In this conversation from 2024, Alex speaks with Eric Schliesser about the growing declarations of the end of liberalism and what this means for the socio-political future in general.

Episode Notes:

1. Eric Schliesser’s page at the University of Amsterdam https://www.uva.nl/en/profile/s/c/e.s.schliesser/e.s.schliesser.html#Publications
2. Kevin Vallier’s episode of this podcast discussing religious anti-liberalism: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/197-kevin-vallier-what-are-the-new-religious-threats-to-liberalism/
3. Adrian Vermeulen’s publications https://hls.harvard.edu/faculty/adrian-vermeule/
4. Tom Pink’s page at King’s College London: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/thomas-pink
5. Yoram Hazony’s book on conservatism: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/thomas-pink
6. Jacob Levy on borders and liberalism: https://www.niskanencenter.org/law-and-border/

In this episode, Matt speaks with Reem Ibrahim about whether Brexit can be considered a success six years after the UK left the European Union. They examine the classical-liberal case for Brexit (focused on sovereignty, deregulation, and free trade) and contrast it with a post-Brexit reality in which many EU-era regulations, trade barriers, and interventionist policies remain. While the most catastrophic “Project Fear” predictions did not come true, Ibrahim argues that Brexit’s promised freedoms have largely gone unused, leaving its long-term success still unresolved.

References

Brexit Referendum (2016) — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/eu_referendum/results

Project Fear — https://ukandeu.ac.uk/why-take-back-control-trumped-project-fear/

Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA)’s Analysis of Brexit’s impact on trade — https://iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Perspectives_5_Has-Brexit-really-harmed-UK-trade__web-1.pdf

Brexit: The Movie — https://www.youtube.com/c/brexitthemovie

UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement — https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/relations-united-kingdom/eu-uk-trade-and-cooperation-agreement_en

CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) — https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-uk-and-the-comprehensive-and-progressive-agreement-for-trans-pacific-partnershipcptpp

Working Time Directive — https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/rights-work/labour-law/working-conditions/working-time-directive_en

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In this episode, Alex speaks with Franco Terrazano about government spending, taxation, and fiscal accountability in Canada, with a focus on how deficits, debt, and expanding bureaucracy effect affordability for ordinary Canadians. Franco outlines where federal spending has grown most rapidly, critiques the lack of clear priorities and performance measurement, and explains how interest payments on the debt increasingly crowd out core public services.

References

Canadian Taxpayers Federation https://www.taxpayer.com/

Federal Budget of Canada (most recent edition) https://budget.canada.ca/home-accueil-en.html

Public Accounts of Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/public-services-procurement/services/payments-accounting/public-accounts.html

Canada’s Debt and Interest Charges https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/federal-and-provincial-debt-interest-costs-for-canadians-2025.pdf

Government Program Spending Growth Since 2015 https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/explaining-growth-federal-program-spending-2015

Thanks to Our Patrons

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Alex interviews Sabine Benoit of the Consumer Choice Center on Canada’s housing crisis. Sabine argues the main causes are chronic undersupply plus policy barriers: zoning that blocks “missing middle” density, long approval timelines/red tape, and high development fees that get passed to buyers. They also cover why immigration is often scapegoated despite being only part of the story, and why governments should focus on enabling private building (and targeted skilled-trades immigration) rather than new government developer programs.

References:

1. Consumer Choice Center (CCC): https://consumerchoicecenter.org/
2. Sabine’s article in The Hub: https://thehub.ca/2026/01/14/only-the-richest-canadians-are-able-to-afford-homes-its-time-to-free-the-market-deepdive/
3. TD Economics Housing Market Outlook: https://economics.td.com/ca-provincial-housing-outlook
4. Scotiabank study: https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/about/economics/economics-publications/post.other-publications.housing.housing-note.housing-note--march-19-2025-.html
5. CMHC Supply Study: https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/professionals/housing-markets-data-and-research/housing-research/research-reports/accelerate-supply/canadas-housing-supply-shortages-a-new-framework

Thanks to Our Patrons

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In this conversation from 2025, Alex Aragona speaks with Graeme Thompson about Canada's evolving role on the global stage, from Confederation through to the post-Cold War era and into the geopolitical uncertainties of today. They explore Canada’s historical balancing act between major powers, its close alignment with the United Kingdom and later the United States, and its present-day challenges in maintaining global relevance amid military underinvestment and economic stagnation. Thompson argues that Canada must become more serious about geopolitics if it wants to protect its sovereignty and remain influential internationally.

1. “Canadians no longer take geopolitics seriously – and our neglect is going to cost us” by Graeme Thompson (The Hub) https://thehub.ca/2024-04-03/graeme-thompson-canadians-no-longer-take-geopolitics-seriously-and-our-neglect-is-going-to-cost-us/

2. Biography Collection: Ogdensburg Agreement and Canadian Wartime Diplomacy (Dictionary of Canadian Biography) https://www.biographi.ca/en/topics/topic-match-list.php?id=1504

3. Statute of Westminster (1931) – Recognized Canada’s legislative independence from Britain https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/statute-of-westminster

4. NATO Archives: Canada's Role and Early Involvement https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_161511.htm

5. Canada–U.S. Automotive Products Agreement (Auto Pact) https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canada-us-automotive-products-agreement

6. Lament for a Nation by George Grant https://a.co/d/bnRI7Rb

7. Canada’s Military Expenditure and NATO’s 2% Spending Target (Parliamentary Budget Officer) https://www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/publications/RP-2223-010-S--canada-military-expenditure-nato-2-spending-target--depenses-militaires-canada-objectif-depenses-2-otan

Including Kris Rondolo, Amy Willis, and Christopher McDonald. To support the podcast, visit: https://patreon.com/curioustask

In this episode from 2022, Alex speaks with Abigail Hall about propaganda - an elusive and at times far-reaching concept that can be found everywhere: from overt wartime speeches by presidents to covert uses of sports and film to promote the ends of state militarism.

References

1. “Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror” by Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail R. Hall

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Manufacturing-Militarism-Government-Propaganda-Terror/dp/1503628361

2. “Tyranny Comes Home: The Domestic Fate of U.S. Militarism” by Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail R. Hall

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Tyranny-Comes-Home-Domestic-Militarism/dp/1503605272

3. Abigail Hall’s Previous Episode on The Curious Task

Link: https://thecurioustask.podbean.com/e/ep-13-abigail-hall-%e2%80%94-how-does-foreign-policy-create-a-boomerang-effect-at-home/

4. “Keep Calm and Carry On” Poster

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On

5. “Uncle Sam” Poster

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Sam

6. “Smith-Mundt Act” by US Agency for Global Media

Link: https://www.usagm.gov/who-we-are/oversight/legislation/smith-mundt/

7. “Dick Cheney” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dick-Cheney

8. “Biographies of Secretaries of State: Colin Powell (1937-2021)” by Office of the Historian

Link: https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/powell-colin-luther

9. “Biographies of Secretaries of State: Condoleezza Rice (1954-)” by Office of the Historian

Link: https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/rice-condoleezza

10. “Pat Tillman” by Britannica

Link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pat-Tillman

11. “The Life and Death of Phil Strub” by Spy Culture

Link: https://www.spyculture.com/the-life-and-death-of-phil-strub/

12. “Windtalkers” by IMDb

Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245562/

13. “Top Gun” by IMDb

Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092099/

14. "Transformers" by IMDb

Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418279/

In this episode from 2024, Alex speaks with Chris Coyne about the complexities and ramifications of war, focusing on the interplay between media narratives, propaganda, and the impact on civil liberties, drawing insights from Coyne's book co-authored with Abigail Hall, which is a satirical guide on war strategies and their broader societal implications.

Episode Notes:

Chris and Abigail's book "How to Run Wars": https://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=145

1. Bruce Winton Knight's "How To Run A War": https://www.amazon.com/How-Run-War-Bruce-Knight/dp/B000OMR1KG

2. Herman and Chomsky's "Manufacturing Consent": https://www.amazon.ca/Manufacturing-Consent-Political-Economy-Media/dp/0375714499

3. Noam Chomsky's website: https://chomsky.info/

4. Alexis de Tocqueville's biography, including reference to his distinction between hard and soft despotism: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexis-de-Tocqueville

5. Otto Neurath's "Through War Economy to Economy in Kind" https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-010-2525-6_5

6. Abigail Hall and Christopher Coyne "Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror": https://www.amazon.ca/Manufacturing-Militarism-Government-Propaganda-Terror/dp/1503628361

Matt speaks with Randy Hicks (CEO of the Georgia Center for Opportunity) about why jobs and social capital matter, how government programs can stabilize but often fail to help people escape poverty, and what reforms might better support work and self-sufficiency. They also discuss the benefits cliff, UBI, the role of civil society (including faith-based organizations), Utah’s “one door” model, and the minimum wage.

References

• The Georgia Center for Opportunity: https://foropportunity.org/

• Alliance for Opportunity: https://allianceforopportunity.com/

• The "One-Door Path": https://allianceforopportunity.com/focus/safety-nets/one-door-2/

• “Benefits cliff”: https://freopp.org/whitepapers/fixing-the-broken-incentives-in-the-u-s-welfare-system/

• Milton Friedman and the Negative Income Tax proposal: https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/NegativeIncomeTax.html

• Mike Rowe’s Dirty Jobs and the dignity/value of work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x17ip3ZwG0Q

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