Party Games

As protests and fury engulf the US, how should Britain respond to Donald Trump’s threat to turn the military on demonstrators? Why did Britain’s report into the impact of coronavirus on the BAME population say nothing about how to improve things? And why did the Government force MPs to stand in a long, highly infectious, line to vote at Westminster? More at twitter.com/paulosbourne and twitter.com/partygamespod

Dominic Cummings breaks the lockdown rules, self-isolating by driving 250 miles. But Boris Johnson backs him. Why is the Prime Minister so desperate to save his chief adviser he’s willing to sacrifice his credibility on a public health emergency? We hear from Geraldine Cooper, a parent who found herself in the same situation as Cummings, but stuck to the rules. Read more from her at https://bit.ly/3c1e0lY - and more from us at twitter.com/paulosbourne and twitter.com/partygamespod

How did Boris Johnson manage to make such a mess of the new coronavirus rules? We dig into his catastrophically confusing ministerial address, and the subsequent attempts to clarify how much has changed (spoiler, not that much actually). More at twitter.com/paulosbourne and twitter.com/partygamespod

Boris Johnson returns from the labour ward to face perhaps his toughest ever political decision. When to ease the lockdown, and how to do it. We look at the competing pressures on the Prime Minister, after his own tangle with coronavirus. Plus the unanswered questions about the response to the pandemic and Priti Patel’s got even more reasons for that smirk. More at twitter.com/paulosbourne and twitter.com/partygamespod

Britain’s coronavirus lockdown is extended for at least a further three weeks, and it’s far from clear that will be the end of it. As Boris Johnson recovers from his own tangle with the pandemic, we look at the problems still facing the government’s response, including the growing crisis in Britain’s care homes. Plus the other great plague — the non-apology apology as practiced by Priti Patel, and Simon Marks joins us from Washington DC to terrify us with Donald Trump’s mis-handling of the crisis.

The Prime Minister ends up in intensive care with coronavirus. As we wait for news on his condition, we look at some of the other questions surrounding the government’s response to the pandemic. Will ministers get a grip on testing or provision of protective equipment? Plus all change at the top of the Labour Party. More at twitter.com/paulosbourne and twitter.com/partygamespod

As the UK is put in lockdown, we look at how Boris Johnson and his ministers are handling the coronavirus crisis. Did the Prime Minister’s history of loose language make it harder to persuade people to do what they need to do? And how will we ever pay for the economic rescue package we desperately need. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

Boris Johnson’s post-election honeymoon comes to an abrupt end as the coronavirus outbreak hits the UK. We assess the Prime Minister’s response, and the measures in the biggest giveaway budget in decades. Plus another case of no-platforming nonsense, and the possible return of Failing Grayling. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

Part-time Prime Minister Boris Johnson is back in action, as relations between his government and civil servants hit rock bottom. Plus, why won’t ministers break their broadcast boycott to reassure citizens about the coronavirus, and rumours of an unexpected return from the wilderness. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

The reshuffle that went wrong. Boris Johnson’s grab for control at the Treasury sparks Sajid Javid’s resignation, and a slightly bigger shake-up than the Prime Minister was planning. Plus the week the Labour leadership contest turned nasty, and Rory Stewart, sofa-surfer. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne