What the reaction to the Liverpool incident says about Britain

The shocking events in Liverpool remain the source of more questions than answers, but one particular area - the disclosure that the suspect is “white British” - speaks volumes about the country we have become. The Matts consider the history of erroneous rushes to judgement - and how this age of social media makes the consequences of those errors so much worse. Also this week - what’s Farage’s plan … and how can Starmer stop him?

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The Daily Mail, wisdom and nostalgia for the Tories

Matthew d'Ancona and Matt Kelly again respond to your queries. They discuss whether Keir Starmer really believes the Daily Mail can ever be won over, if there's a case for the study of wisdom in the age of AI and whether they share one reader's nostalgia for the dying days of the last Tory government.Plus […]

Chemical castration and the government’s prison plan … is it nuts?

Is the government’s new plan for dealing with our burgeoning prison population sensible? And is it a vote winner? Two very different questions - the Matts discuss. And did the red top tabloids fall for the oldest trick in the art of political communications? Also this week - what did Trump’s Oval Office ambush of […]

Brexit is dead. Long live the future

The Matts are on something of a high. This week’s EU deal suddenly feels much more consequential than they’d expected. Credit (for once) to Starmer … even in his technocratic monotone, he presided over a clear vibe shift in the UK’s relationship with the EU. No, it doesn’t go nearly far enough. No, it’s not […]

The big PR debate, Labour comms and Green populism

The Matts touched a nerve last week with some comments about the desirability of proportional representation… or otherwise! Here they have it out and reach some surprising conclusions about how the UK should choose its MPs. Also - is Labour misdiagnosing its problems? Can there be a surge of Green populism? Will we ever see […]

Blessed are the jet-givers: St Donald goes to Qatar

Donald Trump’s whirlwind Middle East tour leaves the Matts open-mouthed at the sheer audacity of his grift … and helps them form a picture about how he may be planning to rule beyond a second term. Also this week; Matt K recalls his very first week in journalism - covering the trial of Peter Sullivan […]