Our Glorious Leaders
Join writers Fraser Allen & Malcolm Triggs on a guided tour of some of the bizarre characters leading the 195 countries that make up Planet Earth. And brace yourself for a spoiler – with a few exceptions, they’re a pretty rum bunch. Each episode explores the life and behaviour of one of Our Glorious Leaders, including contributions from guests with inside knowledge. Thought-provoking and entertaining, the series holds a flickering candle to some of the shabbier representatives of our so-called civilisation.
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Episodes
Monday Mar 13, 2023
Monday Mar 13, 2023
Why does the nation with the highest GDP per capita in Africa allow most of its people to live in desperate poverty with no access to health care or primary education, and a sickening human rights record? Oh – that'll be down to (alleged) murderer and torturer President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has mobilised oil money and the politics of terror to make his name as the world's longest-serving (and utterly self-serving) President. The tale of post-colonial Equatorial Guinea is a tragic one and, in this episode of Our Glorious Leaders, Fraser Allen & Malcolm Triggs explore Obiang's oppressive world with the help of exiled activist and writer Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel.
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
Nicolas Maduro is credited with transforming Venezuela from the wealthiest nation in South America into a land of chaos, characterised by corruption, violent crime, political persecution, soaring inflation and widespread poverty. And yet, as his people starve, Maduro continues to enjoy the trappings of luxury in plain sight. How long can he continue? The vast majority of Venezuelans now feel little but contempt for Maduro – or Maburro, as his critics call him, playing on the Spanish word for ‘donkey’. Join us for a deep dive into a beautiful country, rich in resources, that has plunged to the depths as a failed petrostate.
Presented by Fraser Allen & Malcolm Triggs, with Venezuelan guest ‘Jose’.
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Alexander Lukashenko, Europe's last dictator, has ruled Belarus for 28 years. Very much an old-school tyrant, he exhibits the standard authoritarian hallmarks of military caps, rigged elections, human rights abuses and a bushy moustache. His opponents refer to him as the Monster Cockroach and, as this episode reveals, the Russian fable from which the nickname comes may yet hold the key to his demise.
Presented by Fraser Allen & Malcolm Triggs, with Belarusian guest commentator 'Volha'.
Who's In Charge?
It strikes us that the character of the people heading up the 195 countries of the world offers a useful measurement of how civilised, or uncivilised, life in the 21st Century really is. How many of them can truly be trusted?
Of course, most of us can point to some inspirational leaders out there, and no doubt there are plenty of well-meaning prime ministers and presidents doing the best they can. However, an alarming proportion of our global heads of state are truly horrible characters, responsible for the oppression, torture and murder of their own citizens. Furthermore, despite their often monstrous self-importance, many of these tyrants unwittingly make proper Charlies of themselves.
We're by no means experts on the nations and leaders that we'll be exploring, but we'll endeavour to employ our journalistic instincts, and gather informed insights from guest contributors. And in each episode, we aim to build a broad-brush portrait of one Glorious Leader. We hope it will be interesting, thought-provoking, and even raise the odd smile. Because if you can't laugh at some of these goons, you'll probably want to cry.