Podcast appearances and mentions of tory mps

This week the podcast looks at another of those knotty, seemingly intractable issues sat on Labour's in-tray when they entered government last year; namely social care.To look at how successive administrations have failed to grasp the nettle and deal with the rising costs of a sector that has ballooned in size to deal with our ageing population, host Alain Tolhurst is joined on the panel by Paulette Hamilton, Labour MP and the acting chair of the health and social care select committee, as well as Joe Robertson, Tory MP for the Isle of Wight who also sits on the select committee.Alongside them are Lucinda Allen, policy fellow in social care at The Health Foundation, and Will Dalton, national officer for care at the GMB union, to discuss Andrew Dilnot's infamous unimplemented review, Theresa May's election-losing dementia tax, and what Keir Starmer's government is doing to take on the care crisis.They argue whether the latest review is another exercise in kicking the can down the road, and what impact this week's immigration white paper will have on the sector's massive vacancy issues, while later on in the episode Joe Dromey from the Fabian Society talks about the think tank's proposals for dealing with pay and recruitment.To sign up for our newsletters click herePresented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

As the row inside Reform rumbles on, Camilla speaks to the man behind the headlines: Rupert Lowe. In the wake of his blistering attack on his former ally Nigel Farage, Lowe tells The Daily T the Reform leader is “running a cult” and a “narcissist”.He also says he might start a new party to the right of Reform, calling for “a satisfactory alternative” that is “more than just a mobile PR machine”.Later, we bring you part two of The Daily T's interview with veteran Tory MP and father of the house Sir Edward Leigh, who's leading the charge against the legalisation of assisted dying. Ahead of another debate by MPs on Friday, Sir Edward explains why he has joined forces with Labour grandee Diane Abbott in an attempt to halt the Bill's progress.Producers: Georgia Coan and Lilian FawcettSenior Producer: John CadiganPlanning Editor: Venetia RaineyExecutive Producer: Louisa WellsSocial Media Producer: Rachel DuffyVideo Editor/Camera Operator: Aaron WheelerStudio Operator: Meghan SearleEditor: Camilla TomineyOriginal music by Goss Studio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a day of contrasting fortunes for Nigel Farage and Reform.First, the good: The Telegraph has revealed analysis that demonstrated how, if the recent local election results were repeated at the next national vote, Reform could wipe out Labour.Then, the bad: Farage barely had time to pop the champagne after that polling news when ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe released a blistering attack, calling the Reform leader "a coward and a viper" who "must never be Prime Minister".With Lowe hinting at a potential new political party, will this latest row hurt Reform's chances just as the party builds momentum?Camilla and Kamal are joined by Sir Edward Leigh, veteran Tory MP and father of the house, who says that Farage "does have a history of falling out with everybody who comes too close to him or threatens him" but is doubtful that it will dent his popularity.Read: Reform could oust Miliband in Labour election wipeout, by Tony DiverListen: Ben Habib on The Daily TProducers: Georgia Coan and Lilian FawcettSenior Producer: John CadiganPlanning Editor: Venetia RaineyExecutive Producer: Louisa WellsSocial Media Producer: Rachel DuffyVideo Editor: Valerie BrowneStudio Operator: Meghan SearleEditor: Camilla TomineyOriginal music by Goss Studio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The word ‘unprecedented' is often overused in politics, but these local elections have proved to be just that. The headline is: sweeping success for Reform.  Nigel Farage's 'teal tsunami' comes at the expense of the main parties – turning the two-party consensus on its head. The recriminations for Labour and the Tories have already begun. On the left, a number of MPs have broken cover and urged the government to shift its position on high-salience issues such as winter fuel. On the right, Kemi Badenoch's leadership is looking increasingly shaky, with Tory MPs and staff warning that a step change is needed. Where do the main parties go from here? And can anyone stop Nigel? James Heale speaks to Isabel Hardman and The Spectator's incoming political editor, Tim Shipman. This episode was recorded as part of The Spectator's local elections live broadcast. You can watch the full coverage here.

The word ‘unprecedented' is often overused in politics, but these local elections have proved to be just that. The headline is: sweeping success for Reform. Nigel Farage's 'teal tsunami' comes at the expense of the main parties – turning the two-party consensus on its head. The recriminations for Labour and the Tories have already begun. On the left, a number of MPs have broken cover and urged the government to shift its position on high-salience issues such as winter fuel. On the right, Kemi Badenoch's leadership is looking increasingly shaky, with Tory MPs and staff warning that a step change is needed. Where do the main parties go from here? And can anyone stop Nigel? James Heale speaks to Isabel Hardman and The Spectator's incoming political editor, Tim Shipman. This episode was recorded as part of The Spectator's local elections live broadcast. You can watch the full coverage here.

After Labour lost a safe seat to Reform and an ex-Tory MP won the Greater Lincolnshire mayoralty for Farage, we ran in to the PolJOE dungeon on Friday morning to give you the lowdown of the Local Election results so far. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the panel is discussing whether the government can avoid a pensions crisis? As most analysts think the UK's retirement industry is at a tipping point, needing bold and meaningful - if politically unpopular - reforms, Guy Opperman, the former Tory MP who was the UK's longest-serving pensions minister from 2017 to 2022, joins host Alain Tolhurst to discuss how ministers can ease the financial burden of the current state pension, while making sure younger workers will still have enough savings to retire comfortably. Alongside them is Lord David Willetts, president of the Resolution Foundation think tank, and Jonathan Cribb, associate director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and there is a chat with Baroness Ros Altmann, another former pensions minister, about the overall health of the sector, and what the government's priorities should be.To sign up for our newsletters click herePresented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

United Kingdom correspondent Alice Wilkins spoke to Lisa Owen about the suspect in a crossbow attack in Leeds dying from his self-inflicted injuries and how there are calls from politicians, for a controversial Irish rap group to be banned from performing at Glastonbury, after videos emerged of the band appearing to call for Tory MPs to be killed. She also spoke about one of the men accused of robbing Kim Kardashian in Paris in 2016, saying he "regrets" the jewellery heist.

The Conservatives scored a flip in Long Range Mountains last night. Carole Anstey will be the new Tory MP in Liberal Minister Gudie Hutchings old riding. One local business owner tells us all about the mood in the area, and why he thinks things played out this way. (Krissy Holmes with with Terry Hedderson)

Micheál Martin has called on Kneecap ‘to urgently clarify' their views on Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as killing Tory MPs. Why? How is society served by the Taoiseach involving himself in this confected outrage?On Free State today Joe and Dion look at the hysteria surrounding Kneecap since their Coachella appearance and their statements in support of Palestine.While some might believe they are just experiencing the usual backlash from the establishment to any anarchic act, the attempt to silence them is in fact part of something more insidious. The response to the Louis Theroux documentary is part of the same motivation. But is the truth about Gaza, the West Bank and Israel no longer something that can be silenced? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Tonight Show with Kieran Cuddihy:

Americans, it's time to move to Europe! The American geo-strategist Jason Pack anticipated last week's advice from Simon Kuper and moved to London a few years ago during the first Trump Presidency. Pack, the host of the excellent Disorder podcast, confesses to be thrilled to have escaped MAGA America. He describes the esthetics of contemporary Washington DC as "post-apocalyptic" and criticizes what he sees as the Trump administration's hostile atmosphere, ideological purity tests, and institutional destruction. Contrasting this with Europe's ideological fluidity, Pack warns that Trump's isolationist policies are increasing global disorder by fundamentally undermining America's global leadership role with its erstwhile European allies. Five Key Takeaways* Pack left America because he found the "esthetics" of working in policy and media spaces increasingly distasteful, particularly during Trump's first administration.* He argues that European political systems allow for greater ideological fluidity, while American politics demands strict partisan loyalty.* Pack describes Washington DC as "post-apocalyptic" with institutions functioning like zombies - going through motions without accomplishing anything meaningful.* Unlike European populists who want to control institutions, Pack believes Trump's administration aims to destroy government institutions entirely.* Pack warns that America's deteriorating relationships with traditional allies is creating a "rudderless world" with increased global disorder and potential for conflict. Full TranscriptAndrew Keen: Hello, everybody. Over the last few days, we've been focusing on the impressions of America, of Trump's America around the world. We had the Financial Times' controversial columnist, Simon Cooper, on the show, arguing that it's the end of the American dream. He had a piece in the FT this week, arguing that it's time to move to Europe for Americans. Not everyone agrees. We had the London-based FT writer Jemima Kelly on the show recently, also suggesting that she hasn't quite given up on America. She is, of course, a Brit living in the UK and looking at America from London. My guest today, another old friend, is Jason Pack. He is the host of the Excellent Disorder podcast. Jason's been on the shows lots of times before. He's an observer of the world's early 21st century disorder. And he is an American living in London. So I'm thrilled that Jason is back on the show. Jason, did you have a chance to look at Simon Cooper's piece? Is it time for Americans to move to Europe?Jason Pack: You've already moved. Well, he's just popularizing what I've believed for eight or 10 years already. So yeah, I looked at the piece. I really enjoyed your podcast with him. I don't think many Americans will move because most Americans are not particularly global in their outlook. And as disenchanted as they will be, their networks of family and of perspective are in America. Some elites in media and finance will move. But for me, I just found the aesthetics of America becoming distasteful when I worked in D.C. during the first Trump administration. And that's why I pursued a European citizenship.Andrew Keen: Jason, it's interesting that you choose the word aesthetics. Two thoughts on that. Firstly, America has never been distinguished for its aesthetics. People never came to America for aesthetics. It's never been a particularly beautiful country, a very dynamic place, a very powerful place. So why do you choose that word aesthetic?Jason Pack: Because for most upper middle class Americans, life under Trump, particularly if they're white and heterosexual, will not change tremendously. But the aesthetics of working in the policy space or in the media will change. Having to deal with all the BS that we hear when we wake up and turn on the TV in the morning, having to interact with Republican nutcase friends who say, oh, the fat is being trimmed by the doge and don't worry about all those people who've been being laid off. The aesthetics of it are ugly and mean. And I have found among some Republican colleagues and friends of mine that they love the vileness of this dog-eat-dog aesthetic.Andrew Keen: Yeah, it's an interesting way of putting it. And I understand exactly what you're saying. I'm less concerned with the aesthetics as with the reality. And my sense in some ways of what's happening is that the Trump people are obsessed with what you call aesthetics. They want to appear mean. I'm not actually sure that they're quite as mean as they'd like to think they are.Jason Pack: Oh, they're pretty mean. I mean, people are running around the NIH offices, according to colleagues of mine. And if you're out to the bathroom and your card is inserted in your computer, they go in, they steal the data from your computer.Andrew Keen: Actually, I take your point. What I meant more by that is that whereas most traditional authoritarian regimes hide their crimes against migrants. They deny wrongdoing. My sense of the Trump regime, or certainly a lot of the people involved in this Trump administration, is that they actually exaggerate it because it gives them pleasure and it somehow benefits their brand. I'm not convinced that they're quite as bad as they'd like to think.Jason Pack: Oh, I agree with that. They make Schadenfreude a principle. They want to showcase that they enjoy other people's pain. It's a bizarre psychological thing. Trump, for example, wanted to show his virility and his meanness, probably because he's an inner coward and he's not that feral. But we digress in terms of the aesthetics of the individual American wanting to leave. I experienced American government, like the State Department, and then, the bureaucracy of the policy space, say think tanks, or even the government relations trade space, say working for oil companies and government relations, as already authoritarian and ass-kissing in America, and the aesthetics of those industries I have always preferred in Europe, and that's only diverging.Andrew Keen: One of the things that always struck me about Washington, D.C. It was always uncomfortable as an imperial city. It always has been since the end of the Second World War, with America dominating the world as being one of two or perhaps the only super power in the world. But Washington, DC seems to always have been uncomfortable wearing its imperial mantle cloak in comparison, I think, to cities like London or Paris. I wonder whether, I'm not sure how much time you've spent back in America since Trump came back to power. I wonder if in that sense DC is trying to catch up with London and Paris.Jason Pack: I actually was giving a briefing in Congress to staffers of the House Foreign Affairs Committee only three weeks ago, and DC seemed post-apocalyptic to me. Many of my favorite restaurants were closing. There was traffic jams at bizarre hours of the day, which I think this is because the Trump people don't know how public transport works and they just ride their cars everywhere. So, yes, it seemed very bizarre being back. You were trying to gauge the interlocutor you were speaking to, were they merely pretending to be on board with Trump's stuff, but they actually secretly think it's ridiculous, or were they true believers? And you had to assess that before you would make your comments. So there is a slide to a kind of, again, neo-authoritarian aesthetic. In my conference, it became clear that the Republican Congressional staffers thought that it was all junk and that Trump doesn't care about Libya and he doesn't understand these issues. But we needed to make lip service in how we expressed our recommendations. So, fascinatingly, various speakers said, oh, there's a transactional win. There's a way that cheaper oil can be gotten here or we could make this policy recommendation appeal to the transactional impulses of the administration. Even though everyone knew that we were speaking in a Democrat echo-chamber where the only Republicans present were anti-Trump Republicans anyway.Andrew Keen: Describe DC as post-apocalyptic. What exactly then, Jason, is the apocalypse?Jason Pack: I don't think that the Trump people who are running the show understand how government works and whether you're at state or the NIH or USAID, you're kind of under siege and you're just doing what you're supposed to do and going through the motions. I mean, there's so much of like the zombie apocalypse going on. So maybe it's more zombie apocalypse than regular apocalypse, whereby the institutions are pretending to do their work, but they know that it doesn't accomplish anything. And the Trumpian appointees are kind of pretending to kind of cancel people on DAI, but the institutions are still continuing.Andrew Keen: I'm going to vulgarize something you said earlier. You talked about Trump wanting to appear bigger than he actually is. Maybe we might call that small penis syndrome. Is that, and then that's my term, Jason, let's be clear, not yours. Maybe it's fair or not. He probably would deny it, but I don't think he'll come on this show. He's more than welcome. Is that also reflected in the people working for him? Is there a bit of a small penis syndrome going on with a lot of the Trump people? Are they small town boys coming to America, coming to D.C. And in all their raison d'état trying to smash up the world that they always envied?Jason Pack: 100%. If you look at the Tucker Carlson and the Hegset, who went to Princeton in 03, and obviously Tucker Carlsen's WASP elite background is well known, they wanted to make it conventionally and couldn't. Hegson didn't achieve the rank of lieutenant general or colonel or anything in the army. He didn't make it in finance and Vance, obviously had just a minor career in finance, they didn't make the big time except through their hate and resentment of the establishment that succeeded on merit. So, I mean, you could call that small penis syndrome. I think another thing to point out is that many of them have been selected because whether they've been accused of rape or financial crimes or just meanness, they owe the great leader their ability to be in that position. And if he would throw them overboard they're entirely exposed, so that cash patels of the world and the Hexeds of the world serve at the mercy of the great leader, because if they were thrown to the wolves, they could be devoured for their misdeeds. And I think that that makes it a place where it's all about loyalty to the boss. But maybe we could pivot to the initial topic about how I think Europe is a place where you can reinvent yourself as an individual now. Certainly in the political and ideology space, and America really hasn't been for much of my left.Andrew Keen: Yeah, it's interesting. And this is how actually our conversation you're doing. You're a much better podcast host than I am, Jason. You're reminding us of the real conversation rather than getting led down one Trumpian byway or another. I did a show recently on why I still believe in the American dream. And I was interviewed by my friend, David Maschiottra, another old friend of the show. And I suggested I originally came to America to reinvent myself and that's always been the platform with which Europeans have come to America. You're suggesting that perhaps the reverse is true now.Jason Pack: I really enjoyed that episode. I thought you were a great guest and he was a natural host. But I realized how it wasn't speaking to me. Many of my European friends who work in law, finance, tech, startup, you know, they finished their degrees in Italy or in England and they moved to America. And that's where they raised venture capital and they go on the exact success trajectory that you explained and they fetishize, oh my God, when my green card is gonna come through, I'm gonna have this big party. That never resonated with me because America was never a land of opportunity for me. And it hit me in hearing your podcast that that's because what I've aspired to is to work in government slash think tank or to be a professional expert. And if you don't ally yourself with one of the major political movements, you're always branded and you can never move ahead. I'll give a few examples if you're interested in the way that my trying to be in the center has meant that I could never find a place in America.Andrew Keen: Absolutely. So you're suggesting that your quote-unquote American dream could only be realized in Europe.Jason Pack: So I moved to the Middle East to serve my country after 9/11. If Gore had been elected president, I likely would have joined the army or the Marines or something. But Bush was president and I knew I needed to do this on my own. So, you know, I lived in Beirut, then I went to Iraq. Where did you graduate from, Jason? I graduated from Williams in 2002, but I was changing my studies as soon as the 9-11 happened. I stopped my senior thesis in biology and I pivoted to doing the Middle East. I thought the Middle East was going to be the next big thing. But I didn't realize that if you wanted to do it your own way, for example, living in Syria prior to working in government, then you couldn't get those security clearances. But in the UK, that's not really a problem. If you go to Leeds or Oxford and you got sent to study Arabic in Syria, you can work for the UK government, but not in America. If your went and did that your own way, your loyalties would be questioned. You wouldn't get your security clearance. I got an internship to work at the U.S. Embassy in Muscat, where I fell afoul of my supervisors because I was someone who wanted to speak in Arabic with Omanis and, for example, go to hear prayers at the mosque and really be a part of the society. And I was told, don't do that. But aren't we here to understand about Oman? And they're like, no, it's really important to mostly socialize with people at the embassy. But my British colleagues, they were out there in Omani society, and they were, for example, really participating in stuff because the relationship between the Omanis and the Brits and the Americans is a happy one. That's just a small example, but I wanna make the kind of further point, which is that if you wanna get promoted in think tank world in America, it doesn't matter whether it's Cato or Heritage on the right or New America Foundation or Middle East Institute on the left. You have to buy in hook, line, and sinker to the party line of those institutions. And if that party line is DEI, as it was at the Middle East Institute when I was there, and you're a white heterosexual male, you're not going to get promoted. And if, for example, you want to then interact with some Zionist think tank like FDD, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, I was going to a fellowship there for work that I had done about monitoring ISIS in Libya, and they had proposed a funding line for my project, which was just technically reading jihadi Facebook posts and monitoring them. And then they did some more research on me, ironically, after we had already signed the funds. And they said, oh, we're so sorry, we are going to have to pull back on this. We are going have to pay you a kill fee. We are really, really sorry. And I came to understand why that was. And it was because I had advocated that the Iranians should be allowed to get the bomb so that they could have mutually assured destruction theory with Israel.Andrew Keen: Well, Jason, I take your point, but everyone has their own narrative when it comes to why their career didn't did or didn't take off and how they know what that doesn't happen in Europe. I'm just making a contrast. Let me just come back to my argument about America, which is it isn't necessarily as straightforward as perhaps at first it seems. I think one of the reasons why America has always been a great place for reinvention is because of the absence of memory.Jason Pack: No, but what I'm saying is Google will inspire on you, and if you're not within the ideological cadre, you cannot progress at these kind of institutions.Andrew Keen: Okay, I take your point on that, but thinking more broadly, America is a place where you can, I've done so many different things in this country from being a scholar to being an internet entrepreneur to being an expert on technology to being a critic of technology to being against podcasts, to being a podcaster. And you can get away, and I've failed in practically all of them, if not all of them, but the fact is that because people don't have memory, you can keep on doing different things and people won't say, well, how can you get away with this? Last week you were doing X. My sense, and maybe correct me if I'm wrong about London or Europe, is there is much more memory. You can't get away with perpetual reinvention in Europe as you can in the U.S. and maybe that's because of the fact that in your language, living in Europe with its memory and respect for memory is more aesthetically pleasing. So I'm not suggesting this is as simple as it might appear.Jason Pack: I agree with that last point, but I think I'm trying to bring something else out. In spheres like tech or podcasting, there isn't credentialism in America. And therefore, if you're just good at it, you don't need the credentials and you can get going. And you and other Europeans who had great merit, as you do, have benefited from that. And in Europe, you might run up against credentialism, but, oh, but you didn't work at the BBC, so you don't get the job. I'm making a different point about ideological purity within the very specific realms of, say, working for an American presidential candidate or briefing a policymaker or rising up at a think tank. I have briefed labor MPs, Lib Dem MPs and Tory MPs. And they don't ask my politics. I can go in there and get a meeting with Keir Starmer's people on Libya, and they don't care about the fact that I want him to do something slightly different. Criticized him and praised him at different times on my podcast, try having an influence with some Trump people and then say, Oh, well, you know, I really think that I can help you on this Libya policy, but I happened to run a fairly anti-Trump podcast. No, you just can't get the briefing because America is about ideological purity tests and getting your ticket punch in the government and think tank and exporting professions, and therefore it's not some place you can reinvent yourself. If you're clearly an anti-Trump Republican McCainite, you can't all of a sudden become an AOC Democrat for the purpose of one meeting. But in Europe you can, because you can be a Lib Dem like Liz Truss and then be a Tory Prime Minister. And no one cares what my position on these topics are when they ask me to brief Keir Starmer's people and that's something that I find so fantastic about Europe.Andrew Keen: Yeah, it's interesting. I mean, you know this stuff better than I do. But isn't someone like Truss rooted in ideological purity? She was a Lib Dem when she was at Oxford. Yeah, but that was a long time ago. I can reverse that, Jason, and say, well, when Trump was young, he ran around with Bill and Hillary Clinton, he went to their wedding, he funded them. He never was even a Republican until 2014 or 15. So, I mean, he's an example of the very ideological fluidity that you idealize in Europe.Jason Pack: I agree with your point. I think that he's an exception there and he wouldn't have allowed it from his staffers. They now have essentially loyalty tested everything. It's not a place where if you were Democrat with ideas that would benefit the Trumpian establishment, you can be heard. I'll give an example. I like the Abraham Accords and I have a colleague who wants to help extend the Abraham Accords to Pakistan, she can only work with ideologically pure Republicans in the pitching of this idea. She can't work with someone like me because I don't have the ideological purity, even though this is a nonpartisan idea and it should be embraced if you can get the Trumpians to be interested in it. But that's not how America works and it has not been. Reagan, of course, if you said that you like taxes, and I'm someone who likes taxes and I don't believe in the Laffer curve, and neoliberalism is a sham, you couldn't be on that economic team. So there are different ideological tests. Trump was never a politician, so he's not an expert like me in the expert class where we've been litmus tested our whole careers.Andrew Keen: Interesting. Jason, yesterday I was talking to someone who was thinking of hiring me to do a speech in Europe to a business group, and we were discussing the kinds of speeches I could give, and one of the things I suggested was a defense of America, suggesting that we can believe in America and that everyone's wrong. And these people have hired me before. I've often made provocative counterintuitive arguments, there was a little bit of a silence and they said, you can't make that speech in Europe. No one will take it seriously to a business community. What's generally, I mean, you travel a lot, you talk to lots of different people. Have people really given up on the promise of America, particularly within the establishment, the business establishment, the political establishment?Jason Pack: I don't know. I think that many Europeans still think that this is a passing phase. I will comment on the fact that I do not see anti-Americanism in my daily life as a result of Trump, the way that, for example, you do see anti-Semitism as a results of Netanyahu's policy. The individual Jew is tarred by horrible things happening in Gaza, but the individual American is not tarred by the deporting and illegal detentions and sacking of people by Doge because people in Poland or London or even the Middle East understand that you're likely to not be a Trump supporter and they're not targeting you as an individual as a result of that. So I think they believe in the promise of America and they still might like to move to America. But on individual level if you want to be a political animal inside the beast of campaigns, rising up to be a David Axelrod kind of figure. America has been a place of these litmus tests. Whereas in Europe, you know, I feel that there's tremendous fluidity because in Italy they have so and so many political parties and in Germany, what's the distinction between the SPD at one moment in the CDU and the Greens and there's a tradition of coalitions that allows the individual to reinvent himself.Andrew Keen: One of the things that came up with Cooper, and he's certainly no defender of Marine Le Pen or Meloni in Italy, but he suggested that the Trump people are far to the right of Le Pen and Meloni. Would you agree with that?Jason Pack: Because they want to break down institutions, whereas Le Pen and Meloni simply want to conquer the institutions and use them. They're not full-blown, disordering neopopulists, to use the language of my disorder podcast. When Meloni is in power, she loves the Italian state and she wants it to function merely with her ideological slant. Whereas the Trumpians, they have a Bannonite wing, they don't simply wanna have a MAGA agenda, use the U.S. Government. No, they want to break the Department of Agriculture. They want to break the EPA. They simply want to destroy our institutions. And there's no European political party that wants that. Maybe on the fringe like reform, but reform probably doesn't even want that.Andrew Keen: But Jason, we've heard so much about how the Bannonites idealized Orban in Hungary. A lot of people believe that Project 2025 was cooked up in Budapest trying to model America on Orban. Is there any truth to that? I mean, are the Trump people really re-exporting Orbanism back into the United States?Jason Pack: That there is some truth, but it can be overplayed. It can go back further to Berlusconi. It's the idea that a particularly charismatic political leader can come to dominate the media landscape by either having a state media channel in the Berlusconi sense or cowing media coverage to make it more favorable, which is something that Orban has done geniusly, and then doling out contracts and using the state for patronage, say, Orban's father's construction business and all those concrete soccer stadiums. There is an attempt potentially in Trump land to, through an ideological project, cow the media and the checks and balances and have a one-party state with state media. I think it's going to be difficult for them to achieve, but Chuck Carlson and others and Bannon seem to want that.Andrew Keen: You were on Monocle recently talking about the Pope's death. J.D. Vance, of course, is someone who apparently had a last, one of the last conversations with the Pope. Pope wasn't particularly, Pope Francis wasn't particularly keen on him. Bannon and Vance are both outspoken Catholics. What's your take on the sort of this global religious movement on the part of right-wing Catholics, and how does it fit in, not only to the death of Francis, but perhaps the new Pope?Jason Pack: It's a very interesting question. I'm not a right-wing Catholic, so I'm really not in a position to...Andrew Keen: I thought you were Jason, that's why you could always come on the show.Jason Pack: I think that they don't have the theological bona fides to say that what they call Catholicism is Catholicism because obviously Jesus turned the other cheek, you know, and Jesus didn't want to punish his enemies and make poor black or Hispanic women suffer. But there is an interesting thing that has been going on since 1968, which is that there was a backlash against the student protests and free love and the condom and all the social changes that that brought about. And Catholics have been at the forefront, particularly Catholic institutions, in saying this has gone too far and we need to use religion to retake our society. And if we don't, no one will have children and we will lose out and the Muslims and Africans will rule the roost because they're having babies. And that right-wing Catholicism is caught up in the moral panic and culture wars since 1968. What I argued in the monocle interview that you referenced from earlier today is something quite different, which is that the Catholic Church has a unique kind of authority, and that that unique kind of authority can be used to stand up against Trump, Bannon, Orban, and other neopopulists in a way that, say, Mark Carney or Keir Starmer cannot, because if Mark Kearney and Keir Stormer say, you guys are not sufficiently correctly American and you're not following the American laws, blah, blah blah, the kind of Americans who support Trump are not convinced by that because they say, these are just, you know, pinko Brits and Canadians. I don't even care about Mark Kearny, but it's quite different if the next Pontiff is someone who comes not only from the school of Francis, but maybe more so is a great communicator vested in the real doctrines of the church, the Lateran Councils and Vatican too, and can say, actually this given thing that Trump has just said is not in line with the principles of Jesus. It's not inline with what the Vatican has said about, for example, migration or social equity. And I find that that is a unique opportunity because even the right-wing Catholics have to acknowledge the Pope and Christian doctrine and the ability of the Catholic hierarchy to say this is not in line with our teachings. So I think there's a very interesting opportunity right now.Andrew Keen: Perhaps that brings to mind Stalin's supposedly famous remarks to Churchill at Potsdam when they were talking about the Pope. Stalin said to Churchill, the Pope, how many divisions does he have? In other words, it's all about ideology, morality, and ultimately it doesn't really. It's the kind of thing that perhaps if some of the Trump people were as smart as Stalin, they might make the same remark.Jason Pack: That was a physical war, and the Pope didn't have divisions to sway the battles in World War II, but this is an ideological or an influence war. And the Pope, if you've just seen from media coverage over the last week, is someone who has tremendous media influence. And I do think that the new pontiff could, if he wanted to, stand up to the moral underpinnings of Trump and pull even the most right-wing Catholics away from a Trumpian analysis. Religion is supposed to be about, because Jesus didn't say punish your enemies. Don't turn the other cheek and own the libs. Jesus said something quite different than that. And it will be the opportunity of the new Catholic leader to point that out.Andrew Keen: I'm not sure if you've seen the movie Conclave, which was very prescient, made by my dear London friend, or at least produced by Tessa Ross at House Productions. But I wonder in these new conversations whether in the debates about who should the new Pope be, they'll mull over TikTok presence.Jason Pack: I hope they will. And I want to point out something that many people probably are not aware, which is that the College of Cardinals that constitutes the conclave does not have to pick one of their member to be pope. For the last six centuries, they have always chosen one of their own number, but they don't have to. So they could choose someone who has not only an ability to make great TikToks, but someone who can put forth a vision about climate change, about tax equity, for example, maybe about AI and what constitutes humanity from within the Catholic tradition, but reaching new faithful. And I think that they might actually consider we're doing this because in places like Western Europe, attendance is down, but in Eastern Europe and Latin America, it isn't. And in Africa, it's surging. So they may want to reach new millennials in Gen Z with a new message, but one which is rooted in their tradition. And I think that that would be a great counterbalance to what Trump and his ilk have done to how media coverage place things like climate change and migrants these days.Andrew Keen: Speaking of Trump and his ilk, Jason, lots of conversations here about the first cracks in his monolith. Speaking to me from London, I always look at the front page of The Telegraph, a conservative English newspaper. I refuse to give the money, so I never actually read any of the pieces. But I'm always curious as to the traditional conservative media attitude to Trump. What do not so much the Conservative Party, which seems to be in crisis in the UK, but what does Conservative media, Conservative thinkers, what's their take currently on Trump? Are you seeing a crack? Are people seeing this guy's absolutely insane and that the tariff policy is going to make all of us, everybody in the world poorer?Jason Pack: Well, Trump has always been a vote loser in the UK. So that even though Farage brags about his relationship, it isn't something that gets him more votes for reform. And whether it's Sunak or Badnak, and Badnak is the current leader of the Tory party, which is an opposition, she can't so closely associate herself with Trump because he's not popular in even right-wing British circles. However, the Tory media, like the telegraph and the spectator, they love the idea that he's owning the Libs. We talked about Schadenfreude, we talked about attacking the woke. The spectator has taken a very anti-woke turn over the last five to 10 years. And they love the ideal of pointing out the hypocrisies of the left and the effeminacy of it and all of that. And that gets them more clicks. So from a media perspective, there is a way in which the Murdoch media is always going to love the click bait, New York post bait of the Trump presidency. And that applies very much, you know, with the sun and the Daily Mail and the way that they cover media in this country.Andrew Keen: Although I was found in the U.S. That perhaps the newspaper that has been most persistently and usefully critical of Trump is the Wall Street Journal, which is owned by Murdoch.Jason Pack: Yeah, but that's a very highbrow paper, and I think that it's been very critical of the tariff policy and it said a lot of intelligent things about Trump's early missteps. It doesn't reach the same people as the New York Post or the Daily Mail do.Andrew Keen: Finally, Jason, let's go back to Disorder, your excellent podcast. You started it a couple of years ago before this new Trump madness. You were always one of the early people on this global disorder. How much more disordered can the world become? Of course, it could become more disorded in terms of war. In late April 2025, is the world more disordered than it was in April 2024, when Biden was still in power? I mean, we still have these wars in Gaza, in Ukraine, doesn't seem as if that much has changed, or am I wrong?Jason Pack: I take your point, but I'm using disorder in a particularly technical sense in a way by which I mean the inability of major powers to coordinate together for optimal solutions. So in the Biden days of last year, yes, the Ukraine and Gaza wars may be waging, but if Jake Sullivan or Blinken were smarter or more courageous, they could host a summit and work together with their French and British and Argentinian allies. Put forth some solutions. The world is more disordered today because it doesn't have a leader. It doesn't have institutions, the UN or NATO or the G7 where those solutions on things like the Ukraine war attacks could happen. And you may say, but wait, Jason, isn't Trump actually doing more leadership? He's trying to bring the Ukrainians and the Russians to the table. And I would say he isn't. They're not proposing actual solutions. They don't care about solving underlying issues. They're merely trying to get media wins. He wants the Japanese to come to Washington to have the semblance of a new trade deal, not a real trade deal. He's trying to reorder global finance in semblance, not in reality. So the ability to come to actual solutions through real coordinating mechanisms where I compromise with you is much weaker than it was last year. And on the Disorder Podcast, we explore all these domains from tax havens to cryptocurrency to cyber attacks. And I think that listeners of Keen On would really enjoy how we delve into those topics and try to see how they reflect where we're at in the global system.Andrew Keen: Yeah, it's a strongly, I would strongly agree with you. I would encourage all keen on listeners to listen to Disorder and vice versa if this gets onto the Disorder podcast. What about the China issue? How structural is the tariff crisis, if that's the right word, gonna change US relations with China? Is this the new Cold War, Jason?Jason Pack: I'm not an economist, but from what I've been told by the economists I've interviewed on my podcast, it's absolutely completely game changing because whether it's an Apple iPhone or most pieces of manufactured kit that you purchase or inputs into American manufacturing, it's assembled everywhere and the connections between China and America are essential to the global economy. Work and it's not like you can all of a sudden move those supply chains. So this trade war is really a 1930s style beggar thy neighbor approach to things and that led to and deepened the great depression, right? So I am very worried. I had the sense that Trump might back off because he does seem to be very sensitive to the markets. But maybe this is such an ideological project and, you know, Andrew Ross Sorkin on CNBC was just saying, even though he's willing to back off if the T bill rate changes, he thinks that his strategy is working and that he's going to get some deals. And that terrifies me because that's not what's happening. It isn't working. And God forbid that they'll push this to its logical conclusion and cause a new recession or depression.Andrew Keen: I know you've got to run Jason. So final question, let's return to where we began with America and the changing nature of America. Your last episode of Disorder was with Corey Sharpe, who is a very, very good and one of Washington DC's, I think, smartest foreign policy analysts. She asks, what's America without allies? If this continues, what, indeed, I mean, you're happy in London, so I don't sound like you're coming back, whatever. But what will America become if indeed all these traditional allies, the UK, France, Germany, become, if not enemies, certainly just transactional relationships? What becomes of America without allies?Jason Pack: Wow, great question. I'm gonna treat this in two parts, the American cultural component and then the structural geopolitical component. I'm a proud American. Culturally, I work on Sundays. I don't take any holiday. I get angry at contractors who are not direct. I am going to be American my whole life and I want an American style work ethic and I wanna things to function and the customer to always be right. So I didn't move to Europe to get European stuff in that way, and I think America will still be great at new inventions and at hard work and at all of that stuff and will still, the NFL will still be a much better run sports league than European sports leagues. Americans are great at certain things. The problem is what if America's role in the world as having the reserve currency, coordinating the NATO allies. If that's eviscerated, we're just going to be living more and more in the global enduring disorder, as Corey Schacke points out, which is that the Europeans don't know how to lead. They can't step up because they don't have one prima inter Paris. And since the decline of the British Empire, the British haven't learned how, for example, to coordinate the Europeans for the defense of Ukraine or for making new missile technologies or dealing with the defense industry. So we're just dealing with a rudderless world. And that's very worrying because there could be major conflict. And then I just have to hope that a new American administration, it could be a Republican one, but I think it just can't be a Trumpian one, will go back to its old role of leadership. I haven't lost hope in America. I've just lost hope in this current administration.Andrew Keen: Well, I haven't lost hope in Jason Pack. He is an ally of ours at Keen On. He's the host of the Excellent Disorder podcast. Jason, it's always fun to have you on the show. So much to discuss and no doubt there will be much more over the summer, so we'll have you back on in the next month or two. Thank you so much. Keep well. Stay American in London. Thank you again.Jason Pack: It was a great pleasure. Thanks, Andrew. See you then. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Britons have to "fight back" against "woke" efforts by UK public bodies trying to "erase" Easter, a Tory frontbencher has said.Andrew Rosindell, MP for Romford, also said he wanted to see the union flag flown from every school and public building, with assemblies required to sing the National Anthem to promote British culture.He said: "There is a sort of like attitude now that every other culture, every other religion can be celebrated. But we've got to be a bit embarrassed about our own. And I just think that we have to reverse this. There has to be a fight back."Iain Duncan-Smith also joined Christopher Hope to discuss the growing threat of China and the larger ramifications of the Government taking control of British steel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Iain Dale interviews former Tory MP and minister Mark Field about his new book THE END OF AN ERA: THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE TORY PARTY. They speak about why rifts have appeared among Conservatives, how much of a role chance has to play in doing well in politics, Mark's beef with Rory Stewart and affair with Liz Truss!

 The Three Old Hacks look at the relationship between Nigel Farage and the Conservative Party. We are seeing a reshaping of the right in British politics, says Mihir. Nigel Farage is out to destroy the Conservative Party in his mission to become prime minister.He is making a tactical shift towards the centre, says David Smith, to take over the Conservatives' ground. While Tory Party members may be drifting towards Reform, that "is not easy for Tory MPs to contemplate", says David Smith. He thinks the Tories have repeated the mistake they made when they elected William Hague in 1997, in electing a leader who is too young to lead the party (he was then 26). Kemi Badenoch is 44, but is "not", says David, "a very good parliamentary performer."Mihir is prepared to put money on Farage becoming prime minister one day, but Nigel Dudley thinks the Tory Party will survive its current difficulties and will not be ousted by Reform as the rightful home of right-leaning voters.Turning to consider Rachel Reeves' performance as Chancellor and the measures she outlined in the Spring Budget, "it has been many decades since we have had an economist in the job of Chancellor," says David, "and she definitely is an economist," whatever her political enemies may say to the contrary. Whether or not she will survive as Chancellor has more to do with the number of enemies she has made in such a short time than it does with her abilities as an economist - pensioners who have lost their winter fuel payments, parents of children in private education, farmers, and now disabled people."She expected to be swept along on a tide of goodwill," says David, but that has not been the case.Is the Labour government's lack of popularity down to the mismatch in expectations between what they can afford and what people want from an incoming Labour government? Is it down to their lack of preparedness when they took office.The Three Old Hacks compare and contrast with governments past and consider the Trump effect on the UK's relations with Europe.Former Sports editor of BBC News Mihir Bose, political analyst Nigel Dudley and Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith, aka the Three Old Hacks, bring their decades of experience to bear on the most pressing political developments. Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

To discuss the fallout from this week's Spring Statement, after Rachel Reeves confirmed a host of cuts to benefit payments and a squeeze on public spending to offset a downgrade in the country's growth forecast, John Glen, Tory MP and a former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Helen Barnard, Director of Policy at the Trussell charity, Greg Thwaites, Research Director at the Resolution Foundation think tank, and Chris Curtis, Labour MP and Vice-Chair of the Labour Growth Group, join host Alain Tolhurst. As the question already turns to whether further tax rises will be needed as soon as this year, some Labour backbenchers fume about the optics of the government appearing to balance the books on the backs of some of the poorest in society due to self-imposed fiscal rules, while others have questioned the role of the OBR in guiding the Treasury's hand every six months.To sign up for our newsletters click herePresented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot

Former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe is too right wing to join the Conservative party, ex-Cabinet minister Sir David Davis has said, who said the rise of Reform UK was a symptom of his party's failure over the past years.Party grandee Davis told today's Chopper's Political Podcast said that Reform had grown in popularity because "we were not proper Tories for too long", and added that new Labour MPs were telling him they feared only being in office for a single Parliamentary term.Davis - a Tory MP since 1987 and a former Cabinet minister - said that it was "probably right" for Lowe - who lost the whip as a Reform UK MP after a spectacular falling out with its leader Nigel Farage - to be an independent MP.Asked by host Christopher Hope if he felt that Lowe would be welcome in the Tory party, he replied: "No, I don't. I think, if anything, Rupert is a bit to the right of the rest of them, of Nigel Farage."Sit back, pour yourself a drink and join GB News' Political Editor Christopher Hope at his regular table in a Westminster pub where he will discuss the latest insider political intrigue and gossip with everyone from popstars to politicians. New episodes released every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, says the former Chief Whip Simon Hart has broken “an unwritten code” by releasing a book about his time in Government.Stuart Andrew, who previously served as an Opposition Chief Whip, said he'd take secrets he'd been told by colleagues to his grave.In an interview with Gloria De Piero, Mr Andrew, the Tory MP for Daventry, was pressed as to what he thought about Hart's decision to publish the bombshell new memoir Ungovernable.Speaking exclusively to GB News, he said: “I have to say I take the personal view that when people come to see me I keep it absolutely confidential. I said when I was a whip, whether it be a whip or deputy chief whip or chief whip to that when colleagues sat and talked and told me stuff, it's between me and them. And that's how I will keep it. “Look, I love Simon to bits, but there is a sort of unwritten code, not just within the Conservative Whips office - but all whips office. MPs, you know, they face a really challenging career. And I know that's not a popular thing to say, but, the pressures on them and their families are enormous. And there are times when things go wrong.“I will take all of those conversations I had with colleagues, on a whole variety of issues, to my grave with me.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Turncoats, opportunists … or just idealists whose bosses lost their way?  Defecting to a new party is one of the momentous decisions an MP could ever make. Years of loyalties, backroom deals and deep friendships are lost in an instant. Patrick Baker speaks to MPs who have wrestled with the decision to switch party, to discover what it is really like.  Shaun Woodward, who left William Hague's Conservative party to join Blair's New Labour in 1999, recalls the dirty tricks used try to prevent his defection and how the move precipitated a huge media storm. Former Ipswich MP Dan Poulter, who defected from the Tories to Labour last April, explains how he lost faith in the Conservatives (just before an election) and solicited advice from those on the other side of the aisle, including veteran MP Jon Cruddas. Helen Pidd, host of The Guardian's Today in Focus podcast, was given special access to defector Christian Wakeford in Parliament, and witnessed first-hand the reaction from Tory MPs furious at his perceived betrayal after the Bury South MP crossed the floor to join Labour. Brexit stalwart Douglas Carswell recounts his decision to join UKIP, which helped to pave the way for the EU referendum — while David Cameron's former communications chief Craig Oliver sets out his strategy for spinning a subordination in the ranks. And Libby Wiener, who spent twenty years as a political correspondent for ITV News, looks back at the Westminster drama of multiple defections. She explains how these rare events are becoming more common, in an era where voters' own party allegiances are less secure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode of High on Home Grown, we cover some of the biggest cannabis stories from around the world: Macky pays tribute to legendary cannabis breeder David Watson, also known as Sam the Skunkman, following news of his passing. His contributions to cannabis genetics and the iconic Skunk strain left a lasting impact on the industry. A new YouGov poll reveals that 55% of Brits support cannabis reform, signaling a shift in public opinion—could the UK be edging closer to legalization? Margaret examines research suggesting that heavy cannabis use may impact working memory, adding to the ongoing debate on long-term cognitive effects. A Tory MP suggests UK farmers should grow cannabis to boost income, arguing that embracing the industry could provide economic benefits. Billy critiques the Labour Party's continued resistance to medical cannabis reform, calling their stance "hypocritical and disappointing" as patients continue to struggle for access. John discusses a major milestone in Kentucky as the Governor personally awards the state's first medical marijuana cards while also urging Congress to end the federal gun ban for cannabis patients. Join us as we break down these stories and discuss what they mean for the future of cannabis worldwide! Come and join in the discussion about any of these news articles on our cannabis growing forum, Discord server, or any of your favourite social networks. Visit our website for links.  Website: https://highonhomegrown.com Discord: https://discord.gg/sqYGkF4xyQ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/highonhomegrown Thank you for downloading and listening to our cannabis podcast! I hope you enjoy this episode.

We read the papers so you don't have to. Today: The Telegraph thinks that the Obamas might be heading for splitsville, leaving Grainne inconsolable. Ava discusses the plight of ex-Tory MPs who are struggling to find work after leaving Parliament, as reported by The Times. Plus – The Mail introduces us to Mr. O, the Hollywood "climax savant." But Miranda is skeptical of his hands-off methods. Miranda Sawyer is joined by comedian Gráinne Maguire and journalist Ava Santina. Support Paper Cuts and get mugs, t-shirts, extended ad-free editions and access to our exclusive live streams here: back.papercutsshow.com Follow Paper Cuts: • Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/papercutsshow.bsky.social • Threads: https://www.threads.net/@papercutsshow • Twitter: https://twitter.com/papercutsshow • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/papercutsshow • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@papercutsshow Illustrations by Modern Toss https://moderntoss.com  Written and presented by Miranda Sawyer. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Production. Liam Tait. Design: James Parrett. Music: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Exec Producer: Martin Bojtos. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. PAPER CUTS is a Podmasters Production Podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.theflyingfrisby.comBitcoin to $200,000k anyone? Sterling to crash? The US dollar to 20 year highs? As for silver …OK, folks. It's predictions time.As ever, the eternal conflict applies: the more outlandish the prediction, the more entertaining it is to read about - but the less likely it is to actually happen.On these pages, we attempt to strike a balance.Here are 15 things to look out for in 2025.1. The long overdue correction in the UK housing market finally begins.“Record Boxing Day bounce,” says Rightmove. Read beyond the headline and you get this: “Our data shows a 26% increase in the number of new properties listed for sale compared to Boxing Day 2023, which previously held the record.” They're trying to spin more sellers.More sellers means more supply.Meanwhile… houses are overpriced. The economy is not booming, so people have less money. Labour's higher taxes also mean buyers have less capital to spend. Higher mortgage rates mean there is less money to borrow, and, thus, less newly created money to come into the market and prop up prices. The rich are not coming to Britain - they are leaving, if they haven't already left.More supply of houses, but less money to buy them with.Meanwhile, stamp duty is a massive deterrent to buyers. Never mind people choosing not to move because of it, anyone buying a second or third home - they're as good as gone: who is going to pay 5% stamp duty for a second or third home? Not many people, I wouldn't have thought. More supply, less money, fewer buyers.Then there is the general perception of the economy. Psychologically, people are not feeling rich, nor are they bullish about the economy, meaning fewer people will take the plunge.What about investment from overseas?See my earlier comment about stamp duty. The cost of buying drives away investment.Moreover, the UK is not currently well looked upon. Rich Americans, for example (normally a good source of buyers), are not going to pile in given, one, the costs of buying and, two, how the UK is currently perceived over there.Then Labour are going to loosen planning laws and build a whole load more houses - well, they say they are - meaning even more supply.As if that wasn't enough, 2026 is the year the 18-year-cycle in property turns down. If houses don't turn down this year, I'll declare this market permanently immune.2. Keir Starmer survivesHis premiership is already looking dicey. It's one crisis after another, and it's difficult to see how he survives, especially with all the rape gang stuff.However, I think short-term PMs became a bit normalised in the Cameron-May-Johnson-Truss-Sunak era. Cameron went because of Brexit. May went for the same reason. Johnson got his landslide, handed to him by Farage, but then Covid came along, and Johnson, under a lot of pressure from the Left, got the shove from Tory MPs with whom he was never particularly popular anyway, worried about their seats. Not having been elected, Truss and Sunak were toast before they even started.None of that applies to Starmer. I admit he is looking shaky, particularly under this extraordinary pressure from Elon Musk. But I still think it's too early for Labour MPs, worrying about their seats, to give him the shove, and it's normal for a PM to last the full term - what happened under the Idiots Tories was not normal - so somehow Starmer survives the year.3. Gold hits $3,000.I'm not wildly bullish about gold at the moment, at least in US dollar terms, though I still think it is absolutely essential you own some. One, because at some point the China gold story is going to hit the mainstream, and suddenly there will be a scramble for gold. It probably won't be this year, but you never know, and gold is one particular lifeboat you want to have ready in advance. Second, if you are in the UK, I think sterling has problems - more on this in a moment - and your wealth is much better stored in shiny yellow metal than it is in British government digital stuff. (You would normally say British government paper, but it isn't paper anymore).On which note, if you are buying gold to protect yourself in these uncertain times, I recommend The Pure Gold Company. Pricing is competitive, quality of service is high. They deliver to the UK, the US, Canada and Europe or you can store your gold with them. More here.And If you haven't already, take a look at my buddy Charlie Morris's monthly gold report, Atlas Pulse. It is, in my view, the best gold newsletter out there, and, best of all, it's free. Sign up here.$3,000 - landmark number though it is - is only 12.5% higher than where we are. We could easily see that by June.4. Microstrategy (NASDAQ:MSTR) becomes a top 100 company by market cap. Currently, Deutsche Telecom (market cap US$145 bn) is 100th. Microstrategy is $85 billion at time of writing. It joins the elite. What a pick this has been for readers.5. Bitcoin … I was in Miami on New Year's Eve at Michael Saylor's - strictly on reconnaissance, of course - and one thing I learned there was that roughly half of corporate donations during the 2024 Presidential Election - $245m according to the Federal Election Commission - came from the crypto industry. Coinbase alone contributed $75 million. I'm a beneficiary, so I'm not complaining, but, really, you have to say, buying such favour is more than a little dodgy, even if that is how the world works and has almost always worked.But it means the likelihood of the Republicans delivering on their pledge for a strategic bitcoin reserve is likely. The US isn't going to buy a million coins straight away, but it may well buy 3-400,000 in year one. That sends bitcoin a lot higher.The prediction?

It was only 8 years ago that Mark Zuckerberg found himself apologising for misinformation posted and shared by the Facebook algorithm, acknowledging the harm and damage it was capable of causing, and putting forward the steps to rectify it. But eight years is a long time. Particularly when you have faced threats of imprisonment from the incoming administration. And yesterday, the CEO went full MAGA and decided that following Donald Trump's election it was time to scrap the fact check operation - that will save them huge amounts of money - and allow for a similar process of 'content moderation' to the kind Elon Musk is happy to use on X. Did the damascene conversion come as a result of those threats? 'Probably, yes'. Trump agreed. So has Facebook given up on Fact? And who will be the next tech giant to cave to Donald Trump? Later, we speak to Wes Streeting about election interference and why he thinks Tommy Robinson is now providing a template for some Tory MPs.Tickets to The News Agents Live On Stage with HSBC UK are now on sale! You can get your tickets for Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh here: https://articles.globalplayer.com/7giHoMavXLgdrd6gaC3GxWG7T8Editor: Tom HughesExecutive Producer: Louis DegenhardtProducer: Natalie IndgeDigital Editor: Michaela WaltersSocial Media Editor: Georgia FoxwellVideo Production: Rory Symon, Shane Fennelly & Arvind BadewalDigital Journalist: Michael BaggsYou can watch Lewis's special report on the abortion crisis in America here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df5BCL0ocFEDon't forget you can also subscribe to our other News Agents podcasts via the link below:https://linktr.ee/thenewsagentsThe News Agents USA now have merch! Click here to buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-news-agents-usaYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The News Agents"The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

It's the two hundredth Trawl! Jemma and Marina can hardly believe it and both recommend a couple of vintage eps to celebrate, as does editor Max. Then, it's over to the States to see what health recommendations RFK Jr. is making. Hopefully they'll be less effective than the ones he made in Samoa where there was a huge outbreak of measles and subsequent deaths as a result of his vaccine scaremongering. Then, along with hundreds of tractors, irate farmers and a smattering of Brexity types, to Westminster we go where the farming community have descended to protest against having to pay inheritance again, at a discounted rate. There is some sympathy for some farmers but, as far as Marina and Jemma are concerned, Jeremy Clarkson, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Farage can do one. They all either own acres and acres of tax dodging or caused the farming community endless pain and hassle due to Brexit. The irony is strong. The Trawl ladies are very grateful to Vic Derbyshire for her incredible interview with farm poster boy, Clarkson. It really revealed so much.....none of it flattering. They're also left wondering how excited ex Tory MP, Neil Parish, must be. All those tractors! Fwarrrr. As ever there are under rated tweets and a puddingMarina's vintage Ep choice:Ep 134: Order of the Thistle and Other Mad PlotsJemma's vintage Ep choice:Ep 031: Drinking Hunt's Coffee Beside The Brexit Bonfire of EU LawsMax's vintage Ep choice Ep 104: Pincher pinching, now Peter Bone...Patreonhttps://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcastYoutubehttps://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawlTwitterhttps://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcastBlueSkyhttps://bsky.app/profile/thetrawl.bsky.socialCreated and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina PurkissEdited by Max Carrey

In this episode of The Trawl Meets, Jemma and Marina meet someone best known for her incredibly convincing parody videos of a desperately loyal Tory MP shamelessly defending the latest Government scandal... The one and only, Rosie Holt.Jemma and Marina talk to the award-winning satirist about her journey into comedy and the twist of fate that saw her become an overnight sensation. There's talk and clips of her alter ego, Harriet Langley-Swindon, who bears an uncanny likeness to a certain Julia Hartley-Brewer and discuss how her comedy has changed now it's Tories out and Labour in.Then comes the second half of the episode, where Rosie Holt MP makes an appearance and is quizzed about the real reasons for her crossing the floor from Conservative to Labour, whether she still backs Brexit and how she can look her constituents in the eye. Needless to say, Jemma and Marina were not impressed.You can catch Rosie over on Instagram at @rosieisaholt and grab a copy of her new book from Rosie Holt MP named: Why we were right here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Were-Right-Rosie-Holt/dp/1529924553Thank you for sharing and do tweet us @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @TheTrawlPodcastPatreonhttps://patreon.com/TheTrawlPodcastYoutubehttps://www.youtube.com/@TheTrawlTwitterhttps://twitter.com/TheTrawlPodcastCreated and Produced by Jemma Forte & Marina PurkissEdited by Max Carrey

On Armistice Day, Alicia McCarthy reports as ministers clash with Tory MPs over defence spending.

Shivani Raja holds two Parliamentary honours: the youngest Tory MP and, in Leicester East, the only Conservative gain at the recent election; she is also the first of the new 2024 intake to appear on Women With Balls. With a background in science and business, not politics, she fought a whirlwind election campaign – not just against the Labour Party, but against her two most recent predecessors.   On the podcast, Shivani talks to Katy Balls about how she got into politics, why she is proud of Leicester's multiculturalism, and about challenging her colleagues' perceptions of ‘young people'. Shivani introduced James Cleverly at his leadership launch in September – what are her diagnoses of the 2024 election, Labour's performance so far, and what the Conservatives need to do to win back the support of the British public?   Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

Shivani Raja holds two Parliamentary honours: the youngest Tory MP and, in Leicester East, the only Conservative gain at the recent election; she is also the first of the new 2024 intake to appear on Women With Balls. With a background in science and business, not politics, she fought a whirlwind election campaign – not just against the Labour Party, but against her two most recent predecessors.   On the podcast, Shivani talks to Katy Balls about how she got into politics, why she is proud of Leicester's multiculturalism, and about challenging her colleagues' perceptions of ‘young people'. Shivani introduced James Cleverly at his leadership launch in September – what are her diagnoses of the 2024 election, Labour's performance so far, and what the Conservatives need to do to win back the support of the British public?   Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

Rachel Reeves' first budget was a historic moment — for her, for the Labour Party ... and for the nation's tax burden. So this week Westminster Insider host Sascha O'Sullivan goes back in history to find out what makes a budget truly memorable. Historian Robert Saunders revisits William Gladstone's bumper 19th Century budget speeches, which sometimes lasted four or five hours. And he discusses the archaic traditions, begun under Gladstone, which U.K. chancellors still follow to this day. Fellow historian David Lough explains how Winston Churchill's biggest budget decision, to rejoin the gold standard in 1925, overshadowed the future PM's ill-fated stint as chancellor — and how Churchill's own precarious finances impacted on his work at the Treasury. Veteran journalist Andrew Marr discusses the postwar budgets of Labour Chancellor Stafford Cripps and the famous 1980s budgets of Tory grandees Geoffrey Howe and Nigel Lawson, still venerated by Tory MPs to this day. Carolyn Quinn, BBC journalist and presenter for 36 years, takes Sascha inside the New Labour years — with a little help from Ed Balls — as well as the "omnishambles" George Osborne budget of 2012. And outgoing Institute for Fiscal Studies boss Paul Johnson explains how the IFS became such a central part of Westminster's budget day tradition — and how his economists work through the night to keep us informed of what the chancellor has planned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why does the UK ignore Irish politics? Should Labour implement Leveson 2, and what should your 7 year-old ask a Tory MP, according to Alastair? Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more in this week's Question Time. Join us on Election Night Get ready for in-depth, real-time analysis as we go live throughout election night on November 5th. Watch here. The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy, a green electricity supplier powering homes across the UK. Use referral code POLITICS after sign up for a chance to win a signed copy of Rory and Alastair's books with personalised messages. Learn more at getfuse.com/politics ⚡ Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ nordvpn.com/restispolitics It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee! ✅ TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, receive our exclusive newsletter, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, benefit from discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestispolitics. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: restispolitics@gmail.com Assistant Producer: India Dunkley and Aaliyah Akude Video Editor: Teo Ayodeji-Ansell Social Producer: Jess Kidson Producer: Nicole Maslen and Fiona Douglas Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Head of Content: Tom Whiter Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Kemi Badenoch preoccupied with her own children, says Tory MP How Israel killed enemy number one Yahya Sinwar Inheritance tax increases expected for some in Budget Full transcript of 911 call made moments before Liam Payne fell Politicians wife Lucy Connolly jailed for race hate post Bowen Sinwar death is serious blow to Hamas, but not end of war Glasgow Wagamama chef killed in wrong way M6 crash Newspaper headlines Death of Hamas mastermind and One Direction tribute to brother Liam National Gallery bans liquids after repeated protestor attacks One Direction share devastation at death of Liam Payne

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Politicians wife Lucy Connolly jailed for race hate post Full transcript of 911 call made moments before Liam Payne fell Kemi Badenoch preoccupied with her own children, says Tory MP Glasgow Wagamama chef killed in wrong way M6 crash One Direction share devastation at death of Liam Payne Inheritance tax increases expected for some in Budget Newspaper headlines Death of Hamas mastermind and One Direction tribute to brother Liam How Israel killed enemy number one Yahya Sinwar National Gallery bans liquids after repeated protestor attacks Bowen Sinwar death is serious blow to Hamas, but not end of war

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Politicians wife Lucy Connolly jailed for race hate post Glasgow Wagamama chef killed in wrong way M6 crash Newspaper headlines Death of Hamas mastermind and One Direction tribute to brother Liam Bowen Sinwar death is serious blow to Hamas, but not end of war Kemi Badenoch preoccupied with her own children, says Tory MP One Direction share devastation at death of Liam Payne Full transcript of 911 call made moments before Liam Payne fell Inheritance tax increases expected for some in Budget National Gallery bans liquids after repeated protestor attacks How Israel killed enemy number one Yahya Sinwar

Should we offer weight loss jabs to unemployed obese people? And how old is too old to have children?Joining Iain on Cross Question this evening are businessman James Reed, Labour MP Jeevun Sandher, former Tory MP and minister Dame Andrea Leadsom and journalist Luke McGee.

Alistair Campbell famously once proclaimed of Tony Blair's government: "we don't do God." Two decades on, this week on Westminster Insider, host Sascha O'Sullivan goes to the politicians' church St Bartholomew the `Great to find out if that's still true. She speaks to some of parliament's most prominent Christians about the influence of religion on politics. Liberal Democrat Tim Farron tells Sascha about stepping step down from the leadership of his party after being confronted with a choice between "being a good leader and a good Christian." Tory MP and evangelical Christian Danny Kruger shares with Sascha how his religion informs his values as a politician and drives the policies he has helped lobby for with Conservative colleagues. Sascha speaks to Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, nicknamed "the rev" because of his faith, about how his support for gay marriage legislation in 2012, led to him being "condemned by the local priest three Sundays in a row." And how, he says, he feels the need to make the case for Christian politics on the left as a louder religious voice emerges in Conservative politics. POLITICO Playbook reporter Bethany Dawson takes Sascha inside the Alliance for Responsible Citizens conference, where British and American politicians openly called for a return to our "Judeo-Christian foundations." And Bishop Alan Smith of St Albans makes the case for bishops in the House of Lords, while Lib Dem peer Lorely Burt and journalist Tali Fraser argue that Christian traditions still present in parliament can prove alienating for non believers and people of other faiths. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Conservative leadership race has been narrowed to Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick, after once-favourite James Cleverly was squeezed out of the contest - to considerable surprise.Badenoch won 42 votes, Jenrick secured 41, but Cleverly took just 37, with 120 Tory MPs having taken part.So, what's next, who is best to hold Sir Keir Starmer to account at the dispatch box - and how did James Cleverly's leadership bid come unstuck?The Standard's political editor Nicholas Cecil has the details from a dramatic day in Parliament and assesses the candidates' chances.In part two, on World Mental Health Day, we're looking at the impact of stress and anxiety on our lives, and small steps you can take if you're having a difficult time. The Standard podcast is joined by Neil Shah, founder - and chief de-stressing officer - of the Stress Management Society, who discusses his own personal story, the pressures of the digital world and post-pandemic urban anxiety.If you're struggling with themes discussed in this podcast, you can find support at samaritans.org and mind.org.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Tuesday afternoon, James Cleverly got the most votes from Tory MPs in the party's leadership contest. One day later and the next round of voting went a different way. Cleverly failed to make the final two.   Party members will now choose between Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick in a clear indication that the party will shift towards the right in the months after its election defeat.   So, what happened with Wednesday's vote, and who will the Tory membership be most attracted to as they decide the party's new leader? Niall Paterson and our political correspondent Serena Barker-Singh discuss it all on this episode.    Producer: Soila ApparicioEditor: Paul Stanworth

Was dumping James Cleverly a mistake by Tory MPs?Joining Iain Dale on Cross Question this evening are Labour MP Stella Creasy, former Conservative MP and minister Steve Baker, broadcaster Jemma Forte and founder of ConservativeHome Tim Montgomerie.

The Guardian's Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss what led to the resignation of Keir Starmer's chief of staff. Plus, the Conservative leadership candidates go from four to two this week as Tory MPs vote before the final decision goes out to the membership. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/politicspod

This year's Conservative Party conference will be a beauty pageant for would-be leaders, with each one setting out their stall as to why they're the right person to head up the party. So this week Westminster Insider host Sascha O'Sullivan dives into what it's really like to be a contender in a Tory leadership campaign — and how candidates can appeal to both MPs and party members alike.  Andrea Leadsom, who made it through to the final two leadership candidates in 2016 before dramatically dropping out at the 11th hour, recalls the intense pressure on her at the time — and tells Sascha why she really decided to pull out of the race and concede to Theresa May.   Sascha also speaks to the Tories' former deputy leader, Peter Lilley, about his own failed run for the leadership back in 1997, and to former party leader Michael Howard about why Tory members were given more of a say at that time over who should be in charge. Tory peer Daniel Finkelstein, a former adviser to William Hague, explains how this new role for the membership led to the election of unpopular leaders like Iain Duncan Smith and Liz Truss.  And former campaign chiefs Tim Loughton, who ran Leadsom's campaign, and James Starkie, who ran Priti Patel's recent leadership bid, give a behind-the-scenes view of how candidates battle to win Tory MPs over to their side.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Davis tells The Daily T he thinks “the balance of probabilities” is that the killer nurse is innocent, just as the health secretary says the public campaign to free her is “crass and insensitive”.With an inquiry into her crimes due to begin this week, the veteran Tory MP is in the studio again to reveal his own conclusions about Letby's case. We also hear from a Cambridge statistician who has raised concerns about the evidence used to convict the nurse of murdering seven babies.Plus, is Labour brave enough to reform the NHS? Ahead of the publication of a damning report on the health service, Camilla and Gordon ask why the new government are overlooking one its biggest crises: social care.We want to hear from you! Email us at TheDailyT@telegraph.co.uk or find us on X, Instagram and TikTok @dailytpodcastProducers: Lilian Fawcett and Georgia CoanSenior Producer: John CadiganPlanning Editor: Venetia RaineyExecutive Producer: Louisa WellsStudio Operator: Meghan SearleVideo Editor: Luke GoodsallSocial Media Producer: Niamh WalshEditor: Camilla TomineyOriginal music by Goss StudioHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon Marks sits in and is joined on Cross Question by broadcaster Sir Trevor Phillips, Liberal Democrat MP and new chair of the health select committee Layla Moran, Tory MP and shadow transport minister Sir Alec Shelbrooke and commentator Ella Whelan.

Joining Liam for a very special Planet Normal exclusive interview is the front-runner in the race to succeed Rishi Sunak as Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch.Fresh from announcing her bid, the MP for North West Essex joins Liam to discuss immigration, trade deals and how she thinks she can take the party forwards as leader of the opposition.Also joining them is former Tory MP for Bournemouth Conor Burns who discusses his experience in light of the recent bullying allegations against Kemi.Watch full length video with Kemi: https://youtu.be/kTmXlNHheXoRead more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read: Kemi Badenoch Interview https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/08/02/kemi-badenoch-interview-integration-tory-leadership/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark is joined by Rosie Holt (comedian and ultra-loyal Tory MP!) along with Elliot Steel, as he tries to make sense of Rosie's book “Why We Were Right”; Tory MPs betting on the date of the election; and how Mark and Elliot got on in Germany when they went there for the Euros.   Plus, the Liz Truss Guide To Football – and Russia's most patriotic man, Nigel Boulevard.   Get ad-free extended episodes, early access and exclusive content on Patreon:   https://www.patreon.com/wtfisgoingonpod   Follow What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel on Twitter @wtfisgoingonpod   Follow Rosie Holt @RosieisaHolt   Follow Elliot Steel @elliotsteelcom   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this week's episode, the Tories will lose more seats than a Boeing jetliner, Justice Alito plans for his new job as inquisitor supreme a LITTLE too early, and we'll debate the debates about the pre-debate debates. To support our show on Patreon, go here: https://www.patreon.com/skepticrat And check out the stuff you can make us do with your support here: http://www.maytreon.com To hear more from Evil Giraffes on Mars, go here: https://www.facebook.com/EvilGiraffesOnMars Headline Sources: Biden and Trump agree to two presidential debates: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/15/us/politics/biden-trump-debates.html Justice alito flies his flag upside down in a nod to stop the steal https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/16/us/justice-alito-upside-down-flag.html?partner=slack&smid=sl-share The Observer view on the London mayoral video: dog-whistles and lies show Tories will stop at nothing to win https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/31/the-observer-view-on-london-mayoral-campaign-video-dog-whistles-and-lies  Boris Johnson turned away from polling station after forgetting ID https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68947834  Nick Fuentes accidentally streams gay porn: https://www.jpost.com/omg/article-801627 Scottie Scheffler, hours after arrest, tees off in PGA Championship second round https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5500927/2024/05/17/scottie-scheffler-arrest-pga-championship/ Tory MP loses whip after claims he used party funds to pay ‘bad people'  https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/17/tory-mp-loses-whip-after-claims-he-used-party-funds-to-pay-bad-people 

Today, we look at whether the UK economy has “turned a corner”, and if so why interest rates were kept the same?The Bank of England has announced it is keeping interest rates the same, for the sixth month in a row. The Governor Andrew Bailey has said it needs to "see more evidence" that price rises have slowed further. So when will mortgage rate start to drop? Adam is joined by Andy Haldane, former chief economist at the Bank of England and Darshini David, the BBC's chief economics correspondent.And, 24 hours on from the shock defection of Natalie Elphicke to Labour - Chris speaks to the former Tory MP. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Miranda Slade. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

This week: Nick and Toby wish their viewers and listeners happy St George’s Day – or, as Nick puts it, happy wankers-posting-about-how-St-George-was-really-Turkish Day Are we heading for a summer election, given the passing of the Rwanda Bill and the increase in defence spending? Mark Menzies is the latest in a string of gay Tory MPs […]

This week, Riley, Hussein, Nate, and November speak with friend of the show and returning guest Séamus Malekafzali (@Seamus_Malek) about recent developments in the airspace between Iran and Israel, plus a few tidbits about a Tory MP who simply loves getting blackmailed, a racist Spectator article that may have achieved an all-time TF shock record, and allegations that Warhammer has, in the words of Britain's very reasonable press, ‘gone woke.' Check out Séamus's newsletter here: https://www.seamus-malekafzali.com/ If you want access to our Patreon bonus episodes, early releases of free episodes, and powerful Discord server, sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/trashfuture *STREAM ALERT* Check out our Twitch stream, which airs 9-11 pm UK time every Monday and Thursday, at the following link: https://www.twitch.tv/trashfuturepodcast *MILO IN AUSTRALIA ALERT* Check out Milo's upcoming Australian tour shows here: www.linktr.ee/Miloontour *WEB DESIGN ALERT* Tom Allen is a friend of the show (and the designer behind our website). If you need web design help, reach out to him here:  https://www.tomallen.media/ Trashfuture are: Riley (@raaleh), Milo (@Milo_Edwards), Hussein (@HKesvani), Nate (@inthesedeserts), and November (@postoctobrist)

Today, we look at the suspension of a Tory MP after claims he made a late night call to ask for money to pay off "bad people".Mark Menzies "strongly" disputes the claims, but has had the whip removed amid allegations that he misused party funds and abused his position. Adam and Chris discuss with Newsnight political editor Nick Watt and Bloomberg associate editor Ailbhe Rea.Plus, Josh Widdicombe tells Adam and Chris all about his experiences trying to become a local news reporter, for the second series of TV show Hold the Front Page. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhereNewscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Gemma Roper. The editor is Sam Bonham.

In episode 1650, Jack and guest co-host Ben Bowlin are joined by co-host of Secretly Incredibly Fascinating, Alex Schmidt, to discuss… 7-Eleven's Hot Dog Seltzer Is Probably/Hopefully A Joke, The “War on Easter” Is Raging In The UK and more! 7-Eleven's Hot Dog Seltzer Is Probably/Hopefully A Joke Hot dog-flavored hard seltzer and barbecue sauce beer? Yes, really This Hard Seltzer Is Brewed with Leftover Hot Dog Water The “War on Easter” Is Raging In The UK ‘Gesture eggs': Britain's next ‘war' on Easter Iceland faces backlash after Christian symbol on hot cross buns replaced with ticks Iceland thanks Tory MPs for sales boost from hot cross reaction to ‘tick' bun Cadbury store accused of erasing Easter by selling ‘gesture eggs' Theresa May condemns National Trust for axing 'Easter' from egg hunt The National Trust's egg hunters crack on despite controversy The war on Easter eggs v the Archbishop of York – who will crack first? Why Easter Eggs? Inside the Origins and History of the Tradition The history of the hot cross bun LISTEN: Make Friends by Hiatus KaiyoteSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.