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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

54:01

Gloves off in Tory leader race

Planet Normal ·

2022/07/27

It's full-contact battle as Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak face off to become the nextPrime Minister.So who better to join our co-pilots on the rocket of right thinking than Dame Andrea Leadsom, campaignmanager for former front runner Penny Mordaunt, and a one-time Tory leadership contender herself. Dame Andrea takes aim at political 'black ops' and says it's painful to see candidates publicly 'taking lumps out of each other.'Co-pilot Pearson predicts that Liz Truss will be the one to cinch victory. But

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58:32

Jumping off the Boris bus

Planet Normal ·

2022/07/06

It’s been a dramatic week since therocket's last journey, with scores of cabinetresignations shaking the Johnson Premiership. So will the squealing piglet’s head finally reach the chopping block? And which member of the Tory party could be waiting in the wings to take over?Liam warns the job is a poisoned chalice, and wonders who would want to take the crown when an economic crisis is looming. Co-pilot Pearson is determined that Boris Johnson's replacement must be a Brexiteer, as she mourns the loss

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56:24

A.B.B: Anyone But Boris

Planet Normal ·

2022/06/29

The by-election results are in, and the predictions of Planet Normal's very own clairvoyant co-pilot 'Mystic Pearson' proved to be eerily accurate.Allison warns the resultsshow many Conservative supporters are so dissatisfied that they will vote 'A.B.B: Anyone But Boris'.Our co-pilots blame the Prime Minister's broken promises, likening hisGovernment to a Deliveroo driver turning up empty-handed but still telling you they've delivered.Liam believes Boris Johnson's party are nowjust keeping him

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56:16

Tricky times for the Tories

Planet Normal ·

2022/06/22

This episode was recorded on Wednesday the 22nd of June before the UK by-elections.It’s all eyes on the Conservative party this week as they face all important by-elections. But will it be fun in the sun for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, or a political washout?One thing’s for sure, the political heat in rocket this week is rising faster than the soaring rate of inflation, as our co-pilots share their views.Allison warns that there may be more public sympathy with striking workers than the government

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55:51

Battle for the soul of the Conservative Party

Planet Normal ·

2022/06/15

The rising cost of living continues to bite as we board the rocket of right thinking this week, but UK-EU relations have also returned to centre stage.Baroness Claire Fox steps into the spaceboots again as guestco-pilot,to help Liam dissect all of the week's judicial jousting and performativepolitics.Claire believes the EU is determinedto pick a fight over the Northern Ireland Protocol bill, describing it as the 'third big Brexit battle.' Liam thinksit is 'completely out of order' the way the EU is

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58:33

Last chance saloon for Boris

Planet Normal ·

2022/06/08

The votes are in and the Prime Minister lives to fight another day.But is it the beginning of the end of the Johnson Premiership? Our co-pilots are divided.Allison is mourning the end of her love affair with Boris Johnson this week. Co-pilot Pearson believes his backflips on Conservative policy pledges aremaking voters feel like "a cheated spouse." While she's not convinced thePM is toast just yet, Allison warns his "slowly rotting edifice" is causing untold damage to his party.Liam argues there

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58:40

Terrific Queen, shame about the country

Planet Normal ·

2022/06/01

It's all eyes on the Queen as the nation celebrates Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee, now known on the rocket as 'Platty Joobs.' Our podcast co-hosts are struck by the parallels between this landmark event and another, the Silver Jubilee in 1977, which also fell during a period of political and economic uncertainty. Liam Halligan thinks while the mood is celebratory at the moment, all bets are off once the Jubilee has finished, as political scandals and the cost of living crisis return to the

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58:30

A Gray day for Parliament

Planet Normal ·

2022/05/25

As the partygate scandal reaches a crescendo with the release of the much-anticipated Sue Gray report, our co-pilots bring you their highlights from the revelations.But is the report damning enough to see Boris Johnson bounced out of No10?Co-pilot Halligan warns the Prime Minister will never truly berid of 'partygate,' because the scandal will forever be part of his political epitaph. But, Liam still thinks Boris Johnson will scrape by, and argues the political and media class risk looking

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59:18

Woke Wars

Planet Normal ·

2022/05/18

Inflation has hit a 40 year high this week and so has our co-pilot's frustration with the NHS.The state of the health service is at the forefront of co-pilot Pearson's mind, after a new report revealed the astonishing scale of NHS bureaucracy.Allison is furious at the "parasitical layers of management" in the health service, and argues funding should be focused on providing frontline services and reducing waiting lists.Co-pilot Halligan agrees we're not getting our money's worth when it comes to the

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1:25:56

100 voyages, two co-pilots, one podcast

Planet Normal ·

2022/05/11

This very special 100th episode was recorded live at the Soho Hotel, London.It's a special week on Planet Normal, our co-pilots are celebrating 100 voyages on the capsule of common sense. But does Allison finally know what a podcast is?It’s a star studded affair, with many former Planet Normal stowaways making an appearance on the rocket of right thinking to celebrate the occasion.Esteemed epidemiologist Professor Sunetra Gupta joins the rocket once again, to discuss the changing opinions on Covid

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58:23

Complacency coma

Planet Normal ·

2022/05/04

NB: This episode was recorded on Wednesday May 4th 2022It's Local Election Day, with some 4,350 seats being contested around the country as the rocket of right-thinking heads into orbit.So which party will come out on top? And how might the result play out for our political leaders?Liam believes that thePrime Minister has got the big calls right, and argues Boris Johnson will survive no matter the outcome of the local elections.Co-pilot Pearson isn't as convinced, warning thePM could eventually pay

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57:39

Leg-gate, Labour and leadership troubles

Planet Normal ·

2022/04/27

With co-pilot Pearson taking a much needed holiday this week, former Labour MP Baroness Kate Hoey steps into the spaceboots once again to help Liam tackle the latest dose of madness from our political class.Forget partygate, because this week it’s all about ‘leg-gate’ in Westminster. So what do our co-pilots think the change of subject mightmean for the Prime Minister?Kate thinks Boris Johnson is an expert when it comes to weathering the storm, and she believes he would emerge victorious if he leads

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55:49

Marathon of contrition

Planet Normal ·

2022/04/20

It might be a marathon of contrition for our Prime Minister this week, but our co-pilots are making no apologies for their views on the Planet Normal rocket.Both Allison and Liam can’t help but feel that the attacks on Boris Johnson over partygate are just parliamentary posturing, and show how unpleasant politics in the UK has become.Allison thinks Sir Keir Starmer's assaults on the PM - invoking emotive stories of sacrifices made during lockdown - are 'entirely hypocritical', because Labour

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58:57

Tsunami of woes

Planet Normal ·

2022/04/13

It's been a bruising week for the Government, with all eyes on the Chancellor's family finances before a damaging stream of Partygate penalty notices.And with inflation on the rise and the cost of living crisis intensifying, it seems the tsunami of woes has only just begun for Boris Johnson. So can the PM navigate the storm?Co-pilot Pearson is well and truly undecided, as she confesses she is experiencing ‘Starmer-esque’ levels of fence-sitting over Boris Johnson's future as Prime Minister.Liam

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59:15

Economic rubber hits the road

Planet Normal ·

2022/04/06

As national insurance contributions, energy prices and council tax all increased this week, so too did our co-pilot's frustration with the Government's handling of the cost of living crisis.Allison is concerned that covid could throw even more economic turmoil in the mix. With nine new symptoms being added to the official list, co-pilot Pearson fears it will be too easy for workers to use the virus as an excuse to shelter under the 'national duvet.'And as the conflict in Ukraine rages on, Liam is

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59:17

National Health Disservice

Planet Normal ·

2022/03/30

It's somewhat of a sombre week on Planet Normal, as our co-pilots are left shaken by the findings of the Ockenden inquiry into maternity scandals.The report found over 200 babies and mothers could have survived if it wasn't for catastrophic failures at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust.Allison struggles to contain her anger at the revelation some mothers were even blamed for their own deaths. She believes the tragedies have exposed serious problems with maternity services, and calls for a Royal

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41:05

Spring Statement Special

Planet Normal ·

2022/03/24

It's a fiscal feast on this week'svoyage, with a special episode all about the Chancellor's Spring Statement. And boarding the rocket of right thinking to give his experttake is Telegraph columnist Ben Wright.So, as inflation hits a 30-year high and families face skyrocketing energy bills, did Rishi Sunak's 'mini-budget' deliver on easing the cost of living crisis?It's a resounding no from our co-pilots.Resident economicexpert Liam declares the Chancellor's statement 'politically tone-deaf.' He's

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59:06

Adding fuel to the cost of living fire

Planet Normal ·

2022/03/17

The cost of living crisis is reaching a boiling point in the UK, and co-pilot Halligan warns things could get even worse.As food and fuel prices go through the roof, Allison points out how accurate the predictions of 'Gypsy Rose Halligan' and his crystal ball have been so far.As we eagerly await the contents of Rishi Sunak’s spring statement, Liam thinks the Chancellor needs to splash more cash to help Brits struggling to afford necessities. He suggests Mr Sunak 'blame the war' if he's concerned

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57:30

All paths lead to Moscow

Planet Normal ·

2022/03/10

As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine intensifies, our co-pilots are breaking down what the crisis means for the UK and the rest of the world. Starting on the economic front. With soaring energy prices and public finances in disarray, is a recession now inevitable?Our resident economic expert co-pilot Halligan says it's not all bad news, with the great unlocking after the pandemic still leading to some growth. But as Brits begin to feel the effects of our economic war with Russia, he

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59:49

Putin pushes on in Ukraine

Planet Normal ·

2022/03/03

Entering the capsule of common sense is Former Head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, who tells our co-pilots why he was surprised by Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and warns Russia's arsenal of weapons will cause 'carnage'.Sir Richard also takes aim atEurope's 'unwise' and 'naive' decision to rely on energy from Russia and weighs in on the state of armed forces in the UK.Co-pilot Pearson commends the spiritedresponse from Ukraine, and her alter ego - the scrupulous ‘Velma’ - has been revising

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