Party Games
197 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 3 years ago - ★ - 1 ratingCutting through the nonsense of British politics, a concise run through events at Westminster and beyond. "Quite funny" as one reviewer put it..
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Episodes
Easy Sleazy
April 26, 2021 01:00 - 8 minutes - 11.7 MBIt’s Boris vs Dom. The Prime Minister’s former advisor turns on him, having suddenly realised Johnson might not be the most honest politician to ever inhabit Downing Street. Why is this soap opera dominating the headlines? Perhaps because it limits conversation about lobbying, favours for friends and questions about the refurbishment of the Prime Minister’s Downing Street flat... Will the sleaze claims continue? Who else will be dragged into the rows? And will any of it make any difference...
When One Door Closes...
April 14, 2021 23:15 - 8 minutes - 12.1 MBThe questions around David Cameron, Greensill Capital and lobbying are all very complex and opaque. So does it matter? It depends on who you think MPs should be working for. In this latest episode, why supply chain finance is a bit like a posh version of Wonga, how can a government find itself so short of cash it needs a middle-man to pay its bills, and has anyone even broken any rules? Could this be the start of another 1990s revival? The return of our old favourite, Tory Sleaze? More at...
Capital Pity
April 06, 2021 02:00 - 9 minutes - 8.49 MBThe UK falls headlong into a month of election campaigning frenzy. Unless you’re not in some way excited by the prospect of elections for the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments, English local councils and Police and Crime Commissioners. This time we focus on London, which chooses its Mayor on May 6th. A ridiculous 20 candidates are standing, and we look at some of the more ridiculous among them, destined to lose their deposits. Plus, why London’s bizarre electoral system means more than a-mill...
Coronavirus - 12 months on lockdown
March 23, 2021 03:00 - 11 minutes - 15.4 MBA year has passed since Boris Johnson first told us to stay at home, as coronavirus gripped the nation. 12 months on, we’re still in our third lockdown, more than 125-thousand lives have been lost. But the vaccine roll-out’s been a huge success. Does that mean we can forget the failings and mis-steps of the past year? How much praise does the government deserve? One year on, a look back at the key moments so far in the coronavirus pandemic. More at partygamespodcast.com — and you can sta...
To Protect and Serve
March 15, 2021 03:00 - 8 minutes - 12 MBPublic fury greets the heavy-handed police response to a vigil for a murder victim, but the Met Police Commissioner insists she won’t resign, and implies people aren’t qualified to even hold an opinion. If the weekend’s events in Clapham aren’t enough to force Cressida Dick to stand down, what on earth would have to happen? Police say they hate having to enforce tough coronavirus restrictions on public gatherings, but a bill going through the Commons would give them tough new powers to res...
Honest Rishi’s budget bag of tricks
March 05, 2021 03:00 - 8 minutes - 11.6 MBFor decades, the Conservatives have believed that cutting taxes brings in more tax revenue. Rishi Sunak, it turns out, does not believe in that. To try to fill the huge hole created by the pandemic, he’s ramping up business taxes and putting up your tax bill too, all without raising income tax rates. Does that honestly count as being honest? And why is the Government cutting health spending? More at twitter.com/paulosbourne, facebook.com/partygamespod and instagram.com/partygamespod - plu...
Gaslight
February 28, 2021 17:41 - 8 minutes - 11.7 MBThink back a little under a year to the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. To the videos of doctors, nurses and care workers fashioning protective gowns out of bin bags, the desperate scramble to get PPE to intensive care units buckling under the pressure of a surge of dangerously ill patients. Apparently, it never happened. The Health Secretary, called out by the courts for keeping Covid contracts worth billions of pounds secret, says it doesn’t matter that he broke the law, because ...
The irreversible reversal
February 23, 2021 02:00 - 8 minutes - 11.5 MBBoris Johnson’s roadmap could see us back on the beaches this summer, our hair cut, and queuing up for a nightclub. The Prime Minister set out his plans to ease coronavirus restrictions over 4 months — a list of dates that he insists aren’t set in stone. But by just setting a date, hasn’t he set it in stone? And can the Prime Minister who’s over-promised and under-delivered for the last year finally get the balance right? More at twitter.com/paulosbourne, facebook.com/partygamespod and i...
Friend Request
February 19, 2021 03:14 - 6 minutes - 6.52 MBOn the other side of the world, facebook has gone to war with Australia’s government, and who wins this battle matters for Britain. The social media giant doesn’t want to pay for news that draws in its users, and it’s cutting off news 17-million Australian facebook users to stop demands to fork over some cash. It’s a reminder of how much power this entirely unaccountable platform now has over our lives. Still, don’t worry, we have a man on the inside, and I’m sure he’s going to swing into...
The Fakest News
February 15, 2021 04:00 - 8 minutes - 12 MBDonald Trump is cleared at his second impeachment trial, even though everyone knows he’s guilty. Years of priming his supporters with lies passed off as fact turned out to be surprisingly powerful. On the other side of the world, China bans the BBC for its annoying habit of reporting the truth about what China is up to. And in the UK, the media watchdog could be getting a new boss, more in tune with Boris Johnson’s government. Could we be heading the same way as China and the US, where th...
A-ga-don’t
February 12, 2021 04:00 - 7 minutes - 9.99 MBMatt Hancock is so desperate to go on holiday, he can’t stop telling people he’s booked a break in Cornwall, even as everyone else in the Cabinet is busy saying it’s far too soon to even think about summer. Why is the government once again sending out mixed messages? Meanwhile, anyone concealing their return from a Covid hotspot now risks a prison sentence double the one they’d get for selling firearms. Is that not perhaps just a tiny bit over the top? Get in touch via twitter.com/paulosb...
Why are you so angry?
February 08, 2021 02:51 - 8 minutes - 12.4 MBLess than a year after taking over as Labour leader, anger is growing among some in the party at their apparent lack of progress. Is Sir Keir Starmer the right man for the job, they ask. It depends on what the job is. But internal squabbling hasn’t done Labour much good in the past. How should the opposition go about opposing a government in the middle of a global emergency? And what’s actually wrong with saying you quite like the country you aspire to govern? Plus, why are people so angr...
100,000 Questions
January 27, 2021 04:30 - 8 minutes - 11.2 MBThe UK passes the grim milestone it’s been surging towards — 100,000 coronavirus deaths. Boris Johnson says his government “truly did everything we could”. But is that true? We locked down late, we opened up early, only to lock down again — three times so far. Did the mistakes, the delays, the mis-steps, contribute to this dreadful death toll. And how much higher will it go? And when the promised public inquiry finally happens, what good will it actually do? More at twitter.com/paulosbo...
What do you reckon?
January 14, 2021 21:11 - 7 minutes - 10.6 MBAs the world (finally) unites in condemnation of Donald Trump and his seditious lunacy, is there a chance to change the way we do politics? Almost certainly not, but it’s nice to dream isn’t it. In the latest podcast, a look at why so many in the UK were so keen to suck up to Trump, and the parallels between the twice-impeached president’s biggest fans, and some of the loudest voices in the Brexit debate. Many have transferred directly to the discussions on coronavirus restrictions — is “r...
Enthusiasm overload
January 11, 2021 05:00 - 9 minutes - 12.7 MBAs the latest lockdown enters its second week, officials warn people aren’t taking it seriously enough, case numbers surge and hospitals are at breaking point. But Matt Hancock has has booked his summer holiday, such is his optimism for the year ahead. It is apparently this optimism that has put him in Boris Johnson’s bad books. It’s not as if the Prime Minister has a history of over-the-top predictions of glory that turn out to be gibberish. As if that’s not enough, we still have more tha...
Lockdown 3: the unwanted sequel
January 04, 2021 22:33 - 5 minutes - 8.23 MBThe day after insisting schools are safe, Boris Johnson closes the schools as part of a third England-wide coronavirus lockdown. Are we really supposed to believe the data that pushed him into this only emerged on Monday morning? What does it do to trust in his government? And how long is this lockdown really going to last? Plus, how long will it be before the professional controversialists resume their evidence-free ranting, and pile on the pressure to release the restrictions, perhaps to...
School's Out?
January 04, 2021 00:45 - 8 minutes - 10 MBBoris Johnson says it’s safe to send your children back to primary school. Except where it isn’t. As the Prime Minister warns tighter coronavirus restrictions are almost inevitable, and Labour calls for an immediate lockdown, millions of parents are left wondering what to do. How much has a year of mis-steps, late action and over-confidence dented public trust in the Government’s handling of this crisis. Plus a brief detour to the US, for further proof that Donald Trump remains an unhinge...
I haven’t read your Brexit deal, but I’ll vote for it
December 29, 2020 22:09 - 9 minutes - 13.1 MBBoris Johnson, whose government perpetually runs on a down-to-the-wire sense of chaos, gives MPs less time to debate and vote on the Brexit deal than most people take to complete a Christmas jigsaw. Why is anyone surprised this most last-minute of Prime Ministers left the deal, and winning approval for it in Parliament, to the last possible moment? But already some of its shortcomings are showing up — bad news if you’re a footballer or a musician, or a sausage exporter actually. And bad n...
173: Last Christmas
December 17, 2020 21:16 - 29 minutes - 40 MBA small Christmas is a safe Christmas, according to Boris Johnson. Surely not the same Boris Johnson who told us to gather in small herds for a festive holiday from coronavirus? We compare the rules with the advice, and wonder who’ll be to blame if Christmas triggers a third wave of infections. Brexit talks go down to the wire, and the prospect of a deal may be fading — or maybe it’s all last-minute brinksmanship. Plus we look back at year held up by “twin pillars of awfulness” — examine h...
172: Christmas will break your heart
November 26, 2020 05:00 - 28 minutes - 39 MBBoris Johnson turns Santa Claus — he’s had a chat with Covid and it’s agreed to hold off for the festive season. Either that, or he’s decided to risk another wave of infections so he can’t be accused of cancelling Christmas. We unpick a busy week, with the government agreeing the holiday Covid plan, unveiling new tiers in England, and setting out exactly how deep a hole our economy is in. The Chancellor’s warned this is just the beginning, so who should bear the burden of paying back unima...
171: Loser
November 10, 2020 05:00 - 27 minutes - 38.2 MBDonald Trump is a loser. A big, whiny, baby squatting in the Oval Office, like a toddler told he can’t have a new toy. As the world heaves a sigh of relief at his impending departure, we look at whether it means the radical populist movement that bears his name is over as well. And we look at how relations between the UK and a Biden White House are likely to go. At home the second lockdown is underway in England — but will people follow the rules? And why did it take ministers so long to pe...
170: Hit the North
October 22, 2020 02:28 - 29 minutes - 39.9 MBBoris Johnson promised to “level up” the north of England. Instead he’s gone to war with it. We explore the reasons why talks between Westminster and Greater Manchester collapsed, and what it means for other northern cities with high coronavirus infection rates. But it’s not just the north-west that’s in the firing line — we look at a fast-moving row in London that could see the city’s transport network grind to a halt. As musicians stage protests demanding government action to save Britai...
169: Instant Karma
October 09, 2020 05:00 - 29 minutes - 40.7 MBAfter downplaying the dangers of coronavirus for months, Donald Trump inevitably contracts it and ends up in hospital, where he’s experimented on and proceeds to claim victory over the virus. He is by no means the only covidiot in politics. Once again Boris Johnson insists we’re to blame for the spike in cases, and definitely not his government’s disastrous track and trace operation, or his exhortations to enjoy the summer. We look at the tug of war between Westminster and leaders of our b...
168: The Blame Game
September 23, 2020 22:36 - 25 minutes - 35.7 MBJust a few weeks after threatening workers with the sack if they didn’t go back to their offices, Boris Johnson pops up on TV to tell them to work from home again. As the Prime Minister imposes new coronavirus restrictions, we pick over his strategy, and his desperate desire to pin the blame on anyone other than himself. What’s driving the government’s new Covid strategy? Public health? Economic worries? Or fear of the Tory backbenches? Plus Sir Keir Starmer’s first Labour conference speec...
167: The clown that no-one laughs at
September 08, 2020 21:22 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBBoris Johnson built his career on developing a fake clown-like persona. Now, as coronavirus returns and the big Brexit deadline draws nearer, no-one’s laughing. We look at how millions of people got the message that the threat from the virus had passed, and why it’s hard to tell people to stay safe while also inviting them to pop out for a pint and a half-price burger. Meanwhile, Britain tells the EU to be “realistic” and accept that the UK is going to break international law, but Brussels...
166: You Can't Make The Grade
August 17, 2020 18:14 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MBThe Government backs down after the fiasco around A-level results, but it may be too late to save some students’ plans. But how did ministers blunder into such a catastrophe? We examine the series of Covid-related u-turns, and ask how something so obvious blindsided people at the top of Whitehall. The row over people crossing the English Channel rumbles on — but how many of those yelling about it even know the difference between migrants and refugees? Plus the government finds the time to ...
165: Chaos From The Top Down
July 30, 2020 19:02 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBAs quickly as lockdown was eased, coronavirus restrictions could be stepped up to try to avoid a second wave of infections that wasn’t supposed to arrive until the autumn. Who’s to blame? The public, for ignoring social distancing rules, or politicians, for sending mixed messages? Boris Johnson vows a war on our waistlines — but why is the obesity strategy ignoring many of the underlying causes? Donald Trump surprises no-one by suggesting the US Presidential election be postponed — but wha...
164: To Face The Truth
July 16, 2020 20:37 - 26 minutes - 23.9 MBBoris Johnson promises an independent inquiry into his handling of the coronavirus pandemic — almost certainly by accident, because why would he possibly want someone to assess his performance these past few months. We look at the latest conflicting messages on the virus — when and where you should wear a face mask. Yes, if you’re buying ingredients for a sandwich in the supermarket, no, if you’re buying a sandwich (especially if you’re Michael Gove). Plus the coup that stopped Failing Gra...
163: A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
July 02, 2020 21:34 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBThe government wanted this week to be about its plan to bounce back from the economic devastation of the coronavirus pandemic. Then Leicester was put into local lockdown, as tens of thousands of job losses were announced across the UK. And this might just be the beginning. Britain’s promising a way out for close to 3-million people in Hong Kong, after China started to brutally enforce its new security law in the territory. But if China refuses to let them go, what then? Dominic Cummings’ p...
162: He shoots, he scores
June 17, 2020 20:43 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBThey’re spoiled, rich and entirely out of touch with ordinary people. But don’t worry. Here comes Premier League footballer Marcus Rashford to teach government ministers a few lessons in humility and social justice. We look at how the Government blundered into another PR disaster, as they initially rejected the England star’s appeal to save 1.3-million children from hunger over the summer holidays. Where have all the scientists gone? We ask why scientific and medical experts are suddenly n...
161: What's Going On?
June 03, 2020 22:22 - 27 minutes - 31.2 MBThe United States is engulfed in protests, after the murder of a black man sparks a furious response. Donald Trump calls the protestors “domestic terrorists” and threatens to set the military on them. So how should Britain respond? We get an update from Simon Marks (twitter.com/simonmarksfsn) in Washington. The UK faces its own questions about race, as a report confirms the higher risk of death from coronavirus for people in some minority ethnic groups. But why didn’t the report set any goa...
160: Getting Away With It?
May 24, 2020 20:11 - 27 minutes - 25 MBFor months, tens of millions of us have followed the rules imposed by Boris Johnson’s government. Now, it seems we were being taken for mugs. The Prime Minister’s most senior adviser, infected with coronavirus, drove half-way across the country, and apparently that’s fine. Why would Boris Johnson re-write the lockdown rules to save one man? How much credibility will it cost? What about the supine ministers who blindly followed behind, not knowing the whole story? What will it do to the pub...
159: A Question of Trust
May 11, 2020 21:00 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MBStay at home, or stay alert? The Prime Minister steps back into the spotlight, and sows confusion all around. Within 24 hours, he’s back in the Commons and on TV again, trying to clear up the mess. We look at the latest coronavirus rules, and at how the masters of messaging inside Downing Street ended up sending out such catastrophically confused signals. Will it dent trust in government and the scientists who advise them, at a time when trust in our leaders is vital? More at twitter.com/...
158: Please Release Me
April 29, 2020 21:55 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MBBoris Johnson returns from convalescence, and after two days in Downing Street is back in hospital. But for a happier reason this time. The Prime Minister’s paternity leave is on hold, as he faces perhaps his toughest decision — when, and how, to ease the lockdown. With businesses and some Tory MPs demanding action to get the economy moving again, we assess the competing pressures — will his tangle with the virus make Johnson even more determined to avoid a second wave? His ministers are g...
157: Sorry, not sorry
April 16, 2020 20:12 - 27 minutes - 24.9 MBHow’s the lockdown going? Well, hopefully, as you’ve got at least another three weeks ahead of you. As the coronavirus restrictions are extended into May we ask if there’s even a vague plan for how we get out of them. We ask how the crisis in care homes was ignored for so long, and why we’re apparently comfortable with ignoring the peril facing 400,000 of our elderly relatives. Boris Johnson remains at Chequers, rightfully convalescing, but will his brush with the coronavirus change him? ...
156: Isolation
April 07, 2020 21:10 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBBoris Johnson’s health deteriorates, and the Prime Minister is admitted to intensive care with coronavirus. As we wait for better news, we look at some of the other questions surrounding the government’s response to the crisis. Why haven’t ministers been able to get a grip on issues around testing and the provision of vital protective equipment. What will sway the big decision coming up on whether to extend the lockdown? Plus, all change in Labour as Sir Keir Starmer takes over as leader. ...
155: Lockdown
March 24, 2020 20:58 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBBritain, and the world, changes in ways we could never have imagined just a few weeks ago. The country is on lockdown, told to stay indoors in a desperate effort to defeat the coronavirus. Paul Osbourne and Robert Meakin discuss the handling of the crisis by Boris Johnson, and the ministers in his government. Did the Prime Minister’s history of loose language make it harder to persuade people to take the necessary action? And how long will we wait until the next economic rescue package. K...
154: Fever
March 11, 2020 22:22 - 25 minutes - 23.8 MBAn extraordinary week at Westminster. The coronavirus outbreak dominates, as Boris Johnson leads the UK’s effort to contain the disease, and its potentially huge impact. The Chancellor unveils the biggest boost to public spending in decades — not just because of the virus. We assess the Government’s response, the questions it raises, and what might happen next. Plus Amber Rudd becomes the latest victim of the growing craze for no-platforming — and Failing Grayling might be back. Just what ...
153: Masters of War
February 27, 2020 19:20 - 26 minutes - 24 MBRelax everyone, we’ve found Boris Johnson. The Prime Minister had been missing for more than a week. And it’s not as if there was anything important for him to be worrying about — just floods, Brexit and the coronavirus. We look at the perpetual state of war between Downing Street, the civil service and the media, and wonder what — if anything — could fix it. Priti Patel is in the eye of that storm, but it’s hardly the first time she’s got on the wrong side of her officials. Plus rumours ...
152: Shuffle Off
February 13, 2020 22:23 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MBBoris Johnson’s second reshuffle doesn’t go quite as smoothly as planned, as Sajid Javid rejects a power grab by Number 10 and quits as Chancellor instead. We unpick the post-Brexit changes to the Prime Minister’s top team, ask why a rather successful Northern Ireland Secretary has been fired, and yet Liz Truss remains in her job. Plus the Labour leadership race turns nasty, and would you welcome a candidate for London mayor onto your sofa for the night? More at twitter.com/partygamespod ...
151: Leaving
January 30, 2020 22:53 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBAfter 4 years, three prime ministers, two General Elections and quite a lot of shouting, Brexit Day has arrived. Paul Osbourne and Robert Meakin look back at the road that brought us here, and explain how what happens next could be even tougher to get through. Plus Boris Johnson’s latest women problem — he’s running out of women to put in his Cabinet. Labour unveil a report that puts beyond question the idea that Jeremy Corbyn had anything at all to do with the party’s catastrophic election...
150: I don't want to spoil the party
January 23, 2020 13:49 - 23 minutes - 21.5 MBAnd then there were four… another Labour leadership candidate drops out, as Jess Philips abandons her bid, and backs Lisa Nandy. But even the “change or die” candidate says you can’t be rude about Jeremy Corbyn. We ask if Labour can change when it won’t confront the failures of its recent past. One week to go until Brexit day, and everyone’s stopped talking about it. But the first big test for “Global Britain” could be days away, and could trigger a trade war with the US, just as we’re tryi...
149: Everything Must Change
January 09, 2020 20:07 - 26 minutes - 24 MBRivals to lead Labour out of the hole they climbed into at the election set out their stalls — but some seem to think it’s the voters that need to change, not the party. In the first podcast of 2020, Paul Osbourne and Robert Meakin ask how Kier Starmer managed to grab the initiative, and whether Rebecca Long-Bailey can get her campaign back on track. Plus we (foolishly) try to predict one potential outcome of a race so ludicrous Alan Johnson decided his time was better spent as a singing ph...
148: A Winter's Tale
December 18, 2019 23:17 - 29 minutes - 26.6 MBWho’s to blame for Labour’s electoral catastrophe? Certainly not Jeremy Corbyn, according to… well, Jeremy Corbyn for one, and his fan club. As Labour looks to a post-Corbyn future, Paul Osbourne and Robert Meakin wonder if the party will ever consider the views of the millions of voters who deserted them last week. We look over the early names to emerge in the leadership race, and wonder if another North London MP is really the solution to the party’s problems. Plus, why is Boris Johnson ...
147: Kind of Blue
December 14, 2019 15:58 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MBA Tory landslide, a catastrophe for Jeremy Corbyn. Paul Osbourne and Robert Meakin work through the extraordinary results of the 2019 General Election. Boris Johnson returns to Downing Street with the biggest Tory majority since Margaret Thatcher. The man who wanted to be world king is free to remould post-Brexit Britain in whatever way he chooses. And, right now, there’s no-one to oppose him. Jeremy Corbyn intends to hang around for a while, despite leading his party to its worst defeat i...
146: Election Eve
December 11, 2019 01:47 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MBThe first December election in almost a century is nearly over. And while the polls are narrowing, the most likely outcome is the same as it was when the campaign started. Paul Osbourne and Robert Meakin look through the final days — Boris Johnson’s very, very weird response to that hospital photograph, and Jeremy Corbyn’s bizarrely lacklustre performance. Can anything stop Johnson’s march towards a majority? Can Corbyn pull off another shock result? Will there be any Christmas trees left ...
145: Gove set trends dem man copy
December 04, 2019 02:58 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBWith a little over a week left to the General Election, tragedy again intrudes on the campaign. And, just like 2017, politicians wade in to hurl accusations, despite the pleas of those most closely involved in the events at London Bridge. Paul Osbourne and Robert Meakin try to work out why Boris Johnson’s ignored criticism, and politicised the response to the attack. The Tories retain a significant poll lead, but we highlight three things that could make a difference between now and polling...
144: Question Time
November 27, 2019 16:48 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBSomething different this time, as we try to answer some of your questions about this election. Some are about Brexit, but we also talk about homelessness, the impossibility of some political promises and why we’re being asked to choose between leaders it seems few of us can even stand. Plus we hear from one former Green Party candidate and Lib Dem supporter, who’s pounding the streets of Beaconsfield in support of former Tory Dominic Grieve. What persuaded her to spend the weeks leading up ...
143: Promises, promises
November 21, 2019 22:57 - 28 minutes - 26 MBAfter a less than exciting start, now the election campaign gets serious. Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson go head to head in the first TV debate, as the party manifestos are published. We look over the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green platforms for government, and ask who’s had the best week. And we try to figure out who won the debate — Johnson, Corbyn, or that guy in the audience who told them both they were like children. Plus how Larry the Cat was saved from enforced retirement. Mo...
142: Making Plans For Nigel
November 14, 2019 21:10 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBNigel Farage has devoted his life to Brexit. Which is why, as we approach a General Election built around Brexit, he’s decided not to fight in half of the country’s constituencies. We try to figure out why, and what his long-term game plan may be. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson finds out how events can knock you off course — after his poor response to flooding in South Yorkshire became an election issue. The polls suggest he’s still far ahead of Labour, but in a race so different from past elect...