Quiet Riot

Naomi and Alex zoom in on the Reform UK Party Conference and consider whether it is possible for Nigel Farage to professionalise the party and rid it of bigots - as he says he wants to do - and whether that makes it more or less dangerous to the health of our body politic. Plus a whistle-stop tour of other news, including the allegations agains Al Fayed and Harrods and the extraordinary scandal engulfing the Republican gubernatorial candidate in North Carolina. Plus - how to pack for a party conference! [TW rape and sexual assault.] We make all of our content universally available for free. But we do need your support to keep making it. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. Alex: “It’s very hard to think there won’t be a clash between those very big male egos at the centre of Reform UK. You have Richard Tice, ploughing in all the money, while getting none of the spotlight, Nigel Farage who has this overwhelming air of I-know-best, and then you have Lee Anderson - a recalcitrant blabbermouth who refuses to be reined in. At some point those big alphas will do bloody battle.” Naomi: “I sense that the mood is not going to be as jubilant as one would expect it to be, given it will be the first Labour Conference, post their landslide election win.” Naomi: “I hate packing for party conferences. And I am someone who likes packing.” Naomi's Guardian piece on the Canadian Reform Party's hostile takeover of the Conservatives, can be read here. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A FUN mini edition of Poll The Other One, in which Naomi digs into the cross tabs and break points of a frivolous aspect of a very serious piece of polling: How does your favourite takeaway correlate with your age, location, party preference, and even newspaper of choice? Which are the only constituencies where 'chicken shop' is Top 3? What is a Sun reader's fave takeaway? And why will so few of us admit to loving a kebab? A perfect 10-minute listen. We make all of our content universally available for free. But we do need your support to keep making it. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. You can find the MUNCH MAPPER HERE. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Recorded live at the Radio Academy Festival 2024, Alex and Naomi, along with special guest, comedian and impressionist, Rory Bremner discuss #frockgate and Starmer's generally falling popularity and problem image, a second attempt against Trump's life and his lies, as well as a guide to Party Conferences. Plus regular features You Gotta Troll With It and Wokey Dokey. If you can afford to help, you can back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. If you do so now, you can be part of the supporter editorial meeting next Thursday 26 September. CALL TO ACTION The government's consultation on visa conditions is here. The full list of consultations can be found here - they are sortable by subject area. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for the third Bluesky Starter Pack. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naomi and Alex talk through the weeks news, including the NHS report, winter fuel payments, the OBR report into national debt and immigration. And they speak to special guest, former UK-US ambassador Sir Kim Darroch on the latest Russian threats over Ukraine and the US Election. WHAT A PACKED SHOW! If you can afford to help, you can back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. Sir Kim Darroch on Trump's plan to end the war in Ukraine: "It's a ludicrous thing to say. He's giving away any leverage on Putin by preemptively announcing he will stop weapon supplies to Ukraine. That's a negotiating mistake. What Trump is actually proposing is a deal in which Ukraine allows Russia to win. That looks to me like a huge defeat for the West. It's ending the war by, effectively, forcing Ukraine to surrender." Naomi: “Is the Winter Fuel Allowance a moment like tuition fees were for the Lib Dems - something from which they will not recover? I don’t think so, for one key reason: With that u-turn, the Liberal Democrats hurt their own core voters. Well-off older people are not voting Labour.” Alex: “The country with the highest immigration is America. Which also happens to be the richest country. Those two things are related. There is something very particular to the energy migrants bring to a country. If you're looking for people with what you call get-up-and-go, you can’t do better than those who actually got up and went.” Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Our THIRD Starter Pack to accompany this Special can be found here. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scottish politics klaxon! This bonus episode is a real treat for Quiet Rioters, featuring the insight and wisdom of Strathclyde University politics professor Sir John Curtice. Sir John, Britain's best-known polling expert, is a regular fixture on TV and radio (for those of you who still watch telly...) and no election night is complete until he has cast his eyes over the political landscape. Naomi and Sir John look at the state of Scottish politics, the challenges for the big parties, the skip fire that is the Scottish Tory leadership race and examine the differences between politics north and south of the Border ... you may be surprised about how different things are (and are not). For an even bigger fix of Sir John, check out his podcast Trendy, with former Downing St adviser Rachel Wolf. And for an extra hit of Quiet Riot, find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. Our THIRD Starter Pack can be found here. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with SandStone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex and Naomi, along with wonderful guests Alexis Conran and Simon Radford, discuss the fallout from Trump's "They're Eating The Dogs" humiliation by Kamala Harris. Followed by a discussion of why is regualtion of the gambling industry so lax, considering the lives gambling addiction destroys. Plus the return of Arlene On Me. If you can afford to help, you can back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. Simon: “There’s probably been three occasions in the last few decades where a debate has been decisive. Some people point to the Nixon-Kennedy debate, where Nixon won on Radio but Kennedy won on TV. Reagan cleaned Carter’s clock and it went from being a tight race to a landslide for Reagan. And then Trump versus Biden, which knocked the latter out of the race entirely.” Alexis: “We’re getting up to just under 500 suicides a year, which are thought to be related to gambling. I don’t know why we can’t force the industry to be a bit more responsible. You can’t watch sport without being prompted to gamble. You go to a PG film and there will be a gambling advert before it.” Alexis: “I think we need to make gambling a health issue. Just under half a billion quid from the NHS goes to helping problem gamblers. If we take it our of DCMS - why is it there? - and make it a Wes Streeting problem, you might see more action.” CALLS TO ACTION Information on the Gambling White Paper can be found here. Anthony O'Shaughnessy's "cougary" TikTok is here. Alexis Conran's documentary on gambling addiction is here. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Our THIRD Starter Pack to accompany this Special can be found here. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex gives his sleepless review of the Harris-Trump debate - complete with the best (and worst) clips and renders his verdict. If you can afford to help, you can back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. "So, DID SHE LOOK LIKE A PRESIDENT? I’m not sure. We associate so much of what makes a leader with masculinity - and often toxic masculinity. She didn’t look like a President because no President has ever looked like her. Did she look Presidential? She looked calm, centred, optimistic, and in control. Is that what people consider Presidential? By Jove, I hope so." Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Our THIRD Starter Pack to accompany this Special can be found here. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naomi and Alex review the week's news, including the Grenfell report, Green Party conference, Tory leadership contest, Russia's election interference, Johnson's annoying columns, and Starmer's visit to Ireland. They're then joined by Cripps partner, chair of UK French Foreign Trade Advisors and Chevalier, Olivier Morel, to talk through the shock appointment of Michel Barnier as french PM. If you can afford to help, you can back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. “Barnier is probably the only person who could manage it… His first speech was non committal, but he at least said he would speak to everyone, which is the right stance. And through his experience of Brexit, Britain was not the hardest task - keeping 27 countries on board for that long process is an extraordinary feat.” “Everyone is looking at 2027, the next presidential election, which is the big one. It’s a poisoned chalice to be in government right now. You and others regard this [left] grouping as one. But as soon as they are confronted by the reality of voting on this issue or that, I can see them fracturing very easily.” That French polling can be found here. You can watch the Private Member's Bill ballot here - they were chosen by Tory MP Nusrat Ghani. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Our THIRD Starter Pack to accompany this Special can be found here. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Electoral changes are a-coming in Wales, but that's not the only challenge facing politicians in Cymru. It's a country of contrasts, from the rugged scars of the Valleys and the beauty of Bannau Brycheiniog to the urban bustle of Cardiff and Swansea, and the bookish haven of Hay-on-Wye. Naomi Smith is joined by journalist Will Hayward for a timely stock-take of political life in a part of the country that we Quiet Rioters love, and a look at the contrasting fortunes and, indeed, difficulties looming for its political leaders. Find Will on X, if you still loiter in that odd place, @WillHayCardiff ... read his work on @WalesOnline ... and subscribe to his popular newsletter here. As for us, well, you can find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Our THIRD Starter Pack to accompany this Special can be found here. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO, IT MAKES SUCH A FABULOUS DIFFERENCE. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with SandStone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naomi and Alex, with the LSE's Professor Paul Dolan, and More in Common's Luke Tryl, make their way through the news - including the Grenfell report, changes in how schools are assessed, and the Tory leadership race. And then we talk happiness. What is it? Why do we feel less of it? And how can we get happier in a polarised world. An illuminating and uplifting conversation. HELP US KEEP MAKING THIS PODCAST: CLick here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. Paul Dolan: “It’s much easier, much of the time, to hold someone else responsible for how you think the world is than it is to do anything about it yourself. The path of least resistance is blame.” Luke Tryl: “One of the bigger drivers [of online abuse] is the desire for in-group approval that social media gives you. It’s not just that you don’t see the impact you are having on the people you’re targeting. You also get lots of validation from the in-group.” CALLS TO ACTION Grenfell United can be found here. Paul Dolan's books and other projects can be found here. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Our THIRD Starter Pack to accompany this Special can be found here. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell - in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pollsters got the result and party shares broadly right - the one significant error across the board was an overestimation of the size of Labour's vote. Why? Naomi looks at the data trickling through - some of it EXCLUSIVE and yet UNPUBLISHED - to glean why. Part of the answer seems to be a misrepresentation of Muslim voters and the more-prominent-then-usual presence of "late switchers" away from Labour. A perfect 10-minute listen. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. More in Common's detailed blog and data is here. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Our THIRD Starter Pack to accompany this Special can be found here. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex and special guest, journalist Annette Dittert in Berlin, go behind the dramatic headlines to discuss what yesterday's victory of the far-right extreme party Alternative für Deutschland in the Federal election in the obscure region of Thuringia actually means. What are the implications for national German and European politics and especially the war in Ukraine? A deeply insightful discussion, which morphs into a broader conversation about why formerly communist states may be more susceptible to far-right messaging. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. “In 1932 Hitler had his first electoral breakthrough in Thuringia. And in a way it is highly symbolic that this happens again in Thuringia. On the other side Thuringia and Saxony together do not even form 8% of the German population. So, what has happened there yesterday is in not representative of the whole of Germany, although it will radiate far and have huge implications.” “It’s misleading to describe Wagenknecht as far left. She insidiously merges far right and far left topics and tropes, only to create a whole new toxic brew-up. Far from being a bulwark against the AfD she has turned out to be a resentment machine that has paved the way for more right-wing thinking, by routinely normalising anti-democratic narratives.” “Many of the younger generation in these states, they feel left behind. AfD has managed to be massively successful on TikTok, which is used by younger Germans. And the mainstream parties did not clock that fast enough. Nowhere else in Germany have far right organisations been allowed to be so much at the centre of society.” “The underlying subtext of this election is that East Germans - and this is something you will find across the rest of Germany - are hugely dissatisfied with the current coalition gov’t, which is basically dysfunctional. If you set aside the AfD’s victory, what actually happened is that these three parties hardly got any votes.” “It’s important to emphasise, this is East Germany, it has to do with very specific factors and although hugely influential, it is not representative. But it is a dangerous ‘first’ and what matters now is how this will affect the national conversation - especially the Christian Conservatives who are in danger of learning the wrong lessons and pandering further to the right.” “We, Germans, don’t really do ‘early elections’ unless absolutely necessary. However, if the next East German election in Branderburg in three weeks time is as awful for the Social Democrats and if - and this is a possibility - they come in below the 5% threshold that is the minimum in order to be part of Parliament, within the SPD, Scholz’s future will be heavily discussed.” Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Our THIRD Starter Pack to accompany this Special can be found here. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naomi (SHE'S BACK! YAY!) and Alex try to look behind a wall of very mixed signals from Labour on the EU. Is there a sophisticated strategy in play? Or a tug of war between the economically obvious and the politically toxic? And is it a cowardly betrayal of Remain, as the Guardian asserts – or a dastardly reversal of Brexit as the Express believes? IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. “There’s no such thing as ‘Rejoin’. There’s not some fast-track, ‘We made a mistake! Do-over! Do-over! There is just ‘Join’ and it takes years at the best of times. It takes time.” “There is a lot not to like about the CPTPP. But it was negotiated, the ink has dried, it’s going to happen… We are beggars, not choosers, when it comes to trade deals. And to turn our nose up at those we can do, while resetting our relationship with Europe, would be churlish and at odds with the govt’s message on growth.” Join Best for Britain here. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Our THIRD Starter Pack to accompany this Special can be found here. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell – in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naomi and Alex review the latest Alien interquel from the London IMAX - and talk about the politics of the franchise, more generally. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. “Aliens was made a few months before Wall Street. And you really can see that anxiety: Is capitalism now too rampant? Almost forty years later, that creeping fear, that suspicion, that large corporations will take over our lives, has been confirmed.” “The film has a very, very young cast… And it hits the nail on the head, when you think of how little stake young people have today. Young people coming to the franchise will identify with being screwed, with the goalposts moving, with not being able to save.” “Alien is probably the best Haunted Spaceship film. And Aliens, I would say, is the best sci-fi action horror. ”And if they’re not, then listeners should write in with their suggestions. So any interquel is going against quite an impossible bar.” Full trailer for ALIEN: ROMULUS. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Our THIRD Starter Pack to accompany this Special can be found here. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell - in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex, Kenny and guest TIME Magazine's Yasmeen Serhan, discuss Keir Starmer's moRose Garden speech, whether the difficulties were predicted or are additional, whether the rhetoric is expectation management or augurs Austerity 2.0. Palestinian-American, Yasmeen Serhan then leads a hugely illuminating conversation on the US Election and why so many Arab-Americans remain Uncommitted to Kamala Harris. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. “It was a dull speech. Starmer promised change… but he also promised that politics would take up less space in our lives. So, I guess, what he’s endeavouring to do is bring about this change in as non-dramatic a way as possible.” “For the first time I question the balance of the top team. Now that they’re in government, I look around that top team and I think: who is the risk-taker there? I see a lot of risk-averse people. But if the situation is as dire as they describe, they need someone who will take a few risks.” “Democrats and people who are supportive of Harris/Walz need to get it out of their heads that they can threaten voters by saying ‘my opponent is insane’. That is not a good get-out-the-vote strategy. You can’t fit that on a bumper sticker.” “As a Palestinian-American, speaking to other Palestinian-Americans, this is such an emotional issue. You can’t tell them they must vote for a ticket that may just continue what we’ve been seeing. You can’t ask them to sign off on a policy that may kill their family members.” CALLS TO ACTION Yasmeen's writing can be found here. The Labour Conference list of exhibitors is here. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Our THIRD Starter Pack to accompany this Special can be found here. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell - in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An enriching and uplifting conversation with Professor Harvey Whitehouse, chair of social anthropology and professorial fellow of Magdalen College at the University of Oxford. We come equipped with three deeply ingrained biases: tribalism, religiosity, and conformity. How do we overcome them? By working with them, says Whitehouse in his new book: INHERITANCE. Nothing is off the table, as Alex challenged Harvey to put the recent racist riots, the MAGA movement, Brexit - even Swifties - through the prism of those biases. If we had conceived of the Professor's thesis ourselves, it could not fit better with this podcast's mission. IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE DO. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. To buy Harvey Whitehouse's stunning book, INHERITANCE: THE EVOLUTIONARY ORIGINS OF THE MODERN WORLD click here. “The trouble is, right now, we are living in a world where technology is advancing at such a pace, we don’t have time to adapt our past lessons to fit with the kinds of problems we are facing currently. ” “A lot of those features that I call religion, which include a tendency to anthropomorphise things, to see agency in everything, to believe in supernatural forces - these things are massively exploited by electronic media in a huge variety of ways, commercially exploited to a degree a lot of us are not fully aware of.” On Swifties: “What we need and what is very rare are what we call ‘barrier-crossing leaders’- that is to say leaders who work across groups and across tribes and bring them together. And when we talk about that younger demographic who are relatively open to being persuaded, there is an opportunity for leaders to actually lead.” “There are universal rules of a moral kind that we all agree upon. All human beings, everywhere, agree that certain principles of cooperation are morally good. But if you are on the left or on the right, you emphasise different components of that repertoire.” “Actually what I’d really like to see is a coming-together of the perspectives of left and right, instead of this polarisation that is increasingly taking grip of societies around the world. What we need is for left and right to listen to each other a bit more closely.” “The salience of global citizenship needs to come to the fore, when we’re thinking of things like tackling climate change, or pandemic risk, or whatever it is that faces the world as a whole. And we need to follow through on that, and sustain it, and build the institutions that give expression to it.” Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Our THIRD Starter Pack to accompany this Special can be found here. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell - in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex talks through every aspect of BlueSky, from its genesis to how it may look familiar but is a completely different model of social media, to what is coming in the short and medium future, with its Chief of Operations in the San Francisco head office, Rose Wang. Hidden features, hints on curating your feed, tips on etiquette ... it's all here. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. “We are experiencing on social media a lot more media than social. And what we hear from many people is: I don’t see my friends in my timeline anymore, or on my feed anymore. Even content creators, they’re posting to the algorithm now. There’s no true connection with an audience, because they don’t own that relationship - the platforms do.” “BlueSky looks like twitter – on the surface – but it’s like comparing TV in the 1950s with Netflix today. A small group of people deciding what you get to see on two feeds – much like the TV channels in the 50s. On BlueSky we’ve built the foundation for anyone to build a feed.” "We have seen a couple hundred thousand people in the UK migrate to BlueSky in the last few weeks. This Brexit has been fun to watch." "It's a new party. And at this party, you can be yourself." Our THIRD Starter Pack to accompany this Special can be found here. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell - in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex and special guest Brian Klaas, with their 30-minute review of the entire Democratic National Convention - complete with the best clips. Can the Democrats maintain this momentum? Can Trump find anything that will stick - or will he turn on Vance? What next before the first Harris vs Trump debate in September? TW Testimony of rape survivor. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. “A lot of Democrats feel like it’s 2008 again, when Obama made his ascendancy - it was a watershed moment with incredibly high enthusiasm level, and it feels like we’re in that sort of space. Around April only [a third] of Democrats were fired up about the election. Just before the convention it was 81%.” “What really angers the right about Walz is that he is exactly what a lot of the Republican elites pretend to be - the rural party, working class, what they call ‘Real Americans’. But all of them live in DC in penthouses, and have huge stock portfolios, and are millionaires.” “It was a marked contrast from the when-they-go-low-we-go-high rhetoric of the Obama presidency. It was saying: You know what? We’re not going to let them set the terms. It’s a different kind of Democratic Party, that is saying: we will push back. And the Harris slogan ‘When We Fight, We Win’ is an indication of that.” “Trump’s strategy, which we can discern is to get from 42% to 47%. Kamala Harris is trying to get to 52%. In other words, she’s trying to win over people who don’t naturally vote for her.“ US Election aggregate polling at Five Thirty Eight. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell - in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is there a glimmer of light at the end of the (Channel) tunnel for young Britons wanting to travel more freely in Europe? This week's headlines hinting at a Youth Mobility Scheme suggest there may well be, and polling tells us that even old Brexity types aren't against helping Generation Z win back some of the European travel freedoms that us oldies took for granted before You Know What happened. Naomi Smith reads the runes and finds a policy that could help young people and be broadly popular too – with Europe as well as the UK. And she explains why her team at Best For Britain is backing a reciprocal EU-UK Youth Mobility Scheme, one of 114 recommendations published by the cross-party UK Trade and Business Commission last year. Thanks as ever for listening – find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. Brought to you by Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell, in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naomi and Alex, with guest Sir Vince Cable, discuss the lack of policy flesh on the meat of an American election that seems all about vibes. Meanwhile, the new Labour government seem willing to devise an industrial policy - but it will take more than words. Rachel Reeves bought into BIDENOMICS - but with Biden gone, and Harris more mercurial, is that still a thing? Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. Vince on Kamala Harris: "She will have to say something on fundamental questions that will shape this election… The British election is a good example of the problem with a Ming-Vase approach. You get into government and the moment you do anything remotely controversial, people go bananas, because you’ve built up no buy in. There’s a certain parallel with what’s happening across the pond.” Vince on Lords reform and the abolition of life peerages and phasing out of peers on the basis of age: “It’s a rather weak response to a big problem, which is that we have a Second House which is bloated, massively undemocratic, and - frankly - corrupt, because of the large number of people who have bought their places.” Vince on Brexit: “The fact is that this is an enormous hole. I think there is a collective sense now that we made a mistake, but there is also a resignation that nothing can be done about it. And somehow or other those two things can’t continue.” Ckick here for Vincent's last book. US Election aggregate polling at Five Thirty Eight. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell - in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex takes you through some impressions from the first night of Democratic National Convention, and finds it touching and inspiring. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. "Disarray was what was expected. Instead, what happened was absolute array. A party ready for a fight. And all of it enabled by the most dignified, respectful, affectionate, even, passing of the baton." You can stream the DNC here. US Election aggregate polling at Five Thirty Eight. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell - in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naomi and Alex take you through what to expect from the Democratic National Convention starting tomorrow, discuss Farage's income, declarations of interest and MPs' second jobs, and gossip about the birth of their baby podcast, its mission, and what you can do to help it grow. Click here to back Quiet Riot on Ko-fi. “[Farage] has not yet tabled a single written question in the Commons on behalf of the people of Clacton. We don’t know if he’s holding regular advice surgeries. How often is he even in that constituency? And when you tot up all of the time that he himself has estimated he spends on extra-Parliamentary work, it’s nine full working days a month. So, at best he is a part-time MP.” “This notion that, by declaring something, the conflict of interest goes away is a nonsense. The system of declarations is not there to resolve conflicts but to identify them. It doesn’t matter if there’s no actual impropriety. There has to be the appearance of absolutely no impropriety.” You can stream the DNC here. US Election aggregate polling at Five Thirty Eight. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell - in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naomi Smith takes us deep into the stat tables of the recent YouGov poll and finds some stunning tidbits, about demographic breakdown and how much closer to the EU voters want to go - but also, how far they believe this Labour government has a mandate to go. “Scotland still leads the country with the highest proportion of voters wanting to get back in the club. Back in 2016, Wales voted narrowly to Leave the EU, but now favours joining the EU by 57% to 25% - almost the same numbers as a very pro-EU London.” “For every percentage point increase of imports and exports as a share of GDP, there is 0.3-0.7% increase in productivity and growth. A closer relationship with the EU is a no-brainer. The voters want it and the economy needs it.” Full Trade & Business Commission recommendations for a closer relationship are HERE. Campaigning organisation Best for Britain is HERE. Full YouGov poll is HERE. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell - in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naomi and Alex chat to special guests Labour MP for Brent East Dawn Butler and former Tory SpAp Salma Shah through the fallout of the riots and how we can carve a way forward. And we go through the Tory Leadership race candidates. Who will it be? And will anyone care? PLUS a very special Wokey Dokey about idiots blowing up their motorbikes and we give our guests a chance to showcase their favourite not-a-fans in You Gotta Troll With It. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) CALLS TO ACTION Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here for a second Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here to buy the Hate Has No Home Here poster. Click here for the WWF's Greek Wildfires appeal. Click here for Dawn Butler's 21 Days to Go. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell - in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ukraine's push into Russian territory took plenty by surprise (though probably not western defence chiefs). So what has changed in the war, and what do we know about the F16 jets that have been assigned a role in the conflict? Naomi Smith seeks reassuring words on the war from former diplomat, writer and podcast host Arthur Snell, whose career is an A-to-Z of diplomacy from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. But you'll have to judge yourself if his insights are reassuring... And, for this Quiet Riot Bonus episode on foreign affairs, we also look to Northern Syria, where Islamic State has been making headlines again. Subscribed to our show? Thank you! If not, you know what to do... Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (Yes, we are working on threads and YouTube.) Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Quiet Riot is brought to you by Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell, in cahoots with SandStone Global. Call to action Check out Arthur Snell's fantastic podcast on foreign affairs, Behind The Lines ... and feel free to subscribe too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex has boiled down an INTERMINABLE three hours of Donald Trump and Elon Musk, finally becoming TRUSK, into 20 minutes WITH a few comments. TL;DR - there is none. You really have to listen. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell - in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex goes through the week's political events, both here and across the Atlantic, with special guest Zoe Williams. “The Spectator is in a really difficult position. They’re not like the Daily Mail. They cannot turn round and hold the exact opposite point of view to the one they held yesterday, without intellectual consequences. If they wash their hands of Douglas Murray now, they will have to admit they’ve been promulgating race hate for as long as they’ve been publishing him.” “Musk is testing his own strength and he’s testing the strength of twitter and he’s testing his own convening power - how many people can he get in his online army. But the reason it doesn’t ring true or make any real sense and Starmer seems nonplussed by it, is that the attacks don’t relate to the politician or the man. It’s a sort of symbolic act.” On which of the Tory leadership candidates has impressed Zoe most: “To be honest, I’m really, really revelling - like it’s a warm bath - in the experience of not giving a shit about the Conservative Party.” On the US Election: “It’s not groundswell support that matters. It’s Stans. It’s superfans. If you can see someone developing superfans, there’s something going on that you need to pay attention to.” On the Harris/Walz campaign: “For the first time in years I am just loving watching a political process. I’ve got almost no anxiety. Everyone is saying ‘watch the polls, watch the polls’, but I’m thinking ‘this is just not happening for Trump.” Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell - in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why is Northern Ireland the only UK nation other than England where the riots took hold? Alex talks to Belfast MP Claire Hanna, who has seen thuggery in the last few days on her patch, about what factors make Northern Ireland different on this - and what wisdom, from decades of dealing with this sort of violence, actually applies more universally. A thoughtful and illuminating chat. “People have been consuming the same media landscape, the same messaging that dehumanises immigrants from the top, and there is here - there’s no other way to put it - a ready-made pool of recreational rioters.” “South Belfast has the second highest concentration of asylum seekers in hotels, due to the catastrophic failure of the Home Office to efficiently process people’s applications. But the community, in the main, has really, really tried to wrap itself around them.” “I spoke to somebody two days ago who said they were sitting in their house with the lights off, the other night. And it really shocked me to my core that that was happening in 2024. Because the violence seems so random.” Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here to buy the Hate Has No Home Here poster. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell - in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex, Naomi, and special guest James O'Brien chat about the riots in England, the people who stoked them and now claim refuse all responsibility, and the toxic influence of social media. And in the second part, we look at Harris's VP pick, Tim Walz, and the remarkable turnaround in the US election. PLUS Wokey Dokey and You Gotta Troll With It. Find us on Facebook and Twitter as @quietriotpod and on Bluesky. Email us at [email protected]. Or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. (We are working on threads and YouTube.) Click here for your Quiet Riot Bluesky Starter Pack. Click here to buy the Hate Has No Home Here poster. Click here to find out more about C-Span. Click here for James O'Brien's podcast. With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou, and Kenny Campbell - in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex - a former regulator by trade - talks through the issues of social media regulation and the ultimate sanction of banning Musk from having history's most destructive midlife crisis at the expense of UK democracy. Please take a minute to subscribe to the podcast, like, review and rate us, and share Quiet Riot pearls on social media because sharing is good, is it not? You can find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. It really helps! You can find Hope Not Hate here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naomi and Alex talk about the Far Right riots up and down the UK, the extent to which they are an omen of worse things to come, or the final spasm of a faction of sore losers, the role disinformation has played, and what Starmer can do. Alex: “The far right have had a pretty bad year. The European election did not go their way in the mega-wave they thought, Modi lost his majority in India, Le Pen came third in France, Starmer won a landslide here, and now it looks as if Trump might even be in danger. It’s not a good moment for them and something about this feels like their final tantrum by the checkout.” Naomi: “The far right are always with us. They never go away. It is a fact of life. They have peaks in their activity and while this has been nowhere near as bad as it could be, you have to have constant and ever vigilance around those that seek to divide us.” Please take a minute to subscribe to the podcast, like, review and rate us, and share Quiet Riot pearls on social media because sharing is good, is it not? You can find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. It really helps! You can find Hope Not Hate here. You can find Kick It Out here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naomi Smith chats to Conservative Home's Henry Hill about every aspect of the Tory leadership contest, who are the runners, who are the riders, who doesn't know if they're afoot or horseback, and what is at stake. A free-roaming and illuminating conversation - and a perfect illustration of our mission here at QRHQ, to build understanding. Henry on the length of the contest: “I think Conservatives may regret not having a new leader and shadow cabinet in place for [the budget]. And then, just three days after their new leader is announced, we’re going to have the US Presidential election. And that’s going to be like a news nuke.” On Jeremy Hunt staying on as Shadow Chancellor: “[Jeremy Hunt] just lost the election. I don’t think he is a credible message-carrier with the voters for criticising Rachel Reeves’ agenda.” On morale in the party: “The thing I think a lot of Tories don’t quite realise yet is how hard life in opposition is. Because a huge share of Tory MPs have entered Parliament at or since the 2010 election.” On what the task of the next leader is: “Both sides of the current conservative classic division are out of date. One of them is stuck in 1975. The other one, the sort of self-consciously modernising one, is stuck in 2005, when Cameron became leader. Neither of them seems to be oriented towards the problems of 2025.” Please take a minute to subscribe to the podcast, like, review and rate us, and share Quiet Riot pearls on social media because sharing is good, is it not? You can find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. It really helps! You can find Henry's Conservative Home pieces here. And his substack musings here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The new buzzword in American politics is Weird, and it seems to be having an effect. Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith are joined by transatlantic academic, author and podcaster Brian Klaas, Associate Professor of Global Politics at University College London, to talk weird politics, Kamala's crowds and a whole bunch of other fascinating stuff around the US presidential race. There's also a look at what happened when Rachel Reeves and Jeremy Hunt squared up in the Commons for their first post-election tussle, and we ask whether the changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance are going to prove chilling for the Chancellor. And don't miss our amazing new features – we've got two of the critters, one of them cultured, the other somewhat less so. Confused? You'll have to listen in... Do please subscribe to the podcast, like, review and rate us, and share Quiet Riot pearls on social media because sharing is good, is it not? You can find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Love you guys x CALL TO ACTION The Lincoln Project Republican Voters Against Trump How just 80,000 voters in three states made Trump president How to contact your MP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Andreou, in conversation with Christina Pagel and Tom Brufatto, teases out the main threads from the Covid Inquiry Module 1 Report and discusses the current wave of Covid sweeping the country and the status of Long Covid. “Our plan was how do we cope with the number of deaths. And they planned, into the 2011 strategy, for over 800,000 people to die over about five months. And nobody ever said: that seems like a lot.” ~Christina Pagel “Having delivered Brexit, they certainly felt they had something to prove. And it was often in a direction which was not conducive to responsible government." ~Tom Brufatto “There aren’t any real treatments for Long Covid yet. People have lost interest in Covid. It may be understandable, but it’s not really forgivable when you still have hundreds of thousands of people really, really sick.” ~Christina Pagel “During the General Election campaign Covid was barely mentioned. It is probably the biggest trauma this country went through during the last government and it barely came up.” ~Alex Andreou Subscribe, follow, rate, and review us. And take two minutes to say something nice about us on social media, tagging in @quietriotpod - you can also email us at [email protected] With Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith. Produced by Kenny Campbell in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Calls to Action: Long Covid Charities LONG COVID KIDS LONG COVID SUPPORT LONG COVID SOS ME/CFS All-Party Parliamentary Group Covid Inquiry - Module 1 Report covid19.public-inquiry.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY REACTION. Alex and Naomi with a bumper edition of your favourite weekly feature, looking at the comically insane and the insanely comical reactions to a man with a hole in his tights, a drag race, and Papa Smurf singing. What happened to Christian temperance and forgiveness? It's all pride and wrath these days. "They think it was making fun of The Last Supper – not The Last Supper as a concept, but The Last Supper as a famous fresco, painted by gay atheist, who painted himself into the image as Jesus." -"Kamala Harris does have children. She just hasn't given birth to any." -"As has no President of the United States before her. Not a single one of them has given birth." Subscribe, follow, rate, and review us. And take two minutes to say something nice about us on social media, tagging in @quietriotpod – you can also email us at [email protected] Produced by Kenny Campbell in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A familiar voice returns to join Alex and Naomi – fresh from playing Angela Merkel with the Royal Shakespeare Company, actor, writer and all-round good egg Ingrid Oliver casts a knowing eye over the in-tray of Lisa Nandy, our new Secretary of Culture, Media and Sport. We talk theatre, music, libraries and even TikTok and footie, as the challenges facing Britain's arts and entertainment world join the queue for help from a new Government. And, talking of entertainers, how could we not chat about Kamala Harris, whose combination of talent and joie de vivre has catapulted her into contention as the next US President. Helping us read the Harris runes is Patrick Flynn, data journalist with Focaldata and owner of at least one cool Kamala T-shirt. What other podcast brings you this sort of devotion to detail? Plus we've got favourite features including Poll The Other One and (cue that Hillbilly Elegy soundtrack) Wokey Dokey. We literally don't have room for any more goodies :-) If you wouldn't mind, please subscribe to the podcast, like, review and rate us, and share Quiet Riot wisdom on social media because sharing is good, ok? You can find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. CALL TO ACTION Find a theatre near you here Need some inspiration for your next gig? Try this It's summer and there are free sports agogo... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex with a short personal view, on how the treatment of Biden has set back the cause of trying to ease the stigma of conditions like dementia back by years. The way this was treated, often involved a sort of gratuitous cruelty and vicious glee that did not need to be there, served no purpose. It seemed just a chance to join in with a public humiliation. Please subscribe to the podcast, like, review and rate us, and share Quiet Riot gems on social media. You can find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Thank you all for your support :-) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Goodbye Joe, he gotta go: Joe Biden has finally done what many considered inevitable, and exited the race to be the next US President. In this Quiet Riot special, our hosts Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith are joined by long-time Democratic Party donor and political analyst Mark Bergman, to prod the embers of Biden's 2024 campaign. Among the burning questions therein, we ask: Why now? What will the new Democrat offering be? Will Biden's departure help unite the Democrats or open up a new internal battlefront? And could we see an all-woman Democratic ticket go up against the Republican hombres? The 2024 presidential race is fired up to be a classic – let our cooler heads be your guide. Also, please subscribe to the podcast, like, review and rate us, and share Quiet Riot gems on social media. You can find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Thank you all for your support :-) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex chats to John Nicolson – now a former SNP MP – reflects on what went wrong for the SNP and how to fix it, as well as a wide range of topics, from the US presidential race to behind-the-scenes insights on the life political. And there's a little regret that he and his SNP colleagues weren't a little more awkward when they descended en masse on Westminster. With candid observations on some of those with whom he has shared the political stage – and eyebrow-raising revelations about his close call on the operating table – this is a must-listen for all fans of planet politics, not just those from north of the Border. "It's a bit like bereavement, when you lose. The worst time is the morning. You wake up and you feel unhappy and you can't quite remember why, and then you go: no, that's why. It's very sad." "The truth is, people vote for parties. And there was an electoral wave, which individual candidates, such as myself, found impossible to resist." "I was very outspoken on trans rights. I'm not in favour of Scottish independence because I want to go out there and wave the Saltire. I'm not a flag fetishist. I support it because of the kind of society we can build... Scotland, on a whole number of metrics, is now amongst the most liberal countries in Europe." "My grandma left school at 12. I went to university and ended up getting a scholarship to Harvard. It transformed my life, free university education." "We've got to have a mature discussion about how Scotland leaves the UK, if we want to. If there is no mechanism to leave, and we're told we can never have a referendum, well, it's not a voluntary union." "The Tories are a funny lot. I grew up with Clause 28 and all that ghastliness. And then, when I was elected, I looked across to the Tory benches... I mean, it was like a night out in Soho." "Obviously if that was my choice, I'd vote for Biden. But if Biden wants to do something for his nation now, I think he should stand aside. I hope vanity does not prevent him." "I have no time for people who say: they're all the same, they're all liars. They really aren't. There's good people in all the parties. And there are honest, well-intentioned people in all the parties. Engage. Don't be lazy." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naomi chats to newly re-elected Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran on the campaign, the stunning success, and what do they mean for the party going forward. Layla Moran on Ed Davey in a wetsuit: “You can’t do that unless you’re very comfortable in your skin. It’s quite exposing, politically and quite literally. He did take a risk, with bubbly Ed, but he pulled it off.” On LDs being the third biggest party in Parliament again: “One thing I’ve noticed: all of us are worrying much more about our shoes, because we actually sit on the front bench.” On being in opposition to Labour: “I have spent the last seven years in opposition, with all of those friends of mine, who are now ministers. I sidled up to a couple of them and said: 'so can we do this thing now?' or 'can we get this campaign over the line?'.” Subscribe to the podcast, like us, rate us, and share the joyous news on social media. G'awn, do it now while you listen. Ideas, feedback, comments, guest or topic suggestions? Find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Quiet Riot is produced by Kenny Campbell, in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex talks to former UK ambassador to the US, Sir Kim Darroch, about the attempt on Trump's life, JD Vance as a Vice President pick on the ticket, and the prospects of the Democrats replacing Biden so late in the day. Naomi talks to Layla Moran about the King's Speech, what was in it, what wasn't, and what opposition can do against such a large majority. Add in your regular treats Troll with It and The Week in 60 Seconds, and you've got an hour of the finest political insight and fun. "I think there is no way now, whatever happens in the next 100 days, that Biden can win this, if he remains the candidate. It's a question of how bad the loss will be." Sir Kim Darroch "Pence was a counsel of caution to Trump, he held Trump back. Vance looks to me like a man who wants to outdo his boss and mentor. I'm not sure that doubling up on outrageous rhetoric will be good for them in the end." Sir Kim Darroch "The only conceivable deal that could be done is one where Ukraine surrenders all the terrotiry that Russia currently holds, permanently. So, what that Trump proposition would do, is deliver defeat for the West." Sir Kim Darroch "I actually got into the Lords - I don't always do it, but this timne it felt special - and they start talking about getting rid of hereditary peers, and a few of us MPs locked eyes and went: AWKWARD." Layla Moran "Both Hamas and Netanyahu are blockers to peace. Neither wants a two-state solution. How can you, on the one hand, claim to want a two-state solution, and on the other hand not hold the perpetrators of atrocities to account, via the International Court mechanism that can determine what has happened?" Layla Moran Please don't forget to subscribe to the podcast, like, review and rate us, and share Quiet Riot nuggets on social media. We will love you even more for it. You can find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Heck, do all three, you only live once. CALL TO ACTION Find your MEP here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex chats to award-winning Cardiff-based journalist Will Hayward about Vaughan Gething's resignation and a perfect fifteen-minute explainer of the general election result. A potted summary of the Gething scandal. Who did well and who did poorly? Why is Reform building such a strong base in Wales? What next for a Senedd and a Labour party, both split right down the middle? Subscribe to the podcast, like us, rate us, and share the joyous news on social media. G'awn, do it now while you listen. Ideas, feedback, comments, guest or topic suggestions? Find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Quiet Riot is produced by Kenny Campbell, in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Andreou talks to author and politics professor Brian Klaas about the attempt on Trump's life - a moment of violence that is as shocking as it was predictable. "The US is a fundamentally broken society... All of the ingredients for political violence are in the US and have been for many years. The reason there hasn't been a high-profile assassination attempt in the US in the last few years is dumb luck. And the luck just run out." "It is clearly the case that there are extremists in both parties. There are definitely extremists in the Democratic party as well as the Republican party. The difference is that the extremists in the Republican party are in charge." "It is simultaneously true that all political violence in a democracy is abhorrent, unacceptable, and needs to be denounced unequivocally. It is also true that Donald Trump and his political movement pose a serious and unprecedented risk to American democracy. And the former should not stop us from pointing out the latter." "Anyone who tells you they know how it's going to turn out is not telling the truth." Subscribe to the podcast, like us, rate us, and share the joyous news on social media. Ideas, feedback, comments, guest or topic suggestions? Find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Quiet Riot is produced by Kenny Campbell, in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Continuing our series of focussed analysis of the general election, Naomi Smith chats to the deputy leader of the Greens, Zack Polanski, about every aspect of the result. What was different in this campaign that resulted in a quadrupling of Green seats? Will the LibDems' success in primarily Tory-facing constituencies leave space for the Greens to challenge the gov't from the left? How does a hostile media shape the narrative? What next for the Green Party? PLUS: The case for Proportional Representation. ALSO: The environmental case for veganism. AND A SCOOP: Why is Stella Creasy's Walthamstow constituency in Zack's sights? Subscribe to the podcast, like us, rate us, and share the joyous news on social media. Ideas, feedback, comments, guest or topic suggestions? Find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Quiet Riot is produced by Kenny Campbell, in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, your stars Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith are joined by a genuine Chevalier, Olivier Morel, to cast a bemused glance at politics over La Manche and, closer to home, ask the big question: is Sir Keir showing signs of happiness? As well as being a partner at law firm Cripps, Olivier chairs the UK chapter of the French Foreign Trade Advisors and is on the board of the French Chamber of Great Britain. Who better to help us make sense of a tumultuous week of democratic shenanigans on both sides of the Channel. Naomi also takes a look at the first post-election polling to give us an idea of how happy Brits are to have Labour hordes taking control of Westminster. Add in your regular treats Wokey Dokey and The Week in 60 Seconds, and you've got an hour of the finest political entertainment and insight. C'est magnifique, as they say in the chic brasseries around Quiet Riot HQ. Please don't forget to subscribe to the podcast, like, review and rate us, and share Quiet Riot nuggets on social media. We will love you even more for it. You can find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Heck, do all three, you only live once. CALLS TO ACTION Support Best for Britain ... or HOPE not hate ... or 38 Degrees ... or the3million ... or The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants ... or Labour Movement for Europe ... or Liberal Democrats in Europe Find out more about Erasmus+ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a General Election treat, Alex and Naomi dish up an all-you-can-eat special with guest chefs Rory Bremner and Zoe Williams. What other show brings you a menu featuring lashings of Starmer, Johnson, Trump and Glastonbury? With a side order of William Hague and some Gordon Brown sauce? We snack on memorable elections of the past, nibble on some tasty predictions for the present and wonder whether the future holds Angel Delight or Dread And Splutter Pudding. And, for those who prefer to snack, our regular features include Wokey Dokey and Troll With It. Fill your plates at our Riotous political buffet then, if you haven't already, get out and do that voting thing. With your political appetite sated, feel free to subscribe to the podcast, like, review and rate us, and give your social media followers a taste of what we offer. Ideas, feedback, comments, guest or topic suggestions? Find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Thank you friends :-) Quiet Riot is produced by Kenny Campbell, in cahoots with Sandstone Global. CALLS TO ACTION Get your own unique General Election Digital Bingo card, featuring a random selection of high-profile political targets. First to complete a line can shout HOUSE (of Commons has-been) Make your vote count: Tactical voting advice for every constituency And don't be a polling booth BoJo: please, please REMEMBER YOUR PHOTO ID Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naomi chats to journalist - and Norn' Iron political encyclopaedia - Amanda Ferguson who provides the perfect twenty-minute explainer of the election result. Where does each party stand politically and in relation to the constitutional question? Who did well and who did poorly? Who are the new MPs? What was the NI's Portillo moment? What do the parties there think of Starmer and the new Labour gov't? Subscribe to the podcast, like us, rate us, and share the joyous news on social media. Ideas, feedback, comments, guest or topic suggestions? Find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Quiet Riot is produced by Kenny Campbell, in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Andreou, Naomi Smith, and Ian Dunt do a deep dive into every aspect of the election result and what has followed it. And while you're listening, why not subscribe to or follow the podcast, rate us, and give your social media followers a prod to listen. Ideas, feedback, comments, guest or topic suggestions? Find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Quiet Riot is produced by Kenny Campbell, in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naomi and Alex right the world's wrongs, in the wee small hours of the morning. We decided that, basically, Nick Clegg is to blame for everything - among several other people, who are also to blame for everything. Also, that, at a time the country needed a broadsheet editorial, Sunak provided a listicle. Also, that conservatism in deep doo-doo. Also that Starmer will probably be a bitter disappointment, unless he is not. And Alex utters the world's most depressing sentence: "The next Conservative leader will be chosen by the same selectorate that looked at Truss and thought she was a good idea." Subscribe to the podcast, like us, rate us, and share the joyous news on social media. Ideas, feedback, comments, guest or topic suggestions? Find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Quiet Riot is produced by Kenny Campbell, in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Alex Andreou is flying solo in the studio while Naomi Smith checks in from the campaign trail – from lots of campaign trails, in fact. Joining Alex are special guests Luke Tryl, Executive Director of More in Common UK, and Yasmeen Serhan, Time's politics and policy specialist for Europe and the Middle East. As the clock ticks down to the General Election in Blighty, we prowl around the polling and pick our way gingerly through the latest electoral detritus. Then we cast our gaze over the Atlantic and are left rubbing our eyes in utter disbelief. Of course, there is a selection of your favourite features – Wokey Dokey is back, and there's a huge Poll With It. As we gird our loins for the final few days of the General Election, please subscribe to the podcast, like, review and rate us, and share the love on social media – it really keeps us going, in so many ways. Ideas, feedback, comments, guest or topic suggestions? Find us on twitter @quietriotpod, email us at [email protected], or visit our website www.quietriotpod.com. Thank you buddies :-) Quiet Riot is produced by Kenny Campbell, in cahoots with Sandstone Global. CALLS TO ACTION Can Brits donate to US political parties? The rules are pretty clear What happens if two parties tie for second place in the General Election? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices