The New Statesman’s Britain editor Anoosh Chakelian interviews the satirist and broadcaster Andy Zaltzman, the host of Radio 4’s The News Quiz and the podcast The Bugle. 
Ahead of his Satirist for Hire tour, they talk about the history of political comedy, whether there are some topics too serious to joke about, and if you can really have political balance in comedy.
Plus, they discover what Zaltzman and Boris Johnson have in common.
You can find out more details about Zaltzman’s live shows and buy tickets at andyzaltzman.co.uk.
If you have a question for You Ask Us, email podcasts@newstatesman.co.uk.
Podcast listeners can get a special discount on subscriptions to the New Statesman. Visit www.newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to subscribe for just £1 per week. 
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Does BBC comedy have a left-wing bias? Andy Zaltzman on political satire, offensive jokes and cauliflower Trump

Politics and ideas from Britain's leading progressive political magazine.
Mondays: leading thinkers illuminate the ideas shaping the world, from politics to culture.
Thursdays: host Anoosh Chakelian is joined by the New Statesman politics team to help you understand the week in politics, in Westminster and beyond. Featuring Andrew Marr, Rachel Cunliffe, Freddie Hayward and more.
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This episode was recorded on the 18th of April, prior to Israel's missile strikes on Iran.
Tensions in the Middle East have heightened further after Iran launched a missile attack on Israel last week. This was in response to Israel’s strike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria - which killed 16 people. Western leaders came to Israel’s defence and condemned Iran’s attack, but prior to this David Cameron - the UK foreign secretary - had warned that the UK’s support for Israel was ‘not unconditional’. 
So how have these latest developments divided the government’s stance on Israel’s conflict? And how are Labour planning to act should they come into government amid this war?
Anoosh Chakelian, Britian editor at the New Statesman, is joined by Freddie Hayward, political correspondent, and George Eaton, senior editor.
Read: The new Tory divide on Israel
Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics email Morning Call 
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How Iran and Israel are dividing British politics

This week Liz Truss has embarked on the press tour of a lifetime with her new book, Ten Years to Save the West: Lessons from the only conservative in the room. She's been casting blame from the UN to the Bank of England for the failure of her time in office, but does she really believe what she's saying? And how might this affect her standing in the next general election?
Anoosh and Rachel also ask Freddie about his recent trip to the National Conservatism conference in Brussels with the likes of Nigel Farage, Suella Braverman, Éric Zemmour, Viktor Orbán, and the Belgian police. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does Liz Truss believe what she's saying?

People up and down the country have been struggling to get NHS dental appointments for the past few years, forcing some to pay inflated prices for private treatment, or ignore their oral health until it’s reached an unbearable point. This crisis is also greatly impacting children across the nation, and today the number one reason children are admitted to hospital is due to severe dental issues.
So how did we get here? Why is the UK faced with Dickensian rot in 2024?
Anoosh Chakelian, Britain editor, is joined by policy correspondent Harry Clarke-Ezzidio, and senior associate editor, Sarah Dawood. 
 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Decaying Britain: how severe is the NHS dental crisis?

Angela Rayner, the Labour deputy leader, is being accused of being a ‘tax avoider’. While these attacks are coming predominantly from the right, they’ve been mounting in recent weeks and now Labour is having to confront the allegations.
So what could this mean for the deputy leader? Is Labour in trouble? Or is this a Tory smear campaign?
Anoosh Chakelian, Britain editor at the New Statesman, is joined in the studio by political correspondent Freddie Hayward; this episode was recorded on Thursday 11th April.
Read the pieces mentioned in this podcast: Is Angela Rayner in danger?; What Dominic Raab missed about Angela Rayner at Glyndebourne; I looked into Angela Rayner’s tax affairs – here’s what I found Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Angela Rayner investigation: scandal or smear campaign?

We’ve been digging around in our virtual mailbag and have brought a couple of your questions  to discuss. 
One listener asks: What are the political implications of the Cass report and will it affect how British politicians approach the transgender conversation?
And another listener writes in to ask: Could a Starmer win in the UK and a Trump win in the US spell the end for the ‘special relationship’?
Ask a question for a future podcast: www.newstatesman.com/podcasts/2022/10/you-ask-us
Read Andrew Marr's piece: Inside Labour’s foreign policy factory

 
 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does BBC comedy have a left-wing bias? Andy Zaltzman on political satire, offensive jokes and cauliflower Trump

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