Maiden Mother Matriarch: BONUS Maiden Mother Matriarch with Louise Perry

The Nature of Englishness | Maiden Mother Matriarch 217

Louise Perry — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 18:01:09 GMT

This interview was actually recorded before Suella Braverman’s most recent Question Time appearance, which sparked a public row over the question of English identity and ethnicity. As it happens, that was one of the topics we covered in our conversation, which is themed around Suella’s new memoir, an account of her family’s experiences of the British Em…

The State-Mandated Girlfriend

Louise Perry — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:02:32 GMT

In this bonus episode for paid subscribers, Rob Henderson and I discussed the new matchmaking scheme from the Singaporean government, which seems to be intended to boost the country's birth rate.

The Strong Gods | Maiden Mother Matriarch 216

Louise Perry — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 18:01:24 GMT

In 2019, Rusty Reno – editor of First Things magazine – published ‘Return of the Strong Gods’, a book that argued that the postwar ideological order of tolerance and openness had overreached, and that we were set to see the reemergence of “strong gods” in politics—that is, the powerful loyalties that bind people to their homelands and to one another.

Tod…

Can you be a right-wing feminist?

Louise Perry — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 18:00:59 GMT

For this bonus episode Meghan Murphy and I discussed the recent Women’s Convention in Rochester, NY, which we both spoke at. This was a gathering of sex realist feminists, with a lot of mothers and Christian women in attendance. Meghan and I spoke about the historic relationship between Leftism and feminism, and wondered whether we're seeing a decouplin…

The internet subculture shaping the new world | Maiden Mother Matriarch 215

Louise Perry — Sun, 27 Sep 2026 18:01:49 GMT

Just in the last few weeks, the issue of AI safety has suddenly broken into the political mainstream. What was once a fairly niche debate within the worlds of tech and philosophy is now on the front pages. And the question of AI is, predictably enough, quickly turning into a partisan issue, with the President opposing heavy federal guardrails, and the D…

The chronic illness generation

Louise Perry — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 18:01:23 GMT

In this bonus episode for paid subscribers, I spoke with The Telegraph’s Poppy Coburn about a piece she wrote recently on the rise of chronic illness among young women, and the role of the internet in this worrying phenomenon.

The upside of anxiety | Maiden Mother Matriarch 214

Louise Perry — Sun, 20 Sep 2026 18:03:18 GMT

A life without pain sounds wonderful. It would also be fatal. Pain feels bad because it has a job: measuring damage to your body and motivating you to protect it. Every other feeling has a job too, built by natural selection. Hunger measures your need for calories and motivates you to eat. Envy measures others’ success and motivates you to close the gap…

What would it take to stop the boats?

Louise Perry — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:00:42 GMT

In this bonus episode for paid subscribers, I spoke with Ed West about the nativist protests in Dover and Portsmouth, and how the British government might respond. Will there be moves to ban face coverings and crack down on protest movements? Or will the government give way to the Right, and put an end to the asylum crisis?

When hunter-gatherers collide with modernity | Maiden Mother Matriarch 213

Louise Perry — Sun, 13 Sep 2026 18:01:40 GMT

Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for at least 65,000 years, surviving as hunter gatherers. 250 years ago, the British arrived, bringing with them industrial modernity, as well as disease and – sometimes – violence. During most of this modern period, British settlers and their descendants adopted what has been called “the great Australian silenc…

The spectre still haunting us

Louise Perry — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 18:00:48 GMT

In this bonus episode for paid subscribers, I spoke with Nina Power about the power of communism as an ideology.

The Status Game | Maiden Mother Matriarch 212

Louise Perry — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 18:01:41 GMT

You may think that you don’t care about status. You may tell yourself that since you’re not bothered about material displays of wealth, that means that you are above petty disputes over where one stands in the social pecking order.

The author and journalist Will Storr says you’re wrong. Everybody cares about status, he argues, even if we don’t realise it…

Are mothers oppressed by their children?

Louise Perry — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 18:00:40 GMT

In this bonus episode, Mary Harrington and I spoke about the public response to the Lindsay Clancy murder case. Be warned, there are some dark themes discussed.

Against Heteropessimism | Maiden Mother Matriarch 211

Louise Perry — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 18:01:03 GMT

There is a certain kind of caricature of women that pops up in cultural commentary right now. Modern women, we are told, are inundated with male attention at all times, and all of it is deeply unwelcome. According to this view, says Phoebe Maltz Bovy, “straight women merely put up with men’s advances because we don’t want them to murder us, or because w…

Are young adults actually poor?

Louise Perry — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:00:58 GMT

For this bonus episode, I spoke with Johann Kurtz about his viral essay 'Young adults are poor despite every metric which suggests otherwise', which was partly inspired by a previous MMM bonus episode.

The post-literate society | Maiden Mother Matriarch 210

Louise Perry — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 18:00:50 GMT

Samuel Johnson was one of his history’s great readers. He read constantly: while he walked, while he ate, while he socialised. He insisted that one ought to read for five hours a day, and to read on every subject one could. This was newly possible for eighteenth century people, who suddenly had access to affordable books.

But Johnson understood that he w…

'Woke 1' was crazy. 'Woke 2' will be crazier.

Louise Perry — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:02:04 GMT

In this bonus episode for paid subscribers, Rob Henderson and I discussed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's comments on "woke 1" and the shift towards a new kind of progressive politics that's currently underway.

Does populism end in disaster? | Maiden Mother Matriarch 209

Louise Perry — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:02:25 GMT

Something called ‘populism’ is on the rise across much of the world. It’s difficult to pin down exactly what the term means, but most of us have a sense that we know it when we see it. Trump in the United States, Farage in Britain, Hanson in Australia – all of these politicians have adopted a particular kind of posture towards the public and towards the…

Is it wrong to get botox?

Louise Perry — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 18:01:36 GMT

In this bonus episode, I spoke to former radical feminist (well, sort of) Meghan Murphy about beauty treatments. How should feminists think about, for instance, botox? How should individual women navigate this issue? And what have we, personally, had done?

The children divorcing their parents | Maiden Mother Matriarch 208

Louise Perry — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 18:00:25 GMT

Back in 2013, the Obama administration endorsed an ad campaign that came to be derisively known as the “pajama boy” campaign. “Pajama boy” was actually an adult man who encouraged young adults to make the case for Obamacare over Thanksgiving dinner with their relatives. “Wear pajamas. Drink hot chocolate. Talk about getting health insurance.” was the ta…

English rebels

Louise Perry — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 18:01:07 GMT

In this bonus episode, I spoke with Nina Power about the English village that is seeking independence from the UK in protest at a local asylum seeker accommodation centre. We discussed the issues with asylum policy, the growing spirit of rebellion in sleepy rural places, and whether the UK government is guilty of institutional misogyny.