Oh God, What Now?

In the second half of our latest live outing, the panel discusses hope for the future and the prospect of rekindling the old EU flame… Is it time to rebrand rejoin? Plus, a special conspiracy theory quiz and some questions from our beloved audience. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Written and presented by Alex Andreou with Ros Taylor, Ian Dunt and Ayesha Hazarika. Audio producers: Alex Rees and Robin Leeburn. Producer: Jet Gerbertson. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Theme music by Cornershop. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To listen to this week's live show in its entirety before everyone else, join us from just £3 a month: www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow What a difference a day makes… with Sturgeon gone and Starmer putting his foot down on Corbyn, the panel picks apart the latest political shake ups. What will this mean for the prospect of (whisper it), a Labour Government? Out early for everyone (and you’ll get it all on Patreon) here’s part one of our latest Leicester Square Theatre outing – with the second due in our usual Friday slot…Written and presented by Alex Andreou with Ros Taylor, Ian Dunt and Ayesha Hazarika. Audio producers: Alex Rees and Robin Leeburn. Producer: Jet Gerbertson. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Theme music by Cornershop. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gove convenes a stealth conference on how to make Britain work better with the EU. Is the time ripe to start talking about Britain rejoining? Is the Tories’ Red Wall emissary 30p Lee Anderson a disaster waiting to happen? Plus, with legendary works of fiction going out of copyright – we ask our panel what they would reboot or reimagine. Rachel Cunliffe, associate editor at New Statesman, is this week’s guest. Get the last few tickets to Oh God, What Now? Live at the Leicester Square Theatre here. https://lsttickets.leicestersquaretheatre.com/ticketbooth/shows/873632997Hear Mugshots with Michael Crick here. https://link.chtbl.com/mugshots-ep1ChatGPT Is a Blurry JPEG of the Web says Ted Chiang. https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/chatgpt-is-a-blurry-jpeg-of-the-web “This pseudo-butch rubbish stimulates a part of the Conservative base that Rishi Sunak is now actively trying to appease.” – Alex Andreou “It’s a continuation of the Brexit disease. Our body politic was infected with lies. This intake is the direct result of that.” – Alex Andreou  “If you see Brexit as a divorce, we can’t be aiming to get remarried any time soon, it’s more of a friends with benefits situation with the EU.” – Rachel Cunliffe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New series preview: How much do we really know about the people who make the headlines? In a provocative new series the acclaimed journalist Michael Crick, formerly of BBC, C4 and Newsnight, delves into the backgrounds of the powerful and the influential.In this first episode: Few newspaper editors wield as much power as the Daily Mail’s Paul Dacre. Feared and courted by politicians, he’s imposed his singular vision of Britain on successive governments – while sometimes stretching the law in pursuit of justice. But what makes Dacre tick? What does he want? And how might this epic career end?Like this excerpt? Hear the complete episode on all platforms right now here. And subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rishi Sunak shuffles his Cabinet pack and comes up with a couple of dog-eared former junior ministers plus 30p Lee. Is there any talent left in the Tory tank? And is Sunak really in charge? Plus, HORRIBLE BOSSES: The Dominic Raab Edition. Why do bullies appear to prosper in the Conservative Party? And when does “robust management” become office tyranny? And in the Extra Bit: After the bizarre resurrection of Liz Truss, what are the best comebacks of all time?Get your tickets for OGWN Live on Weds 15 Feb here: https://lsttickets.leicestersquaretheatre.com/ticketbooth/shows/873632997/events/128440767/seats?zone=Main%20House. The Official Left-Wing Economic Establishment Mug is here: https://podmarket.co.uk/products/oh-god-what-now-left-wing-economic-establishment-mug “This is the core vote strategy that got the Tories a surprise win in 1992. It’s also the strategy that got them annihilated in 1997…” – Seth Thévoz “Sunak is scraping the bottom of the barrel, it's embarrassing.” – Hannah Fearn “When Truss became PM I got three separate texts from three separate people and they all said, ‘She’s crackers.’” – Alex Andreou  “Truss could at least have left it til people had finished trying to apply for the mortgages they now can’t get – because of her.” – Hannah Fearn Written and presented by Alex Andreou with Hannah Fearn, Seth Thévoz and Arthur Snell. Audio producers: Alex Rees and Robin Leeburn. Producer: Jet Gerbertson. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Theme music by Cornershop. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Truss is back and Johnson never went away – what are they angling for? And can Sunak avoid these two figurative icebergs? Plus, the yob narrative is back on the agenda. Is Tory posturing on anti-social behaviour any more than pandering to curtain-twitchers? And with Australia choosing not to put Charles on its banknotes – who should we put on our money? The panel is joined by Geri Scott, political reporter for The Times. Get your tickets for OGWN Live at the Leicester Square Theatre on Weds 15 Feb. Get your Official Left-Wing Economic Establishment mugs here. “She sounded like somebody who had lost the ability to assess empirical reality… if you were a close friend of hers you’d want to sit down and have a chat.” – Ian Dunt  “Boris Johnson could be moulded into any political position he finds useful.” – Ian Dunt  “There used to be these big debates: Heath vs Thatcher, Europhile vs Eurosceptic - where are those big debates within the Tory Party now?” – Ian Dunt  “I really don’t think [Liz Truss] has got many friends left, and that’s why she’s doing this kind of legacy making” – Geri Scott www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnowPresented by Andrew Harrison with Ian Dunt and Marie Le Conte. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jet Gerbertson and Alex Rees. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz Audio production by Alex Rees. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Conservative Party is dying. Can anyone resurrect it? Our panel, begrudgingly, looks at the challenges they’ll have to face if they’re ever to become a functioning party again. Plus, we discuss the parlous state of the UK’s military capabilities. Can we defend ourselves? We wade through the news with an all-star panel of Oh God, What Now? regulars.  “Voters won’t pick the most interesting PM, they’ll pick the one who will save them.” – Alex Andreou “It’s hard for someone to be better at being worse than Liz Truss.” – Arthur Snell “The Conservative Party is now in the realm of religion, not evidence-based policy.” – Alex Andreou “I’m certain that the bulgy eyed weirdos controlling the Tory party will be the first to grab it back and they'll lose another two elections badly.” – Arthur Snell  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnowPresented by Ros Taylor with Alex Andreou, Ahir Shah and Arthur Snell. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Alex Rees and Jet Gerbertson. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz Audio production by Alex Rees. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the PM and his party on the back foot – have they just given up? Our panel picks apart Sunak’s dither and delay in his sacking of Nadhim Zahawi. Plus, are we seeing a new, even more hostile, hostile environment? And we forcefully quit the anti-growth coalition as we discuss alternatives to Trussonomics. This week’s guest is Rachel Cunliffe, senior associate editor at New Statesman.  “If Rishi Sunak didn't know about this, what is the point of ministerial vetting processes? What is the point of saying you’re going to bring integrity back to Government?” – Rachel Cunliffe  “Even an experienced PM would struggle to put the box in what Johnson is doing.” – Ian Dunt  “All of the things you need to fix the problems that we have takes much longer than Sunak has.” – Ian Dunt “The Tories have a talent pool problem and an exhaustion problem. That is really problematic because we need the best Government we can to weather the storm.” – Miatta Fahnbulleh  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnowPresented by Andrew Harrison with Ian Dunt and Miatta Fahnbulleh. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Alex Rees. Audio production by Alex Rees. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Tories are on the Zahawi to hell as briefing wars break out over sleaze scandals as Johnson lurks on the sidelines. Plus, voter ID is rolling out this year – but it turns out plenty of people don’t have a clue. What might mass disenfranchisement mean? Heidi Alexander, former MP, current Deputy Mayor of London and parliamentary candidate for South Swindon, is this week’s guest.  “This exposes just how rigged the game is if you’re really rich.” – Naomi Smith  “The more people see of Sunak, they’re not impressed with him… he is not popular on the doorstep.” – Heidi Alexander  “Johnson is absolutely out to come back, and we should be aware of this and that his ambitions have not died.” – Ros Taylor  “Britain needs a hard reset, switch us off and back on again.” – Naomi Smith  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnowPresented by Alex Andreou with Ros Taylor and Naomi Smith. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jet Gerbertson and Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the nation feels the squeeze, the Tories revel in sleaze. We get down to brass tacks on Nadhim Zahawi’s taxes. And while they ditch levelling up, do this cabal of cronies even understand what needs fixing? Plus, we ask: is it time for the West to go full throttle in backing Ukraine in the war against Russia? Our guest this week is Rock and Roll Politics host Steve Richards.  “The Tory party hasn’t really reformed and changed, the same issues that brought them down in ‘97 have just recurred.” – Steve Richards “The people who are running this country just live in a different world, they have no conception of what real life is.” – Arthur Snell  “The chaos around levelling up announcements conveyed the emptiness of the policy.” - Steve Richards  “What happens to some of these people is that they get into as ort of fantasy mindset when they’ve been in power for so long they become immune to how they will be perceived.” – Steve Richards www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnowPresented by Andrew Harrison with Arthur Snell and Yasmeen Serhan. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jet Gerbertson and Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Alex Rees. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices