Oh God, What Now?
by Podmasters
Making sense of our political hell every Tuesday and Friday! Oh God, What Now? is the no-bulls**t politics podcast, making the unbearable bearable with top quality guests and analysis, plus poor quality jokes. Regulars include: Guardian writer Rafael Behr • Rachel Cunliffe of the New Statesman • New Statesman columnist Jonn Elledge • Writer and host of This Is Not A Drill Gavin Esler • Social affairs journalist Hannah Fearn • Comedian Matt Green • The Lead's We
Episodes
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We are all Doomsday Preppers now
Have YOU done YOUR emergency stash of sardines, toilet paper and Kit-Kats? The government’s warnings to stockpile tinned food and water set off a mix of panic, confusion and (from the usual suspects) mockery… but should we all be taking preparedness more seriously? Is Britain going to have to...
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Budget Minicast! – No rabbits in the hat – with economist Jonathan Portes
Fast reaction to the Budget with Jonathan Portes, King’s College London economics and public policy professor… It was billed as the “boring” Budget, and to be fair Chancellor John Healey mostly delivered – with a few surprises. It was good news for pensioners, motorists and first-time buyers....
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The Midterms – Judgment Day for Donald Trump?
Like the Democrats we’ve been pinning our hopes on the 2026 US mid-terms to end (or at least interrupt) Trump’s cruel circus… and now they’re finally here. Will the Republicans get the devastating punishment they deserve when America votes on Tue 3 Nov? Are the Democrats now so traumatised by…
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England belongs to who? – The endless debate about “Englishness”
Who ordered the heated debate about Englishness? Open any newspaper or social media feed and you’ll stumble on some histrionic handwringing about “what it means it be English”. Who decided we needed to talk about this, all the time? And how thin is the cover it provides for your good old actual...
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The Politics of Violence
Rupert Lowe of Restore UK claims that street violence is not just inevitable but necessary “if we are to save our home”. Elsewhere, the far-right pals up with street thugs – and its leaders walk right up to the line of endorsing extra-legal direct action because democracy has supposedly failed.…
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The Age of Trollitics
• This edition recorded before Trump cancelled livestreaming the execution of the Fort Hood killer. Televised executions, machine-gunning illegal migrants in the Channel, renaming technology and water features as a loyalty/sycophancy test… why are the populists’ big ideas so dumb, performatively...
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From Russia with Leave
Andy Burnham has finally said what we’ve all been thinking: Russia meddled in Brexit. Is this brave honesty – or the first step on the long road back to Brussels? Plus, the Greens are still in turmoil with Zack Polanski’s leadership now in doubt. What does it mean for everyone else on the left?…
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BONUS: Is Zack Polanski sunk after Holborn & St Pancras?
Labour wins the Holborn & St Pancras handily – but the Greens had staked a lot on Zack Polanski winning and he failed. Is Polanski’s nightmare week over the Zionism vote a symptom of deeper weaknesses in his leadership? Is far-left entryism destroying the Greens? And why Labour’s victorious...
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Remainiacs Assemble? – Can Burnham end the Brexit Era?
Has Burnham really broken Britain’s bizarre, self-enforced silence around the disaster that is Brexit? What would a real pro-EU membership stance from Labour mean for British politics? And would killing off Brexit inadvertently give a flagging Farage his mojo back? Plus, in the week that Jeffrey...
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Badenoch to the bone – Are the Tories becoming a Kemi cult?
Kemi Badenoch has promised to revitalise the Tory party at the Conservatives' conference – but can she drag it out of the doldrums? Plus, the Green Party conference descended into acrimony after members voted to declare that “Zionism is racism” – can leader Zack Polanski withstand the fallout?…
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Give ’em enough hope – Did Labour turn a corner in Liverpool?
Andy Burnham’s powerful and emotional speech at the Labour Conference left the Party full of righteous energy and its enemies scrabbling for attack lines. Has he succeeded in setting out a new direction for the Government? The OGWN Conference Away Team of Jonn Elledge and Hannah Fearn talk it…
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“The best political speech of the 21st century”? – Burnham inspires Liverpool – BONUS
BONUS EDITION: Well, we weren’t expecting THAT… Andy Burnham stuns and rouses Labour’s Liverpool conference with a bold, emotionally powerful speech that amounted to the promise of a new era. Will Britain respond to his open-hearted scally dad message of unity? Was there detail among the vibes?...
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Labour in Liverpool – Can Burnham make a second first impression?
Andy Burnham's first Labour conference as PM is underway. So… will he and his government make a good impression on the party and voters? First the PM proposed an NHS-style social care system; a day later his chancellor John Healey promised a Budget that injects hope into Britain’s beleaguered...
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Burnham won’t confront Britain’s Blackshirts. Why?
Actual blackshirts are blockading ports, doxxing lifeboat volunteers and intimidating people across the South Coast, and the most senior political figure to come out against them is… Rishi Sunak? We ask why Andy Burnham won’t make a full-throated condemnation of the new wave of far-right street...
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Burn in the USA – How did the PM's Trump meet go?
Bonus episode with James Ball and Jacob Jarvis… Andy Burnham finally meets Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly in New York. The pair hit it off, as Trump hails the PM as a “natural businessman” and claims he “gets it”. So what did we learn from the meeting? How long can Burnham keep the good...
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Reality bites Burnham — Can the PM stay positive?
Andy Burnham promised politics with a “sense of optimism” – now the PM is warning that “difficult decisions” lie ahead. So can he keep up the smiles as next month’s budget looms and the reality of government sets in? Plus, the Liberal Democrats gather in Brighton where Ed Davey is promising...
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Burnham or Polanski – Who's under more by-election pressure?
It’s the most important by-election ever since the last by-election! The candidates are finalised for the fight for Keir Starmer’s old St. Pancras and Holborn seat. It’s a test for Burnham’s Labour and for Green leader Zack Polanski. Who’s most likely to win? And what would victory and defeat…
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Donations shock – Can Farage buy power for £72m?
Reform has been bolstered with £72 million from crypto billionaires – is it enough for Nigel Farage to buy his way to power? What will the money be spent on? And what rules could change in the wake of this? Plus, Ed Miliband is reshaping Britain’s foreign policy, what is motivating him and what…
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Jon Ronson in the Manosphere of Madness – Weekend Bonus
Another of our weekend bonus editions… When author Jon Ronson’s son texted him from a supposed party in a medieval castle (?) and said it was getting “very weird”, Jon had no idea that it would open the door into some of the strangest reaches of the manosphere. In the resulting book The Castle…
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The Power of Gov – Is this Burnham's biggest problem?
Andy Burnham wants to change who holds the power in Britain, taking the levers of government out of Whitehall’s hands. Plenty of his predecessors have tried – and failed – to make their vision stick. So, can the PM’s model survive contact with reality? Veteran journalist Phil Tinline joins us to...
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Denial and Error – Are Farage and Reform done for?
Nigel Farage’s family has even urged him to “pack it in” and “walk away” amid recent scandals. Can he and his party survive the latest scrutiny? The beleaguered Reform leader tried to appear unruffled at his party conference after a bombshell Channel 4 documentary raised fresh questions about...
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“Brexit has left us at Trump’s mercy,” says Sir Vince Cable – Weekend Bonus
Weekend bonus episode… Britain still mired in Brexit, Europe divided, economic stagnation in the West and Donald Trump’s disastrous culture wars and actual wars. Are they all just a blip in human history or does the West’s decline mark the beginning of a new world order? What if that future…
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Farage and Reform’s donation humiliation – Emergencycast!
Fast reaction with News Statesman’s associate political editor Rachel Cunliffe and Jacob Jarvis. Nigel Farage and Reform are facing another crisis after two – now former – senior officials were filmed in an undercover sting appearing to plot how to circumvent electoral law to bag a £500,000…
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How Big Tech is still getting away with it – with kids’ campaigner Baroness Beeban Kidron
Facebook owners Meta hit the headlines with an $18bn settlement in the US over accusations that its products had harmed kids. But was the bill really so onerous, or just the price of keeping Zuckerberg out of the witness box? Special guest Baroness Beeban Kidron OBE – activist, digital rights...
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Andy’s first day at Big School
Andy Burnham is feeling a sudden wave of the back-to-school blues. Not only did Keir Starmer tactlessly decide to quit Parliament just before his first Commons speech, but a long list of challenges is also piling up in the PM’s in-tray. So, what’s causing Burnham the biggest headaches? Is the...
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Is Trump a Russian Asset? – Bonus with The Guardian’s Russia expert Luke Harding
The first of our occasional weekend bonus episodes… Bewildered by the tangled stories of Putin’s war on Ukraine, Trump’s incomprehensible loyalty to the Russian tyrant, and Russia’s interference in British politics? The Guardian’s foreign correspondent Luke Harding ties all the threads together…
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Harry, Meghan, Jason Arday… and why we get news we don’t want
Good news for newsrooms: Harry and Meghan are back in Britain and editors are beside themselves. We might say we don’t care about “Reverse Megxit” but why does the clickrate say otherwise? Plus: Giftgate was only two years ago, but MPs are still accepting freebies. They’ve taken almost £400,000…
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How Soon is Mao? The weird rebirth of communism – with Paul Mason
Is communism having a mini revival? Marxist critiques and socialist ideas are becoming the in thing with Gen Z, while Donald Trump is harking back to the Red Scare of his youth to attack the Democrats. Is it anything more than a resurrected bogeyman for the right? Man of the left, veteran...
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Yes, you CAN do something about the Climate Crisis
The climate crisis got horribly real this summer – but is it really true that ordinary people can’t do anything about it? The National Emergency Briefing is a growing movement around a stunning documentary film that makes clear the reality of the crisis and what we CAN do about it. Green…
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Jason Arday and the Information Crisis
The shocking death of former Cambridge University professor Jason Arday raises serious questions about the press investigation of his career and the claims he made about his life. Some blame the right-wing press for his death, others the university. Some blame the litany of racist and abusive...
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Emergency Clactoncast! – Trash defeats Bin, with Steve Richards
Fast analysis of the Clacton by-election with Steve Richards and Andrew Harrison. Two and half cheers for plucky underdog Nigel Farage who defeated the “establishment” candidate Count Binface in a by-election of his own making. And in the end, he didn’t even bother to show up to claim his…
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Bin Day
Barring a bin-shaped asteroid strike on the Essex Coast, Nigel Farage will win the Clacton by-election – but his problems won’t be over. What will Reform’s slippery leader face in the months to come? And can, should, would his party strike a deal with either Restore or the Conservatives? Plus our...
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Welcome to Veto Britain… where you can only drink lying down
No drinking pints standing up in London’s nightlife hotspot? No new reservoirs until 2040? Welcome to Veto Britain – where infrastructure, housing and even a round at the bar are all subject to the mercy of endless local objection. So how did we become a country that seems incapable of building,...
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Hot Fear Summer – Why is politics ignoring the climate crunch?
The earth is burning, Britain is parched brown and rain is a distant memory. Yet the Tories are purging the last of their Net Zero advocates, the Greens seem to have lost interest in green policies, and Burnham’s Labour are teetering on the edge of reopening oil and gas in the North Sea. Saving…
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Shock as new Labour government… quite good?
Fifteen days in… Is Burnham’s government actually shaping up to be quite good? Impossible to say for certain, but the PM’s policy blitz seems to be landing pretty well, buoyed by Labour’s Greater Manchester mayoral win. Is the Age of Andy working out as well as it seems – and can the momentum…
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Care vs Scare – Can Burnham get social care past the “Death Tax” die-hards?
Andy Burnham is promising to spend “whatever political capital” he has to fix the crumbling social care system after decades of political failure. As the right-wing press dusts off its “Death Tax” headlines, can he actually do it? Plus… He leads Restore Britain, an openly extreme right party...
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Burnham Derangement Syndrome
He’s a communist! He wants to drag us back to the 70s! He’s going to tax you to death! He’s weak! He’s a tyrant! He’s gone to war with the South! His jackets are too expensive! Burnham has only been PM for a week and the right-wing press are already losing their minds. Is Burnham Derangement...
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Can Burnham master the A.I. Revolution? – with the TUC’s Paul Nowak
Burnham arrives promising a “cost of living” government but can he make it happen? And does his mix of ideas and promises add up? TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak returns to the pod to talk about Burnham’s first steps, go to bat for unions in an age of A.I. tumult, make the case for...
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Emergencycast! – Andy Burnham and The Cabinet of Mystery
As ever, politics waited until we finished recording before dropping the big stuff… But worry not! Steve Richards of the Rock & Roll Politics podcast steps up to analyse the surprises, genius moves, curveballs and missing pieces in Andy Burnham’s first cabinet with Andrew Harrison. Should Ed...
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Burnham Begins
Brand new PM Andy Burnham is not hanging about. On day one he set about purging Starmer loyalists from the Cabinet and setting out his policy agenda, including fresh cost-of-living measures. Is this the fresh start Labour needs? Listen up for live in-pod sackings! Plus: Are we facing the end of...
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Coronation Street – What lies waiting for Burnham?
At long last it’s the Rover’s Return… What are the burning issues that will be taking up Andy Burnham’s time when he takes over No.10 next week? OGWN listeners bombard us with questions and we do our best to answer them. What can Burnham do that Starmer couldn’t? Does he need to do more than move...
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Farage, Reform and the killing of Ann Widdecombe
Counter-terrorism police take over the investigation into the killing of Ann Widdecombe, a crime that has shocked people across the political spectrum. Beyond legitimate questions around political violence, are Reform trying to amp up the fear for political gain? What should people in the public...
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Binface vs. the Has-Bin
Nigel Farage wanted a “people vs. the establishment” by-election but it quickly turned into “man vs. bin”. Every major rival has refused to run against him in Clacton, leaving the Reform leader’s only real opponent as the man with a trash can on his head, Count Binface. Is this one humiliation…
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Emergencycast! – Farage opts for by-election martyrdom
Quick-fire reaction to Nigel Farage’s resignation with Jacob Jarvis, Andrew Harrison and Jonn Elledge… For his latest trick, the Reform leader has quit as an MP after weeks of scrutiny over his finances finally caught up with him. In a whingeing speech, teed up hours in advance, Farage triggered…
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Nigel’s Got Money Troubles – Is Farage about to flame out?
After weeks of defending the £5m “gift” that won’t go away, Farage finds himself at the centre of another uncomfortable money story: undeclared finance from a convicted criminal with the unimprovable nickname “Posh George”. And Reform is faltering in the polls. Is Farage becoming a liability to…
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Manchesterism rave on – Should YOU support Andy Burnham?
Now that the Age of Andy is starting to take shape, will our panel stick their necks out and say they can support the King Half In The North? Is there enough going on here to re-energise Labour voters who were burnt out by the last lacklustre regime? Are Shabana Mahmood and Starmer himself trying...
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Talking ’bout a Devolution – Will Burnham’s big bet pay off?
Will spreading power throughout the UK be Burnham’s secret weapon? Will “No.10 North” be located at Salford Lads’ Club? And will Britain’s PM in waiting really get ten years at the helm? Plus: from Manchesterism to Trumpism… America turns 250 this week and the vibe feels a bit off. Trump’s flop…
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The Mancunian Candidate – Burnham’s northern exposure
What a difference a week makes… Andy Burnham is now number one in a field of one, and planning to move a chunk of No.10 to Manchester. How is Labour adjusting itself to the Age of Andy? Is there more to Burnhamism than just vibes? What about Burnhanomics? And do the people really want a General...
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The Referendum ten years on – Can we escape the vote that broke Britain?
“We voted Brexit and all we got was this lousy podcast…” Ten years since the vote that sent Britain round the bend, could we finally break out of the trap of 2016? We’re joined by the Obi Wan Kenobi of Brexit bloggers Chris Grey to look into the enormity of Pandora’s Referendum. In a world so...
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Tears for Keir – How Starmer ran out of road
As we sadly file away that ‘Keep Keir And Carry On’ headline in the bottom drawer… Keir Starmer steps down and our panel look at what the Starmer era really means. Are we now in a world where petty politics will always trump service to country? Why was this decent, vaguely boring man so loathed…
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About this show
Making sense of our political hell every Tuesday and Friday! Oh God, What Now? is the no-bulls**t politics podcast, making the unbearable bearable with top quality guests and analysis, plus poor quality jokes.
Regulars include: Guardian writer Rafael Behr • Rachel Cunliffe of the New Statesman • New Statesman columnist Jonn Elledge • Writer and host of This Is Not A Drill Gavin Esler • Social affairs journalist Hannah Fearn • Comedian Matt Green • The Lead's We
Hosted by
Podmasters