The Discernable Interviews
Deputy Prime Minister of Australia the Hon. John Anderson AO
1 Hour 14 Minutes
The Hon. John Anderson AO, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia now hosts an incredible podcast where he hosts guests such as Jordan Peterson, Douglas Murray, Dan Crenshaw, Prof Stephen Hicks, Helen Pluckrose, and so many more.
We talked about many things but unfortunately ran out of time before I could get to the second part of my questions which we will hopefully cover in another interview: how he chooses guests, what makes a good interview, the monetisation of podcasting…
Since recording Australia has announced the acquisition of United States designed nuclear submarines. National security was a pressing concern of John’s in this interview and I suspect he would be pleased after the submarine announcement.
1:00 John’s 2021 failed run for the Australian Senate
3:01 The importance of conversations – John’s Podcast
5:24 Australia needs to be an ‘outward looking nation’
8:25 Is there a diminishing appetite for deeper conversations?
11:31 The celebrity effect in John’s podcast
15:47 Young people love quality content
18:22 How does Australian culture compare?
21:43 Australia’s ‘lucky’ ride
25:22 Can Australia rely on luck?
29:44 The outworking of ideas
36:00 Preserving the wisdom of previous generations
38:07 Socialist policies hurt young people in the long run
40:20 Australia has become soft in its decision making
43:48 Australia’s response to Covid-19
48:06 The ethics of vaccine passports and the need to allow conscientious objection
55:33 Governments to give up emergency powers gained through Covid
59:18 Resisting the corruption of power
1:04:06 John’s ethos to approaching being an interviewer
1:06:11 The cycles of history
1:09:53 Trading feeling for thinking
