The Great Pushback: Has the West Had Enough of Progressivism?

In this episode, historian and Telegraph columnist Simon Heffer joins CIS Executive Director Tom Switzer to discuss the rising conservative momentum across democracies like the US, Italy, Germany, and Australia.

After years of dominance by progressive ideas on identity politics, diversity, and historical revisionism, political winds appear to be shifting. Voters in countries like New Zealand and Australia are rejecting policies rooted in identity politics, while centre-right and populist movements grow stronger across Europe.

Heffer examines whether we’ve passed "peak woke," how cultural guilt and censorship threaten democratic debate, and what lessons Australia can learn from Britain’s recent political experience. He argues that restoring free speech, rejecting identity politics, and embracing shared democratic values are key to the West’s future.

What’s driving the backlash against progressive politics in the West? Is the cultural tide turning? Is this the beginning of a cultural and political renewal?