Re-enchanting... public life

People have lost confidence in leaders and institutions. Can politics and public life be re-enchanted? Lord Michael Hastings talks about bending the power of the prosperous for the poor, with Belle TIndall and Justin Brierley.

Nick Jones

Nick is the senior editor of Seen & Unseen.

A man in conversation laughs and throws his head back

Michael Hastings being interviewed at Lambeth Palace Library.

People have lost confidence in leaders and institutions. Can politics and public life be re-enchanted? Lord Michael Hastings of Scarisbrick is an independent peer in the House of Lords who has worked in business, education and international development. He tells Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall about growing up in Jamaica and the UK, and how his faith has led him to 'bend the power of the prosperous to the potential of the poor'.

There’s more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?

Podcast

Podcasts

Seen & Unseen Aloud

5 May 2025

1 min read

Laughing, unruliness, and diplomacy

Jonny Torrance: we’re less in control than we think; Henna Cundill: AI will never codify the exceptions. And Jamie Mulvaney ask what's the right backdrop for diplomacy.

Natalie Williams

Natalie is the chief executive of Jubilee+ and an author.

A group of comedians pose on a TV show set.

On this Bank Holiday Monday, Jonny Torrance comments on Last One Laughing, deciding we’re less in control than we think; Henna Cundill suggests that AI will never codify the many unruly exceptions to rules as they are what make us human; Jamie Mulvaney asks whether or not a funeral is the appropriate backdrop for diplomacy.