On episode seven of Shame, I’m speaking to my fellow journalist Rachel Cunliffe, who serves as the Deputy Online Editor of the enduringly fascinating New Statesman.

Rachel wrote an article a few weeks back under the headline, ‘Why New Age puritans are the enemies of progress’. Hmmm. I’m into that. This was the standfirst; ‘From sex to Covid to climate change, some people just really like telling others what to do.’ Sounds like someone I should speak to for this podcast, right? Way ahead of you chief. Great minds and all that.

No exaggeration, but I thought Rachel was fascinating in explaining some of the socio-economic reasons why so many people behave how they do, policing our lives, ringfencing us with faux virtue. Most importantly, I think all these things she says come from a place of great empathy. It’s not performative. I think she really does care a lot about people. But – and this is something I think we both agree with – I think we both agree that in order for a person to be happy, they need to be free from shame. They need to be free.

I think you agree with this too. After all, why are you here otherwise?

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Watch the series trailer here: https://tinyurl.com/7r326hhc