Strong Message Here

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.Why do we know what's going to be in a political speech before it happens? What is 'kiteflying' and 'pitch rolling'? To find out, Helen and Armando are joined by sketch writer for The Critic, Rob Hutton, who has been at more political announcements than he's had hot dinners. What's the best speech he's heard? What's the worst? And who are all those people who turn up to watch the Prime Minister give a speech at a carpet factory in Darlington?Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.ukSound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum and Caroline Barlow Executive Producer - Pete StraussProduced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.This week, Trump has truly settled back into the White House, but is it different this time around? Helen and Armando take a look at how this unique politician uses language to get his way. We also look at Trump Derangement Syndrome - a favourite phrase of the new President to describe his detractors - and how other politicians have changed their tune about Trump since his last term.Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.ukSound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete StraussProduced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.This week, Helen and Armando take a deep dive into Mark Zuckerberg's statement which explains the new rules around fact checking and free speech on his Meta platforms. Is free speech really back? Or should we be worried that fact-checkers are a thing of the past? Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.Have you got a 'community note' for Helen and Armando? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.ukSound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete StraussProduced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

Join Armando Iannucci and Helen Lewis as they hilariously decode political language, particularly a memorable jab by Kemi Badenoch. Discover what makes political attacks effective or ineffective, while indulging in anecdotes from the post-Brexit landscape. They also dive into the frenzy of the news cycle and its impact on genuine political discourse. With witty critiques of corporate jargon and reflections on the absurdities of modern politics, this conversation is both insightful and entertaining.

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.This week, Helen and Armando are delving into the email inbox to find out which political phrases have been driving our listeners to distraction.Strong Message here will be back on the 16th January at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.ukSound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete StraussProduced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

In a year where Labour secured a 'loveless landslide' in the UK and Trump sealed his return to the White House, Helen and Armando will be 'laser-focused' on their 'mission' to skewer the use and abuse of political language. From 'freebies' to 'fascism', 'weird' to 'working people', all of the strong messages that helped Make 2024 Great Again will be put under the microscope.A witty, illuminating exploration of the verbal tricks of the trade from two people both mesmerised and baffled by our political discourse. Helen and Armando will identify the worst political doublespeak, discover where it comes from, examine why it spreads - and look at what effect it has on the rest of us.Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.ukSound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete StraussProduced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.This week, Helen and Armando are having a splash around in the tepid bath of managed decline. When does a phrase become accidentally too evocative? What is the remedy to a tepid bath? And is the desire for 'start up culture' within the government the right thing?Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.ukSound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete StraussProduced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.This week, following Keir Starmer's 'Plan for Change', Helen and Armando look at what a reset actually means. From Jaguar's rebrand to Miliband's Ed Stone, do resets work? Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.ukSound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete StraussProduced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.Following Louise Haigh's resignation and Matt Gaetz's withdrawal from his Attorney General nomination, both said they were 'becoming a distraction', so Helen and Armando dig into the language of the political resignation. Looking at interesting resignations through history, Helen also codifies the archetypes of political resignations, and Armando tells us about seeing a high-profile sacking in real time.Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.We have a listener mailbag special coming up, so if you have any correspondence for Helen and Armando, email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.ukSound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete StraussProduced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.This week, we get into the world of political apologies. Why does Starmer keep insisting he makes no apologies for things that no one is actually asking him to apologise for? Is saying something is 'regrettable' really an apology? And why has Mark Zuckerberg decided to stop apologising for Facebook?Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.ukSound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete StraussProduced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.