Oh God, What Now?

Have YOU done YOUR emergency stash of sardines, toilet paper and Kit-Kats? The government’s warnings to stockpile tinned food and water set off a mix of panic, confusion and (from the usual suspects) mockery… but should we all be taking preparedness more seriously? Is Britain going to have to accept bigger changes in our society as the world gets more dangerous?

Plus: We look into what the “fiscal devolution” and a hundred quid off energy bills in John Healey’s first Budget all mean. It was boring, but is boring good in these straitened times? And in the Extra Bit for Patreon people, take your mind off the misery with the Oh God, What Now? winter break guide, as the panel shares some unexpectedly delightful destinations for an autumn escape.

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

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Jonn watched The Lion in Winter – “like Succession with Henry II”

• Hannah watched Steven Knight’s Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger

• Rachel has been reading Anthony Horowitz’s latest book, A Deadly Episode

• Ros has been bingeing Polish thriller The Mire on Netflix

• Support us on Patreon for the Extra Bit, ad-free episodes and more.

Presented by Ros Taylor with Hannah Fearn, Rachel Cunliffe and Jonn Elledge. Produced by James Liddell. Audio Production by Simon Williams. 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.

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Fast reaction to the Budget with Jonathan Portes, King’s College London economics and public policy professor… It was billed as the “boring” Budget, and to be fair Chancellor John Healey mostly delivered – with a few surprises. It was good news for pensioners, motorists and first-time buyers. Banks, meanwhile, were furious about a temporary tax hike, calling it “end of Rome levels of stupidity”. So what did the Chancellor actually announce? And what does it mean for YOU?

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

• Support us on Patreon for the Extra Bit, ad-free episodes and more.

Presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. 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.

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Like the Democrats we’ve been pinning our hopes on the 2026 US mid-terms to end (or at least interrupt) Trump’s cruel circus… and now they’re finally here. Will the Republicans get the devastating punishment they deserve when America votes on Tue 3 Nov? Are the Democrats now so traumatised by poll upsets that they’re imagining a defeat into existence? And what happens after – if! – the Democrats take both Houses? Congressional staffer turned politics professor at George Washington University Casey Burgat joins us to explain what it all means.

Plus: John Healey’s first Budget is coming. Liz Truss’s terrible, terrible book. And have YOU done your wartime food stockpile? Try the Sensible Prepping Checklist.

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

• Listen to The Bunker’s Deep Dive on the Sycamore Gap tree killing.

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Zoë is reading Enchantment: Reawakening Wonder in an Exhausted Age by Katherine May, and it’s a “wonderful bit of escapism”.

• James has been playing World of Warcraft Classic to celebrate finishing the edits on his next book.

• Casey has been binge-watching The Gentleman on Netflix.

• Andrew has been listening to No Bad Memories, the new album by Australian dance music duo The Avalanches

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

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Who ordered the heated debate about Englishness? Open any newspaper or social media feed and you’ll stumble on some histrionic handwringing about “what it means it be English”. Who decided we needed to talk about this, all the time? And how thin is the cover it provides for your good old actual homegrown racism? We debate the debates in a conversation which contains cricket, Suella Braverman, Paddington, an “orchestra of dogwhistles”, Norman Tebbit, GB News’s “British-only radio station”, and surprising revelations about both of Seth’s grand-dads. Guaranteed relevant to Scottish, Irish and Welsh listeners too, honest.

Plus: the Jackdaw gas field, the US mid-terms, Liz Truss’s book and other ecological disasters.

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

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Hannah recommends The Diplomat on Netflix.

• Jason thinks you should go and see the documentary NAZA, in which Israeli whistleblowers expose Netanyahu’s military methods.

• Marie was “blown away” by the two de Gaulle movies, Résistance and Liberté.

• Seth recommends Michael Crick’s Twittex feed Tomorrow’s MPs which does what it says on the tin.

Support us on Patreon for the Extra Bit and more.

Presented by Seth Thévoz with Hannah Fearn, Jason Hazeley and Marie le Conte. 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.

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Rupert Lowe of Restore UK claims that street violence is not just inevitable but necessary “if we are to save our home”. Elsewhere, the far-right pals up with street thugs – and its leaders walk right up to the line of endorsing extra-legal direct action because democracy has supposedly failed. Is the rising tide of violent rhetoric spilling over into actual physical attacks? We talk about why politics is sounding increasingly violent – and how it’s not just on the far-right. Plus: Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine sinks deeper into perfidy, can Burnham ban loudcasting on public transport, and why we should send squirrels to the White House.

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

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Raf the Raver recommends Fantazia: The House Collection vol.2, the Jon Pleased Wimmin, Tony de Vit and Boy George hard house DJ mix.

• Rachel is going to see Legally Blonde: The Musical for the third time.

• Matt recommends the movie Tuner, a new thriller about a man with hyper-acute hearing – and Tom Cruise’s notorious flop Digger which he really enjoyed, despite everything.

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Presented by Matt Green with Rafael Behr and Rachel Cunliffe. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. 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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