PODCAST · news
CakeWatch
by Chris Kendall/Steve Bullock
Steve - @guitarmoog - and Chris - @ottocrat - investigate cakeism: the philosophy of having your cake and eating it, as preached and practised by the British government in its approach to Brexit. Each week, we explore the latest developments as we head towards Brexit and spend time wading through the weeds from the perspective of two long-standing Brussels and UK government insiders. Our aim: to inform you, our listeners, about EU realities and so, hopefully, to equip you to spot lies and to thwart attempts to manipulate you. There may be swearing. We are regularly joined by guests and occasionally by special guest co-hosts.
Episodes
-
Ten Years Later
Shaky having long lost our podcast legs, Steve and Chris give in to temptation and return with a one-off ten-year anniversary special to mark a decade since that benighted referendum and the world of pain that followed. Recorded on 9 June 2026, for release on the anniversary of the Brexit...
-
Episode 72: The Four-Letter Guest
Steve is back, but as a guest, and joined by Ian Dunt to reflect on what makes a liberal, how to win the culture war, and whether we remember anything from our undergraduate days. Swearing. Buy Ian Dunt's new book, How To Be A Liberal, from Canbury Press. Audio clips from Patrick Tull's reading…
more -
Episode 71: Specific and Limited Return
Chris and Garvan Walshe catch up on how they handled lockdown, what to expect next, and what has changed since they last recorded the podcast together, in November 2018. Just as it did two years ago, the Northern Ireland backstop features heavily in Lie of the Week. Also, will the Conservative...
-
Episode 70: Our Friends In The North
Alviina Alametsä is a Green Party MEP from Finland. She took up her seat only in February 2020, after it was vacated by a departing UK MEP. Cakewatch likes to think that she took one previously occupied by a Faragist. Alviina's particular policy interests are public mental health and conflict...
-
Episode 69: Back to the Future
Trade expert David Henig joins the podcast again for our first survey of the post B-day wreckage. With the EU and the UK apparently offering different visions of their future relationship, which one is the more realistic? Hahaha no seriously, which? Special Guest: David Henig.
-
Episode 68: One Thousand Days
For our final podcast before Brexit, we're joined again by Tanja Bueltmann to talk about coping strategies, Steve's album of ambient prozac, and the ongoing work to support EU citizens in the UK as they face mounting hostility and an unforgiving bureaucracy. You can get Steve's album here, and...
-
Episode 67: We Raged Against the Lying of the Right
The aftermath. Rather than wallow in despair we look back on a fight well fought, and the friends that have joined us on the podcast. We also reflect a little bit on what the future will bring. It's not pretty, so we need to find strategies to help us through the dark times ahead. Thank you to…
more -
Episode 66: Goodnight and Good Luck
We cut to the chase. Nothing is more important than this. On Thursday, vote for the candidate most likely to beat Boris Johnson. Because if you don't, if he wins, our country will become unrecognisable. This will be the defining battle of our culture war.
-
Episode 65: Vote Early Vote Often Vote Tactically
Brexit flowchart hero and EU Twitter legend Jon Worth joins Chris this week to take a deeper dive into tactical voting in the UK's general election - where is a tactical vote needed, how to work out where a tactical vote should go, and what might happen? All in the service of depriving Boris...
-
Episode 64: Centrist Unicorn Hunt
Steve studied moral philosophy. (So did Chris but he doesn't get a word in edgeways.) We look at the ethics of tactical voting in the 2019 general election, and why you should hold your nose and vote for a candidate from a party you might not endorse as a party of government. Not just because you...
-
Episode 63: Honey Badger
Laura's kitchen table is once again the scene of a cosy chat about our favourite things: Brexit, Boris Johnson, his so-called new deal, and the wholesale attack on citizens' rights. For light relief we join four Remainers Now standing in the rain outside the European Commission's headquarters and...
-
Episode 61: Brexit is a Legacy Issue
Chris is back from Tashkent with a head full of musings. How badly does the EU want the UK to leave? Quite badly, he thinks. Steve sort of agrees. But this week's unicorn chaser is the imminent collapse of the Bannonite populist project on both sides of the Atlantic. Steve sort of disagrees.…
more -
Episode 60: Bettel The Devil You Know
Johnson says he has a deal that might fly but he won't show it to anyone yet, because it's too soon isn't it? [turns head, stares at camera] Is the EU losing patience? Xavier Bettel looks as if he has. What are the implications for Remainers? Plus we have a half-hearted go at a making verbal Jon...
-
Episode 59: Rentrée
After a long absence, Steve is back co-hosting the podcast and here we all are again: parliament versus executive. Does Cummings have a grand strategy? Or is Johnson flying by the seat of his pants and about to crash? After a long evening watching Parliament TV, we catch up with each other and...
-
Episode 58: Transatlantic Perspective
Chris is joined by Jason Knoll who teaches high school students in Verona, Wisconsin. His particular interest is the European Union, and he brings his particular point of view to the podcast in a discussion about Trump, Johnson, populism, and grassroots politics. Cakewatch will be back in...
-
Episode 57: Act Three Scene Three
Former Tory Party insider Peter Wilding is back on an historic day for his old party and for the UK. We reflect on the realisation of Boris Johnson's ambition and how he'll handle his poisoned chalice; the Jacobins are now in charge and the next hundred days will be... eventful. Plus a few...
-
Episode 56: Montagegate
Chris and Steve Analyst discuss 'montagegate', in which Steve documents selective editing of news footage by the BBC to give the false impression that Leavers and Remainers alike said ahead of the referendum that voting to leave the EU would mean voting to leave the Single Market. This is not…
more -
Episode 55: In Medias Res
Ancient historian Katie Low joins Chris to talk about why ancient history has so much to teach us about modern Brexit. Will Brexit be the UK's Sicilian Expedition? (Yes.) Is Boris Johnson the modern Alcibiades? (Sort of.) Is Jacob Rees Mogg a modern Cicero? (No.) Is Jeremy Corbyn the modern…
more -
Episode 54: Denied My Vote
Chris, Tanja, and Axel Antoni offer a first take on last week's European election and its aftermath before examining in a bit more detail what led to the disenfranchisement of many EU citizens who were denied their vote, and what can be done about it. Now updated with new and improved sound…
more -
Episode 53: More Joy in Heaven
Andy voted Remain but was not particularly engaged in politics. But something prompted him to become an activist and launch a huge and growing grassroots campaign providing a platform for people who voted Leave, but regret it, to challenge the Westminster orthodoxy that "the people have spoken"....
-
Episode 52: Happy Europe Day 2.0
Now the parties have published their manifestos, how should Remainers plan to use their votes in the European election on 23 May? We talk about the tribal nature of party politics and why good people stay loyal to bad parties. Intro music this week by Ludwig van Beethoven arranged & performed by…
more -
Episode 51: Pattern Recognition
Steve is off sick this week with a tummy bug so Chris is flying solo as host with guest Peter Wilding, aka @eurorealist, long-time Tory party insider, former head of the British Influence think tank, inventor of the dread word Brexit, and now a European Parliament candidate for Change UK. As we...
-
Episode 50: Useful Idiots
We D'hondt tell you how to vote in the European elections, but we hope our prolix chat about infighting and outfighting and tactics and principles and manifestos and candidates and choices and dilemmas has given you a helping, er, hondt. Steve's article for politics.co.uk
-
Episode 49: Be An EU Citizen
So we got another extension, to Halloween - did the threat of no-deal actually work? Are there divisions appearing among the EU27? What happens between now and October? Also, how should we be approaching the European elections? Should we vote tactically? To what extent should we treat it as a…
more -
Episode 48: Stitched Up Like Kippers
Recorded on the evening of Wednesday 3 April, Steve and Chris discuss the failure of Meaningful Vote 3.0, Indicative Votes 2.0, and Theresa May's Road to Damascus moment (spoiler: it's not). How will the EU27 respond to her plan for a further short extension?
-
Episode 47: Not Our Last Podcast Before Brexit
With only two days to go until UnBrexit Day, we try to survey the rapidly shifting landscape and chart a course for where we head next. It's an exciting and unexpected place to be with only two days to go until 29 March, but we are by no means out of the woods. Listen while our takes still have...
-
Episode 46: Narcissistic Pish
In the second episode of the week, we visit Alyn Smith MEP in his offices, surrounded by boxes, for what might be a farewell chat, and reflect on another absolutely hatstand day in Brexit's endgame. Theresa May has written a letter to the European Council asking for a short extension and managing...
-
Episode 45: Erskineful
Chris, Steve, and a gurgling kitchen sink discuss extensions and whether the neighbours might lodge an objection with the council.
-
Episode 44: Cox Blocked
So the government has lost the meaningful vote on the Withdrawal Agreement by a massive margin - AGAIN - and now what? Should we celebrate? How will Brussels react? What are the options for and chances of extending the Article 50 two year deadline? Steve and Chris bravely combat man flu to bring...
-
Episode 43: It Takes a Village Idiot
Coffee tariffs and orange tariffs and zero tariffs oh my! Chris in conversation with Twitter trade legend and man of mystery, Jim Cornelius, self-made walking encyclopedia of all things tariff-related, and scourge of so-called liberal leavers everywhere. Heads up: there are a couple of audio...
-
Episode 42: The Answer to the Great Question
A podcast of two halves this week. The first half is a look at the day's news from Westminster, where Corbyn now says he backs a referendum with Remain on the ballot, and where May now says she will call for a vote on whether to leave with no deal, or extend Article 50. Plus, more importantly…
more -
Episode 41: Operation Badger
Navel-gazing post-Remainiacs self-congratulation cut with road trip excerpts all amount to another week in the podcast that isn't about cake. We also reflect on the futility of TIG-related hope and the futility of unicorn-related Brussels tourism.
-
Episode 40: First Anniversary Special
We donned safety helmets and ventured forth into the archives to seek out our very first podcast, recorded one year ago on wax cylinder, and listen back to it to see whether anything has changed in the world of Brexit. Spoiler: it hasn't. The Brexit database from Twitter user @brexology_uk
-
Episode 39: A House Fire in Pompeii
Dmitry Grozoubinski is our guest this week to talk about what the hell a "WTO terms deal" is(n't), and we weigh up the risks and chances of a disorderly Brexit. Plus easily the sexiest Lie of the Week ever. Dmitry's trade explainer blog, Trade Explained Special Guest: Dmitry Grozoubinski.
-
Episode 38: Hands Off, Hände Weg!
Chris and Tanja have no confidence in this government and reject its withdrawal agreement but more specifically talk about Brexit British attitudes towards Germany, where things stand for EU citizens as B-day approaches, and Brecht. Become an EU Citizens Champion EU citizens are your colleagues,...
-
Episode 37: Coping
January can be a difficult month, and Brexit is not helping. Many of us find ourselves struggling to cope with the insecurity that Brexit is causing. In this episode, we look at how Brexit is making us feel and how we're dealing with those feelings. We also look ahead to The Convention, an event...
-
Episode 36: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Brexit
Theresa May's shocker at the European Council, and why it happened. Plus: Tony Blair, huh, what he isn't good for. And some home truths on what the Article 50 ruling means and what it doesn't mean. Finally, a few cracking Lies of the Week, and an absolute zinger as Tweet of the Year. Chris' tweet...
-
Episode 35: Looking a Backstop in the Mouth
A throwback to the early days of the podcast in which Steve and Chris wind each other up into a state of high-pitched sweary indignation as they survey the carnage wrought by Brexit. Specifically, the importance of accuracy and honesty on the Remain side, negative and exceptionalist framing,...
-
Episode 34: Dog's Brexit
The unorthodox structure of this week's podcast is not so much down to avant garde editing as technical snafu, but we start at the beginning with Chris and Laura putting the world to rights over kebabs and prosecco, and end in the middle of things as we join Steve, Steve, and Chris half way…
more -
Episode 33: Baskets Case
The Centre for European Reform is the UK's foremost think tank on matters European, and Ian Bond is its Director of Foreign Policy, so Chris is in his element this week discussing how Brexit might affect both UK and EU foreign policy. Featuring not one, not two, but three baskets. Special Guest:...
-
Episode 32: Hostile Environment Lady
Nick Crosby joins Chris to wonder whether and how the House of Commons might yet find a way to reject the Withdrawal Agreement and #StopBrexit. Also Hostile Environment Lady jumps the Lie of the Week queue. Special Guest: Nick Crosby.
-
Episode 31: Not the Foggiest
Steve is back and vaping hard (sorry for the background noises) while he outlines options for amending the bill to pass the Withdrawal Agreement and Chris listens in increasing bewilderment. We also discuss whether the UK has really been the disruptive force within EU structures that it's been…
more -
Episode 30: damned if we do, damned if we don't
Alas poor Steve, he's still poorly, so Chris is hosting solo this week and joined by special guest Garvan Walshe (yes we know he was already on Remainiacs grrr) for a chat about the so-called Irish backstop, Jeremy Hunt's brass-necked cakeism, and whether Anna Soubry is a Leninist. Plus: would...
-
Episode 29: Blood in the Water
Steve Analyst is back and promoted to stand-in co-host covering for Steve B. What do Chris and Steve A do while Steve B is away? Get stuck in to some proper trade nerdery, that's what. We discuss how the UK can realise its global trade ambitions, whether EU trade deals can be rolled over, and…
more -
Episode 28: Cross Party Parly Party
We leave the podcast dungeon and lug our recording equipment to a meeting room in the European Parliament where we chat with not one, not two, not three, but four MEPs about the Brexit endgame! This was a cracking conversation with political heavyweights so do not miss this one Remain nerds! Our...
-
Brexit: What Next? Special Bonus Podcast
Our friends at the Nottingham European Movement asked us if they could use our podcast to share a recording of their 'Brexit: What Next?' event with our listeners, and we bit their arm off! Enjoy this hour and a half panel discussion with these stone-cold Remain legends: Ken Clarke QC MP,...
-
Episode 27: Fight Brexit with Beer
We were going to have a theme this week but we ran out of time before we could start on one. Plenty of follow-up, looking ahead to next week's European Council showdown, wondering where it's all heading, and looking at the In Limbo book that was launched this week. Oh and Lie of the Week, of...
-
Episode 26: Tanja drops the C-bomb
Warning: this episode includes very strong language (I mean, read the title) - listener discretion is advised (not one for teatime with the kids) Awesome citizen rights campaigner Tanja Bueltmann co-hosts this week's episode as we talk about her work on behalf of EU27 citizens in the UK, what…
more -
Episode 25: Starmer Stormer
A bit of follow-up on Armenian regulatory competences trade nerds, then it's straight into Salzburg OMG she didn't did she she did! and then Labour Conference and the thrill we felt when Starmer said what he said and the Conference did what it did. Closing out with Silver Jubilee Cake(ism) and…
more -
Episode 24: Peoples Vote and trade geekery
A bit of a long one this week, in which we explore how a Peoples Vote might happen, and ask what a successful campaign might look like. And we take Cakewatch to a sunny Place Lux for lunch with David Henig, he of #TwitterTrade fame. Lie of the Week featuring the Raabinator. Special Guest: David...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Steve - @guitarmoog - and Chris - @ottocrat - investigate cakeism: the philosophy of having your cake and eating it, as preached and practised by the British government in its approach to Brexit. Each week, we explore the latest developments as we head towards Brexit and spend time wading through the weeds from the perspective of two long-standing Brussels and UK government insiders. Our aim: to inform you, our listeners, about EU realities and so, hopefully, to equip you to spot lies and to thwart attempts to manipulate you. There may be swearing. We are regularly joined by guests and occasionally by special guest co-hosts.
HOSTED BY
Chris Kendall/Steve Bullock
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does CakeWatch have?
CakeWatch currently has 75 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is CakeWatch about?
Steve - @guitarmoog - and Chris - @ottocrat - investigate cakeism: the philosophy of having your cake and eating it, as preached and practised by the British government in its approach to Brexit. Each week, we explore the latest developments as we head towards Brexit and spend time wading through...
How often does CakeWatch release new episodes?
CakeWatch has 75 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to CakeWatch?
You can listen to CakeWatch on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts CakeWatch?
CakeWatch is created and hosted by Chris Kendall/Steve Bullock.
URL copied to clipboard!