Party Games

As the wheels fall off the Conservative election campaign, Tom Watson stuns Labour by quitting, as deputy leader and an MP — will that blunt the party’s push for support? Can the Tories stop making idiotic blunders? Plus, why the Lib Dems are improbably insisting they’re set for government, and how on earth did anyone think Theresa May should be hired as an inspirational speaker. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

The Christmas election is official — an unwanted gift you can’t take back to the shops. We look at the first few days, the gamble all sides are taking, and why so many people who ought to have long careers ahead of them have decided instead to quit front-line politics. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

A brief extra podcast as MPs agree to a General Election on December 12th. Will this be the Brexit election? A referendum in all but name? More in a full-length podcast at the end of the week, and more too at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

Boris Johnson, the man renowned for speaking only truth and keeping his promises, asks the EU for a Brexit delay with all the dignity of a grumpy teenager. We try to figure out what Saturday’s historic Commons sitting achieved, and what’s likely to happen next. Is the Prime Minister still potentially on course to get his deal through Parliament? More on twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne - we’re also on facebook and instagram — search for partygamespod.

After a week that saw Downing Street hurl insults at the Germans, the Irish and the EU, there’s the faintest glimmer of hope that a Brexit deal might be possible. But will we even be on speaking terms with the EU by the time it’s all over? We look back at the events of the past few days, and try to figure out what might happen next. Plus the fear of a nationwide toilet paper shortage and a surge in post-Brexit dogging. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

Boris Johnson's big Brexit plan is finally here. At first it looks like the worst of all worlds - but is there method in the madness. We try to make sense of the proposals, and their chances of success, but we also find the time to squeeze in a chat about pole dancing, because after all this is the age of Johnson.. More at twitter.com/partygamespod

Britain’s highest court rules Boris Johnson lied — to the Queen, to Parliament, to the public. But there’s no apology from the Prime Minister, just more powerless bluster from the man being held hostage by his enemies. As Johnson pleads again for the election he craves, we work through the events of the last few days, and try to find a way forward. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

The Lib Dems hope a new policy on Brexit - promising to just scrap the whole thing - could see them glide into government. Could it perhaps backfire instead? Labour, meanwhile, remains firmly on the fence. Plus Boris Johnson’s desperate desire to be loved bumps up (once again) against the fact that a lot of voters don’t like him very much. And David Cameron’s memoirs are out, and the Queen is not happy. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

Another awful week for Boris Johnson, as his second attempt at getting a snap election fails, and the Scottish courts rule his suspension of Parliament illegal. Will he ever end his run of bad luck? Plus, how Labour ended up with three directly contradictory Brexit policies, and Theresa May’s rewards for failure. More at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne

A week ago Britain’s new Prime Minister looked unassailable. His guerrilla raid on democracy seemed impossible to defeat. Then MPs took back control. Now they’ve ruled out a no-deal Brexit in October, and refused to give him the General Election he craved. What happens next? We do our best to guess… more at twitter.com/partygamespod and twitter.com/paulosbourne