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Planet Normal

The Telegraph

The podcast that speaks your language. News and views from beyond the bubble with Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan, every Thursday.

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Society & CultureSociety & Culture

Episodes

Rachel and the blackhole
Oct 16 2024
Rachel and the blackhole
The countdown to Labour's first Budget is on, but what do your co-pilots make of the new Chancellor's plans? Brace yourselves it's another news Tsunami…Liam isn’t convinced Labour’s plan for growth will strengthen up the public finances and believes a more prudent approach to spending is needed.Allison agrees and is concerned if they increase National Insurance on employers it will lead to less investment and fewer jobs.Joining your co-pilots for this week’s voyage is former Downing Street advisor and journalist Andy Coulson. The former News of the World Editor shares his thoughts on the first 100 days of the Labour government and reflects on his time at Belmarsh prison where he first formed the idea for his podcast ‘Crisis, What Crisis?’.And your co-pilots weigh in on Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s endorsement of weight loss drugs…Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ Read Allison: ‘I’m buying a generator. Who would want to invest in blackout Britain?’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/10/16/buying-a-generator-in-blackout-britain-ed-miliband/ |Listen to Andy Coulson: www.podfollow.com/crisis |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |Planet Normal listeners can get 20% off tickets to the Battle of Ideas Festival by putting the code PLANETNORMAL24 into the Promo code section of the ticket page – accessible through https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/battle-of-ideas-festival-tickets-2024/ | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The two Tory horse race
Oct 9 2024
The two Tory horse race
Fresh from a shock elimination in the Tory leadership race, your co-pilots deliver their verdict on the latest results from the now two horse race. And did co-pilot Pearson really influence the result?One year on from the shocking 7th October attack in Israel, the rocket reflects on Allison’s recent dispatch to Israel and welcomes Brendan O’Neill into the cockpit. Brendan’s new book ‘After the Pogrom: 7 October, Israel and the Crisis of Civilisation’ describes how he believes the West failed in their actions following the events in Israel.Your co-pilots also share an exciting announcement about an upcoming event and Bob the Bard returns…Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ Read Allison: ‘Not one girl could be shown to her parents’: The horrors of Oct 7 – as told by the survivors’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/10/05/oct-7-israel-survivors-stories-state-of-the-nation/ |Read Allison: ‘Hamas murdered my sister and her husband – but we will give their babies a normal life’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/10/06/oct-7-attack-orphan-twins-guy-roi-adoptive-parents/ |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |Planet Normal listeners can get 20% off tickets to the Battle of Ideas Festival by putting the code PLANETNORMAL24 into the Promo code section of the ticket page – accessible through https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/battle-of-ideas-festival-tickets-2024/ | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The rocket returns
Aug 21 2024
The rocket returns
As co-pilot Pearson circles Heathrow waiting for clearance to land, Liam is joined by Planet Normal Cosmonaut Supreme, Baroness Claire Fox.There's been much madness to dissect since the rocket's last orbit. How is the new Labour government handling the Summer chaos?Claire is frustrated that the Tory leadership contest seems to be leaving the country without a strong opposition and that it might leave the Conservatives unable to challenge the Labour party.Whilst Liam is optimistic that new Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, has the potential to pull off the reform the National Health Service needs to get back on track.Stowing away on the rocket this week is author and Conservative Peer, Jon Moynihan who expresses his concern at Labour’s economic policies, saying they won’t create growth by ‘just cutting wages’.And there is a delve into the fumbling Planet Normal mailbag which is overflowing from the recent Summer break…Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |Read more from Jon: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/08/18/uk-economy-growth-social-democracy-bankrupt-conservative/ |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Best Voyages from the Rocket 2024 P1
Jul 31 2024
Best Voyages from the Rocket 2024 P1
It’s summer on Planet Normal so in this the first of the three part best of the rocket series, our co-pilots take a look back at some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far.Back in January, just after the realities of the Post Office Scandal had come to the fore courtesy of a hard-hitting ITV drama, Allison spoke to an anonymous insider from Fujitsu, the Japanese company that designed and managed the Horizon online accounting system that had caused so many problems for Post Office Sub-Postmaster trying to balance their books.“Robin” - not their real name - worked at Fujitsu in the mid 2000s and filled Allison in on what they experienced.And then, in April, Planet Normal listeners were joined by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman who told us about the barriers she faced when trying to tackle the surge in UK immigration - and her frustration with then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.Two very revealing interviews!Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Silly Season Kicks Off
Jul 24 2024
Silly Season Kicks Off
The rocket blasts off for a final voyage before its summer break but there’s no shortage of madness to navigate before then.What did your co-pilots make of Keir Starmer’s first outing at Prime Minister’s Questions? Not to mention the political developments from across the pond..Allison isn’t impressed with the front runners in the Conservative party leadership contest. Nor the Labour party’s two child benefit cap which Liam believes the implications of which could potentially hamper growth.Strapping into the cockpit again as the rocket streams towards the Olympics is former professional swimmer and Olympian Sharron Davies who drops by to discuss her book in the build up to the celebration of sporting excellence.And Allison shares some worrying observations from her recent trip to A and E.Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |Read Allison: ‘My Soviet A&E ordeal shows there’s no compassion left in the dead-eyed NHS’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/columnists/2024/07/23/no-compassion-left-in-the-nhs/ |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.