Oh God, What Now?

Is communism having a mini revival? Marxist critiques and socialist ideas are becoming the in thing with Gen Z, while Donald Trump is harking back to the Red Scare of his youth to attack the Democrats. Is it anything more than a resurrected bogeyman for the right? Man of the left, veteran journalist and friend of the pod Paul Mason joins the panel to discuss Reds: A Global History of Communism, his sweeping new history of the movement. Plus: Andy Burnham heads to Ukraine with missile plans in hand, Reform’s bullshit policy of the week and much, much more.

• Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk.

• Buy Paul’s book Reds: A Global History of Communism from 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

• Zoë has started watching award-winning medical drama The Pitt

• Jonn has been watching the BBC murder mystery Ludwig

• Paul went to watch Adrian Lester star as the titular character in Cyrano de Bergerac at the Noël Coward Theatre in London’s West End

• Andrew has been bingeing the late ’70s British fantasy TV hit Sapphire and Steel

www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow

Presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison with Zoë Grünewald, Jonn Elledge and Paul Mason. Produced by James Liddell. Audio Production by Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk

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The climate crisis got horribly real this summer – but is it really true that ordinary people can’t do anything about it? The National Emergency Briefing is a growing movement around a stunning documentary film that makes clear the reality of the crisis and what we CAN do about it. Green economist Angela Francis joins us to explain where the fight for a liveable climate is heading; how to beat the Reform angle that it’s just too expensive so we might as well not bother; and bring surprisingly good news about tech, investment and the coming battery.

Plus, house prices are falling (in some places), ULEZ is working, and Donald Trump decides North Korea is his favourite Korea. Well, it can’t all be good news.

• Find a screening of the National Emergency Briefing here and if there isn’t one near you, you can request one.

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Hannah went to see Jimmy Eat World and Rise Against at Crystal Palace Bowl.

• Jason has been enjoying the podcast Kevin Eldon’s Speakers

• Angela has been reading How To Lose A Country by Ece Temelkuran and finally watching Call My Agent on Netflix.

• Matt watched Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Buy books 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.

Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk.

www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow

Presented by Matt Green with Hannah Fearn and Jason Hazeley. Audio Production by Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk
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The shocking death of former Cambridge University professor Jason Arday raises serious questions about the press investigation of his career and the claims he made about his life. Some blame the right-wing press for his death, others the university. Some blame the litany of racist and abusive messages Arday received online. Where should responsibility lie?

Plus, Andy Burnham is clearly more comfortable navigating today’s online world than Keir Starmer. But does he fully grasp the forces he’s up against? Are Russia, China and malign actors closer to home “flooding the zone” with disinformation to drown out the truth? Former senior UK government adviser-turned disinformation analyst Amil Khan joins the panel to dissect the information war that Burnham faces.

• Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk.

ESCAPE ROUTES

• James has been playing the strategy video game Civilisation VII

• Marie is in the middle of Pereira Maintains by Italian writer and academic Antonio Tabucchi.

• Amil has been reading Beer in the Snooker Club by Egyptian writer Waguih Ghali.

• Seth watched David Lean’s 1970 epic Ryan’s Daughter

When you buy books through our affiliate bookshop you help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow

Presented by Seth Thévoz with James Ball, Marie Le Conte and Amil Khan. Produced by James Liddell. Audio Production by Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk

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Fast analysis of the Clacton by-election with Steve Richards and Andrew Harrison. Two and half cheers for plucky underdog Nigel Farage who defeated the “establishment” candidate Count Binface in a by-election of his own making. And in the end, he didn’t even bother to show up to claim his victory… Now the stunt is over, the parliamentary standards watchdog is back investigating Farage’s £5m “gift” from a crypto billionaire. So was this entire exercise completely futile? Could Farage’s own gambit come back to bite him? And with his – and Reform’s – polling slipping, has the tide finally turned?

• Buy tickets for Steve’s 14-day Rock & Roll Politics run at the Edinburgh Fringe

• Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk.

www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow

Presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison with Steve Richards. Produced by James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk

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Barring a bin-shaped asteroid strike on the Essex Coast, Nigel Farage will win the Clacton by-election – but his problems won’t be over. What will Reform’s slippery leader face in the months to come? And can, should, would his party strike a deal with either Restore or the Conservatives? Plus our special guest, journalist Rachel Wearmouth, has the date of the next General Election, for real! And we answer a wealth of YOUR questions in a But Your Emails special.

• Get up to £350 off the Eight Sleep Pod 5 here with the code OGWN.

• Don’t miss the Clacton By-Election Emergencycast on Friday 14 August.

• Order the unofficial Count Binface comic here

• Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk.

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Rachel has been watching the Disney+ crime thriller Furious

• Seth has been re-watching classic psychedelic ’60s spy show The Prisoner.

• Jason played Steve Reich’s Music For 18 Musicians with Paraorchestra and Charles Hazlewood and you can hear it on BBC Sounds

• Andrew has been listening to the Richard Norris remixes collection Re-Make: Re-Model

www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow

Presented by Andrew Harrison with Seth Thévoz and Jason Hazeley. Audio Production by Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. 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