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PODCAST

Planet Normal

The podcast that speaks your language. News and views from beyond the bubble with Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan, every Thursday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

society & culture news commentary

All Episodes

1:00:02

Through the looking glass

Planet Normal ·

2023/05/31

Where are all the grown ups? This is the burning question our co-pilots are asking today. Amongst the latest drama at Westminster not to mention the This Morning sofa, our co-pilots feel as if they’re nowlivingthrough the looking glass.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s energy strategy is under (a carbon emitting) fire, which Allison describes as an act of ‘national suicide’ too reliant upon foreign strategies tobe virtuous enough for the green lobby. Whilst Liam thinks the Labour leader needs to

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57:30

The great Tory immigration lie

Planet Normal ·

2023/05/24

Inflation has slowed but the latest bombshell immigration figures are in. Could the Conservative party be heading for a possible 1997-style landslide election defeat? Liam thinks the latest immigration figures could give Labour the leg up they need, but only if they start ‘talking tough’ and stop trying to appease their most Left leaning voters.Joining the rocket this week is Nigel Farage, who buckles in next to the co-pilots to give his take on the latest immigration figures, and why he thinksthis

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1:08:30

A tale of two conferences

Planet Normal ·

2023/05/18

We saw two mini conferences this week from Tory Land: both the National Conservative conference and the Social Conservative Democratic Organisation hadspeakersfrom across the party bothclaiming they know what is best for members going forward. Are we about to see a full blown Tory identity crisis?Allison predicts the last nail in the Conservative coffin might be on the horizon when the net immigration figures are released next week, whilst Liam thinksthat the potential betrayal of the Tory manifesto

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54:11

Mr and Mrs Despairing Tory

Planet Normal ·

2023/05/10

The local elections results are in and your co-pilots are on hand to deliver their verdict. But who won the all important sweepstake, Allison or Liam?Liam thinks the Conservatives should be quietly confident with the results, but suggest they should reframe the threat of an anti-Tory coalition asa ‘coalition of chaos’. Allison however, is doubtful that thegoverningparty can hold the country together, comparing recent policy announcementsto ‘moving deck chairs around the titanic’.Joining our

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59:40

The Coronation, fears of inflation, and political...

Planet Normal ·

2023/05/03

NB: This episode was recorded on Wednesday May 3rd 2023It’s a big week on the rocket, asEngland faces local elections and The Coronation in one orbit. But will the pomp and circumstance be enough to distract from potentially troublesome poll results for the Tory party? Your co-pilots have their predictions ready.Allison thinks Rishi Sunakmight have to pull off a miracle to help the Conservativesweather this election, and that a newbranch of the party might emerge from the rubble. Liam still thinks

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57:33

New elites and selfish stunts

Planet Normal ·

2023/04/19

With concerns about the London marathon and FA cup final due to protests, our co-pilots weigh in on the latest protest psychodramas dominating the news this week.Allison thinks public patience with these sorts of protests is wearing thin and that more realistic net zero targets need to be set. Whilst Liam is optimistic that the renewable energy debate is shifting towards a bigger focus on technology rather than ‘moral virtue’.Joining our co-pilots this week is author Professor Matthew Goodwin, who

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59:15

Is the NHS on its deathbed?

Planet Normal ·

2023/04/12

As the country’s junior doctors hit the picket lines, your co-pilots hit the rocket of sweet reason to dissect what’s really going on in our ‘first class' National Health Service.Allison thinks theNHS might have finally kicked the bucket and questions whether we should start sending patients abroad for treatments,whilst Liam thinks the strikes represent bigger failings of our political and media classes.Joining our co-pilots this week is trade economist Catherine McBride, who is on hand to explain

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58:09

Political plate tectonics

Planet Normal ·

2023/04/05

The campaign starting gun has been fired and the race to the local elections has begun. But which horse is the current front runner in the eyes of our co-pilots?Allison believes the Conservatives are heading for a huge election defeat and a chasmic ideological party split. However Liam doubts that Keir Starmer lacks the charisma to achieve a 1997 style landslide.Also on the podcast, our co-pilots weigh in on the latest political developments across the pond, and ponder over what former president

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55:04

Planet Normal’s Lockdown Heroes

Planet Normal ·

2023/03/29

In the second of this two-part lockdown retrospective, your co-pilots welcome back onto the rocket some of their heroes from the pandemic, those they feel that have spoken out against the mainstream.Previous stowaways Sir Graham Brady, Professor Pat Price, Laura Dodsworth, Lord David Frost, Luke Johnson, Lord Jonathan Sumption and the infamous 'George' all strap in to share where they were in March 2020, reveal what they think the collateraldamage has been, as well as how they think historians will

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1:09:01

How Sweden stood firm: Anders Tegnell looks back on...

Planet Normal ·

2023/03/23

In the first of this two-part lockdown retrospective, your co-pilots look back at the events of March 2020, that unexpectedly led to them being at the helm of a ‘covid podcast’.Both are in no doubt that the pandemic has changed them. Allison feels she has lost a trust in authority as a result, whilst Liam feels he’s become steelier at arguing his opinion, after speaking out against mainstreamthought.Also joining our co-pilots on this very special voyage is Anders Tegnell the State Epidemiologist for

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38:07

Spring Budget Special

Planet Normal ·

2023/03/16

Strap in, its Budget week and the Planet Normal rocket has got a first class ticket to the most eagerly anticipated financial breakdown of this Spring.Co-pilot Pearson has been sent off on a special mission (more on that to come) so Telegraph Associate Editor Ben Wrightis keeping her seat warm. So: are we on course for a rocky economic ride?Liam is quietly optimistic that this ‘steady as she goes budget’ is better than anticipated, and could help erase the scars of former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's

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59:23

Tough talking on small boats

Planet Normal ·

2023/03/09

We may be aboard the rocket of right thinking, but this week on Planet Normal we're discussing a very different type of vessel, small boats, and the Prime Minister's strong wordsthis week about stopping them.Allison argues that if we have to leave the European Convention of Human Rights to gain control of borders then so be it, and Liam worries that this could be the latest battle in the culture wars to get really nasty.Plus joining our co-pilots on the sanctuary of sweet reason is former Chancellor

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57:40

Truth triumphs on lockdown and lab leak

Planet Normal ·

2023/03/02

Our co-pilots are feeling a bit smug this week, as a series of revelations lift the lid on Covid untruths at home and abroad.Allison argues The Telegraph's Lockdown Files give us a 'jaw-dropping' insight into the mayhem behind decision-making in the pandemic. Liam thinks the leaked messages will have a profound impact on the public inquiry into Covid-19.The FBI chief's admission that the virus likely leaked from a Chinese lab is cause for cheer on the rocket, as so-called conspiracy theorists are

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56:23

War on cultural vandalism

Planet Normal ·

2023/02/23

Spring is in the air on Planet Normal, with resident economist Halligan spotting some economic green shoots amongst the doom and gloom. But all is not well on the rocket…Our co-pilots are appalled at the news that Roald Dahl’s books are being re-written. Liam labels the move cultural vandalism, with Allison declaring it is grotesque censorship. So with 'woke totalitarianism' taking hold,is any literature safe?Also strapping into the rocket of right thinking this week is economist and author, Dr

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56:23

So long Sturgeon

Planet Normal ·

2023/02/16

It’s all eyes on Scotland this week, after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's surprising decision to stand down. And with a TikTok ban and a Tory tax row, it’s far from a quiet week on the rocket.Liam thinks Sturgeon's determination to have her own way on gender identity issues ultimately led to her downfall. Allison believes she ran out of road on Scottish independence, and predicts Labour could be the biggest benefactors of her shock exit.Also stepping into the sanctuary of sweet reason is author

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49:29

Truss’s turbulent return

Planet Normal ·

2023/02/09

She’s back. Former short lived Prime Minister Liz Truss has re-entered the Westminsterfray, but is it a triumphant return? Our co-pilots give their hot take.Liam thinks the Former PM has moved the needle in the economic debate, and forced those who tore down her ideas to think again. Allison was left concerned about how much influence the OBR really has on economic policy.Also boarding the rocket this week is Telegraph Science Editor, Sarah Knapton, who tells our co-pilots how was left 'bruised' by

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59:26

Taking on the Brexit bashers

Planet Normal ·

2023/02/02

As we mark the third anniversary of Brexit, our co-pilots take on the doomsters and get to the bottom of why the country feels short-changed by the decision to leave the EU.Allison argues the current government is obstructing the Brexit we voted for, whilst Liam feels the benefits of leaving the EU have been hampered by the pandemic and war in Ukraine.Also boarding the rocket of right thinking this week is journalist and author, Ross Clark, who straps in to tell our co-pilots why climate change

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57:50

Death by 100 tiny scandals

Planet Normal ·

2023/01/26

Our co-pilots feel like they’re back to the 90s this week with a cloud of Tory sleaze and looming recession hanging over the country. But will it be death by one too many scandals for the Sunak Government?The residents of the rocket are appalled by the latest ‘petty’ Westminster developments. Allison worries that Rishi Sunak is merely a ‘timid technocrat’ not fit to lead, whilst Liam thinks the PM needs to start following his instinct and stop ‘governing by focus groups.'Also climbing aboard the

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53:35

School's out for winter!

Planet Normal ·

2023/01/19

Just when you thought the strikes couldn't get worse, teachers have decided to join the wave of walkouts. But who do our co-pilotsthink will comeout top of the class?Allison thinks the move to strike is disgraceful after children already missed out on so much school during lockdown. While Liam believes teachers will struggle to gain as much public support for their strike as nurses.In more positive newson the rocket this week, our co-pilots praise Westminster's decision to block Scotland’s gender

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58:18

New year news tsunami

Planet Normal ·

2023/01/12

It's a brand new year on Planet Normal and while the rocket has been taking a well earned break there has been a tsunami of news.Our co-pilots deliver a no-holds-barred review of Prince Harry’s bombshell book, declaring it a ‘pathetic’ attack on the media that will only result in more supposedly unwanted attention.Closer to home, as industrial strife and an NHS in crisis strain the Sunak Government, Allison and Liam agree the Labour party is looking more and more like a viable alternative.Also

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