Even without Helen Lewis. Andrew Marr alone is worth the price of admission.

Regular longtime listener. Always appreciate your analysis, though this episode betrayed the over reliance on “Westminster Bubble” armchair chat.

But whenever the subject of the Cass report comes up, the New Statesman fails to include any trans voices or perspectives. The recent interview with Cass and its writeup by Hannah Barnes fawn over her and the report uncritically rather than making any attempt to challenge the report’s many and numerous shortcomings — well documented by other journalists like Owen Jones and Freddy McConnell. Serious, evidence-based criticisms are swatted away without engagement. The New Statesman advances harmful transphobia guised as medical science, and in spite of its otherwise-interesting political coverage, I can’t support it anymore.

the introduction of podcasts paid for by large corporations where the vested interests are obvious (on smoking, by philip morris, on pharmaceuticals, by daiichi sankyo, on trade unions, by uber) is a very strange decision. a shadow of what it was under stephen bush, used to be one of the most incisive and insightful political podcasts in britain

very good analysis and speakers v engaging & likable

Of course the NS would have a plastic waste episode unironically sponsored by Coca Cola. I thought it must be sarcasm. But here we are. A joke, indeed. The soda industry is what popularized the idea of “recycling” so they could stop collecting and washing their glass bottles and instead put the burden on individuals to figure out what to do with the plastic trash it was cheaper for them to churn out. Note in the episode there’s not a focus on reducing the supply side - getting the UK’s insane plastic packaging off of every produce item in the supermarket - but instead what to do with it after. What a joke. I’ve always felt this pod was a bit superficial but this takes the cake.

Very chill, very informed, learn something every time about topics I’m interested in and positions I align with.

Solid analysis, loved Marr’s analysis of the current crisis.

Highly recommend

Great pod on politics! Miss Helen tho.