Lembit Opik & James Goddard on OPEN LINE with Rick Munn & Natalie Cheale - 25 January 2024

On today's show, Lembit Öpik discusses the state of London, sharing his personal experience of being robbed while having coffee at Pret A Manger this week. Later, James gives us his perspective on the 'conscription' chatter.

GUEST 1 OVERVIEW: Born in Northern Ireland in 1965 to Estonian parents, Lembit Öpik studied Economics and later Philosophy at Bristol University. In 1988, he joined the multinational firm Procter & Gamble in Advertising, eventually rising to the position of Global Human Resources Training & Development Manager for the company's 112,000 staff. Lembit served as a British MP from 1997 to 2010 and played a crucial role as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in negotiating the Northern Ireland peace process. Additionally, he chairs Asgardia, the world's only Digital Parliament and the first 'space nation.' An ardent libertarian, Lembit sees increasing societal pressure to conform as a potential threat to reason. He views the 'climate emergency' mantra as a challenge to free speech, where vested interests suppress scientific rigor. Lembit has been involved in broadcasting since the early 1990s on both radio and television and is also known as a feature filmmaker and author.

GUEST 2 OVERVIEW: James is an activist and citizen journalist who is currently banned from Parliament until July 2024. He looks forward to resuming his daily protests outside Downing Street once the ban is lifted. You can find him on Twitter/X: @JamesPGoddard90.