Oh God, What Now?

• Scary Migrants, Super Creeps – Can Britain break out of migration madness?

  A neurotic obsession with illegal migration is driving British politics rightwards, trapping the parties in an arms race of escalating harshness towards migrants. Now Tory far-righter Katie Lam wants to cancel legal migrants’ right to stay, evoking the racist “repatriation” talk of the 1970s National Front. Can Britain get out of the migration doom spiral?  Former head of the Migration Advisory Committee Prof Alan Manning joins us to talk about the “infernal cycle” of migration policy … whether Labour really are just trying to outbid the Tories and Reform… his new book Why Immigration Policy Is Hard And How To Make It Better … and why a good goal would be to Make Migration Boring Again.   • Buy Why Immigration Policy Is Hard And How To Make It Better through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.  ESCAPE ROUTES  • Ros and Alan are both watching Celebrity Traitors on the iPlayer, as it seems is everyone.  • Apart from Andrew, who is listening to the soothing German techno on Kompakt Total 25 • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more  • If you want to find out more about Energise Africa and register as an investor, visit energiseafrica.com/ogwn www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow  Presented by Andrew Harrison with Ros Taylor. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme music by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.  www.podmasters.co.uk   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  --------  

  1:01:46

  --------

  1:01:46
• Jumping out of the Overton window – Is brainrot taking over politics?

  Reform UK just pulled off the sequel to the Jackie Weaver Handforth Parish Council Zoom meeting, and it’s excellent. The leaked Zoom meeting from Reform’s flagship Kent County Council shows things aren’t perhaps going as well for Nigel Farage’s party/business as he may have hoped. Is Reform having a bit of a wobble? Plus, is social media brainrot ruining British politics? And in the Extra Bit for subscribers, things are going from very bad to a lot worse for Prince Andrew. How did we get here, and how much worse can it really get for the British Royal Family?  ESCAPE ROUTES:   • Jason recommends Slow Horses ⁠   • Zöe recommends the podcast On Being • Marie recommends the game HollowKnight: Silksong AND the Eva Helene Pade exhibition at London’s Ely House.   • Seth recommends Journey To The Far Side of The Sun If you want to find out more about Energise Africa and register as an investor, visit energiseafrica.com/ogwn Head to nakedwines.co.uk/ohgodwhatnow to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included.  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow    Presented by Seth Thévoz with Zöe Grünewald, Marie Le Conte and Jason Hazeley  Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.    www.podmasters.co.uk     ENDS  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  --------  

  1:00:44

  --------

  1:00:44
• Don’t mention the pension! – Can we avoid a two-tier society?

  The papers still dangle the dream of a sun-dappled retirement. Yet millions have nowhere near the savings they’ll need, while a fortunate few are amassing family wealth that could change Britain forever. Meanwhile the generational wealth gap is forcing younger people to forget about starting families. Is the old “work hard and you’ll make it” model broken? And do we need a wealth tax to fix it? Will Snell of the Fairness Foundation joins Andrew and Hannah to discuss a growing crisis.   • Our partner pod American Friction  just won Best News and Politics show at the Independent Podcast Awards. Listen and see what you’ve been missing.   ESCAPE ROUTES   • Will recommends Chief of War on Apple TV+.   • Hannah recommends going to see Self Esteem, still just about on tour.   • Andrew went to see The Magnetic Fields perform their classic 69 Love Songs.    • Head to https://www.nakedwines.co.uk/ohgodwhatnow to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more  • Back us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more.   Written and presented by Andrew Harrison with Hannah Fearn. Audio and video production by award-winning Chris Jones. Theme music by Cornershop. Art direction: James Parrett. Produced by award-winning Chris Jones. Managing Editor: award-winning Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.  www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  --------  

  57:50

  --------

  57:50
• Starmer’s China Syndrome – plus Green MP Siân Berry on the new power balance on the Left

  After the collapse of the China spying case, do we have to accept that Britain is way past being able to spar with Beijing? Especially when we depend so much on their students? Green MP Siân Berry talks about the party’s future under new eco-populist leader Zach Polanski, how to square green infrastructure with their support’s suspicion of development, and whether the Greens would enter a coalition with Labour to keep Farage out. And in the Extra Bit for Patreon people… Sunak’s back, sort of. What do ex-PMs get up to these days? And the terror of the A.I. Margaret Thatcher ChatBot.  • Our partner pod American Friction just won Best News and Politics show at the Independent Podcast Awards. Listen and see what you’ve been missing.  ESCAPE ROUTES  • Raf recommends Film Club on BBC iPlayer.  • Rachel recommends The Finest Hotel In Kabul by Lise Doucet.  • Siân Berry recommends The French Lieutenant’s Woman .  • Ros recommends The Line on ITVX.  Buy The Finest Hotel In Kabul through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund OGWN by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. • Head to nakedwines.co.uk/ohgodwhatnow to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here: nordvpn.com/ohgodwhatnow. It’s risk- free with Nord’s 30-day money back guarantee! • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more • Back us on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more.  Written and presented by Ros Taylor with Rachel Cunliffe and Rafael Behr. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Theme music by Cornershop. Art direction: James Parrett. Produced by award-winning Chris Jones. Managing Editor: award-winning Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  --------  

  1:03:37

  --------

  1:03:37
• Card Declined – Inside the Digital I.D. Wars

  Labour want to bring in digital I.D. and many people do NOT like it. Are they right? Are they wrong? And what is the “Lethal Trifecta” that makes the plan so risky? Hannah Fearn is very opposed to digital I.D. on civil liberties grounds. Jonn Elledge thinks it’s not that big a deal. Special guest Alex Hern – The Economist’s correspondent on A.I. – has the inside tech perspective. And Matt Green tries to keep order. Intrusion into privacy or a well-managed public version of something we all consented to years ago? “What this is really about nationalising I.D.,” says Alex, “because the Tories privatised it.” ESCAPE ROUTES  • Hannah recommends How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge) on BBC iPlayer.  • Jonn is looking forward to Celebrity Traitors. • Alex Hern recommends The Diamond Age by Neil Stephenson (and Andrew Harrison heartily agrees).  • Matt has been watching Hacks Season 4 on Sky. Buy The Diamond Age through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund OGWN by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. • Head to ⁠nakedwines.co.uk/ohgodwhatnow⁠ to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here: nordvpn.com/ohgodwhatnow. It’s risk- free with Nord’s 30-day money back guarantee! • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more • Back us on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more.  Written and presented by Matt Green with Jonn Elledge and Hannah Fearn. Audio production by Tom Taylor and Robin Leeburn. Theme music by Cornershop. Art direction: James Parrett. Produced by Chris Jones. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  --------  

  1:04:57

  --------

  1:04:57

More Government podcasts

Trending Government podcasts

About Oh God, What Now?

Oh God, What Now?: Podcasts in Family