Conversations

For the last decade or so we’ve looked on as the United States has radically changed itself, but the UK has been changing too as it continues to struggle with economic stagnation and the fallout from Brexit.
The British people, famous for their aversion to radical and emotional politics, have embarked on a course which was supposed to take them back to the comforting certainties of the past, but has instead, brought them into an uncertain new world.
It began with the huge shock of Brexit, then the constant turnover of Prime Ministers including Liz Truss whose term in office was famous outlived by a head of lettuce.
In 2025 British Labor won government in a massive landslide, which saw many hope things might settle down, but now Kier Starmer is hanging on by his fingernails.
And for those looking to the monarchy for a sense of continuity and national unity, that’s not going well either.
So what on earth has happened to the land of toast and tea? 
Ian Dunt is a British political journalist and author of How Westminster Works and Why is Doesn't 
Ian is also a regular contributor to Late Night Live on Radio National.
This episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake, the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.
It explores British politics, Brexit, the financial crash, austerity, David Cameron, The Conservative Party, referendum, European Union, New Labor, populism, government services, the UK-US alliance, Christianity, Marxism, puberty, disillusioned, dogma, ideology, psychedelic, journalism, political discourse, British public school system, elites, power, Prime Ministers, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, immigration.
To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

In the 1990s, Glenn Jarvis was living in London working for a very powerful American corporation called Enron. He was under a huge amount of stress at work, when his mental health began to spiral downwards.
In the late 1990s Australian Glenn Jarvis won a job in London with Enron, a giant American energy and investment corporation. Life was exhilarating and he made lots of friends.
But after a time Glenn began to notice some very odd transactions at Enron.
Giant amounts of money were flooding in to the company that simply couldn't be accounted for.
Glenn took it up with with his bosses, but they didn't want to know.
In part because of the questions he was asking, Glenn's reputation at work began to change, and his mental health began to deteriorate.
He had a psychotic episode, and spent the next 2 years in and out of mental health units in Australia and the UK.
Eventually he found himself back in town of Queanbeyan where he grew up, with no job, no money, and few friends who understood what he'd been through.
His family stuck by him, but things were difficult, and he ended up in supported accommodation.
Across the road from where he was living was a local Bowling Club. He would go there and buy a single beer most nights, and eventually befriended some of the regulars.
With the help of these elderly friends, and meaningful work, Glenn began a slow and painstaking climb back into an entirely different kind of life.

The former Kings Cross street kid on his time in prison, recovering from an alcohol-induced brain injury, the puppy called Sunny who showed him what love is and how buying car parking spaces set him up for the rest of his life.
Warning: This episode contains sensitive topics and reference to physical violence against women.
John Howard came from a dysfunctional and often violent home in the outer suburbs of Sydney, and when he was able to, he ran away to the dank but promising Kings Cross of the 1960s and 70s.
He would see Abe Saffron having dinner at the local Bourbon & Beefsteak joint and John found himself doing odd jobs for his sex worker friends in exchange for somewhere to sleep.
John was caught up in a horrific assault and in the following years he found himself in jail and then drawn to drinking.
At his lowest point he was rescued by chance by a passing taxi, and taken to hospital to recover from an alcohol-induced brain injury.
As he was recovering, it was a toy poodle puppy called Sunny who showed John what love and affection were — and from there he was able to build his life for the first time.
Further information
You can call the National Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence counselling service on 1800-RESPECT or 1800-737-732. 
This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. 
It covers topics like homelessness, alcoholism, prison escape, solitary confinement, toy poodles, lesbian separatism, disability support pension, brain injury, Callan Park hospital, Rozelle Hospital, getting sober, quitting alcohol, Kings Cross, street kid, sex workers, drug use, drug addiction, prostitute, Bourbon & Beefsteak, Abe Saffron, The Coconut Grove, doggy poo bags, pooper scoopers, Potts Point.
To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Kate McClymont is chief investigative reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald, she has won 10 Walkley Awards for her work on some of the biggest crime and corruption cases in NSW.
She grew up on a farm in NSW, and during university, funded her start in Sydney by setting up a busking booth in Kings Cross.
Passers-by would pay her to answer a question, have an argument, or verbally abuse them. 
Kate's start in crime reporting came from an early job writing for a gossip column.  
She was instructed to cover a wedding of a family member of known criminal figure, George Freeman.
Kate compared the sequins in the bridal party's outfit to a bullet-proof vest, and received the first of many death threats throughout her career. 
She has exposed the crimes of politician, Eddie Obeid, former Health Services Union boss, Michael Williamson and financial fraudster, Melissa Caddick, among many more.
This episode of Conversations was produced by Alice Moldovan and the Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison.
It explores crime, investigative journalism, newspapers, police, corruption, politicians, Eddie Obeid, Melissa Caddick, fraud, murder, defamation, court cases, police, lawyers, timelines, research, contacts, financial fraud, death threats, award winning journalism, the Sydney Morning Herald, Four Corners, Chris Masters, Sydney, NSW
To binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

For years, Brendan Cullen was known around Broken Hill as the happy man who ran thousands of ewes across tens of thousands of hectares with a smile. What they didn't see was  the guy crying in a room by himself, drinking himself stupid, thinking he wasn’t providing enough for his family.
Brendan calls himself a ‘glorified shepherd’.
He manages a sheep station outside Broken Hill, a part of the country he loves and knows like the back of his hand.
But Brendan also has another moniker: ‘the desert swimmer’.
A few years ago, he was floored by a cruel bout of depression, the core of which he later understood came from an experience of childhood sexual abuse that he never spoke about.
While recovering, Brendan decided to try to swim the English Channel.
As his swim coach Mike ‘the Tractor’ told him: swimming the channel is straightforward – you get in the water at Dover and keep swimming until you hit something, and that something is France.
The swim is just one of the tools in his 'toolkit' that he uses to stay mentally well and present with his family, and his flock.
Desert Swimmer is written with Paul Mitchell and published by Allen & Unwin.
Content warning: this episode of Conversations contains discussion of childhood sexual abuse.
Help and support is always available. You can call or text Lifeline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.
It explores rural, remote Australia, men's mental health, mental wellbeing, mental fitness, exercise for mental health, farming, boarding school, childhood sexual abuse, children who abuse other children, fatherhood, access to education, how to ask for help, mental illness, long distance swimming, ocean swimming, farming, sheep, livestock, Menindee, farming families, succession plans, generational farming, family business.
To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.