.net.au/contact/ Follow John on X: https://www.twitter.com/JohnAndersonAC Follow John on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnandersonac Follow John on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnandersonac/ Subscribe to John's Substack: https://www.ourcivilisationalmoment.com/ Support the channel: https://johnanderson.net.au/support/ Website: https://johnanderson.net.au/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Qh2fEsC7nEVxXxQzwTv54 2QH0QLLWRVNX5LFA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Website: http://www.melaniephillips.com/ Follow Melanie on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelanieLatest Follow Melanie on X: https://twitter.com/MelanieLatest Follow Melanie on Substack: https://melaniephillips.substack.com/