Oh God, What Now?

Seems like King in the North Andy Burnham fancies his chances of taking over Labour and giving the troubled government new direction. Is talk of a leadership fight just pot-stirring – or is Starmer in real trouble? And who else is in the frame? Plus, that video where maverick crimefighter Robert Jenrick chases faredodgers was roundly mocked. But is it smart politics in the Tories’ battle with Reform over the soul of Pissed-Off Britain? And in the Extra Bit for Patreon people, we read Sarah Vine’s Westminster tell-all so you don’t have to. 

• Don’t miss the latest Crime Scene: Should Britain decriminalise cannabis?

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Rachel recommends Giant with John Lithgow at the Harold Pinter Theatre. 

• Jonn recommends Murderbot by on Apple TV+.

• Marie recommends Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson.

• Alison recommends Fred And Rose: A British Horror Story on Netflix. 

• Back us on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more. 

Presented by Alison Phillips with Rachel Cunliffe, Jonn Elledge and Marie le Conte. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Theme music by Cornershop. Produced by Chris Jones. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

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He’s old, he’s reactionary, he’s authoritarian-curious, he hates the EU… and he’s dead. Why are the main parties fixated on the demands of a zombie voter who has gone to join the Choir Eternal? And at the other end of the scale, what about “Henry” – high earner, not rich yet – the urban go-getter with an “email job” who earns six figures yet somehow finds himself strapped? Duncan Robinson who writes The Economist’s Bagehot column identified both these phenomena. He joins us to debate what we do about the Walking Dead – and whether Henry deserves a helping hand or a teeny-tiny violin.

• Who should replace Keir Starmer? Find out on the latest edition of The Bunker.

• Hannah on Who even votes Tory any more?

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Duncan recommends the Screen Rot podcast. 

• Hannah recommends Uncommon People: Britpop and Beyond in 20 Songs by our own Miranda Sawyer.

• Seth recommends The Deep Blue Sea by Terence Rattigan at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

• Andrew recommends Thunderbolts, coming soon to Disney+ . 

• Back us on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more. 

Written and presented by Andrew Harrison with Hannah Fearn and Seth Thévoz. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Theme music by Cornershop. Produced by Chris Jones. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

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Special crossover edition... Well, Elon Musk is putting Washington behind him – or so he says… Molly Jong-Fast joined American Friction to talk Chris and Jarv through what’s going on – and we thought you might want to listen too! Go get more American Friction and listen to the whole episode at: https://linktr.ee/americanfriction 

Molly also has a new book out called How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir, and there’s a link to buy it below.) 

Buy How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund American Friction by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. 

www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow  

Presented by Chris Jones and Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio. Production by: Chris Jones. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.  

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Reform UK gets a lot of coverage but not enough scrutiny. Say Nigel Farage did become Prime Minister (God forbid), what would a Reform UK-led UK look like? Is their manifesto (… sorry, ‘contract’) full to the brim of wishful thinking? Plus, with changes inbound on the two-child benefit cap and winter fuel payments is Labour sorting its act out? Or does this make Starmer look weak? Paul Nowak is the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress and joins the podcast to give his thoughts. And in the Extra Bit for subscribers following the death of BBC arts titan Alan Yentob, we ask: Is the dream of culture for the masses still alive? 

• Read Sam Freedman’s Substack here: https://samf.substack.com/p/what-would-a-reform-government-be

• Listen to The Bunker including Duncan Weldon on the economics of war.

• Don’t miss the latest edition of Crime Scene on the Liverpool parade car collision and what it means for policing.

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Paul recommends Bruce Springsteen live and Race Across The World on BBC iPlayer. 

• Matt saw Mary Poppins at the Bradford Alhambra.

• Rachel recommends listening to Magic At The Musicals on RadioPlayer. 

• Dorian recommends Gang Of Three (keep an eye out in case it gets a transfer) and Electric Dreams at Tate Modern.

www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow

Presented by Dorian Lynskey with Rachel Cunliffe and Matt Green. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio Production by: Robin Leeburn. Music by Cornershop. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

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Rebellious MPs, a nightmare spending review, the endless Two Child Benefit Cap row, dire polling… is Labour in for a summer of discontent? We ask whether the Government can bend with the wind to succeed, what policies will change, and whether Starmer/Reeves is a double act with two straight men? Plus: Have researchers found a new way to deal with digital disinformation? And in a special bonus, Jonn and Andrew discuss why the best political drama of the decade so far is the Star Wars spin-off Andor. 

• Don’t miss Oh God, What Now? Live at 21Soho on Weds 11 June. 

• Listen to the new Crime Scene – the truth about true crime. 

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Ros recommends The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham. 

• Jonn recommends Paradise on Disney+.

• Marie recommends Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.

• Andrew recommends Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin and Murderbot on Apple TV+. 

• Back us on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more. 

Written and presented by Andrew Harrison with Marie le Conte, John Elledge and Ros Taylor. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Theme music by Cornershop. Produced by Chris Jones. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk

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The Tory press and pundits reacted as rationally as you’d expect to the new UK-EU deal, accusing Starmer of sneaking back into the EU, betraying the British taxpayer, and all their favourite themes. But exactly what are they saying and how much of it is legit? Plus, with the potential abolition of the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport, we ask why governments can’t see the positives of culture? And in the Extra Bit for subscribers, it’s 20 years since The Thick of It hit our screens. Politically, does it still hold up?

Today’s special guest is Emma Kennedy, writer and host of our sibling science and psychology podcast Why? – new series out now!

• Get tickets for Oh God, What Now? Live at 21 Soho, London, with special guest Marcus Brigstocke.

• Don’t miss our fascinating new series Crime Scene. Latest episode: Who killed the Essex Boys?

www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow

Presented by Dorian Lynskey, Rafael Behr and Zoë Grünewald. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio. Production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Cornershop. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

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The fish and the fury… As dead-end Brexiters rage against the “betrayal” of the Great British Haddock, we look at what REALLY matters in Starmer’s EU reset. Plus, polling giant YouGov’s Patrick English joins us to bust some opinion poll myths and explain the Reform Surge. And is Generation X really the most hard done-by of the postwar era? We don our Blur t-shirts and crack a Smirnoff Ice to discuss the 90s generation taking financial responsibility for their kids and their parents.

• Join us for Oh God, What Now? Live in London with special guest Marcus Brigstocke on Weds 11 June. 

• Listen to Crime Scene’s interview with Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp. 

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Ros recommends Delizia: The Epic History of Italians and Their Food by John Dickie. 

• Seth recommends The Radical Print by Esther Chadwick. 

• Andrew recommends Andor on Disney+. 

www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow

Presented by Andrew Harrison with Ros Taylor and Seth Thévoz. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Cornershop. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

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After possibly the most aggressive speech on immigration ever made by a British Prime Minister, we attempt the adult conversation on the topic that politicians won’t have. Why can’t Britain accept the benefits of immigration? Who’s going to bail out the care system when it collapses? And what the hell is Labour playing at anyway? Plus: Politicians think artificial intelligence will fix everything. Have they bought the snake oil? And in the Extra Bit for Patreon people, should we fight to save the after-work pint?

• Come to Oh God, What Now? Live at 21Soho, London on Weds 11 June. Tickets on sale here.

• Listen to the latest edition of Crime Scene – the truth about true crime.

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Hannah recommends Jamie Oliver on the Louis Theroux podcast.

• Jonn recommends This City Is Ours on BBC iPlayer.

• Marie recommends The Border: A Journey Around Russia by Erika Fatland.

• Dorian recommends This Mortal Coil .

• Back us on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more.

Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey with Marie le Conte, John Elledge and Hannah Fearn. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Theme music by Cornershop. Produced by Chris Jones. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk

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Keir Starmer’s statement on immigration may well have repelled many Labour voters towards the Lib Dems and the Greens. How wrong has the Prime Minister got this strategy to defeat Reform? And are his party’s plans even workable? Plus, the UK has signed trade deals with the US and India – what’s in them, how important are they, and are we getting too close to Trump? Trade expert Dmitry Grozoubinski spoke to Andrew Harrison for The Bunker and we’ve included a brief excerpt in this section.

• Want more? Find the full Bunker episode with Dmitry here.

• Come to Oh God, What Now? Live at 21Soho, London on Weds 11 June. Tickets on sale here.

www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow

Presented by Ros Taylor with Seth Thévoz, Rachel Cunliffe and Ahir Shah. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio. Production by Robin Leeburn. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

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As Labour panic and freak out over Runcorn and the Locals, is Starmer drawing the wrong conclusions from the votes? Is “Reform are right, don’t vote for them” the best they can do? Or should they pick more fights with the Right? Plus, what if this newfangled populism isn’t so new after all? We talk to Quinn Slobodian, author of Hayek’s Bastards: The Neoliberal Roots of the Populist Right, about why the shape-shifting Right are so hard to lay a glove on. And in the Extra Bit: Does VE Day hit differently now Europe is full of fascists, enthusiastically supported by the US President?

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Ros recommends Les Années (The Years) by Annie Earnaux. 

• Matt recommends With Nails by Richard E. Grant.

• Dorian recommends Thunderbolts, in cinemas now.

• Back us on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more. 

Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey with Ros Taylor and Matt Green. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Theme music by Cornershop. Produced by Chris Jones. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices