The Reaction

Flared trousers, the fate of Northern Ireland, free speech, swimming with Gordon Brown and childish children's books. All human life, as they say, is here. Sarah wants to know why we're afraid of difficult conversations and saying what we really think, is it that we're always being shouted down by those who don't agree with us? What ever happened to civilised debate? Not that our debates are ever civilised.While Peter reminisces about his time in Iran some decades ago and how it's not the country torn from recent headlines with a huge number of its people who actually want to live in a peaceful, secular society, not the regime enforced on them under mullah rule. On our reading and watch list this week: · The Apartment – Director: Billy Wilder· The Wind In the Willows – Kenneth Grahame· The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien· The Water Babies – Charles Kingsley· Black Beauty – Anna Sewell· Iran: A Nation of Nose Jobs, Not Nuclear War – Peter HitchensPlease do get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'.Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Alex GrahamProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Sarah's book sends shockwaves through former political grandees and the corridors of power, Sarah and Peter sit down to ponder listener questions (and some of Peter's thoughts too) related to ‘How Not To Be A Political Wife', a book that has been described as ‘fascinating, embarrassing and fundamentally tragic', ‘witty, wry and incredibly touching' and an ‘unflinching account of life at the heart of politics.' Expect questions and answers on falling in and out of love with Michael Gove, is there such a thing as a happy political marriage and would Sarah ever bite the bullet and go into politics herself? On our reading and watch list this week: · How Not To Be A Political Wife – Sarah VinePlease do get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'.Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To paraphrase Randy Newman, you've got a friend in me, but for just how long? Especially when you're Sarah Vine and you're supposed best friend's husband is on the side of staying in the European Union while your then husband is all for pushing Brexit through. As Sarah discovered, loyalties are soon divided and what ultimately makes a true friend anyway? While Peter Hitchens looks askance at the continent and wonders, as Poland lurches to the right with its latest elections results, if the European Union can leave its meddlesome ways behind it and let democracy work for once. On our reading and watch list this week:  True Grit – Charles Portis·      The Go-Between – L.P. Hartley·      Orderly and Humane – R.M. Douglas·      The Confession – Director: Costa-Gavras·      Berlin Rules – Paul LeverPresenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As rampage killings are on the rise both here and abroad, we ask if the long-term effects of drugs are impacting on our societal norms and encouraging a violent recklessness not seen before? As charges for cannabis possession are fast becoming a thing of the past and modern culture embraces increasingly strong strands of weed, is there a case to be made for really doubling down on those who break drug laws or as cannabis legalisation creeps across the globe, we ask, is it already too late?On our reading and watch list this week: * Attacker Smoked Cannabis: Suicide and psychopathic violence in the UK and Ireland – Ross Grainger     * The War We Never Fought – Peter Hitchens  * Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence – Alex BerensonTo get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'. Take our show survey at:https://ex-plorsurvey.com/survey/selfserve/550/g517/250305?list=9 Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Books, plays and films have been written about it, its onset feared in some quarters, pilloried in others, and it will, eventually, affect almost all women. Though that's not why Sarah Vine wants to talk about the menopause, but why, in some circumstances, it can be a huge liberation for women; finally freed from being slave to one's hormones, and that's just the beginning. So, why, do so many women fear the onset of the menopause? Plus, Peter Hitchens, is told several times a week (online, never in the street or to his face), how much cleverer his older brother Christopher was, and that Peter should have died in his stead. This used to annoy Peter, understandably, but now he finds these brickbats amusing and interesting, and is left wondering, sibling rivalry, what is it all about? On our reading and watch list this week: ·      Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury ·      A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket·      The Menopause Brain: The New Science Empowering Women to Navigate Midlife with Knowledge and Confidence – Dr Lisa MosconiTo get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'. Take our show survey at:https://ex-plorsurvey.com/survey/selfserve/550/g517/250305?list=9 Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To Peter Hitchens, the idea of capital punishment (at least at home here in the UK) could make for a country that is less vengeful and, he goes so far as to suggest, even more gentle. Having experienced two executions while working in the US, he knows the power of that final switch and the deterrent it might bring. But is he right, would the shadow cast by capital punishment be enough quell violent crime and those who commit it?  Plus, on a much lighter though no less graphic note, we look at holidays and Sarah's memories of her dad driving the family home from Rome to West Wales, steering with only his knees, a cigar in one hand, a beer in the other, and music blaring to the point where it made both children travel sick. Childhood holidays, it's not all sandcastles and ice cream. On our reading and watch list this week: ·      Great Expectations – Charles Dickens ·      12 Angry Men·      The Kraken Wakes – John WyndhamTo get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'. Take our show survey at:https://ex-plorsurvey.com/survey/selfserve/550/g517/250305?list=9 Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah's two children are currently at university, which is rather handy as a regular listener has asked that Peter and Sarah chime in on the current state of the education system here in the UK. And how times have changed, Peter spent his university years trying to kickstart social unrest, while Sarah pursued a job at The Body Shop. And as the Union Jacks flutter in the hazy afterglow of VE Day, Peter rand Sarah reflects respectively on their father and grandfather's service, one at sea in Scapa Flow transporting weapons to Russia, the other fighting in the jungles of Burma. On our reading and watch list this week: ·      The History Man – Malcolm Bradbury·      Quartered Safe Out Here - George MacDonald Fraser·      The Phoney Victory – Peter HitchensTo get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'. Take our show survey at:https://ex-plorsurvey.com/survey/selfserve/550/g517/250305?list=9 Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah's brother was at home in Madrid this week when Spain underwent a blackout, alone in the dark with the only the thing in his house still working, his old radio. This week too saw the start of the great switch-off of analogue phones; and just look at the chaos caused by a cyber-attack at Marks and Spencer in the last few days. So, Sarah's question is this, as we fall under the thrall of ever updating technology, are we going unwittingly back to the dark ages?   Meanwhile, Peter is as reluctant as the average vampire to be seen in the sun, so why, every summer, does he turn the colour of an expensive riding saddle? Tune in for a remarkable, death-defying story of being stranded in Mogadishu and having to flee across the desert to escape. And sunburn.   On our reading and watch list this week:  ·      The Stand – Stephen King ·      Black Hawk Down ·      Leave The World Behind – Rumaan Alam   To get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'.   Take our show survey at: https://ex-plorsurvey.com/survey/selfserve/550/g517/250305?list=9   Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter Hitchens Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East   A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah's brother was at home in Madrid this week when Spain underwent a blackout, alone in the dark with the only the thing in his house still working, his old radio. This week too saw the start of the great switch-off of analogue phones; and just look at the chaos caused by a cyber-attack at Marks and Spencer in the last few days. So, Sarah's question is this, as we fall under the thrall of ever updating technology, are we going unwittingly back to the dark ages? Meanwhile, Peter is as reluctant as the average vampire to be seen in the sun, so why, every summer, does he turn the colour of an expensive riding saddle? Tune in for a remarkable, death-defying story of being stranded in Mogadishu and having to flee across the desert to escape. And sunburn. On our reading and watch list this week: ·      The Stand – Stephen King·      Black Hawk Down·      Leave The World Behind – Rumaan Alam To get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'. Take our show survey at:https://ex-plorsurvey.com/survey/selfserve/550/g517/250305?list=9 Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not unlike the Rolling Stones, Peter Hitchens is ready to toss his TV through the nearest window. He's in accord with the late, great Groucho Marx who was once moved to remark: "I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book." Once forced to rent a TV to watch the news before being quickly lured towards shows like Minder, Peter is now wary of the television, to the point he blames it for a lot of the world's woes. Tune in for that.And as the customer friendly ad for the Inland revenue insisted, tax doesn't have to be taxing. Try telling that to Sarah and her circle of friends who have tried and failed to reach the HMRC to query a bill or simply get help. The revenue sent bailiffs to the door of one friend, while another chum had to draw down part of their pension to meet a tax demand. So, here's the question, why are the inland revenue so awful and insistent on treating people like criminals?On our reading and watching list this week: ·      The Wonder Years·      Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business – Neil Postman·      The Great Tax Robbery: How Britain Became A Tax Haven For Fat Cats And Big Business – Richard Brooks To get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'. Take our show survey at:https://ex-plorsurvey.com/survey/selfserve/550/g517/250305?list=9 Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not unlike the Rolling Stones, Peter Hitchens is ready to toss his TV through the nearest window. He's in accord with the late, great Groucho Marx who was once moved to remark: "I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book." Once forced to rent a TV to watch the news before being quickly lured towards shows like Minder, Peter is now wary of the television, to the point he blames it for a lot of the world's woes. Tune in for that. And as the customer friendly ad for the Inland revenue insisted, tax doesn't have to be taxing. Try telling that to Sarah and her circle of friends who have tried and failed to reach the HMRC to query a bill or simply get help. The revenue sent bailiffs to the door of one friend, while another chum had to draw down part of their pension to meet a tax demand. So, here's the question, why are the inland revenue so awful and insistent on treating people like criminals? On our reading and watching list this week:  ·      The Wonder Years ·      Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business – Neil Postman ·      The Great Tax Robbery: How Britain Became A Tax Haven For Fat Cats And Big Business – Richard Brooks   To get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'.   Take our show survey at: https://ex-plorsurvey.com/survey/selfserve/550/g517/250305?list=9   Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter Hitchens Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East   A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah Vine wants to bin it off. Though given the decline in public services nationwide, that's getting harder and harder to do. As the Birmingham bin strike rolls on, the council declares itself bankrupt and rats invade the city's streets, we ask what the hell is going on with our public services and is this just part of a wider societal malaise? Also, could someone please take this rubbish away?They were once the so-called lungs of the earth, but as a centuries-old oak tree with “more ecological value than the Sycamore Gap tree” is hacked down by owners of a nearby Toby Carvery, Peter Hitchens asks why we're chopping down our majestic, sometimes ancient trees and why is it so damn easy to destroy something so beautiful and filled with life? Also, how do say crikey, exactly?On our reading list this week: ·      The Fifth Estate: Britain's Unions in the Seventies – Robert Taylor·      The Magic Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton·      Tiger Tim's Annual 1937To get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'. Take our show survey at:https://ex-plorsurvey.com/survey/selfserve/550/g517/250305?list=9 Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Vine wants to bin it off. Though given the decline in public services nationwide, that's getting harder and harder to do. As the Birmingham bin strike rolls on, the council declares itself bankrupt and rats invade the city's streets, we ask what the hell is going on with our public services and is this just part of a wider societal malaise? Also, could someone please take this rubbish away? They were once the so-called lungs of the earth, but as a centuries-old oak tree with “more ecological value than the Sycamore Gap tree” is hacked down by owners of a nearby Toby Carvery, Peter Hitchens asks why we're chopping down our majestic, sometimes ancient trees and why is it so damn easy to destroy something so beautiful and filled with life?  Also, how do say crikey, exactly? On our reading list this week:  ·      The Fifth Estate: Britain's Unions in the Seventies – Robert Taylor ·      The Magic Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton ·      Tiger Tim's Annual 1937 To get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'.   Take our show survey at: https://ex-plorsurvey.com/survey/selfserve/550/g517/250305?list=9   Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter Hitchens Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East   A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Peter Hitchens hates to be blunt about these things, well, not really, but he'd really like to know why the police are so useless. And not in one specific instance or area, but generally. No coppers on the beat, rarely answering emergency calls and heaven forfend they actually bang someone up. What happened to policing in the UK?While Sarah has spent her week at a wellness centre (don't call it a fat farm), and while she has returned glowing like a rare gem, she did manage to put some weight on. But did a week of wheatgrass colonics, waddling about and living on liquids take her to some higher spiritual ground? Possibly…On our reading list this week: ·      The Abolition of Liberty – Peter Hitchens·      Broken Windows: The Police and Neighborhood Safety - George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson·      The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma Paperback – M.D. Bessel van der KolkTo get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'. Take our show survey at:https://ex-plorsurvey.com/survey/selfserve/550/g517/250305?list=9 Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Hitchens hates to be blunt about these things, well, not really, but he'd really like to know why the police are so useless. And not in one specific instance or area, but generally. No coppers on the beat, rarely answering emergency calls and heaven forfend they actually bang someone up. What happened to policing in the UK? While Sarah has spent her week at a wellness centre (don't call it a fat farm), and while she has returned glowing like a rare gem, she did manage to put some weight on. But did a week of wheatgrass colonics, waddling about and living on liquids take her to some higher spiritual ground? Possibly… On our reading list this week:  ·      The Abolition of Liberty – Peter Hitchens ·      Broken Windows: The Police and Neighborhood Safety - George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson ·      The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma Paperback – M.D. Bessel van der Kolk To get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'.   Take our show survey at: https://ex-plorsurvey.com/survey/selfserve/550/g517/250305?list=9   Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter Hitchens Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East   A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Peter Hitchens puts forward his defence of ‘Whataboutery and asks why does the west delight in attacking its current enemies like Putin for things it allows its friends like Tayip Erdogan to do with impunity? What is it with all this posturing hypocrisy? While Sarah makes the case for the ancient art of astrology and wonders if we're looking at star signs for answers as conventional faith is failing us daily. Or, as she puts it, what makes your sky fairy more important than my sky fairy? She may have a point. On our reading list this week:  ·      The Water Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby - Charles Kingsley ·      The Roads to Freedom – Jean-Paul Sartre ·      The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – C.S. Lewis To get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'.   Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter Hitchens Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East   A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Peter Hitchens puts forward his defence of ‘Whataboutery and asks why does the west delight in attacking its current enemies like Putin for things it allows its friends like Tayip Erdogan to do with impunity? What is it with all this posturing hypocrisy?While Sarah makes the case for the ancient art of astrology and wonders if we're looking at star signs for answers as conventional faith is failing us daily. Or, as she puts it, what makes your sky fairy more important than my sky fairy? She may have a point.On our reading list this week: ·      The Water Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby - Charles Kingsley·      The Roads to Freedom – Jean-Paul Sartre·      The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – C.S. LewisTo get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'. Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All human life is here. Dogma, closed minds, modern slavery, net zero and why Peter will never enter the House of Lords - though he will take tea there – and why you'll never find letters after his name.  Sarah asks why Labour are pushing for a new deal with China at the risk of human rights violation and why did Margaret Thatcher think you could drive the 5 plus miles from Downing Street to Dulwich – turns out, outriders on motorbikes help.  And both wonder when did the honours system become such an ‘inverted pyramid of piffle'? Word for word. On our reading list this week:  ·      HMS Ulysses – Alistair MacLean ·      The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher: From Grocer's Daughter to Iron Lady – John Campbell ·      The People's Trilogy - Frank Dikötter To get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'.   Take our show survey at: https://ex-plorsurvey.com/survey/selfserve/550/g517/250305?list=9   Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter Hitchens Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East   A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All human life is here.Dogma, closed minds, modern slavery, net zero and why Peter will never enter the House of Lords - though he will take tea there – and why you'll never find letters after his name. Sarah asks why Labour are pushing for a new deal with China at the risk of human rights violation and why did Margaret Thatcher think you could drive the 5 plus miles from Downing Street to Dulwich – turns out, outriders on motorbikes help. And both wonder when did the honours system become such an ‘inverted pyramid of piffle'? Word for word.On our reading list this week: ·      HMS Ulysses – Alistair MacLean·      The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher: From Grocer's Daughter to Iron Lady – John Campbell·      The People's Trilogy - Frank DikötterTo get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'. Take our show survey at:https://ex-plorsurvey.com/survey/selfserve/550/g517/250305?list=9 Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To paraphrase Edwin Starr; work, what is it good for, absolutely nothing… At least according to Gen Z. Reports suggest that a whole generation might be ready to give up work, which, coincidentally, is how Peter felt every day as a younger man when he was mucking out pigs on the farm, while Sarah's eighteen-hour days in Hobbs only finally relented when she found herself talking to a drunken sub editor in a pub who was baffled by his new mac at work, just as Sarah had learnt how to use one…Elsewhere, we take to the seas as Peter asks why our submariners are spending over 200 days underwater at a time and why do we cling to the notion that we need a cold war superweapon like the atomic bomb and what really happens when you try to launch a Trident missile at sea? Nothing good, apparently.And what tests do you have to pass if, God forbid, you have to stand in for the PM one day? On our reading list this week: ·      Simple Subs Book – Leslie Sellers·      The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945 – James Jinks & Peter Hennessy·      The Hunt For Red October - Tom ClancyTo get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'. Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To paraphrase Edwin Starr; work, what is it good for, absolutely nothing… At least according to Gen Z.  Reports suggest that a whole generation might be ready to give up work, which, coincidentally, is how Peter felt every day as a younger man when he was mucking out pigs on the farm, while Sarah's eighteen-hour days in Hobbs only finally relented when she found herself talking to a drunken sub editor in a pub who was baffled by his new mac at work, just as Sarah had learnt how to use one… Elsewhere, we take to the seas as Peter asks why our submariners are spending over 200 days underwater at a time and why do we cling to the notion that we need a cold war superweapon like the atomic bomb and what really happens when you try to launch a Trident missile at sea? Nothing good, apparently. And what tests do you have to pass if, God forbid, you have to stand in for the PM one day?  On our reading list this week:  ·      Simple Subs Book – Leslie Sellers ·      The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945 – James Jinks & Peter Hennessy ·      The Hunt For Red October - Tom Clancy To get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'.   Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter Hitchens Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East   A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lockdown saw Peter Hitchens riding through Hyde Park in a Polish gas mask hissing the word ‘virus' at strangers.Sarah Vine spent hers in Waitrose checking produce until an outraged fellow shopper saw her return over ripe veg to the shelves and accuse her of spreading ‘covid tomatoes!'. Whatever they are.Both struggled with lockdown – especially as Sarah was sharing a home with Michael Gove, who was very much behind his Party's policy to close things down – but, five years later, what did they make of the seismic period when Britain turned out the lights?Also, Peter asks why the hell can't the west stay out of other country's business, unless those despots or dictators can make life easier for us? It's enough to make cynics of us all.On our reading list this week: ·      Lockdown Secrets – Eleanor Tattersfield·      Catch Your Breath – Ed Patrick·      The Great War For Civilisation – Robert FiskTo get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'. Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lockdown saw Peter Hitchens riding through Hyde Park in a Polish gas mask hissing the word ‘virus' at strangers. Sarah Vine spent hers in Waitrose checking produce until an outraged fellow shopper saw her return over ripe veg to the shelves and accuse her of spreading ‘covid tomatoes!'. Whatever they are. Both struggled with lockdown – especially as Sarah was sharing a home with Michael Gove, who was very much behind his Party's policy to close things down – but, five years later, what did they make of the seismic period when Britain turned out the lights? Also, Peter asks why the hell can't the west stay out of other country's business, unless those despots or dictators can make life easier for us? It's enough to make cynics of us all. On our reading list this week:  ·      Lockdown Secrets – Eleanor Tattersfield ·      Catch Your Breath – Ed Patrick ·      The Great War For Civilisation – Robert Fisk To get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'.   Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter Hitchens Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East   A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Peter Hitchens is so anti-drugs, and so engaged with his moral compass he won't even consider taking the fictional recreationals, while Sarah Vine has been on antidepressants for over a decade and swears by her 'fat jab'.This, while Peter dreams of a Dutch like utopia where cars are rarely seen and children are safe to walk to school. Shall the twain ever meet? Occasionally. Join them for a conversation that begins by asking is society, sleepwalking into a delirium of self-medication and can end just about anywhere...On our reading list this week:The Road To Wigan Pier – George OrwellBrave New World – Aldous HuxleyCracked: Why Psychiatry is Doing More Harm Than Good - James DaviesTo get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'.Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Hitchens is so anti-drugs, and so engaged with his moral compass he won't even consider taking the fictional recreationals, while Sarah Vine has been on antidepressants for over a decade and swears by her 'fat jab'. This, while Peter dreams of a Dutch like utopia where cars are rarely seen and children are safe to walk to school. Shall the twain ever meet? Occasionally. Join them for a conversation that begins by asking is society, sleepwalking into a delirium of self-medication and can end just about anywhere... On our reading list this week: The Road To Wigan Pier – George Orwell Brave New World – Aldous Huxley Cracked: Why Psychiatry is Doing More Harm Than Good - James Davies To get in touch, email: alas@mailonline.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'. Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter Hitchens Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East   A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When viewed from above the North Pole, the Earth rotates from left to right and now some of its inhabitants appear to be headed the same way. From Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy through Geert Wilders' far-right Freedom Party in the Netherlands to Germany's AfD party and the ever-encroaching Chega (Enough) party in Portugal, the boots on the ground appear to be facing one way, so are we looking at a new world order that's suddenly leaning towards the right?  Plus, is war finally over for Ukraine? What is NATO really for? What is the true meaning of power and how do we grab it? And did we finally answer all the questions Sarah Vine's mum asked of us? On our reading list this week:  ·      Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands – Richard Sakwa ·      How the West Brought War to Ukraine: Understanding How U.S. and NATO Policies Led to Crisis, War, and the Risk of Nuclear Catastrophe – Benjamin Abelow ·      A Certain Idea of France: The Life of Charles de Gaulle – Julian Jackson To get in touch, email: alas@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'.   Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter Hitchens Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East   A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When viewed from above the North Pole, the Earth rotates from left to right and now some of its inhabitants appear to be headed the same way. From Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy through Geert Wilders' far-right Freedom Party in the Netherlands to Germany's AfD party and the ever-encroaching Chega (Enough) party in Portugal, the boots on the ground appear to be facing one way, so are we looking at a new world order that's suddenly leaning towards the right? Plus, is war finally over for Ukraine? What is NATO really for? What is the true meaning of power and how do we grab it? And did we finally answer all the questions Sarah Vine's mum asked of us?On our reading list this week: ·      Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands – Richard Sakwa·      How the West Brought War to Ukraine: Understanding How U.S. and NATO Policies Led to Crisis, War, and the Risk of Nuclear Catastrophe – Benjamin Abelow·      A Certain Idea of France: The Life of Charles de Gaulle – Julian JacksonTo get in touch, email: alas@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on Whatsapp – on 07796 657512, start your message with the word ‘alas'. Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter HitchensProducer: Philip WildingEditor: Chelsey MooreProduction Manager: Vittoria CecchiniExecutive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's the Big Idea? Finally, Sarah Vine (once memorably described as being ‘like and loathed in equal measure, divisive, but never indecisive') and Peter Hitchens (a man whose writing a critic was called to compare to a Guardsman's boot: ‘as highly polished and potentially lethal') meet once a week to look at the world and mutter, alas…   Acclaimed columnist and journalist Sarah Vine and best-selling author and broadcaster Peter Hitchens discuss and dissect social, economic, and pop cultural flotsam and jetsam that have risen out of the dark waters of that week's news.   Taking one big idea each episode and pulling it apart with élan, imagine Vine and Hitchens respective columns brought to life and then skewered, scoffed at, debated, and given the full weight of Vine and Hitchens impenetrable gaze. Though an accord might not always be reached, it's the journey that matters.   Whether it's the tech bros gone rogue – Meta tearing up its own rule book on fact checking, Musk attempting to influence governmental policy, or the knotty subject on society's ever-increasing reliance on anti-depressants to treat what might just be the modern malaise and not depression at all. Or, evil, nature or nurture? Does evil actually exist or is it an idea that hangs over us, or do we just sometime embody it and the actions themselves are evil, not the individual?   All this and more are to be pored over, one towering topic each week discussed with humour, insight, and real understanding. To get in touch email alas@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's the Big Idea?Finally, Sarah Vine (once memorably described as being ‘like and loathed in equal measure, divisive, but never indecisive') and Peter Hitchens (a man whose writing a critic was called to compare to a Guardsman's boot: ‘as highly polished and potentially lethal') meet once a week to look at the world and mutter, alas… Acclaimed columnist and journalist Sarah Vine and best-selling author and broadcaster Peter Hitchens discuss and dissect social, economic, and pop cultural flotsam and jetsam that have risen out of the dark waters of that week's news. Taking one big idea each episode and pulling it apart with élan, imagine Vine and Hitchens respective columns brought to life and then skewered, scoffed at, debated, and given the full weight of Vine and Hitchens impenetrable gaze. Though an accord might not always be reached, it's the journey that matters. Whether it's the tech bros gone rogue – Meta tearing up its own rule book on fact checking, Musk attempting to influence governmental policy, or the knotty subject on society's ever-increasing reliance on anti-depressants to treat what might just be the modern malaise and not depression at all. Or, evil, nature or nurture? Does evil actually exist or is it an idea that hangs over us, or do we just sometime embody it and the actions themselves are evil, not the individual? All this and more are to be pored over, one towering topic each week discussed with humour, insight, and real understanding.To get in touch email alas@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'alas' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the year draws to a close, we look back at some of the seismic stories shaping the year including how Labour's landslide victory has turned into a landslide in their polling numbers with dissatisfaction with the government at a lofty 70%, and unhappiness with the PM at a remarkable 61%.   Plus, a hard year for the Royal Family, as King Charles fights his way back to full health. Oasis reforms, Taylor Swift returns, and the country riots.  And, as Sarah's ex-husband is caught in a clinch with his latest squeeze, we ask what do you think when it comes to PDA, and what makes for a good divorce?  To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction' Presenters: Sarah Vine & Andrew Pierce  Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As farmers descend on London for the second time to protest against Rachel Reeves's changes to inheritance tax, we speak to a dairy farmer about what the changes might mean for the future of her family and farm. Plus, as Angela Rayner presses ahead with plans to prioritise housebuilding on an area of the green belt bigger than Surrey, we ask what this means for those who already call the countryside home and the future of housebuilding in the UK.  And, as sales of Christmas pudding are on the rise for the first time in more than ten years, we ask what takes pride of place next to the turkey on your table on Christmas Day. And does it include condensed milk? To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction'   Presenters: Sarah Vine & Andrew Pierce Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East   A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the former MP and Cabinet Minister's reality TV show – Meet The Rees-Moggs - comes to our screens, the man once memorably described as looking like ‘a haunted Victorian pencil' sits down for an extended conversation with Sarah Vine and Peter Hitchens to talk about why the Tories lost the election, his desire to return as an MP with Boris Johnson back leading the Party and his thoughts on everything from assisted dying, to horoscopes and why even he resists sock suspenders. To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction'   Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter Hitchens Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Alex Graham Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East   A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Ireland prepares to go to the polls, we speak to John Lee, Executive Editor of the Irish Daily Mail on the future of government for the country and why the political of arm of the IRA might be am ailing political force in light of his revelatory new podcast: Bomb To Ballot: The History of Sinn Fein. And as Vauxhall and Ford announce job losses and factory closures in the UK, we ask why electric vehicles aren't driving the demand for new cars, and how that's impacting the future of the motor industry.  Plus, we ask why are perfume manufacturers looking for animal magnetism to add allure to their best-selling scents? We've got a nose for that story… To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction'   Presenters: Sarah Vine & Andrew Pierce  Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Alex Graham Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East   A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thousands of farmers descended on London this week threatening to escalate their protests unless the chancellor meets them for talks over inheritance tax amid growing discontent among rural Labour MPs about government plans. One of those protestors was dairy farmer Kelly Seaton who joins Andrew and Sarah to tell them why she was impelled to take to the streets of Whitehall this week. Official estimates of the decision to strip more than ten million pensioners of the winter fuel payments have concluded it will result in around 50,000 older people in poverty at any time with warnings that the policy could soon lead to more elderly people dying of cold. Prompting Scottish Labour to announce that it would scrap the policy if it won power in Holyrood. So, we ask, why the schism? Why not the whole Labour Party? Plus, to mark its 90th anniversary the British Council has produced a list of 90 words that have defined the decades. They include the invention of terms such as “nylon” in the Thirties and “disc jockey” a decade later, to the rise of Gen Z slang like “rizz” and “edgelord,” you may be surprised to find which word resonates with Andrew and Sarah most… To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction' Presenters: Sarah Vine & Andrew Pierce  Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Alex Graham Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a petition of over 10,000 signatures calling for him to relinquish his role as Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby has finally stepped down from his post after the independent Makin review into John Smyth's abuse of young men was published last week. It concluded that Smyth might have been brought to justice earlier had Mr Welby formally reported it to police after he was installed as archbishop 11 years ago. What happened and why? And as Labour promises to overhaul and rebuild the NHS, health secretary Wes Streeting has announced… football-style league tables of the best and worst performing hospitals in England. Which has as least united health bosses and workers in one way: making them furious at the decision. What can possibly get the NHS back on its feet? Plus, now that Gary Lineker's jumped ship from the BBC, could it be time for Sarah and Andrew to take over on the MOTD couch and as I'm a Celebrity starts a new season, maybe it's time Gary thought about taking a turn at the Bushtucker Trials? To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction' Presenters: Sarah Vine & Andrew Pierce  Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Alex Graham Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Trump prevails in the US and the Democrats fail to cut through with the American electorate, we cross to Washington to speak to a White House correspondent who's seen both Democratic and Republican governments rise and fall. She explains what it's been like on this particular campaign trail.  And talking of parties in turmoil, does the rise of Kemi Badenoch signal a rebirth for the Tory Party as she takes her first turn at the dispatch box for PMQs? Initial reports are promising… Plus, latest figures show that over 20 per cent of children in Year 6 — ages ten and eleven — were obese in 2023-24. But what can be done to stave off a generation of overweight children?  To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction' Presenters: Sarah Vine & Andrew Pierce  Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Alex Graham Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

VAT on private schools, duty on rolling tobacco, employers clobbered by increased contributions on small businesses, who is this cruel Labour budget for and why does Sarah think it sounds like it was designed by Harry Potter's Dolores Umbridge? And we ask why some aspects of the Southport attacker case remained hidden from the public until now and who will be the winners at home and abroad as the Tories pick their new leader and the US goes to the polls? Plus, as Sober October comes to an end for Sarah, we taste test alcohol free wine, and ask why animals are taking up the bottle with a zeal not seen since the likes of Oliver Reed and Keith Moon. To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction' Presenters: Sarah Vine & Andrew Pierce  Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the government releases another 1,100 more prisoners early, as part of its emergency plan to ease overcrowding in jails in England and Wales, Sarah and Andrew ask what impact this latest action might have on the victims of crime who are now seeing those criminals released? And as around 100 members of the Labour Party travel to the US to volunteer for Kamala Harris in battleground states in the final stretch of the campaign, we ask why the government aren't rallying their troops to get things done closer to home. Plus, who was the real Chris Kaba? Do we need to rethink driving licenses for the older generation? And we're buying, what are you drinking? To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction' Presenters: Sarah Vine & Andrew Pierce  Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Alex Graham Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After it emerged that Labour is set to break yet another manifesto pledge, this time on housing migrants in hotels and that the Home Office is looking for even more hotel spaces to house illegal migrants, Sarah and Andrew ask what happened to the government's pledge to “end asylum hotels, saving the taxpayer billions of pounds”.  As a Private Member's Bill to legalise assisted dying is introduced in the House of Commons, and the Archbishop of Canterbury voices his concerns that half of the people in the US state of Oregon – where the practice is legal - who opt for assisted suicide say the fear of becoming a burden is a factor in their decision. We ask could the same thing happen here. Plus, Sarah's still going sober for October, Andrew, not so much. And Sarah explains why she's all for the weight loss jab and how it worked (and still works) for her.  To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction' Presenters: Sarah Vine & Andrew Pierce  Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Alex Graham Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Florida braces itself for the arrival of what is predicted to be one of the worst hurricanes of the century, President Biden has urged residents of the State to evacuate. As of yesterday morning, nearly six million Floridians were advised to leave their homes before Hurricane Milton landed. This only weeks after Hurricane Helene flooded parts of Tampa Bay. What does it mean, are these weather fronts the new normal? Immigration has fuelled a record rise in the population, even as deaths outstripped births in Britain for the first time in 50 years. A surge in net migration means that there are now over 68 million people living in the UK. The figures put increasing pressure on the government as the numbers are expected to impact on housing, the health and care sector and schools. But what can be done, not least when a huge percentage of 37,000 irregular arrivals came in on small boats? Plus, Sarah's going sober for October, though, to her surprise, it's something that might yet last even after October ends. Better sleep, weight loss, less anxiety, but will she put down the drink for good pat Halloween? To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction' Presenters: Sarah Vine & Andrew Pierce  Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Alex Graham Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the Middle East edges towards a full-blown war, and Binyamin Netanyahu vows that Iran “will pay” for launching a missile strike on Israel, Sarah and Peter look at the troubled history of the area and ask what next for this corner of the world and could the violence spread further still? The battle to lead dominates on both sounds of the Atlantic as vice presidents in waiting JD Vance and Tim Walz square off in the US. And closer to home, the final four Tory candidates address the faithful at party conference with at least one of the candidates asking if the Tory could just be ‘normal', please. Plus, Strictly Come Dancing has gone from the darling of Saturday night TV to the subject of an internal BBC inquiry among accusations of harassment and bullying. How did we go from a gentle foxtrot to this farrago? To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction' Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter Hitchens  Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Israel Strikes, Frockgate - now it's Sausagegate and Sheer Art Attack As defence chiefs ramp up plans for a huge evacuation of British citizens from Lebanon amid fears of an all-out war with Israel, Sarah and Peter look at what's at stake now for the future of the territory and ask has Benjamin Netanyahu overplayed his hand? He's gone from Frockgate to Sausageate, but what now for Sir Keir Starmer after a lacklustre Labour Party conference, having his own delegates turn against him over his plans on Winter Fuel, and still being dogged by accusations of cronyism.  Plus, we don't know art, but we know what we like, or don't like. And we don't like the latest Turner Prize collection, though we don't despise it as much as some art experts who have lambasted the Turner prize as a “rotting corpse” that has lost its power to provoke. Fair point? Let's find out. To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction' Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter Hitchens Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Studio Manager: Sam Chisholm Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah and Andrew look back at this week's remarkable attack on Hezbollah that resulted in the death of nine people after the simultaneous explosion of thousands of pagers used by the proscribed terror group. And as it's revealed that PM Keir Starmer has declared more free tickets and gifts than other major party leaders in recent times, with his total now topping £100,000, we ask how much can you possibly spend on a new jacket when some people can't even afford to put their heating on. Plus, how do we protect our children online, Prince Andrew is back, this time portrayed by Michael Sheen, but can anything match the real drama of that actual Emily Maitlis interview? And Angelina Jolie sold her Churchill original oil for millions, he might have been a great leader, but did he cut it as an artist? To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction' Presenters: Sarah Vine & Andrew Pierce Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a Reaction special, Peter Hitchens and writer and economist Christopher Snowdon debate the merits for the case brought against and the conviction of serial killer Lucy Letby.  Hitchens has repeatedly called for the case to be re-examined, arguing there are grounds Letby could be the victim of an unsafe conviction, while Snowdon has in the past referred to the voices doubting the veracity of Letby's guilt, as ‘a gaggle of armchair detectives, armchair pathologists and armchair barristers.' Over the space of an hour, Snowdon and Hitchens attempt to find some middle ground in a case that has divided and shocked a nation. To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction' Presenters: Peter Hitchens & Christopher Snowdon Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Buddy Peace Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah and Andrew look back at the first Harris/Trump debate and ask are Haitian immigrants really feasting on household pets in Ohio? And why did Donald get so upset when asked about the size of his rallies?  And then there were four, as the Tory party conference looms who's leading the pack and who's the candidate Sarah would like to see win who might be capable of holding Labour's feet to the fire? Plus, as the Princess of Wales shares a video to announce her recovery from illness to the world, the Duke Of Sussex drops a very different clip to promote his new show about that most egalitarian of sports: polo. And, much more importantly, why does the latest bronze statue of the Queen ‘not resemble her in any shape or form'? To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction' Presenters: Sarah Vine & Andrew Pierce Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah and Andrew look at the final Grenfell inquiry report: a series of damning indictments, corporate subterfuge and a culture of dishonesty and ask why the community and its people were so let down in their hour of need.  And as Angela Rayner threatens to quash Margaret Thatcher's Right to Buy policy and Rachel Reeves pushes on with her plan to cut winter fuel payments for thousands of pensioners, we ask will this be the legacy that could be the government's undoing. Plus, if politicians insist on dancing, then can they do it under cover of darkness and in their own homes, please? And will he, or won't he? Is the Duke of Sussex finally coming home? Sarah Vine and Andrew Pierce bring their own insight, opinion, and reaction (clue is in the title) to the biggest stories of the week.  To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction' Presenters: Sarah Vine & Andrew Pierce Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah and Andrew pore over Kier Starmer's less than enlivening speech from the Number 10 garden and ask what now for the UK ties with Germany and mainland Europe as the PM meets with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin and begins to reset relations with Europe post- Brexit. And as the number of places in our men's prisons falls below one hundred and the number of criminals avoiding prosecution with a simple apology for their offence rises by 40 per cent over the past five years, we ask what kind of reform can wrestle back control of our penal system. Plus, as Sarah snaffles her tickets for the return of Oasis to the UK's stages next summer, we ask what's the story? Faded or morning glory… Sarah Vine and Andrew Pierce bring their own insight, opinion, and reaction (clue is in the title) to the biggest stories of the week.  To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction' Presenters: Sarah Vine & Andrew Pierce Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah and Peter discuss the government's near impossible goal of deporting 14,000 illegal migrants and foreign criminals by the end of the year, as over a thousand migrants alone crossed the channel in the last seven days, and ask does the UK even have a sustainable border anymore? And as Channel 4 commissions a new documentary on the Lucy Letby case and David Davies MP plans on tabling a parliamentary debate over her conviction, Sarah and Peter ask if we've seen justice served. Plus, did the Queen really think Donald Trump rude? And just what did happen when Prince Charles asked to meet Peter Hitchens?   Sarah Vine and Peter Hitchens bring their own insight, opinion and reaction (clue is in the title) to the biggest stories of the week.    To get in touch email Reaction@dailymail.co.uk, you can leave a comment on Spotify or even send us a voice note on WhatsApp - on 07796 657512 start your message with the word 'reaction'   Presenters: Sarah Vine & Peter Hitchens Producer: Philip Wilding Editor: Chelsey Moore Production Manager: Vittoria Cecchini Executive Producer: Jamie East   A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah and Andrew discuss one of their viral clips being taken down by TikTok, in contrast to the apparent lack of regulation on Twitter.  After Algerian boxer Imane Khalif takes legal action against people online who have spoken out against her, they discuss why she has decided to drag it through the courts. The failures in the mental health care system with regard to Valdo Calocane come under the spotlight.   Plus, the latest from Montecito, where Harry and Meghan have parted with yet another chief of staff.    Send your questions to: Reaction@Dailymail.co.uk Send us a voice note via WhatsApp on 07796657512 starting with the word “Reaction” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah and Andrew discuss the chaos on the streets of Britain, the hypocrisy of the rioters and looters and why Farage, Tate and Robinson should not only be ashamed, they should be held accountable for their stirring of hatred and skewing of the facts. This isn't the first time - and it won't be the last - but Starmer's first real test as PM has left Andrew and Sarah with serious questions. Oh, and they both watch the pole vaulter Olympic clip about 6million times, for research you understand. Send your questions to: Reaction@Dailymail.co.uk  Send us a voice note via Whatsapp on 07796657512 starting with the word Reaction A Daily Mail Production: Seriously Popular Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andrew Pierce is joined by Peter Hitchens as Sarah Vine is on holiday. They discuss the riot in Southport, who is stirring up the violence around the killing of the three girls and what it says about British society. After the Chancellor admits she will have to increase tax they discuss where the tax increases might happen and if it will raise any more money.  They also answer your questions on Sovereign Wealth Funds and VAT on Private Schools  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices