SHUT IT DOWN! Free Speech is OVER w/ John Ruddick, Libertarian Leader

SHUT IT DOWN! Free Speech is OVER w/ John Ruddick, Libertarian Leader

Author: A podcast by The National Observer January 16, 2026 Duration: 1:26:47

This week John Ruddick hopped on the podcast to discuss the various anti-freedom laws being bought in in the aftermath of the Bondi Massacre: anti-protest laws, the X ban, among many others.

We also chatted on Trump’s recent incursion into Venezuela and the pending takeover of Greenland!

🎧 Check out John Ruddick’s history podcast! 📲 Follow John Ruddick’s X!

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Every week, the team at The National Observer pulls up a chair in the parliamentary corridors and beyond to get a clearer view of how power really works in Australia. Backbench Drivers isn't just about the headline-grabbing figures; it’s about the forces, ideas, and often overlooked people shaping the national conversation. You’ll hear candid analysis on how policy gets made, the cultural shifts influencing voter sentiment, and the stories that lie beneath the daily news cycle. This podcast digs into the intersections of society, culture, and current affairs, offering listeners a more nuanced understanding of the events that define the country. By focusing on the substance over the spectacle, these conversations provide context that’s often missing from the soundbite-driven media landscape. Tune in for a thoughtful, weekly dialogue that connects the dots between the backbench and the broader Australian experience, all brought to you by seasoned observers who know the terrain.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 57

Backbench Drivers
Podcast Episodes
The RISE of Reform UK! w/ Homeland Party spokesman Alec Cave [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:25
This week Matthew and John were joined by Alec Cave, spokesman for the UK’s Homeland Party, to discuss Nigel Farage and Reform UK’s march to election victory and its implications for establishment right-wing parties acro…
Catholicism & the right-wing w/ Pinesap, Catholic apologist [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:05
This week Matthew and John were joined by Catholic apologist and member of the America First movement Pinesap to discuss Catholicism’s historical and present-day role in right-wing politics, as well as the recent America…
The TOTAL WAR on farming! w/ Historian FuriusPertinax [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:42
This week John Lawson & Matthew Fischer were joined by historian and farmer 'FuriusPertinax' to learn about the ideological and bureaucratic war being waged on farmers, and who is responsible. An extremely important epis…
CANCELLED Professor calls out anti-colonialism! w/Prof Drew Fraser [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:00
Flynn Holman and John Lawson were joined by Professor Drew Fraser to discuss his story, cancellation, Current Affairs appearance along with the current state of academia and the consequences of the anti-colonialism movem…
E-Censorship & Free-Palestine Protests [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:36
This week Matthew Fischer and John Lawson discussed the Australian government’s attempt to censor free speech on X, using the e-safety commissioner, as well as the global pro-Palestine protests unfolding across universit…