Kemi Badenoch was supposed to reboot and re-energise the Tories. Now she’s tanking in the polls and flailing in the Commons. If she can’t beat Farage, will her leadership make it to the end of the summer? Plus, America’s slide from functioning democracy to autocracy summons up dark memories of when the same thing happened to the Ancient Roman republic. Classics lovers Rachel Cunliffe and Jonn Elledge join Zöe Grünewald and Andrew Harrison to ask whether the Fall of Roman democracy is a warning or a manual.

• Read Rachel’s New Statesman piece What Went Wrong of Kemi Badenoch?

• Andrew interviews John Higgs, author of Exterminate! Regenerate! – The Story of Doctor Who at the Rock’n’Roll Book Club, Walthamstow on Tue 22 April.

Escape Routes:

• Zöe’s choice Broken Country.

• Andrew’s choice Exterminate! Regenerate!

• Jonn’s History of the World in 47 Borders in paperback.

• Jonn’s choice I Want To Go Home But I'm Already There.

• Jonn’s OTHER choice Ghosts of Iron Mountain.

• Back us on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more.

Written and presented by Andrew Harrison with Rachel Cunliffe, Jonn Elledge and Zöe Grünewald. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Theme music by Cornershop. Produced by Chris Jones. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk

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Episode 06: Agnes Coolbrith