Oh God, What Now?

The Government’s flat-footed and callous response to the collapse of Afghanistan and the resultant refugee crisis has enraged even the House of Commons. What should Britain do to help the people who helped us? And was the whole enterprise for nothing? Also, after the the horrific killings in Plymouth, should we see the incel culture as terrorism? “This is cutting deep into the Tories’ idea of who we are… They have woken up to the fact that Biden like Trump is pursuing an America First policy.” – Ian Dunt “The Government has called this wrong… The British public are bloody sympathetic to Afghan refugees and want them helped.” – Naomi Smith “The promise to people who helped us was that we will protect you. That’s a promise we have completely broken.” – Ian Dunt “This is not a reformed, humane Taliban… Everyone who disagrees with their interpretation of Islam is in danger of violent, painful death.” – Nina Schick www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnowPresented by Dorian Lynskey with Naomi Smith, Nina Schick and Ian Dunt. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. Intern: Nat Amos. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the shine comes off the Prime Minister and the Cabinet gets fractious, is the country ready for a brutal Rishi-on-Boris battle? Special guest Gracie Bradley, interim director of Liberty, takes us through the Government’s suite of repressive civil liberties legislation. What can listeners can do about them? Plus, in the Extra Bit, the frankly astonishing tale of teenage Minnie Rahman’s meeting with… David Cameron?  “Boris Johnson has no principles. Rishi Sunak has terrible principles. Take your pick.” – Ian Dunt “It’s a complete myth that Boris Johnson is a libertarian. As London Mayor he a bought a water cannon. There’s nothing libertarian about him.” – Gracie Bradley “The Home Office is using the costs of cases against them for behaving unlawfully as a reason to cancel judicial review. Why not just stop behaving unlawfully?” – Ian Dunt “We don’t protest because there’s a law that says we can protest. We protest because it’s our freedom to do so.” – Gracie Bradley www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnowPresented by Naomi Smith with Ian Dunt and Minnie Rahman. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With new cases of COVID declining, are we really seeing COVID dwindle? Or is this the calm before the next wave? The expert’s expert Christina Pagel of independent SAGE joins us to explain whether we really are turning the corner. Plus, what does the Tories’ ‘Advisory Board’ tell us about cronyism, nepotism and how our governing party preserves its privilege? Ete operae pretium sit Latine discendi?  “It’s fair to say that nobody was expecting the decline in COVID infections… What this ISN’T is herd immunity emerging.” – Christina Pagel “Relations with France are as bad as they’ve ever been… We’re danger of becoming a country that nobody can do business with at all.” – Alex Andreou “State aid could well become another way for friends and colleagues of the Conservative party to enrich themselves – enabled again by Brexit.” – Ros Taylor “After Spanish Flu in 1918 there was a mini-epidemic of Parkinson’s. We just don’t know the risk of NOT vaccinating.” – Christina Pagel www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnowPresented by Ros Taylor with Ian Dunt and Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if they held a Culture War and nobody turned up? A new report says Jo and Josephine Public are less riled by hot button rage issues than we think. Plus, all of a sudden Johnson is wobbling, with a disastrous crime policy launch, his vapid “levelling up” speech, and cratering approval numbers. Are Labour finally making headway on policy or is Johnson getting found out? Plus, the world’s least sporty panel discusses the Olympics.  “Maybe the Government’s plan is to make the roads so unsafe we can’t get to the supermarket to see how empty the shelves are.” – Naomi Smith “Parts of the system aren’t holding firm because the Prime Minister is marking his own homework.” – Ian Dunt “The strange this is that for a lot of people Johnson has DE-toxed the Tory Party…” – Ros Taylor “Finance, farming, fashion… All the F’s have been F’d by Brexit.” – Naomi Smith www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnowPresented by Dorian Lynskey with Ros Taylor, Naomi Smith and Ian Dunt. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Cummings:Kuenssberg gives us yet more Classic Dom content, are we now fine with unelected advisors trying to topple Prime Ministers – or for that matter, Prime Ministers giving the Queen COVID? Freedom Week: has the Government just given up trying to control the virus? Special guest Charles Arthur, author of Social Warming: The Dangerous and Polarising Effects of Social Media, explain the forces that make Facebook and Twitter increasingly noxious. And 60 glorious years of Prime Minister’s Questions. “Cummings’ sniggering face when he gives his answers tells you far more than the answers themselves.” – Ian Dunt “If you shove everyone into a room and make them talk to one another, you’re going to get fights.” – Charles Arthur “PMQs is the absolute worst of Parliament and the best at the same time.” – Minnie Rahman “You do not go for the barricades for the most embarrassing people on your side.” – Dorian Lynskey Presented by Dorian Lynskey with Minnie Rahman and Ian Dunt. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Johnson and Patel’s dog-whistling finally brings all the racists to football’s yard (who could have predicted this??) but England’s young black players are making fools of their critics. As the country lines up behind Rashford, Saka, Sancho and Mings, is the Culture War about to consume the chancers who started it?Plus, libertarian dogma is frogmarching us towards the indiscriminate unlocking of ‘Freedom Day’ – but what are we going to do with the fun-hating 26% of the population who think clubs, casinos and other seats of depravity should stay closed forever?  “They thought they could ride the Culture War tiger to power. But when arrive, you might be finished with that tiger – but it’s not finished with you.” – Alex Andreou “What the Sun’s ‘We’ve Got Your Back’ front page shows is that The Sun can spot political danger better than our government.” – Naomi Smith “We shouldn’t have to look to football for leadership, but it’s so hard to find anywhere else.” – Ros Taylor “This is the fourth time we’ve relaxed lockdown. And every previous time it’s gone horribly wrong.” – Alex Andreou www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnowPresented by Dorian Lynskey with Ros Taylor, Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the Government abandons clear rules for “common sense” and “personal responsibility”, even Sajid Javid admits we’re entering “uncharted territory”. We find out why Priti Patel’s latest immigration regulations amount to one big xenophobic, mendacious grey area. Our special guest is Sara Gibbs, comedy writer for HIGNFY, Dead Ringers and The Mash Report and author of the memoir of her autism diagnosis Drama Queen. And friend of the podcast Gavin Esler risks his status as a Scot by telling us why he’s been supporting England in the Euros.  “What this means for asylum seekers is a decade of life with no safety at all and the constant threat of being returned to the country you fled from.” – Ian Dunt “OK the George Cross for the NHS is a lovely honour, but you can’t pay your bills with honours.” – Sara Gibbs “What the unlocking policy is showing is that the Government are a set of moral delinquents with no capacity for sustained inquiry.” – Ian Dunt “Would any major business decide on a massive move by committing to the date before deciding what it is?” – Gavin Esler www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnowPresented by Naomi Smith with Ian Dunt. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Sara-Gibbs/Drama-Queen-One-Autistic-Woman-and-a-Life-of-Unhelpful-Labels/25681162  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Labour wins something shocker! As Kim Leadbeater’s victory in the most rancid by-election of modern times ignites a festival of pundit hindsight, we bring the panel together to assess Labour’s tight squeeze in Batley and Spen. How did she do it? What does it mean for Starmer? Did Galloway’s 8,000 votes constitute some sort of success? Can the Tories really blame their defeat all on Hancock? And was it Naomi Smith’s leafletting wot won it?  “Kim Leadbeater ploughed her own furrow and was rewarded for it – and that’s really positive.” – Alex Andreou “Had we not seen the withdrawal of the Green candidate and we would have woken up to a very different result.” – Naomi Smith “The Tories threw everything at this by election and the fact that they didn’t win will hurt.” – Alex Andreou www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnowPresented by Dorian Lynskey with Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does LOVE RAT MATT’s embarrassing self-own tell us anything we didn’t already know about Boris Johnson’s moral universe? And should we stop chortling given that his replacement Said Javid is promising “irreversible” unlocking? Why is Batley and Spen the ugliest by-election in recent history, and how much of that is George Galloway’s fault? Plus, the fiasco of isolation for hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren. And what’s going wrong at GB News? • “You can’t have ethics and standards as a resigning matter because if you do, Boris Johnson will have to go himself.” – Ian Dunt• “I found myself ogling the Hancock video and thinking, What have I become?” – Ros Taylor• “I don’t mind if Matt Hancock has an affair but I don’t want to pay for it.” – Ian Dunt• “There’s a new politics of resentment to the rest of the UK and the feeling is, you’ll only get investment if you vote for a Tory MP.” – Ros Taylorwww.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnowPresented by Dorian Lynskey with Ros Taylor and Ian Dunt. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Happy” Referendum-versary! Special guest Ailbhe Rae of the New Statesman joins us to look at the meaning of the Lib Dem victory in Chesham and Amersham – don’t mention the Blue Wall – and explain what the DUP’s current game of Musical Stegosauruses means for Northern Ireland. Plus as Dido Harding offers to head the NHS and rid it of those pesky foreign nurses, we take a look at the Toryverse’s most inveterate failer-upper. And what would we do if WE were forced to take the plum job of Government Brexit Opportunity Unit Director?  “The Tories are ripe for a flanking. They’ve left themselves exposed.” – Alex Andreou “Chesham was a Screw You Boris vote and it really does open up a gap between the new Tory North and the old Tory South.” – Ros Taylor “Labour is definitely in crisis right now, don’t get me wrong – but Chesham and Amersham is only a footnote in the crisis.” – Ailbhe Rae www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnowPresented by Dorian Lynsley with Ros Taylor and Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices