Ed Davey wants Britain to have its own nuclear weapons – smart move against the Greens or the end of the old anti-nuke Lib Dems? Why is the damning story about Richard Tice’s tax avoidance not damaging the Reform deputy leader when it would sink any other politician? Does Louis Theroux’s documentary Inside The Manosphere tell us anything new about young men’s descent into hatred as recreation and business model? And in the Extra Bit: The usual suspects lose their mind over the ONS adding hummus ...
Mar 20, 2026•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 534
The Mandelson Files are beginning to dribble out and they don’t look good for Keir Starmer. Will this be the final albatross round the PM’s neck? Zoë Grünewald and Rafael Behr talk over the unfurling consequences of the second-worst files in the world. Plus, liberalism has taken a battering this past decade, but don’t worry! Centrism can still save the world. Bloomberg columnist Adrian Wooldridge ’s new book Centrists of the World Unite! is a battle cry to get liberalism back into the game. What...
Mar 17, 2026•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 533
British voters are overwhelmingly against Trump’s war in Iran but the pundits and politicians of the Tory-Reform universe seem to want more, harder and faster. Why is the British right hooked on tough-guy politics ? And will Farage’s fawning over Trump prove to be Reform’s Achilles heel? Plus, first pickings from the Mandelson files, Rachel Cunliffe on why Labour’s justice reforms (and the controversial moves on jury trials) might be one radical reform the Government doesn’t duck… and in the Ext...
Mar 13, 2026•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 532
The Government’s migration and asylum plans have had that unique Keir Starmer way of annoying everyone. Including many of their own MPs, such as Walthamstow’s Stella Creasy. She says her party is now asking people to live in “limbo” and that the new policy change is not “socially just”. She joins the panel to explain why. And in the second half, monsters are everywhere (including politics). But what is a monster? Why do humans keep inventing them — and what does that say about us? Dr Surekha Dav...
Mar 10, 2026•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 531
On the upside, a tyrannical theocrat and much of his entourage are dead. On the downside, so are thousands of innocent children and adults. As Trump’s open-ended and ill-defined Iran adventure unfolds, is it game over for the tattered remnants of the so-called Special Relationship between Britain and the US? Are there any good choices left for Starmer? And is Britain’s rah-rah right-wing press fantasising that British people support this war? Plus: after the Greens’ win in Manchester is Gorton &...
Mar 06, 2026•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 530
This edition recorded before the US attacks on Iran. The dust is still settling from Gorton and Denton . Are the Greens playing with fire with their voter targeting? If Keir Starmer’s leadership is back in question, how long has he got? Are Reform going full Trump with their whining about “cheating”? And can anyone think of anything at all to say about the Tories? Plus: Is there any appetite for an ICE-style immigration Gestapo like Zia Yusuf wants for his “Deportation Command”? After our Emerge...
Mar 03, 2026•57 min•Season 2Ep. 529
A special crossover edition from our geopolitics podcast This Is Not A Drill – Trump’s stunning surprise attack on Iran could be the most consequential world event since 9/11. Will the President’s goal of smooth regime change work when it failed every other time, or trigger a regional conflagration? Iran’s hated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is dead but the Islamic Republic is showing no sign of collapsing. And now Hezbollah has attacked other Arab states as well as British and US military targets...
Mar 02, 2026•30 min
The Greens take Gorton and Denton and Labour take a pounding. What does it all mean? Is there more going on than all the hot takes suggest? Is the Starmer Doomsday Clock ticking again? And will we ever get enough of Matt Goodwin’s sour defeat face? Ros Taylor and Steve Richards of the Rock & Roll Politics podcast join Andrew Harrison for a fast reaction by-election minicast. Join us next Tuesday (Monday for Patreons!) for a broader look at how the major parties will handle the result, and mo...
Feb 27, 2026•24 min•Season 2Ep. 527
Who gave the tip-off that resulted in Peter Mandelson’s sensational arrest? And will this mess ever stop unraveling? Plus, an Australian-style social media ban for under-16s is gathering pace. Can it work and is it such a good idea to protect teens from the online world only to throw them in the deep end once they turn 18? Also: Meeting Alastair Campbell at the Lido. Marie’s extraordinary experience of interviewing Gisèle Pelicot. And in the Extra Bit, the joy (or not) of making kids do terrible...
Feb 26, 2026•58 min•Season 2Ep. 526
The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on Epstein-related allegations of misconduct in public office stuns the world. He has not been charged with any offence – but is the former Prince’s past damaging the Monarchy irreparably? And when will the victims of Epstein and his circle get justice? Plus, as the vindictive Gorton & Denton by-election enters its last few days we talk to Jack Walton of local news site Manchester Mill about the vibe on the ground… and whether it’s worse for Labour if...
Feb 24, 2026•52 min•Season 2Ep. 525
Could Reform really carry out a Trump-style, Project 2025-inspired shock-and-awe assault on Britain’s institutions and politics if they get into government? America’s much-vaunted system of checks and balances turned out to be made of tissue paper. Is Britain’s hand-me-down constitution any more robust? We look at the firewalls in our politics with special guest James Ball of The New World paper. Plus, what did we make of Channel 4’s epic Tony Blair documentary? Did it let Tonty off too lightly?...
Feb 20, 2026•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 524
“There is no British security without Europe,” Keir Starmer told the Munich Security Conference this weekend. Nobody wants a wider war in Europe, but we might get one anyway – and Britain’s military isn’t ready for it yet. So how can we change our armed forces and our wider society to ensure that Putin won’t want to risk a conflict with Britain and our allies? Ed Arnold of the Royal United Services Institute joins Ros Taylor and Raf Behr to talk about how Russia uses hybrid “grey zone” attacks o...
Feb 17, 2026•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 523
First thing on Monday it looked like Keir Starmer was organic sourdough toast. By teatime he’d riled up Labour MPs and looked – somehow – safe for now. Can the PM weather the brutal months ahead? Is it still a case of “when not if” he goes? Plus, we look at how far the toxic misogyny of the Epstein horrorshow spreads. Special guest Morgan Jones takes us back to the anti-Brexit campaign for a second referendum in 2016-19 and we look for lessons for a possible Rejoin campaign. And in the Extra Bit...
Feb 13, 2026•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 522
Remember Trump’s first term when we talked about “kakistocracy”: rule by the worst of the worst? They’re back and they’re worse than ever – not just Trump and his entourage but his corrupt Mini-Mes around the world. Why is our time so cursed with venal, cruel, nihilistic and apparently mentally damaged leaders? Where do these personalities come from? Are Trump and his entourage true psychopaths in the psychological sense? Ian Hughes , author of Disordered Minds : How Dangerous Personalities Are ...
Feb 11, 2026•52 min•Season 2Ep. 521
Keir Starmer’s now former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney has gone, so what does this mean for the Prime Minister’s project and government? Zoë Grünewald is joined by Rafael Behr to discuss the fall out and where we go from here in a special bonus emergencycast. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Zoë Grünewald with Rafael Behr. Audio Production by Simon Williams. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, W...
Feb 09, 2026•40 min•Season 2Ep. 520
“I’m Mandy – buy me.” Peter Mandelson’s career finally collapses in a scandal more poisonous than Profumo, more serious than Partygate, and more shameful than Suez. How did Mandelson get away with his shifty behaviour for so long? Will Starmer’s errors of judgment taint his government irrevocably? And how come it’s on British figures like Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor who are suffering the consequences of their associations with Epstein? ESCAPE ROUTES • Raf recommends the app DJay Pro...
Feb 05, 2026•58 min•Season 2Ep. 519
A forty-year slow-motion disaster in higher education is reaching its climax – and Labour is left holding the bag. If young people decide a degree isn’t worth the massive debt, where does that leave British cities that depend on free-spending undergraduate populations – and universities that are hooked on no-longer-welcome foreign students? Can academia expect much sympathy from graduate generations whose aspirations are held back by crushing loan repayments? And can Labour do anything about it?...
Feb 03, 2026•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 518
Starmer slaps down Andy Burnham’s bid to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election: bad move for Labour, bad timing from Burnham, or another distraction we don’t need? Plus, who’s bringing the best self to the overladen Reform bandwagon: twice-sacked Home Sec and Creature Comforts creation Suella Braverman, or race-baiting former academic Matt Goodwin? Special guest, media analysts Ayala Panievsky, takes us through the populist assault on the right to know, and her book The New Censorship: How ...
Jan 30, 2026•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 517
“Things are more dangerous now than during the Cold War.” The world is breaking up into mutually suspicious power blocs, Trump is trying to destroy NATO and Putin has learned that aggression pays off. Is a major war coming or can we prevent it? In an enthralling conversation, defence commentator Peter Apps – author of The Next World War – explains the forces and self-deceptions that are driving the world towards conflict, the key danger points, and what Britain can do to avert disaster. • Buy Th...
Jan 27, 2026•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 516
• Get the latest reaction on Trump’s climbdown from Weekly Wrap-Up on The Bunker with Raf Behr and Andrew Harrison. “If you’re not at the table,” said Canada’s Mark Carney, “You’re on the menu.” Trump’s demented speech in Davos leaves the world agog. Beyond the President’s tantrums and on-off attempts to extort Greenland, are Britain and the EU ready to live in a world where America is a predatory enemy? Are European leaders just sucking his abuse up – or are their subtle pushbacks working? We l...
Jan 23, 2026•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 515
“You can’t fire me, I quit!” The world of politics is stunned – stunned! – as rightward-lurching public transport vigilante Robert Jenrick joins Reform* mere hours after Badenoch canned him for treachery. Will the world’s most self-seeking man work well with the world’s other most self-seeking man, Nigel Farage? Hmm, what do you think? Plus: Truly, Attlee, Deeply! How is Starmer doing compared to his illustrious predecessors as Labour leader? Izzy Conn of the history podcast Leading Labour helps...
Jan 20, 2026•55 min•Season 2Ep. 514
This edition recorded before Jenrick got sacked from the Conservatives and then joined Reform. Hey, it ’ s just like 2018… Two-month chancellor and frisky tax guy Nadim Zahawi hops aboard Nigel Farage’s overladen jamwagon. We once wondered if the Conservatives were turning into Reform – but are Reform turning into the Tories? Plus: How is the murky world of party donations developing in our new, post-two-party system? And how will crypto make it worse? Also: Britain’s dismal options on Greenland...
Jan 15, 2026•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 513
Hands up who’s had enough hot-off-the-headlines politics for 2026 already? No problem! In a change of pace we go politics-adjacent and welcome Jason Williamson – voice of Nottingham’s satirical noise-beat mob orators Sleaford Mods – to talk class politics, the power of a good rant, the real reasons for the flags-and-roundabouts mania of 2025… and why one member of the extended OGWN family gets a surprising mention on Sleaford Mods’ new album The Demise Of Planet X . • The Demise Of Planet X is r...
Jan 13, 2026•46 min•Season 2Ep. 512
What does Trump’s attack on Venezuela mean for the world – and what happens if he’s serious about Greenland? Plus, back home in the UK, politics is incredibly fractured. Reform UK leads many polls, Labour’s favourability is drowning, and the Green Party is neck and neck with the Lib Dems. But can the tide be turned in time to prevent Nigel Farage becoming PM? And in the Extra Bit for subscribers, as we start a new year, our panel describes the things they’re looking to do to push them out of the...
Jan 09, 2026•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 511
Trump’s actions in Venezuela revealed how far he’s prepared to push his power – and how happy he is to act like Vladimir Putin. How will America’s invasion embolden Russia? And what does it mean for Europe and its safety? Andrew Harrison speaks with Mark Galeotti, Russia expert and host of the In Moscow’s Shadows podcast, to discuss how Trump’s aggression compares to Putin’s and what that means for the world. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Andrew Harrison. Produced by Chris Jones. Aud...
Jan 07, 2026•41 min•Season 2Ep. 510
Who and what will receive our FIFA Peace Prize-style gongs for the year? Elon Musk for his brief, mayfly political life of casual mass murder? Trump and Vance for their disgusting Oval Office attack on Zelenskyy? Liz Truss, madwoman for hire? Oasis? Prince Andrew? Stephen f**king Miller? All these and more feature in our heated debate about the defining moments, heroes, villains, blessed distractions and underreported stories of a year we’re already drinking to forget. Cheers! Get our exclusive ...
Dec 22, 2025•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 509
Thank God that’s nearly over… It’s been a grim old year in politics, so in the penultimate OGWN of 2025 our panel pores over the entrails of the year to seek reasons for optimism in 2026. Plus in a But Your Emails Special we answer as many of your questions as we can squeeze in. And if that’s not enough, we suggest Christmas presents for major politicians that might make them better at their jobs… or at least inspire them to give up politics and get out of our hair. • Be here on Monday 22 Dec fo...
Dec 19, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 508
As 2025 spirals around the plughole of posterity, The Guardian’s parliamentary speechwriter John Crace joins us to look at the year inside the Westminster Village. Did Farage successfully cross over from consequence-free rabble-rouser to horribly plausible Prime Minister? Will the growing racism allegations halt his ambitions? Is there more going on in Starmer’s government than meets the eye? And what did we learn from the launch of Your Party, the fall of Angela Rayner and the Tories’ gap year?...
Dec 16, 2025•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 507
America’s new National Security Strategy is a hellish concoction of far-right obsessions, paranoid conspiracy thought, imperial fantasy, and outright aggression. European leaders are horrified but what are they going to do about it? Plus: Glasgow South MP Gordon McKee explains the UK’s debt to GDP ratio using towers of custard creams and bourbons . But can you make politics too simple? And in the Extra Bit for Patreons, we talk about Netflix’s real goal in trying to buy Warners: to kill off cine...
Dec 12, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 506
Social media’s sewer pipe of white nationalism, conspiracy thought and violent far-right incitement is seeping into mainstream politics. But where is all this extremism coming from? Who’s creating it? Is anyone on political social media not a bot? And what are we going to do about it? Special guest Olivia Brown from the University of Bath explains how a tiny number of far-right accounts weaponise tragedies like Southport and use AI and engagement tricks to fake grassroots, us-vs-them banter. The...
Dec 09, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 505
