What went wrong with “Your Party”? As absolutely nobody could have predicted, the new Left vehicle’s first conference collapses amid factional squabbles. Zarah Sultana gets to rule over the ruins but will all that new energy on the left now head over to Zack Polanski’s Greens? Plus: After a budget that pleased nobody, is Labour really taking young people seriously? And in the Extra Bit for Patreon people, will the War on London ever end? 🎄 Get 20% off a year’s support for Oh God, What Now? ...
Dec 05, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 504
Britain is in trouble. Stagnating wages, collapsing public services and a feeble economy are turning politics angry and rancorous. Keir Starmer says Labour’s economic plan will take “years” to deliver – but does the party really have a long-term plan? And what would one look like? Our guest John Springford , associate fellow at the Centre for European Reform, has put one together at getting-out-of-the-hole.uk – and he’s here to talk about it. Why is our productivity so bad? Why are we getting wo...
Dec 02, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 503
Behind all the predictable shrieking about “tax raids”, what really happened in Rachel Reeves’s much-trailed misery Budget ? And what’s behind Labour’s fear of making bolder moves? Plus, Private Eye’s Daily Mailograph gag comes true – it looks like the Mail is going to buy the Telegraph . Our special guest, Radio 4 Now Show veteran and musical satirist Mitch Benn , helps us explore what it will do to diversity of the press (rhetorical question) and will Lord Rothermere get a free bottle of water...
Nov 28, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 502
It’s the word of the moment. “Enshittification” is the reason Google is all ads and no useful results, Amazon serves you crappy overpriced products, your phone spies on you and you can’t find your friends on social media – but you WILL be persecuted by bots, brands and Nazis all day long. So how are we going to fix it? Leading tech critic Cory Doctorow joins Andrew Harrison and Rafael Behr to talk about whether digital platform rot is inevitable, his book Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenl...
Nov 25, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 501
Labour’s controversial asylum plans have sparked a backlash and it’s not clear they’ll even work. So, why have they gone down this route? What options might be better? Plus, AI – the bubble is going to burst, but has it already broken our brains? Then in the extra bit for supporters – what would we want to bring back from 100 years ago? Escape Routes • Matt is watching Death by Lightning • Zoe is watching Stranger Things • Jason is reading Penda's Fen: Scene by Scene by Ian Greaves • Head to na...
Nov 21, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 500
Is Trump finally falling apart? His approval ratings are catastrophic, the Republicans took a hammering in the November elections, his gross-out distraction tactics no longer work… and as more Epstein emails are released, the scandal is lapping ever-higher around his cankles. Molly Jong-Fast of The Atlantic, Vanity Fair and the unmissable Fast Politics podcast joins Andrew Harrison and Rafael Behr to discuss the teetering tyrant and the damage he will leave. • This episode recorded before Trump ...
Nov 18, 2025•55 min•Season 2Ep. 499
Trump and the right wing press are gleefully hounding the BBC over a clumsy speech edit – will they succeed in taking down the broadcaster? Plus, manifesto promises – there’s a huge fuss over Labour potentially breaking them, but is that anything new? And in the extra bit for supporters – reasons to be a Luddite! The panel rallies against smart technology. • Rachel suggests Fergus Butler-Gallie’s book Touching Cloth • Jonn recommends Fergus Craig’s upcoming book I'm Not the Only Murderer in My R...
Nov 14, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 498
Tax rises! Cuts to everything! Here comes the pain! Seldom has a Budget been heralded with such dire warnings… if you believe the Toryform Press. But according to Giles Wilkes – Institute for Government fellow and former adviser to Vince Cable and Theresa May – Britain isn’t in such a disastrous state after all. In a weirdly optimistic conversation he joins Andrew Harrison and Jonn Elledge to look at the real story of Britain’s finances; why Brexit is an even bigger drag anchor than the Treasury...
Nov 11, 2025•56 min•Season 2Ep. 497
Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York mayoralty race electrifies the global Left, rocks the Democratic establishment and leaves Trump titanically unamused. What does it all mean? Plus: Do we need to save the Conservative Party ? Former Digital Minister and Tory MP for Boston and Skegness Matt Warman helps us examine the drastic measures needed to keep Reform out. And in the aftermath of the Huntingdon knife attacks we look at the usual suspects’ rush to make it all about immigration. ESCAPE R...
Nov 07, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 496
After decades of waving away electoral reform, Labour and the Tories suddenly have a reason to question First Past The Post – the nightmare prospect of a Reform government. Has proportional representation ’s time finally come? How might it happen? And what system would work for Britain? Proud elections wonk David Klemperer of the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath joins Rachel Cunliffe and Andrew Harrison for the world’s first Single Transferable Podcast. • Could a MAGA-styl...
Nov 04, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 495
British politics feels stalled and the only people benefiting are Farage and the quick-fix demagogues of Reform UK. Why is the debate about our national future frozen and what can we do about it? Special guest Ben Ansell – author of Why Politics Fails – joins us to talk it over. Plus, a But Your Emails special where we answer as many of your questions as is humanly possible. And in the Extra Bit for Patreon people only… where did the obsession with Hallowe’en come from? ESCAPE ROUTES • Jonn reco...
Oct 31, 2025•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 494
A neurotic obsession with illegal migration is driving British politics rightwards, trapping the parties in an arms race of escalating harshness towards migrants. Now Tory far-righter Katie Lam wants to cancel legal migrants’ right to stay, evoking the racist “repatriation” talk of the 1970s National Front. Can Britain get out of the migration doom spiral? Former head of the Migration Advisory Committee Prof Alan Manning joins us to talk about the “infernal cycle” of migration policy … whether L...
Oct 28, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 493
Reform UK just pulled off the sequel to the Jackie Weaver Handforth Parish Council Zoom meeting, and it’s excellent. The leaked Zoom meeting from Reform’s flagship Kent County Council shows things aren’t perhaps going as well for Nigel Farage’s party/business as he may have hoped. Is Reform having a bit of a wobble? Plus, is social media brainrot ruining British politics? And in the Extra Bit for subscribers, things are going from very bad to a lot worse for Prince Andrew. How did we get here, a...
Oct 24, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 492
The papers still dangle the dream of a sun-dappled retirement. Yet millions have nowhere near the savings they’ll need, while a fortunate few are amassing family wealth that could change Britain forever. Meanwhile the generational wealth gap is forcing younger people to forget about starting families. Is the old “work hard and you’ll make it” model broken? And do we need a wealth tax to fix it? Will Snell of the Fairness Foundation joins Andrew and Hannah to discuss a growing crisis. • Our partn...
Oct 21, 2025•58 min•Season 2Ep. 491
After the collapse of the China spying case, do we have to accept that Britain is way past being able to spar with Beijing? Especially when we depend so much on their students? Green MP Siân Berry talks about the party’s future under new eco-populist leader Zach Polanski, how to square green infrastructure with their support’s suspicion of development, and whether the Greens would enter a coalition with Labour to keep Farage out. And in the Extra Bit for Patreon people… Sunak’s back, sort of. Wh...
Oct 17, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 490
Labour want to bring in digital I.D. and many people do NOT like it. Are they right? Are they wrong? And what is the “Lethal Trifecta” that makes the plan so risky? Hannah Fearn is very opposed to digital I.D. on civil liberties grounds. Jonn Elledge thinks it’s not that big a deal. Special guest Alex Hern – The Economist’s correspondent on A.I. – has the inside tech perspective. And Matt Green tries to keep order. Intrusion into privacy or a well-managed public version of something we all conse...
Oct 14, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 489
The Tory Party looks fatally damaged. Who hijacked the corpse at their conference in Manchester – Reform or Robert Jenrick? Josh Glancy of The Sunday Times was there and he explains whether there’s any life in the old party yet. Plus, the horrific killings at a Manchester synagogue left many British Jews saying they feel unsafe in their own country. We look at the complex and emotive issues of fighting antisemitism while preserving the right to protest against Netanyahu’s war on Gaza. And in the...
Oct 10, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 488
Nobody wants to imagine a large-scale war in Europe. But after Putin invaded Ukraine and Trump tore up Europe’s security guarantee, it’s horribly plausible. Is Russia as powerful as Putin wants us to think? Is there more to military power than tanks and guns? Why do strategists keep making the wrong predictions? And what does Pete Hegseth’s unhinged locker-rom pep talk/incitement to the US military to commit war crimes mean for any American role in the world? In a fascinating, surprise-packed co...
Oct 07, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 487
Keir Starmer’s conference speech is getting heaps of praise after he finally went hard against Farage. But has he done enough to show he’s in control, or is the Labour messaging still all over the place? Plus, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, isn’t going away. He says he wants the UK to rejoin the EU, but do they want us? And does Labour even want him!? And in the Extra Bit for Patreon backers, the panel takes a look at the politicians who are the most popular with the UK’s young p...
Oct 03, 2025•57 min•Season 2Ep. 486
Labour has staked its future on building hundreds of thousand of homes and fixing up crumbling communities. But does “regeneration” actually work? Housing expert and author of Big Capital: Who Is London For? Anna Minton joins OGWN regular and development wonk Hannah Fearn to look at the nightmare of trying to build houses in a system designed to inhibit it. Includes regeneration horror stories from Baltimore to Canary Wharf to Liverpool’s Albert Dock. ESCAPE ROUTES • Anna recommends The Hostage ...
Sep 30, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 485
The ghost of Enoch Powell punches the air as Farage announces jaw-dropping plans for mass deportations and tearing up Indefinite Leave to Remain, claiming it will save Britain over £230bn (it won’t). Is Reform succumbing to the gravitational pull of the far-far-far right or just showing its true, cruel face? And does Labour’s feeble response that “this plan won’t work” just accept the premise of a hateful piece of self-harm? Plus, Trump’s Tariffs: how they started and how they’re going, with int...
Sep 26, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 484
Project 2025 gave Trump a roadmap for his authoritarian presidency. As the UK turns to the right, Reform UK is on the rise and fears over a Farage general election victory loom, we ask whether such a project could be undertaken here? Peter Geoghegan of the Democracy for Sale blog joins Alison and Jonn to discuss. Escape Routes: • Jonn is watching The Paper • Peter is awaiting Slow Horses and is reading When the Clock Broke by John Ganz • Alison watched The Ballad of Wallis Island www.patreon.com...
Sep 23, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 483
British politics is increasingly divided – but where are voters really going as they shift between parties? And how should Labour recalibrate their tactics? The Economist’s Matthew Holehouse joins us to discuss the new ‘Battle for Britain’. Plus, the panel discusses the reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death worldwide and how it might change politics. And in the extra bit for subscribers – political pets! Because we all need something fun to listen to don’t we? Escape Routes Rachel has been reading Te...
Sep 19, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 482
Starmer is Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party – but does he feel totally in charge of things? Plus, the race to be Deputy Leader of the Labour Party is down to the final two. Who’s the most likely to take the role? And Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham is being increasingly tipped to swoop back to Westminster. Could he be the answer Labour has been searching for, realistically? Join Ros Taylor, Jonn Elledge, and Rafael Behr for all of that and a deep dive into the reality of pa...
Sep 16, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 481
Reform UK kicked off party season in the weirdest way possible – will any of the other parties be able to overshadow them in the coming weeks? Perhaps not for singing and conspiracy theories, but hopefully in policy. The panel previews party conference season. Plus, we discuss who should be the next Labour deputy leader and in the extra bit dive into some dodgy Boris Johnson accusations. • Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here . It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money back guarantee! • Advertisers...
Sep 12, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 480
The (former) Deputy Prime Minister resigns literally two minutes before we press “record”. Regulars Rafael Behr and Andrew Harrison plus special guest Steve Richards of the Rock’n’Roll Politics podcast rage at the brutal destruction of Angela Rayner and the uncontrolled power of the far-right press – and ask if there’s any place for flawed humans or the working class in politics at all. Plus: As Steve publishes Tony Blair a razor-sharp analysis of Britain’s last great Prime Minister, we look at ...
Sep 09, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 479
Angela Rayner’s out. The resignation, which most of us saw coming, finally happened on a Friday afternoon. Was her position really untenable, or could she have toughed it out? Plus – what now and how does this leave Starmer’s party? Jacob Jarvis is joined by Ros Taylor, to react to Rayner’s decision and ask what it means for the future of the Labour government. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people downl...
Sep 05, 2025•22 min•Season 2Ep. 478
The Equality and Human Rights Commission new guidance on trans people’s rights is coming up. What will this mean for trans people in the UK and how did we get here? Plus: Reshuffle fun! Will Zack Polanski’s vow to never do a deal with Starmer be a gift to Reform? Labour succumbs to flags madness! And after a very special mid-show announcement we talk about how to keep yourself together when all about you is falling to pieces. ESCAPE ROUTES • Ros recommends Mix Tape on BBC iPlayer. • Jonn has bee...
Sep 05, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 477
Warning: contains hope for tomorrow! It sometimes feels like the polycrisis of global heating, collapsing democracy, job-killing A.I. and radicalisation can’t be solved – but what if there are answers in similar turning points from the past? Roman Krznaric , author of History For Tomorrow : How The Past Can Inspire Our Future , joins Andrew Harrison and Zöe Grünewald for a surprisingly uplifting tour of invaluable lessons of the past, from the fight to end slavery to the battle to control artifi...
Sep 02, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 476
Who let the flags out? We look at the mania for running a Cross of St George or Union Jack up the nearest lamp-post, who’s fomenting it and why it’s smart but dangerous politics for the far-right. Meanwhile Nigel Farage launches his completely uncosted, unrealistic, fantasy plan for mass deportations . Are the press so completely on the Reform bandwagon that they’ll just let it go unquestioned? Our special guest David Klemperer puts the case for compulsory voting and why it solves more problems ...
Aug 29, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 475
