From Russia with Hate – Putin’s shadow war comes to Starmer’s door

From Russia with Hate – Putin’s shadow war comes to Starmer’s door

Surprise, surprise! The arson attacks on properties linked to Keir Starmer turn out to have been instigated by a Russian “diplomat” with a background in information warfare. Who’d have thought it? Has Vladimir Putin’s shadow war finally crossed the line? Plus: Wes Streeting wants to scrap the ban on new fossil fuel production. The Greens are looking less green. The Lib Dems appear indifferent. And don’t get us started on Reform’s Richard Tice… So, is Ed Miliband the last true defender of net zero left standing? Special guest Sam Bright of Desmog [https://www.desmog.com/] talks us through the battle over clean energy. And in the Extra Bit, our panellists reveal their moments of meaningless happiness as an antidote to the doom and gloom.  • Special offer! Get 20% off any vehicle history check at carVertical.com/OhGodWhatNow [https://www.carVertical.com/OhGodWhatNow]. • Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk [ogwn@podmasters.co.uk]. • Read Sam’s Substack [https://writesbright.substack.com/] and latest DeSmog articles [https://www.desmog.com/user/sambright/] ESCAPE ROUTES • Rachel has been listening to Steven Mangan and his sister Anita on the BBC’s Siblings Unpicked podcast [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002x486] • James has been playing a remake of the retro video game Final Fantasy VII [https://www.square-enix.com/ffvii/en-us/games/remake/]   • Sam has been dipping into England vs. New Zealand in the second test (between investigations)  • Matt has been binging Shrinking [https://tv.apple.com/gb/show/shrinking/umc.cmc.apzybj6eqf6pzccd97kev7bs?ctx_brand=tvs.sbd.4000], the Apple TV’s hit from the makers of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+.  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [http://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Matt Green with Rachel Cunliffe, James Ball and Sam Bright. Produced by James Liddell. Audio Production by Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk [https://www.podmasters.co.uk] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

TikTok You Don't Stop – Labour vs social media with Bridget Phillipson MP

Labour surprises everyone with a ban on Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X for the under-16. Critics say the “Australia Plus” regime is riddled with contradictions. Will it work, is it fair or is it just Starmer trying to look tough ahead of the Makerfield by-election? Andrew Harrison puts Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson on the spot and then our panel dig into the detail. Plus, the defence row and the resignations of John Healey and ex-Armed Forces Minister Al Carns continue to rock Labour. Could they derail Andy Burnham’s plans to get back into Westminster?  • Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk [ogwn@podmasters.co.uk].  ESCAPE ROUTES • Hannah went to the Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends exhibition at the Young V&A  [https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/inside-aardman-wallace-gromit-and-friends] • Marie just finished Joseph Roth’s classic The Radetzky March [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781783788453]  • Jonn has been reading the first in Patt Barker’s acclaimed Regeneration trilogy   [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781848424401] • Seth took a pit stop at the iconic Literary and Philosophical Society [https://www.litandphil.org.uk/] during a trip to Newcastle www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Seth Thévoz with Marie le Conte, Hannah Fearn and Jonn Elledge. Produced by James Liddell. Audio Production by Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk [http://www.podmasters.co.uk]  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Belfast and the Far-Right – The Bottomless Buffet of Bullshit

What’s more revolting? The racist pogrom against innocent families in Belfast? Or the way the far-right is again using a violent attack to claim that every immigrant – legal or illegal – is a threat to the country? Our panel looks at how indulging the “legitimate concerns” mindset leads to kids being burned out of their homes. Plus we answer your questions in our new monthly-ish But Your Emails special. And in the Extra Bit for Patreon people: do progressive protestors need to up their banner game? • Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk [ogwn@podmasters.co.uk].  ESCAPE ROUTES • Jason has been reading A.I. [https://www.amazon.co.uk/AI-UK-version-Engels-Lieven-Scheire/dp/9493387364/]by Belgian comedian Lieven Schiere  • Seth saw Churchill’s Urinal starring friend of the pod Rosie Holt at the King’s Head Theatre, Islington. You’ve missed it, but it’s on in Edinburgh in August.  [https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/churchills-urinal]   • Zöe enjoyed Look What You Made Me Do [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9780571298662] by John Lanchester. • Andrew has been listening to Inferno by Boards Of Canada [https://open.spotify.com/album/0mu3EvWYfNwBfISSg0q03p?si=1ElwWD99TrO3LW_16s7Svw] www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Andrew Harrison with Zöe Grünewald, Seth Thévoz and Jason Hazeley. Audio Production by Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk [https://www.podmasters.co.uk]  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

“Brexit? It wasn’t our job to have a plan” – What the BBC’s jaw-dropping doc reveals

The BBC gets in early with its “ten years since the Brexit Referendum” jamboree with a “star”-studded retro-documentary, Brexit: A Very British Civil War [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002xhvl] from legendary film-maker Norma Percy. Our panel bravely retraumatise themselves by watching it. What do we learn that’s new? Who comes out of it worst: Cameron, Corbyn, Johnson, Seumas Milne, Gove, Osbourne or Cummings? Could anything have averted this catastrophe? And have any of these egotists and hobby-horsers learned a damn thing in the past decade?  Plus, in related matters… Why do we believe what we believe? Why are conservatives more disgusted by disgusting things than liberals? And why (good news!) do liberals have more interesting sex? Author Turi Munthe joins us to discuss the psychology behind our deepest impulses.  • Buy Turi Munthe’s book Why We Think What We Think [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781529153842] through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. • Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk [ogwn@podmasters.co.uk].  ESCAPE ROUTES • Rachel enjoyed A Beginner’s Guide to Breaking and Entering on audiobook – but you can read it on paper too.  • Rafael has been listening to Paris 1919 [https://open.spotify.com/album/6oNqOeW4FADs5D8fEXOT2n?si=nsOS77PYSwKqdzAVdthu4Q] by John Cale.  • Turi Munthe recommends Other People’s Children [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781803513010] by Ben Faccini.  • Matt recommends crime comedy Deep Cover [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deep-Cover-Tom-Kingsley/dp/B0F3SFF49P] starring Nick Mohammed, Orlando Bloom and Bryce Dallas Howard, on Amazon Prime.  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Matt Greene with Rachel Cunliffe and Rafael Behr. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk [http://www.podmasters.co.uk]  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Farage’s riot act — How the right is exploiting Henry Nowak’s murder

Farage and the far-right have been quick to seize on Henry Nowak’s horrific murder, ignoring pleas from the victim’s family for the killing not to be politicised. Instead the Reform leader decried “two-tier” policing and called for “pure, cold rage”. What does it all mean? Are we in for another summer of racially-triggered rioting? Plus: what would an Andy Burnham government actually look like? Can Manchesterism succeed where Starmerism stumbled? And in the Extra Bit… mantropreneurship irritant Steven Bartlett claims that two glasses of wine “ruined” his life for three days. Our panel examine the toxic cult of peak performance.  • Buy tickets for Ahir’s Golden tour [https://www.ahirshah.com/] • Because of developments in the news we’ve postponed the promised BUT YOUR EMAILS special by one week. But you can still send your questions to ogwn@podmasters.co.uk [ogwn@podmasters.co.uk].  ESCAPE ROUTES • Ros has been watching the BBC’s hit drama Two Weeks in August [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002stj0] • Seth rewatched Lawrence of Arabia at Soho’s iconic Prince Charles Cinema • Ahir has been binging darkly-comical superhero series The Boys, which led him to the comic [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781524108595%C2%A0] • Zoe has been reading Caro Claire Burke’s new novel Yesteryear [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9780008742768] about a time-travelling tradwife.   When you buy books through our affiliate bookshop, you help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Zoë Grünewald with Seth Thévoz, Ros Taylor and Ahir Shah. Produced by James Liddell. Audio Production by Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk [https://www.podmasters.co.uk]  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]