Oh God, What Now?

Westminster Village Idiots? – Parliament in 2025 with John Crace of The Guardian

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? 📚 John Crace’s The Bonfire of the Insanities [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781783353156] is available to buy now. 📧 Next week’s edition features a But Your Emails 2025 special. Send your questions to info@remainiacs.com – should old email addresses be forgot? 🎄 Get 20% off a year’s support [https://www.patreon.com/posts/your-podcast-you-144281630] for Oh God, What Now? until Christmas – whether you’re a new backer, renewing or upgrading. ESCAPE ROUTES • John recommends Blue Lights [https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p0f2cxpr/blue-lights] on BBC iPlayer. • Rachel hates Christmas pop but she likes White Wine In The Sun [https://open.spotify.com/track/526mDk6dMvJqgtMpsEy8PP?si=a083f37e40e642b2] by Tim Minchin and Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End) [https://open.spotify.com/track/46w8k81V0eSBx64XuVHxT2?si=1bac73167d9e483b] by The Darkness. • Andrew recommends the science fiction novel Blood Music [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781857987621] by Greg Bear. Buy any book through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund Oh God, What Now? by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. • Get our exclusive NordVPN deal at nordvpn.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://nordvpn.com/ohgodwhatnow]. It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money back guarantee! www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://www.patreon.com/c/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Andrew Harrison with Rachel Cunliffe. Produced by Chris Jones. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Art direction by James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. 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]

Trump to Europe: “Drop Dead”

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 [https://x.com/GordonMcKeeMP/status/1992900776574804227]. 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 cinema.  🎄Get 20% off a year’s support for Oh God, What Now? [https://www.patreon.com/posts/your-podcast-you-144281630] until Christmas – whether you’re a new backer, renewing or upgrading.  ESCAPE ROUTES • Jonn recommends Pluribus [https://tv.apple.com/us/show/pluribus/umc.cmc.37axgovs2yozlyh3c2cmwzlza] on Apple TV+.  • Hannah recommends Really Good, Actually [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9780008511760] by Monica Heisy.  • Jason recommends the BBC documentary I Am Martin Parr [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002j0v1] • Matt went to see Edgar Wright’s The Running Man at the cinema but doesn’t recommend it much.  • When you buy books through our affiliate bookshop, you help fund Oh God, What Now? by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. • Get our exclusive NordVPN deal at nordvpn.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://nordvpn.com/podcast/?coupon=ohgodwhatnow&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_term=&utm_content&utm_source=aff71451&utm_campaign=off840]. It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money back guarantee!  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Matt Green with Hannah Fearn, Jonn Elledge and Jason Hazeley. Produced by Chris Jones. Audio Production by: Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. https://www.podmasters.co.uk [http://www.podmasters.co.uk]  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Lost in the Far-Right Funhouse – How bots and fakes create a false, angry Britain

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 goal: to warp Britain’s perception of what’s normal. 📳 Hear Paul Merton on Experience is Everything [https://play.megaphone.fm/9m9rrpgmsnu7902zxtb5vw] – Brought to you by Saga.  🎄Get 20% off a year’s support for Oh God, What Now? [https://www.patreon.com/posts/your-podcast-you-144281630] until Christmas – whether you’re a new backer, renewing or upgrading.  ESCAPE ROUTES • Olivia recommends The Guardian Football Weekly [%E2%81%A0https://www.theguardian.com/football/series/footballweekly%E2%81%A0] podcast.  • Jonn recommends Don’t Burn Anyone at the Stake Today [https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/don-t-burn-anyone-at-the-stake-today-and-other-lessons-from-history-about-living-through-an-information-crisis-naomi-alderman/7823728?ean=9780241777633&next=t&next=t&affiliate=13277] by Naomi Alderman.  • Zoë recommends Sandwich [https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/sandwich-catherine-newman/7698655?ean=9781804993187&next=t&affiliate=13277] by Catherine Newman. When you buy books through our affiliate bookshop, you help fund OGWN by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.  • Head to nakedwines.co.uk/ohgodwhatnow [https://www.nakedwines.co.uk/ohgodwhatnow] to get a £30 voucher and 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • Get our exclusive NordVPN deal at nordvpn.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://nordvpn.com/ohgodwhatnow]. It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money back guarantee!  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [http://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Zoë Grünewald with Jonn Elledge. Produced by Chris Jones. Audio and Video Production by: Chris Jones Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. 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]

In-Fight Club – Your Party flames out

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?⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/posts/your-podcast-you-144281630] until Christmas – whether you’re a new backer, renewing or upgrading.  ESCAPE ROUTES • Ros recommends Trespasses [https://www.channel4.com/programmes/trespasses] on Channel 4 catch-up. • Raf just caught up with 2001: A Space Odyssey [%E2%81%A0https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/2001-a-space-odyssey%E2%81%A0] . • Marie recommends the movies Pillion and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, both in cinemas now.  • Andrew finally, finally watched Under The Skin [https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/under-the-skin%E2%81%A0] with Scarlett Johansson. • Head to nakedwines.co.uk/ohgodwhatnow [%E2%81%A0http://nakedwines.co.uk/ohgodwhatnow] to get a £30 voucher and 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • Get our exclusive NordVPN deal at nordvpn.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://nordvpn.com/ohgodwhatnow]. It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money back guarantee!  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [http://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Andrew Harrison with Marie le Conte, Rafael Behr and Ros Taylor. Produced by Chris Jones. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. 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]

Can we get Britain out of its hole?

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 [https://getting-out-of-the-hole.uk] – and he’s here to talk about it. Why is our productivity so bad? Why are we getting work, energy, manufacturing and cities wrong? Why do we keep basing our strategy on things we’re not good at? And can we fix any of it without reversing Brexit? Listen in to find out.  🎄Get 20% off a year’s support for Oh God, What Now? [https://www.patreon.com/posts/your-podcast-you-144281630] until Christmas – whether you’re a new backer, renewing or upgrading.  ESCAPE ROUTES • Rachel recommends the new Wicked movie, Wicked: For Good. • John recommends human-extinction themed episodes of the podcasts If Books Could Kill [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2040953/episodes/18220972-sapiens] and Past Present Future [the-rise-and-fall-of-homo-sapiens]. • Seth recommends a visit to the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library [https://www.nixonlibrary] to buy their themed Christmas ornaments.  • Head to nakedwines.co.uk/ohgodwhatnow [%E2%81%A0http://nakedwines.co.uk/ohgodwhatnow%E2%81%A0] to get a £30 voucher and 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • Get our exclusive NordVPN deal at nordvpn.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://nordvpn.com/ohgodwhatnow]. It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money back guarantee!  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [http://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Seth Thévoz with Rachel Cunliffe. Audio and Video production: Chris Jones. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. 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]