Oh God, What Now?
Oh God, What Now? is a no-nonsense politics podcast that makes sense of the political chaos every Tuesday and Friday. Featuring regular contributors from The Guardian, New Statesman, and other outlets, it combines sharp analysis with humor to make the unbearable bearable. The show is a Podmasters production and offers ad-free early access via Patreon.
Episodes
Burnham or Polanski – Who's under more by-election pressure?
It’s the most important by-election ever since the last by-election! The candidates are finalised for the fight for Keir Starmer’s old St. Pancras and Holborn seat. It’s a test for Burnham’s Labour and for Green leader Zack Polanski. Who’s most likely to win? And what would victory and defeat mean for each figurehead? Plus, Mark Carney is having a moment – if Canada can be an “associate member” of
Donations shock – Can Farage buy power for £72m?
Reform has been bolstered with £72 million from crypto billionaires – is it enough for Nigel Farage to buy his way to power? What will the money be spent on? And what rules could change in the wake of this? Plus, Ed Miliband is reshaping Britain’s foreign policy, what is motivating him and what are his goals? Ros Taylor is joined by Marie Le Conte, Rafael Behr and Seth Thévoz to discuss.
Jon Ronson in the Manosphere of Madness – Weekend Bonus
Another of our weekend bonus editions… When author Jon Ronson’s son texted him from a supposed party in a medieval castle (?) and said it was getting “very weird”, Jon had no idea that it would open the door into some of the strangest reaches of the manosphere. In the resulting book The Castle, he meets a fantasist who thinks he’s the new Hugh Hefner; a man who cranks out far-right rage video
The Power of Gov – Is this Burnham's biggest problem?
Andy Burnham wants to change who holds the power in Britain, taking the levers of government out of Whitehall’s hands. Plenty of his predecessors have tried – and failed – to make their vision stick. So, can the PM’s model survive contact with reality? Veteran journalist Phil Tinline joins us to weigh in.
Plus: poor old Tommy Robinson is apparently skint, de-banked and has “nothing to hide”
Denial and Error – Are Farage and Reform done for?
Nigel Farage’s family has even urged him to “pack it in” and “walk away” amid recent scandals. Can he and his party survive the latest scrutiny? The beleaguered Reform leader tried to appear unruffled at his party conference after a bombshell Channel 4 documentary raised fresh questions about foreign donations. What will come next? Plus: masked anti-migrant protestors took to the streets of Dover
“Brexit has left us at Trump’s mercy,” says Sir Vince Cable – Weekend Bonus
Weekend bonus episode… Britain still mired in Brexit, Europe divided, economic stagnation in the West and Donald Trump’s disastrous culture wars and actual wars. Are they all just a blip in human history or does the West’s decline mark the beginning of a new world order? What if that future belongs to rising powers of the East – China and India?
That’s the premise of Sir Vince Cable’s new book, E
Farage and Reform’s donation humiliation – Emergencycast!
Fast reaction with News Statesman’s associate political editor Rachel Cunliffe and Jacob Jarvis. Nigel Farage and Reform are facing another crisis after two – now former – senior officials were filmed in an undercover sting appearing to plot how to circumvent electoral law to bag a £500,000 foreign donation… Reform says it’s all a “hoax”, predictably… Can Reform weather the storm? Is Farage totall
How Big Tech is still getting away with it – with kids’ campaigner Baroness Beeban Kidron
Facebook owners Meta hit the headlines with an $18bn settlement in the US over accusations that its products had harmed kids. But was the bill really so onerous, or just the price of keeping Zuckerberg out of the witness box? Special guest Baroness Beeban Kidron OBE – activist, digital rights champion and former film director – talks us through the reality of the fight to protect kids online; whet
Andy’s first day at Big School
Andy Burnham is feeling a sudden wave of the back-to-school blues. Not only did Keir Starmer tactlessly decide to quit Parliament just before his first Commons speech, but a long list of challenges is also piling up in the PM’s in-tray. So, what’s causing Burnham the biggest headaches? Is the Burnham bounce finally over? And what happens next?
Plus: Badenoch reshuffles her shadow cabinet, Iceland
Is Trump a Russian Asset? – Bonus with The Guardian’s Russia expert Luke Harding
The first of our occasional weekend bonus episodes… Bewildered by the tangled stories of Putin’s war on Ukraine, Trump’s incomprehensible loyalty to the Russian tyrant, and Russia’s interference in British politics? The Guardian’s foreign correspondent Luke Harding ties all the threads together in his riveting new book Betrayed: Trump, Putin And The New Age Of&nb
Harry, Meghan, Jason Arday… and why we get news we don’t want
Good news for newsrooms: Harry and Meghan are back in Britain and editors are beside themselves. We might say we don’t care about “Reverse Megxit” but why does the clickrate say otherwise? Plus: Giftgate was only two years ago, but MPs are still accepting freebies. They’ve taken almost £400,000 of hospitality this year alone – including tickets to Harry Styles and the F1. But is that necessarily s
How Soon is Mao? The weird rebirth of communism – with Paul Mason
Is communism having a mini revival? Marxist critiques and socialist ideas are becoming the in thing with Gen Z, while Donald Trump is harking back to the Red Scare of his youth to attack the Democrats. Is it anything more than a resurrected bogeyman for the right? Man of the left, veteran journalist and friend of the pod Paul Mason joins the panel to discuss Reds: A Global History of Communism, hi
Yes, you CAN do something about the Climate Crisis
The climate crisis got horribly real this summer – but is it really true that ordinary people can’t do anything about it? The National Emergency Briefing is a growing movement around a stunning documentary film that makes clear the reality of the crisis and what we CAN do about it. Green economist Angela Francis joins us to explain where the fight for a liveable climate is heading; how to bea
Jason Arday and the Information Crisis
The shocking death of former Cambridge University professor Jason Arday raises serious questions about the press investigation of his career and the claims he made about his life. Some blame the right-wing press for his death, others the university. Some blame the litany of racist and abusive messages Arday received online. Where should responsibility lie?
Plus, Andy Burnham is clearly more comfo
Emergency Clactoncast! – Trash defeats Bin, with Steve Richards
Fast analysis of the Clacton by-election with Steve Richards and Andrew Harrison. Two and half cheers for plucky underdog Nigel Farage who defeated the “establishment” candidate Count Binface in a by-election of his own making. And in the end, he didn’t even bother to show up to claim his victory… Now the stunt is over, the parliamentary standards watchdog is back investigating Farage’s £5m “gift”
Bin Day
Barring a bin-shaped asteroid strike on the Essex Coast, Nigel Farage will win the Clacton by-election – but his problems won’t be over. What will Reform’s slippery leader face in the months to come? And can, should, would his party strike a deal with either Restore or the Conservatives? Plus our special guest, journalist Rachel Wearmouth, has the date of the next General Election, for real!
Welcome to Veto Britain… where you can only drink lying down
No drinking pints standing up in London’s nightlife hotspot? No new reservoirs until 2040? Welcome to Veto Britain – where infrastructure, housing and even a round at the bar are all subject to the mercy of endless local objection. So how did we become a country that seems incapable of building, changing or enjoying itself anymore? Plus, racist disorder erupts in Norfolk, scrutiny of Andy Burnham’
Hot Fear Summer – Why is politics ignoring the climate crunch?
The earth is burning, Britain is parched brown and rain is a distant memory. Yet the Tories are purging the last of their Net Zero advocates, the Greens seem to have lost interest in green policies, and Burnham’s Labour are teetering on the edge of reopening oil and gas in the North Sea. Saving the planet is just so expensive! What will it take to get British politicians to take the climate emerge
Shock as new Labour government… quite good?
Fifteen days in… Is Burnham’s government actually shaping up to be quite good? Impossible to say for certain, but the PM’s policy blitz seems to be landing pretty well, buoyed by Labour’s Greater Manchester mayoral win. Is the Age of Andy working out as well as it seems – and can the momentum last? Plus, following the astonishing scenes of migrants breaking into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta over t
Care vs Scare – Can Burnham get social care past the “Death Tax” die-hards?
Andy Burnham is promising to spend “whatever political capital” he has to fix the crumbling social care system after decades of political failure. As the right-wing press dusts off its “Death Tax” headlines, can he actually do it?
Plus… He leads Restore Britain, an openly extreme right party committed to driving non-white people out of the country, and he’s becoming a persistent headache for his
Burnham Derangement Syndrome
He’s a communist! He wants to drag us back to the 70s! He’s going to tax you to death! He’s weak! He’s a tyrant! He’s gone to war with the South! His jackets are too expensive! Burnham has only been PM for a week and the right-wing press are already losing their minds. Is Burnham Derangement Syndrome stalking what’s left of Fleet Street? Plus: Is letting artificial intelligence do your thinking fo
Can Burnham master the A.I. Revolution? – with the TUC’s Paul Nowak
Burnham arrives promising a “cost of living” government but can he make it happen? And does his mix of ideas and promises add up? TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak returns to the pod to talk about Burnham’s first steps, go to bat for unions in an age of A.I. tumult, make the case for reindustrialisation, and wind up Andrew about Jeff Bezos possibly buying Liverpool FC (Paul’s an Evertonian. So is A
Emergencycast! – Andy Burnham and The Cabinet of Mystery
As ever, politics waited until we finished recording before dropping the big stuff… But worry not! Steve Richards of the Rock & Roll Politics podcast steps up to analyse the surprises, genius moves, curveballs and missing pieces in Andy Burnham’s first cabinet with Andrew Harrison. Should Ed Miliband have been chancellor instead of John Healey? Is this really a purge of Starmerites and a “Nig
Burnham Begins
Brand new PM Andy Burnham is not hanging about. On day one he set about purging Starmer loyalists from the Cabinet and setting out his policy agenda, including fresh cost-of-living measures. Is this the fresh start Labour needs? Listen up for live in-pod sackings!
Plus: Are we facing the end of reading? Scrolling through WhatsApp messages, Netflix subtitles and Instagram captions mean we're argua
Coronation Street – What lies waiting for Burnham?
At long last it’s the Rover’s Return… What are the burning issues that will be taking up Andy Burnham’s time when he takes over No.10 next week? OGWN listeners bombard us with questions and we do our best to answer them. What can Burnham do that Starmer couldn’t? Does he need to do more than move stuff to the North? And why did Labour give Starmer a carriage clock, of all things?
Plus, Clim
Farage, Reform and the killing of Ann Widdecombe
Counter-terrorism police take over the investigation into the killing of Ann Widdecombe, a crime that has shocked people across the political spectrum. Beyond legitimate questions around political violence, are Reform trying to amp up the fear for political gain? What should people in the public eye say – and what shouldn’t they?
Plus… Andy Burnham will finally become Britain’s prime m
Binface vs. the Has-Bin
Nigel Farage wanted a “people vs. the establishment” by-election but it quickly turned into “man vs. bin”. Every major rival has refused to run against him in Clacton, leaving the Reform leader’s only real opponent as the man with a trash can on his head, Count Binface. Is this one humiliation too many for the frog-faced fraud? Plus, Farage may be the front-man but the loudest and most extreme voi
Emergencycast! – Farage opts for by-election martyrdom
Quick-fire reaction to Nigel Farage’s resignation with Jacob Jarvis, Andrew Harrison and Jonn Elledge… For his latest trick, the Reform leader has quit as an MP after weeks of scrutiny over his finances finally caught up with him. In a whingeing speech, teed up hours in advance, Farage triggered a by-election in Clacton and says he’s determined to win it back. Is this a genuine appeal to voters or
Nigel’s Got Money Troubles – Is Farage about to flame out?
After weeks of defending the £5m “gift” that won’t go away, Farage finds himself at the centre of another uncomfortable money story: undeclared finance from a convicted criminal with the unimprovable nickname “Posh George”. And Reform is faltering in the polls. Is Farage becoming a liability to the party that supposedly revolves around him?
Plus: The astonishing story of how Trump strong-armed F
Manchesterism rave on – Should YOU support Andy Burnham?
Now that the Age of Andy is starting to take shape, will our panel stick their necks out and say they can support the King Half In The North? Is there enough going on here to re-energise Labour voters who were burnt out by the last lacklustre regime? Are Shabana Mahmood and Starmer himself trying to box in the new PM on immigration and defence? And is Burnham really going to be as Left as some thi
Talking ’bout a Devolution – Will Burnham’s big bet pay off?
Will spreading power throughout the UK be Burnham’s secret weapon? Will “No.10 North” be located at Salford Lads’ Club? And will Britain’s PM in waiting really get ten years at the helm? Plus: from Manchesterism to Trumpism… America turns 250 this week and the vibe feels a bit off. Trump’s flop of a state fair has already been branded “embarrassing” and “sad” with tentfuls of melted ice cream and
The Mancunian Candidate – Burnham’s northern exposure
What a difference a week makes… Andy Burnham is now number one in a field of one, and planning to move a chunk of No.10 to Manchester. How is Labour adjusting itself to the Age of Andy? Is there more to Burnhamism than just vibes? What about Burnhanomics? And do the people really want a General Election or can they just not face one?
Plus: Forgetting all the inexplicable rabid anger about “wors
The Referendum ten years on – Can we escape the vote that broke Britain?
“We voted Brexit and all we got was this lousy podcast…” Ten years since the vote that sent Britain round the bend, could we finally break out of the trap of 2016? We’re joined by the Obi Wan Kenobi of Brexit bloggers Chris Grey to look into the enormity of Pandora’s Referendum. In a world so violently changed from 2016, is there hope for Britain to get back into the EU? Despite populism, are the
Tears for Keir – How Starmer ran out of road
As we sadly file away that ‘Keep Keir And Carry On’ headline in the bottom drawer… Keir Starmer steps down and our panel look at what the Starmer era really means. Are we now in a world where petty politics will always trump service to country? Why was this decent, vaguely boring man so loathed in the country? Does this public bloodletting help or hinder Labour’s existential battle against Reform?
Makerfield Emergencycast! – The Andy Man Can
Our fast reaction to Burnham’s victory in Makefield with the don of political commentators Steve Richards of Rock & Roll Politics talking to Andrew Harrison… Andy Burnham is heading back to Westminster after his landslide victory and despite dire warnings of a Reform surge, it wasn’t even close. After an early-morning celebratory pint, is he now on a fast track for the keys to No. 10? Should Keir
From Russia with Hate – Putin’s shadow war comes to Starmer’s door
Surprise, surprise! The arson attacks on properties linked to Keir Starmer turn out to have been instigated by a Russian “diplomat” with a background in information warfare. Who’d have thought it? Has Vladimir Putin’s shadow war finally crossed the line?
Plus: Wes Streeting wants to scrap the ban on new fossil fuel production. The Greens are looking less green. The Lib Dems appear indifferent. An
TikTok You Don't Stop – Labour vs social media with Bridget Phillipson MP
Labour surprises everyone with a ban on Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X for the under-16. Critics say the “Australia Plus” regime is riddled with contradictions. Will it work, is it fair or is it just Starmer trying to look tough ahead of the Makerfield by-election? Andrew Harrison puts Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson on the spot and then our panel dig into the detail.
Belfast and the Far-Right – The Bottomless Buffet of Bullshit
What’s more revolting? The racist pogrom against innocent families in Belfast? Or the way the far-right is again using a violent attack to claim that every immigrant – legal or illegal – is a threat to the country? Our panel looks at how indulging the “legitimate concerns” mindset leads to kids being burned out of their homes.
Plus we answer your questions in our new monthly-ish But Your Emails s
“Brexit? It wasn’t our job to have a plan” – What the BBC’s jaw-dropping doc reveals
The BBC gets in early with its “ten years since the Brexit Referendum” jamboree with a “star”-studded retro-documentary, Brexit: A Very British Civil War from legendary film-maker Norma Percy. Our panel bravely retraumatise themselves by watching it. What do we learn that’s new? Who comes out of it worst: Cameron, Corbyn, Johnson, Seumas Milne, Gove, Osbourne or Cummings? Could anything have avert
Farage’s riot act — How the right is exploiting Henry Nowak’s murder
Farage and the far-right have been quick to seize on Henry Nowak’s horrific murder, ignoring pleas from the victim’s family for the killing not to be politicised. Instead the Reform leader decried “two-tier” policing and called for “pure, cold rage”. What does it all mean? Are we in for another summer of racially-triggered rioting? Plus: what would an Andy Burnham government actually look like? Ca
Who votes Reform and why? – with Sir John Curtice
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If you’ve been telling yourself that Reform are only surging because people are unhappy with what the Government hasn’t delivered, the don of political research Sir John Curtice has bad news for you. New British Social Attitudes research shows it’s deeper than that: angry Reform v
Blair: “Modern Life is Rubbish”
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What else does a beleaguered PM like Keir Starmer need but… unsolicited advice from Tony Blair? In a new essay published by his think tank, the former PM calls on Labour to cosy up to Donald Trump and axe Ed Miliband’s net zero agenda or risk relegation from the “Premier League of nations”. Is Blair offering a genuine di
The Count of Dodgy Crypto
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Nigel Farage’s latest defence of his “gift” from a crypto magnate: you wouldn’t know about it if I hadn’t been hacked by pesky Russians! (Although erm I forgot to tell the National Cyber Security Centre). Has he finally pushed his luck too far? Plus, the right-wing press and Reform are busting their guts
The Brexit Bus is coming (and Andy Burnham’s jumping)
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And OGWN is nine years old! Today: A Labour candidate up against a local plumber in a North-Western by-election? It’s beginning to feel a lot like Groundhog Day. If Andy Burnham beats Reform’s Robert Kenyon in Makerfield his path to Number 10 gets a lot clearer. But has Burnham just walked into a Reform bear trap? Plus:
Slash’n’Burnham – Makerfield is already getting nasty
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Makerfield residents, wire up your letterboxes – the leaflets are coming… A month until Andy Burnham’s by-election, Reform is knocking. Can the King of the North hold them off – whoever their candidate may be? Has he done enough for his message to land?
Plus: Is it time up for Ed Davey as leader of the Liberal Democrats
Where the Streets has no shame
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Broadcasting from the middle of the Labour chaos vortex, we look how things stand after the Streeting-Starmer confrontation at No.10 – was it a 17-minute staring contest? – and whether the Health Secretary has the support within Labour to win… if he stands. And who is Wes Streeting anyway? What does he actually stand for
Get Starmer
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Amid the rubble of last week’s elections, Keir Starmer announces he’s suddenly getting real and ready to win back voters. But is it all too little, too late – and after months of drift, will anyone believe him anyway? Plus, were the Reform and Green surges really as unstoppable as an overwrought me
Emergency Localscast! – What Labour’s walloping REALLY means – with Steve Richards
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Fast analysis with don of political commentators Steve Richards of Rock & Roll Politics talking to Andrew Harrison. Labour’s performance in the English Locals was terrible… but was it really as bad as Starmer feared? Does Farage’s bluster about “truly historic” results for Reform stand up to the da
Zack’s Appeal – Are the Greens a one-man band?
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The Greens are on fire and Zack Polanski’s travails don’t seem to be hurting them much. How did they get here? Is Polanski-mania just Corbyn-mania without all the Labour baggage? And can you be a vehicle for popular rage and a credible party of government at the same time?
Plus, is everything just online betting now? Or
Lifestyles of the rich and heinous
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Filler-faced, gilded mansions and utterly unhinged. Today’s mega-rich don't even pretend to be normal anymore. So what happened to the understated billionaire and is there any going back?
Plus, are voters getting more fickle? Zoe picks the brain of the Economist's political data journalist Owen Winter on whether politi
Monarchy in the USA – Has Charles outfoxed Trump?
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Applauded by Congress, lauded by Trump and working his way through a spring-herbed ravioli on a golden plate? It was a tough gig for Charles. The King may have charmed the President but will his visit rescue US/UK relations from the geopolitical toilet?
Plus, Starmer evades a Commons investigation into the Mandelson af
Trump’s Ballroom Blitz – Reform’s Tragical History Bore
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Another week, another assassination attempt… Will the latest attack on Trump change anything apart from making the crazy people crazier? And will he get his ballroom out of it? Plus, Reform announce plans to make the teaching of history more patriotic. On the curriculum: more Winston Churchill and
Emotional Support Leadership Candidate
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As the dust settles from the umpteenth Mandelsequel, where does Labour go from here? Is Starmer permanently damaged? And who would step into No.10: Angela Rayner, Andy Burnham, Al Carns, or someone else entirely from the political alphabet?
And while opening ChatGPT has become as routine as mornin
Return of the Mandel-Scandal
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Oh Mandy… the scandal that won’t die is back (again). Can Keir Starmer style this one out or is his credibility finally shot? Plus, imagine if you wrote a hoax government report about how a secretive shadow government controls America and then everyone believed it. Even though you admitted it was f
The End is Nige – What happens if Reform win?
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What happens if Reform actually wins? We dive into a darkly plausible near-future where Nigel Farage becomes PM and everything goes… about as well as you’d expect. It’s all gamed out in a new fact-based “non-fiction thriller”, What If Reform Wins? by our special guest, Times reporter Peter Chappell – from how Refor
Viktor is a Loser – Hungary’s brilliant revolution
Good news for a change! Revolting far-right tinpot tyrant Viktor Orbán gets his marching orders in Hungary. Our panel talk about how it’s bad news for Putin, Trump and MattGPT and wonder where the JD Vance Reverse Midas Touch should be applied next. Elsewhere in the pod: Trump comes for the Pope. Why are his Christo-Nationalists getting Catholicism wrong? Is politics being taken over by egomaniacs
For Whom The Booth Tolls – or, Strait to Hell
Trump threatens the literal obliteration of an entire civilisation, then announces a ceasefire. So war crimes work, right? Er, not when you create the “Tehran Tollbooth” in the Strait and transform your enemy into potentially the Middle East’s richest, best-armed hostile power with a $90bn war and reconstruction chest. We examine possibly the biggest self-own in geopolitical history.
Plus: Labou
Why is Keir Starmer so hated?
After nearly two years in the job, Keir Starmer isn’t just disliked or unpopular – he’s actually hated in much of the country. But why? How did this unprepossessing and fairly boring man become such a figure of loathing? Has hating politicians no matter who they are become the default position in British politics? Plus: Liz Truss (remember her?) is going to launch her own CPAC and save Britain, ag
Shake your money-maker – Why you’re getting Capitalism wrong
Capitalism: Where did it come from and what does it want? Is it falling to pieces or just reinventing itself to remain immortal, as it always has done? Is it about to enter a dark new digital era where it doesn’t even need people? What do we get wrong about it? Can we fix it? What even IS it? Sven Beckert is the author of the epic exploration of money-making, Capitalism: A Global History. He joins
Has Trump destroyed Trumpism?
Trump promised America lower prices, cheaper gas, no more foreign wars and worldwide respect. Instead his Iran rampage has dynamited the world economy, skyrocketed oil prices, and bogged the US down in a worsening military quagmire – and no-one is coming to help. As MAGA squabbles over the future, has Trumpism been torpedo’d by the only person who could destroy it: Donald Trump? Plus, an economic
Have we reached Peak Reform?
Is Farage faltering? Reform’s poll lead is slowly sliding, so much so that last week Farage administered a Trumpian punishment beating to pollsters YouGov in classic “shoot the messenger” style. Is Britain starting to see through Nigel’s chicanery – or is it all wishful thinking on our part? And how are Labour and the Tories dealing with not one but two insurgent parties: the Greens as well as Ref
Great British Nukes, Tice’ s tax and the Manosphere – Theroux the looking glass
Ed Davey wants Britain to have its own nuclear weapons – smart move against the Greens or the end of the old anti-nuke Lib Dems? Why is the damning story about Richard Tice’s tax avoidance not damaging the Reform deputy leader when it would sink any other politician? Does Louis Theroux’s documentary Inside The Manosphere tell us anything new about young men’s descent into hatred as recreation and
Can Centrism save the world… again?
The Mandelson Files are beginning to dribble out and they don’t look good for Keir Starmer. Will this be the final albatross round the PM’s neck? Zoë Grünewald and Rafael Behr talk over the unfurling consequences of the second-worst files in the world.
Plus, liberalism has taken a battering this past decade, but don’t worry! Centrism can still save the world. Bloomberg columnist Adrian Wooldridge
Tough-Guy Politics – Will Britain ever be free of it?
British voters are overwhelmingly against Trump’s war in Iran but the pundits and politicians of the Tory-Reform universe seem to want more, harder and faster. Why is the British right hooked on tough-guy politics? And will Farage’s fawning over Trump prove to be Reform’s Achilles heel? Plus, first pickings from the Mandelson files, Rachel Cunliffe on why Labour’s justice reforms (and the controve
“Performative cruelty and a waste of money" – Stella Creasy MP rips into the Government's migration plans
The Government’s migration and asylum plans have had that unique Keir Starmer way of annoying everyone. Including many of their own MPs, such as Walthamstow’s Stella Creasy. She says her party is now asking people to live in “limbo” and that the new policy change is not “socially just”. She joins the panel to explain why. And in the second half, monsters are everywhere (including politics). But wh
The Special Abusive Relationship – Starmer trapped in Trump’s Iran Nightmare
On the upside, a tyrannical theocrat and much of his entourage are dead. On the downside, so are thousands of innocent children and adults. As Trump’s open-ended and ill-defined Iran adventure unfolds, is it game over for the tattered remnants of the so-called Special Relationship between Britain and the US? Are there any good choices left for Starmer? And is Britain’s rah-rah right-wing press fan
Straight Outta Denton – What it really means for Labour, Reform and the Greens
This edition recorded before the US attacks on Iran. The dust is still settling from Gorton and Denton. Are the Greens playing with fire with their voter targeting? If Keir Starmer’s leadership is back in question, how long has he got? Are Reform going full Trump with their whining about “cheating”? And can anyone think of anything at all to say about the Tories? Plus: Is there any appetite for an
Trump’s deadly Iran gamble – Special from This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler
A special crossover edition from our geopolitics podcast This Is Not A Drill – Trump’s stunning surprise attack on Iran could be the most consequential world event since 9/11. Will the President’s goal of smooth regime change work when it failed every other time, or trigger a regional conflagration? Iran’s hated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is dead but the Islamic Republic is showing no sign of col
It Ain’t Easy Beating Greens – Gorton and Denton EMERGENCYCAST
The Greens take Gorton and Denton and Labour take a pounding. What does it all mean? Is there more going on than all the hot takes suggest? Is the Starmer Doomsday Clock ticking again? And will we ever get enough of Matt Goodwin’s sour defeat face? Ros Taylor and Steve Richards of the Rock & Roll Politics podcast join Andrew Harrison for a fast reaction by-election minicast.
Join us next Tuesday
Peter Mandelson and the Never-Ending Scandal
Who gave the tip-off that resulted in Peter Mandelson’s sensational arrest? And will this mess ever stop unraveling? Plus, an Australian-style social media ban for under-16s is gathering pace. Can it work and is it such a good idea to protect teens from the online world only to throw them in the deep end once they turn 18? Also: Meeting Alastair Campbell at the Lido. Marie’s extraordinary experien
24 Hours In Police Custody: Royal Edition
The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on Epstein-related allegations of misconduct in public office stuns the world. He has not been charged with any offence – but is the former Prince’s past damaging the Monarchy irreparably? And when will the victims of Epstein and his circle get justice? Plus, as the vindictive Gorton & Denton by-election enters its last few days we talk to Jack Walton of lo
Withstanding the Farage Barrage – Can we Reform-proof the UK?
Could Reform really carry out a Trump-style, Project 2025-inspired shock-and-awe assault on Britain’s institutions and politics if they get into government? America’s much-vaunted system of checks and balances turned out to be made of tissue paper. Is Britain’s hand-me-down constitution any more robust? We look at the firewalls in our politics with special guest James Ball of The New World paper.
Is Britain ready for war with Russia?
“There is no British security without Europe,” Keir Starmer told the Munich Security Conference this weekend. Nobody wants a wider war in Europe, but we might get one anyway – and Britain’s military isn’t ready for it yet. So how can we change our armed forces and our wider society to ensure that Putin won’t want to risk a conflict with Britain and our allies?
Ed Arnold of the Royal United Servic
The End of the Keir Show?
First thing on Monday it looked like Keir Starmer was organic sourdough toast. By teatime he’d riled up Labour MPs and looked – somehow – safe for now. Can the PM weather the brutal months ahead? Is it still a case of “when not if” he goes? Plus, we look at how far the toxic misogyny of the Epstein horrorshow spreads. Special guest Morgan Jones takes us back to the anti-Brexit campaign for a secon
Is Trump a psychopath? – The cruel psychology of modern power
Remember Trump’s first term when we talked about “kakistocracy”: rule by the worst of the worst? They’re back and they’re worse than ever – not just Trump and his entourage but his corrupt Mini-Mes around the world. Why is our time so cursed with venal, cruel, nihilistic and apparently mentally damaged leaders? Where do these personalities come from? Are Trump and his entourage true psychopaths in
Morgan McSweeney: So gone, what now? – Emergencycast!
Keir Starmer’s now former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney has gone, so what does this mean for the Prime Minister’s project and government? Zoë Grünewald is joined by Rafael Behr to discuss the fall out and where we go from here in a special bonus emergencycast.
www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow
Presented by Zoë Grünewald with Rafael Behr. Audio Production by Simon Williams. Art direction: Jam
Mandel In The Wind – Will the scandal destroy Starmer too?
“I’m Mandy – buy me.” Peter Mandelson’s career finally collapses in a scandal more poisonous than Profumo, more serious than Partygate, and more shameful than Suez. How did Mandelson get away with his shifty behaviour for so long? Will Starmer’s errors of judgment taint his government irrevocably? And how come it’s on British figures like Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor who are suffering
The Universities’ Doom Spiral – Can Britain avert disaster?
A forty-year slow-motion disaster in higher education is reaching its climax – and Labour is left holding the bag. If young people decide a degree isn’t worth the massive debt, where does that leave British cities that depend on free-spending undergraduate populations – and universities that are hooked on no-longer-welcome foreign students? Can academia expect much sympathy from graduate generatio
Burnham booted, Braverman back ... and how to beat the New Censorship
Starmer slaps down Andy Burnham’s bid to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election: bad move for Labour, bad timing from Burnham, or another distraction we don’t need? Plus, who’s bringing the best self to the overladen Reform bandwagon: twice-sacked Home Sec and Creature Comforts creation Suella Braverman, or race-baiting former academic Matt Goodwin? Special guest, media analysts Ayala Panievsk
The next war and how to stop it
“Things are more dangerous now than during the Cold War.” The world is breaking up into mutually suspicious power blocs, Trump is trying to destroy NATO and Putin has learned that aggression pays off. Is a major war coming or can we prevent it? In an enthralling conversation, defence commentator Peter Apps – author of The Next World War – explains the forces and self-deceptions that are driving th
