Right-wing economist: Neoliberalism is under threat | Chris Snowden interview

Chris Snowden of the IEA, a neoliberal think tank, joins Ava in the JOETowers basement to talk smoking, gambling, and threats to the neoliberal way of life.

In this lively and provocative interview, Chris Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) — one of the UK’s most prominent neoliberal think tanks — joins Ava Evans in the JOETowers basement for a wide-ranging discussion on freedom, vice, and the perceived threats to neoliberalism in modern Britain.

From smoking bans and gambling regulations to government attempts to tax and nudge people into so-called ‘better choices,’ Snowdon argues that personal freedom is under sustained attack by an increasingly paternalistic state. He defends the right to smoke, drink, and bet — so long as it’s on your own terms — and takes aim at what he calls the "public health lobby's creeping authoritarianism."

But the conversation goes well beyond lifestyle politics. Snowdon and Ava dig into the foundations of neoliberal thought, how it came to dominate British policymaking over the past four decades, and why it's now facing pushback from both the political left and populist right. From Labour’s new economic interventionism to the rise of Reform UK, Snowdon warns that the post-Thatcher consensus is fracturing, and that market freedoms are no longer the political default.

Expect sharp arguments, unapologetic opinions, and plenty of ideological clash as the IEA’s most outspoken voice unpacks the battle between individual liberty and state control, one cigarette and scratchcard at a time.

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