Oh God, What Now?

The Universities’ Doom Spiral – Can Britain avert disaster?

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?  In a fascinating conversation Oxford Brookes history professor and education commentator Glen O’Hara walks Ros Taylor and Hannah Fearn through the unfolding mess. Abstract: “The only way to wake up Westminster and Whitehall is to have a crisis.”   • Buy Glen O’Hara’s book New Labour, New Britain [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781526146328] 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.  ESCAPE ROUTES  • Hannah recommends Intermezzo [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9780571365487] by Sally Rooney.  • Glen recommends Kingdom Come [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9780007232475] by JG Ballard.   • Ros has been watching David Baddiel’s Cat Man [https://www.channel4.com/programmes/david-baddiel-cat-man] on C4.   Support us on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/ohgodwhatnow]. Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more Presented by Ros Taylor with Hannah Fearn. Audio Production by Chris Jones and 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 [https://www.podmasters.co.uk/]   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Burnham booted, Braverman back ... and how to beat the New Censorship

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 the War on the Media is Taking Us Down [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781804441114]. And in the Extra Bit: Who’s feeling the “middle class spending crisis [https://www.thetimes.com/money/family-finances/article/lifestyle-creep-costs-middle-class-downgrade-experience-gmvk5n5mn]?” •  Buy The New Censorship by Ayala Panievsky [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781804441114] 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. ESCAPE ROUTES •  HANNAH has been reading Eurotrash by Christian Kracht [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781805226598] •  MATT recommends the Tourette’s movie I Swear [https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/i-swear%E2%81%A0] •  AYALA PANIEVSKY has been going to Iranian and Persian raves in Hackney like this one [https://ra.co/events/2357940] •  ANDREW has rediscovered the (mostly) pre-Trump nostalgia of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt [https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80025384] on Netflix.   www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Andrew Harrison with Hannah Fearn and Matt Green. 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 [https://www.podmasters.co.uk]  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

The next war and how to stop it

“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 [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781035424856] – 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 The Next World War [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781035424856] 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. ESCAPE ROUTES • Peter has been reading Kingmaker [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9780349014753], Sonia Purnell’s biography of Pamela Churchill Harriman • Alex recommends Booker Prize winner Flesh [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9780224099783] by David Szalay.  • Seth was delighted to find Mask Or Face: Reflections in an Actor's Mirror [https://onlineshop.oxfam.org.uk/mask-or-face-reflections-in-an-actors-mirror-by-michael-redgrave-signed-first-edition-1958/product/HD_302492883?sku=HD_302492883] by Michael Redgrave in a charity shop.  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [http://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Seth Thévoz and Alex von Tunzelmann. 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]

The Curse of Davos – plus: The future without America?

• Get the latest reaction on Trump’s climbdown from Weekly Wrap-Up [https://linktr.ee/bunker_pod] 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 look at the shocking end of 80 years of Atlanticism and wonder what comes next for a Brexit-weakened Britain. Oh, and Jason admits that years ago he did a “please have my Nobel Peace Prize” too. No better than Trump, this guy.  ESCAPE ROUTES • Zöe recommends the Jean-Marc Vallée movie Wild [https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/wild] with Reese Witherspoon.  • Jason has been reading Things Are Never So Bad That They Can’t Get Worse: Inside the Collapse of Venezuela [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Things-Never-That-They-Worse/dp/1250266165] by William Neuman • Jonn has been reading Precipice [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781804941294] by Robert Harris.   • Ros recommends Michael Crick’s biography of Farage, One Party After Another [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781471192326].   www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://www.patreon.com/c/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Ros Taylor with Jason Hazeley, Zöe Grünewald and Jonn Elledge. 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]

Heated Rivalry – Will the Jenrick-Farage team-up work out?

“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 [https://open.spotify.com/show/2k1Xn50nr7KgBg6wvvEq0D?si=8ac1acdbc99a484f] helps us work out where Sir Keir fits in the Labour league ladder.  ( * Yes, we missed Andrew Rosindell. What do you want? Time travel??)  ESCAPE ROUTES • Zöe recommends ‘Hamnet’ at the movies – out now.  • Izzy recommends the songwriting podcast And The Writer Is [https://open.spotify.com/show/26gzyiPD2ix1VaO1fHDKCk?si=62e7a19b8b08404f].  • Andrew recommends you see Belgian rave-rock band Soulwax [https://soulwax.com/] live if you get the chance.  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Andrew Harrison with Zöe Grünewald. 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. https://www.podmasters.co.uk [http://www.podmasters.co.uk]  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]