With the ‘media froth’ surrounding the economy building, bond yields spiking and interest rates set to soar, can our economy keep defying gravity? Special guest co-pilot Nick Timothy is on hand to explain why interest rates are set to feel incredibly painful during this the Bank Of England’s 13th interest rate rise. However, Liam thinks that there is a ‘policy crunch' on the way with the political and media classes unable to leave the Bank of England and its independence alone. Also st...
Jun 21, 2023•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast The summer silly season isn’t yet upon us but already things have descended into circus mode, with Boris Johnson’s resignation as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. But did he jump or was he pushed? And will he go down without a fight? Allison thinks Boris Johnson is being hung out to dry in a ‘witch hunt’ and doesn't believe any former Prime Minister deserves. Whilst Liam is quick to identify the holes in the recent Covid inquiry, which he thinks shows our country in a poor light. Wi...
Jun 14, 2023•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast There’s a lot to discuss this week; the latest lockdown report, Sir Keir Starmer taking on the Unions and some High Court action. Your co-pilots are strapped in ready to give their take. It's a big week for the covid misinformation brigade as the latest lockdown report lands in the rocket. Is retribution in the air? As for the country's own inquiry, it all seems to be taking an awfully long time (as Liam says, even the Italians have finished theirs!) . The co-pilots also examine Sir Ke...
Jun 07, 2023•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Where are all the grown ups? This is the burning question our co-pilots are asking today. Amongst the latest drama at Westminster not to mention the This Morning sofa, our co-pilots feel as if they’re now living through the looking glass. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s energy strategy is under (a carbon emitting) fire, which Allison describes as an act of ‘national suicide’ too reliant upon foreign strategies to be virtuous enough for the green lobby. Whilst Liam thinks th...
May 31, 2023•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Inflation has slowed but the latest bombshell immigration figures are in. Could the Conservative party be heading for a possible 1997-style landslide election defeat? Liam thinks the latest immigration figures could give Labour the leg up they need, but only if they start ‘talking tough’ and stop trying to appease their most Left leaning voters. Joining the rocket this week is Nigel Farage, who buckles in next to the co-pilots to give his take on the latest immigration figures, and why he thinks...
May 24, 2023•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast We saw two mini conferences this week from Tory Land: both the National Conservative conference and the Social Conservative Democratic Organisation had speakers from across the party both claiming they know what is best for members going forward. Are we about to see a full blown Tory identity crisis? Allison predicts the last nail in the Conservative coffin might be on the horizon when the net immigration figures are released next week, whilst Liam thinks that the potential b...
May 18, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast The local elections results are in and your co-pilots are on hand to deliver their verdict. But who won the all important sweepstake, Allison or Liam? Liam thinks the Conservatives should be quietly confident with the results, but suggest they should reframe the threat of an anti-Tory coalition as a ‘coalition of chaos’. Allison however, is doubtful that the governing party can hold the country together, comparing recent policy announcements to ‘moving deck chairs around the ...
May 10, 2023•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast NB: This episode was recorded on Wednesday May 3rd 2023 It’s a big week on the rocket, as England faces local elections and The Coronation in one orbit. But will the pomp and circumstance be enough to distract from potentially troublesome poll results for the Tory party? Your co-pilots have their predictions ready. Allison thinks Rishi Sunak might have to pull off a miracle to help the Conservatives weather this election, and that a new branch of the party might emerge from t...
May 03, 2023•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast With concerns about the London marathon and FA cup final due to protests, our co-pilots weigh in on the latest protest psychodramas dominating the news this week. Allison thinks public patience with these sorts of protests is wearing thin and that more realistic net zero targets need to be set. Whilst Liam is optimistic that the renewable energy debate is shifting towards a bigger focus on technology rather than ‘moral virtue’. Joining our co-pilots this week is author Professor Matthew Goodwin,...
Apr 19, 2023•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast As the country’s junior doctors hit the picket lines, your co-pilots hit the rocket of sweet reason to dissect what’s really going on in our ‘first class' National Health Service. Allison thinks the NHS might have finally kicked the bucket and questions whether we should start sending patients abroad for treatments, whilst Liam thinks the strikes represent bigger failings of our political and media classes. Joining our co-pilots this week is trade economist Catherine McBride, who is on...
Apr 12, 2023•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast The campaign starting gun has been fired and the race to the local elections has begun. But which horse is the current front runner in the eyes of our co-pilots? Allison believes the Conservatives are heading for a huge election defeat and a chasmic ideological party split. However Liam doubts that Keir Starmer lacks the charisma to achieve a 1997 style landslide. Also on the podcast, our co-pilots weigh in on the latest political developments across the pond, and ponder over what former p...
Apr 05, 2023•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the second of this two-part lockdown retrospective, your co-pilots welcome back onto the rocket some of their heroes from the pandemic, those they feel that have spoken out against the mainstream. Previous stowaways Sir Graham Brady, Professor Pat Price, Laura Dodsworth, Lord David Frost, Luke Johnson, Lord Jonathan Sumption and the infamous 'George' all strap in to share where they were in March 2020, reveal what they think the collateral damage has been, as well as how they think histo...
Mar 29, 2023•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the first of this two-part lockdown retrospective, your co-pilots look back at the events of March 2020, that unexpectedly led to them being at the helm of a ‘covid podcast’. Both are in no doubt that the pandemic has changed them. Allison feels she has lost a trust in authority as a result, whilst Liam feels he’s become steelier at arguing his opinion, after speaking out against mainstream thought. Also joining our co-pilots on this very special voyage is Anders Tegnell the State Epidem...
Mar 23, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Strap in, its Budget week and the Planet Normal rocket has got a first class ticket to the most eagerly anticipated financial breakdown of this Spring. Co-pilot Pearson has been sent off on a special mission (more on that to come) so Telegraph Associate Editor Ben Wright is keeping her seat warm. So: are we on course for a rocky economic ride? Liam is quietly optimistic that this ‘steady as she goes budget’ is better than anticipated, and could help erase the scars of former Chancellor Kwas...
Mar 16, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast We may be aboard the rocket of right thinking, but this week on Planet Normal we're discussing a very different type of vessel, small boats, and the Prime Minister's strong words this week about stopping them. Allison argues that if we have to leave the European Convention of Human Rights to gain control of borders then so be it, and Liam worries that this could be the latest battle in the culture wars to get really nasty. Plus joining our co-pilots on the sanctuary of sweet rea...
Mar 09, 2023•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our co-pilots are feeling a bit smug this week, as a series of revelations lift the lid on Covid untruths at home and abroad. Allison argues The Telegraph's Lockdown Files give us a 'jaw-dropping' insight into the mayhem behind decision-making in the pandemic. Liam thinks the leaked messages will have a profound impact on the public inquiry into Covid-19. The FBI chief's admission that the virus likely leaked from a Chinese lab is cause for cheer on the rocket, as so-called conspiracy theorists ...
Mar 02, 2023•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Spring is in the air on Planet Normal, with resident economist Halligan spotting some economic green shoots amongst the doom and gloom. But all is not well on the rocket… Our co-pilots are appalled at the news that Roald Dahl’s books are being re-written. Liam labels the move cultural vandalism, with Allison declaring it is grotesque censorship. So with 'woke totalitarianism' taking hold, is any literature safe? Also strapping into the rocket of right thinking this week is economist and aut...
Feb 23, 2023•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s all eyes on Scotland this week, after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's surprising decision to stand down. And with a TikTok ban and a Tory tax row, it’s far from a quiet week on the rocket. Liam thinks Sturgeon's determination to have her own way on gender identity issues ultimately led to her downfall. Allison believes she ran out of road on Scottish independence, and predicts Labour could be the biggest benefactors of her shock exit. Also stepping into the sanctuary of sweet reason is aut...
Feb 16, 2023•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast She’s back. Former short lived Prime Minister Liz Truss has re-entered the Westminster fray, but is it a triumphant return? Our co-pilots give their hot take. Liam thinks the Former PM has moved the needle in the economic debate, and forced those who tore down her ideas to think again. Allison was left concerned about how much influence the OBR really has on economic policy. Also boarding the rocket this week is Telegraph Science Editor, Sarah Knapton, who tells our co-pilots how was left '...
Feb 09, 2023•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we mark the third anniversary of Brexit, our co-pilots take on the doomsters and get to the bottom of why the country feels short-changed by the decision to leave the EU. Allison argues the current government is obstructing the Brexit we voted for, whilst Liam feels the benefits of leaving the EU have been hampered by the pandemic and war in Ukraine. Also boarding the rocket of right thinking this week is journalist and author, Ross Clark, who straps in to tell our co-pilots why climate chang...
Feb 02, 2023•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our co-pilots feel like they’re back to the 90s this week with a cloud of Tory sleaze and looming recession hanging over the country. But will it be death by one too many scandals for the Sunak Government? The residents of the rocket are appalled by the latest ‘petty’ Westminster developments. Allison worries that Rishi Sunak is merely a ‘timid technocrat’ not fit to lead, whilst Liam thinks the PM needs to start following his instinct and stop ‘governing by focus groups.' Also climbing aboard t...
Jan 26, 2023•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Just when you thought the strikes couldn't get worse, teachers have decided to join the wave of walkouts. But who do our co-pilots think will come out top of the class? Allison thinks the move to strike is disgraceful after children already missed out on so much school during lockdown. While Liam believes teachers will struggle to gain as much public support for their strike as nurses. In more positive news on the rocket this week, our co-pilots praise Westminster's decision to bl...
Jan 19, 2023•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's a brand new year on Planet Normal and while the rocket has been taking a well earned break there has been a tsunami of news. Our co-pilots deliver a no-holds-barred review of Prince Harry’s bombshell book, declaring it a ‘pathetic’ attack on the media that will only result in more supposedly unwanted attention. Closer to home, as industrial strife and an NHS in crisis strain the Sunak Government, Allison and Liam agree the Labour party is looking more and more like a viable alternative. Als...
Jan 12, 2023•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s a ho ho ho from our co-pilots this week as they embark on a very special festive voyage, strapping in for one last orbit of 2022 to look back at a year of tumultuous news. Allison had to steel herself with a glass of mulled wine before looking back at the year that's been: Three Prime Ministers, a war in Europe, soaring cost of living, the Queens' death, and a series of strikes. Amid the chaos Liam still wants to spread the festive joy, wishing a 'happy winter closure period' to all. B...
Dec 22, 2022•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s less striking action, more strike-in-action this week as England crash out of the World Cup and industrial action rumbles on. But how many strikes can the Tories take until they are down and out? Strapping into the rocket of right thinking this week is Stanford professor Dr Jay Bhattacharya. He tells our co-pilots about his private meeting with Elon Musk and why he doesn't blame the new Twitter boss for his blacklisting over the Great Barrington Declaration.' Our co-pilots also weighed in o...
Dec 15, 2022•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Our co-pilots are doing their best to minimise the gloom threatening to eclipse the rocket this week, by bringing a little festive cheer. Allison and Liam deliver their verdict on the week’s blockbuster releases; the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Netflix tell-all, and Matt Hancock’s new book the 'Pandemic Diaries'. Co-pilot Pearson is shocked that the former government minister has been allowed to ‘pre-empt’ the public enquiry in his new book and thinks he should have been under oath first. Whils...
Dec 08, 2022•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast The winter of discontent appears to be in full swing, with strikes, swelling inflation and power cuts threatening to dim the Christmas lights. This week our co-pilots are wading into the immigration debate, and strapping into the rocket to help them is the Chair of Migration Watch UK, Alp Mehmet. Alp shares his concerns at the impacts increased levels of immigration are having on our country, particularly the strain on services and infrastructure like the NHS and housing. Allison thinks tha...
Dec 01, 2022•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast December is fast approaching but the mood is far from festive on the rocket, with strikes, spiralling living costs and World Cup wokery afoot - can it still come home? As a growing number of Conservative MPs announce plans to step down at the next election, our co-pilots mull over whether it might be time for a change in high office. Allison believes the Tories have given up on business and growth, and they're only surviving day to day. Co-pilot Pearson is also concerned the Government...
Nov 24, 2022•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tax is the word on our co-pilot’s lips this week as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveils the Autumn Statement. But with some bold moves expected, could there be Tory mutiny on the horizon? Liam is frustrated at the cynical use of ‘stealth taxes,’ which he worries might drive the economy into deeper recession and break already delicate bonds of trust between the public and the state. Allison thinks the Chancellor has made ‘cowardly decisions' in order to satisfy the left-wing media and opposition, and ...
Nov 17, 2022•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Cop27 week, and as the world leaders jet in, our co-pilots digest the highs and lows from what is better known on the rocket as ‘the inverted pyramid of piffle'. The hypocrisies of the event certainly weren’t lost on either co-pilots. Liam thinks the PM should have set a better example, attending the event remotely on Zoom rather than attending by plane, whilst Allison is concerned that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s policies are unobtainable and more of a ‘green fairytale’. Also beaming...
Nov 10, 2022•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
