No Holds Barred Pod

Andy Burnham faces his first trial by media over the killers of PC Andrew Harper, but is he trying too hard to please everyone? Reform are a global laughingstock, and we discuss.

Data centres are back in the news again — in the week that swimming pools and car washes may be forced to close due to the drought, should they be allowed unlimited water?

Strong language. Politics unpacked. Every week.

No Holds Barred Links

Our website: https://noholdsbarredpod.com

Buy some merch here: https://noholdsbarredpod.com/merch/

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-YouTube 

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Spotify 

Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Apple 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoHoldsBarredPod

Don's Substack:https://donmcgowan333.substack.com/ 

Sal's Substack: https://substack.com/@salsnackered

Write to your MP: https://www.writetothem.com 

Thanks, as always, to Zomby Pop on 𝕏 for our theme tune. Contact us here:

𝕏 — @NoHoldsPod

𝔼 — [email protected]

We're back with a new episode of Discussions with our special guest and candidate in this week’s Clacton by-election, John Stevens.

John is standing against Nigel Farage for the Rejoin EU party on Thursday 13th August, and we were lucky to grab an hour of his very busy schedule for a fantastic chat.

We talked about the lack of enthusiasm for Farage in a surprisingly large swathe of Clacton, the Overton Window being dragged to the far-right and even some political history. John is exceptionally knowledgeable and incredibly easy to chat to so we had an excellent discussion.

Fingers crossed for Thursday. 🤞

[We had a slight technical issue towards the end of the video version, but you can still hear the whole interview.]

Find out more about the Rejoin EU Party here: https://therejoineuparty.com/ 🇪🇺

No Holds Barred Links

YouTube:⁠⁠ https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-YouTube⁠⁠ 

Spotify:⁠⁠ https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Spotify⁠⁠ 

Apple Podcasts:⁠⁠ https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Apple⁠⁠ 

Don's Substack:⁠⁠https://donmcgowan333.substack.com/⁠⁠ 

Sal's Substack:⁠⁠ https://substack.com/@salsnackered?⁠⁠ 

Write to your MP:⁠⁠ https://www.writetothem.com⁠⁠ 

Thanks, as always, to⁠⁠ Zomby Pop on 𝕏⁠⁠ for our theme tune.

Contact us here:

𝕏 —⁠⁠ @NoHoldsPod⁠⁠

𝔼 — ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Reform have been busy trying to distract from Farage’s donation scandal by Richard Tice falling under a Parliamentary standard investigation of his own. They decided to re-announce the Royal Navy plan for the seventh time, and Sky News lapped it up. 

Burnham is on holiday and it's upset some right-wing journos. BP are taking the absolute piss by profiteering from the Iran war. 

Sal's under the weather this week, so just Don. Send her your best wishes. 😊

Strong language. Politics unpacked. Every week.

No Holds Barred Links

Our website: https://noholdsbarredpod.com

Buy some merch here: https://noholdsbarredpod.com/merch/

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-YouTube 

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Spotify 

Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Apple 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoHoldsBarredPod

Don's Substack:https://donmcgowan333.substack.com/ 

Sal's Substack: https://substack.com/@salsnackered

Write to your MP: https://www.writetothem.com 

Thanks, as always, to Zomby Pop on 𝕏 for our theme tune.

Contact us here:

𝕏 — @NoHoldsPod

𝔼 — [email protected]

We're back with a new episode of Discussions with our special guest expert, climate guru and meteorologist, Jim Dale. 

Jim, Sal and Don chatted about every aspect of the climate emergency we could think of. Extreme risk from weather, wildfires, escape methods and importantly, the political aspect of climate denialism that runs through the far-right and Reform UK/GB News.

Jim told us about his books, love of trees and nature, a board game he’s developing and even how to put a cheeky bet on something informed by the weather!

Overall, a fantastic chat. Find links to Jim’s stuff below.

Strong language. Politics unpacked. Every week.

Jim’s Links

British Weather Services is here: ⁠https://www.britishweatherservices.co.uk/info-page/home-page/⁠ 

𝕏 is here: ⁠https://x.com/BritWeatherSvs⁠ 

Bluesky is here: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/britweathersvs.bsky.social⁠ 

LinkedIn is here: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/britishweatherservices.uk/⁠ 

No Holds Barred Links

YouTube:⁠ https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-YouTube⁠ 

Spotify:⁠ https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Spotify⁠ 

Apple Podcasts:⁠ https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Apple⁠ 

Don's Substack:⁠https://donmcgowan333.substack.com/⁠ 

Sal's Substack:⁠ https://substack.com/@salsnackered?⁠ 

Write to your MP:⁠ https://www.writetothem.com⁠ 

Thanks, as always, to⁠ Zomby Pop on 𝕏⁠ for our theme tune.

Contact us here:

𝕏 —⁠ @NoHoldsPod⁠

𝔼 — ⁠[email protected]⁠

Has the sleaze finally caught up to Nigel Farage, Richard Tice and Reform UK? Sal and Don discuss the ramifications of the performative Clacton by-election.

Also discussed: Andy Burnham's new cabinet and polices. With wildfires raging across Europe, when will some deniers accept the climate reality? The arrest of the Tate brothers.

Can Andy Burnham really focus on the north at the expense of the vast majority of the country, and why is he claiming polices already announced by Reeves and Starmer as his own?

We had some news from the US about the Tate brother's arrest … which was nice.

Strong language. Politics unpacked. Every week.

No Holds Barred Links

Our website: https://noholdsbarredpod.com

Buy some merch here: https://noholdsbarredpod.com/merch/

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-YouTube 

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Spotify 

Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Apple 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoHoldsBarredPod

Don's Substack:https://donmcgowan333.substack.com/ 

Sal's Substack: https://substack.com/@salsnackered

Write to your MP: https://www.writetothem.com 

Thanks, as always, to Zomby Pop on 𝕏 for our theme tune.
Contact us here:

𝕏 — @NoHoldsPod

𝔼 — [email protected]

EP 10 — DISCUSSIONS with Talora — Direct Action

No Holds Barred Pod, is Sal Dodgson and Don McGowan. Politics unpacked every week. News, politics and opinion. Serious and hilarious in equal measure.

We're back with a new episode of Discussions with Talora. Community activism, political engagement, Anti-Zionism, Jewish identity, civil disobedience and antisemitism. We got through a huge range of subjects with our amazingly informed guest in this episode.

Strong language. Politics unpacked. Every week.

No Holds Barred Links

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-YouTube 

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Spotify 

Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Apple 

Don's Substack:https://donmcgowan333.substack.com/ 

Sal's Substack: https://substack.com/@salsnackered? 

Write to your MP: https://www.writetothem.com 

Thanks, as always, to Zomby Pop on 𝕏 for our theme tune.
Contact us here:

𝕏 — @NoHoldsPod

𝔼 — [email protected]

EP 99 – AMERICAN HISTORY XXXL | Trump's fascism ramps up. Reform by-election woes. Burnham becomes leader.

No Holds Barred Pod, is Sal Dodgson and Don McGowan. Politics unpacked every week. News, politics and opinion. Serious and hilarious in equal measure.

We talked a lot about the USA in this episode. Trump has gone off the rails offering market insider information for massive sums of cash and Sal played a speech from Stephen Miller that could have easily been broadcast in 1939 Germany — utterly terrifying.

Farage officially registers for the Clacton by-election alongside 33 other joke candidates, including Laurence Fox.

And Andy Burnham is now the Labour leader who entered stage-right dancing to New Order. 👀

Strong language. Politics unpacked. Every week.

No Holds Barred Links

Our website: https://noholdsbarredpod.com

Buy some merch here: https://noholdsbarredpod.com/merch/

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-YouTube 

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Spotify 

Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Apple 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoHoldsBarredPod

Don's Substack:https://donmcgowan333.substack.com/ 

Sal's Substack: https://substack.com/@salsnackered

Write to your MP: https://www.writetothem.com 

Tieran Freedman on cycling into Palestine is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMWXKlJc4XM

Thanks, as always, to Zomby Pop on 𝕏 for our theme tune.
Contact us here:

𝕏 — @NoHoldsPod

𝔼 — [email protected]

EP 98 – DATA DRAIN | Data Centre Water Use in a Drought. Ian Byrne — Hillsborough Hero. Tasmanian Terror.

No Holds Barred Pod, is Sal Dodgson and Don McGowan. Politics unpacked every week. News, politics and opinion. Serious and hilarious in equal measure.

More Reform panic as Farage considers his future after Ann Widdecombe's murder. We discussed the insane energy and water usage of the country's hundreds of data centres [thanks Liam Cunningham for the heads-up]. Sal had a tale of Tasmanian terror, and we spoke about a final, respectful PMQs for Keir Starmer.

Strong language. Politics unpacked. Every week.

No Holds Barred Links

Our website: https://noholdsbarredpod.com

Buy some merch here: https://noholdsbarredpod.com/merch/

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-YouTube 

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Spotify 

Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Apple 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoHoldsBarredPod

Don's Substack:https://donmcgowan333.substack.com/ 

Sal's Substack: https://substack.com/@salsnackered

Write to your MP: https://www.writetothem.com 

Thanks, as always, to Zomby Pop on 𝕏 for our theme tune.
Contact us here:

𝕏 — @NoHoldsPod

𝔼 — [email protected]

EP 09 — DISCUSSIONS with Ollie MacKenzie — GDPR Chat

No Holds Barred Pod, is Sal Dodgson and Don McGowan. Politics unpacked every week. News, politics and opinion. Serious and hilarious in equal measure.

We're back with a new episode of Discussions with Ollie MacKenzie, GDPR guru and data doyen. We talked through how GDPR impacts us in our daily lives and why, in Ollie's opinion, we should never need to consider it at all.

We covered all sorts of other areas as well, including the politics of it all and even Ofcom - it was a funny and wide-ranging discussion.

Strong language. Politics unpacked. Every week.

No Holds Barred Links

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-YouTube 

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Spotify 

Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Apple 

Don's Substack:https://donmcgowan333.substack.com/ 

Sal's Substack: https://substack.com/@salsnackered? 

Write to your MP: https://www.writetothem.com 

Thanks, as always, to Zomby Pop on 𝕏 for our theme tune.
Contact us here:

𝕏 — @NoHoldsPod

𝔼 — [email protected]

EP 97 – WELCOME TO CLACTON | By-Election Circus. Ann Widdecombe Murdered. Burnham Bluster.

No Holds Barred Pod, is Sal Dodgson and Don McGowan. Politics unpacked every week. News, politics and opinion. Serious and hilarious in equal measure.

As we recorded, news broke of Ann Widdecombe's murder and as we ended the culprit had been arrested. Tragic and very, very odd.

We talked about Farage's resignation and the ensuing circus that has become the Clacton-on-Sea by-election circus. Burnham is saying yes to EVERYONE and Trump has started the war again because he's bored with the World Cup.

Strong language. Politics unpacked. Every week.

No Holds Barred Links

Our website: https://noholdsbarredpod.com

Buy some merch here: https://noholdsbarredpod.com/merch/

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-YouTube 

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Spotify 

Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/NoHolds-Apple 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NoHoldsBarredPod

Don's Substack:https://donmcgowan333.substack.com/ 

Sal's Substack: https://substack.com/@salsnackered

Write to your MP: https://www.writetothem.com 

Thanks, as always, to Zomby Pop on 𝕏 for our theme tune.
Contact us here:

𝕏 — @NoHoldsPod

𝔼 — [email protected]