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Planet Normal

Planet Normal

By: The Telegraph
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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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Social Sciences
Episodes
  • The economy is a laffer minute
    Jun 4 2025

    The rocket welcomes stowaway Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mel Stride aboard.


    As Rachel Reeves announces a clunky U-turn on winter fuel payments, your co-pilots clear a way through the confusion so you can keep up to date with the latest turmoil from the Labour benches.


    Allison thinks Rachel Reeves’ time is up and she’s ‘for the chop’ because of her ‘iron-clad’ fiscal rules being undermined by the Prime Minister.


    Meanwhile Liam thinks the Tories need to be bolder in their ideas to challenge the harm he says Labour are doing to the economy and stifling growth.



    Read Liam ‘This is the opportunity the Tories have been waiting for. Can they take it?’

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/06/01/this-is-the-opportunity-tories-have-been-waiting-for/ |

    Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

    Read Allison ‘Don’t believe Starmer when he says he’s angry about the small boats’:

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/03/defence-starmer-priority-invasion-illegal-migrants/ |

    Read Allison ‘The BBC’s biased Israel reporting is fuelling anti-Semitism’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/04/the-bbcs-biased-israel-reporting-fuelling-anti-semitism/

    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.

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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Is this the end of the woke as we know it?
    May 28 2025

    As tensions simmer among the Labour benches ahead of their spending review, your co-pilots wade through the noise so you don’t have to.


    Allison is pleased to see Reform focusing on families again, by pledging to increase the income tax threshold for married couples.


    Meanwhile Liam thinks Starmer is sidelining his Chancellor and making spending pledges Rachel Reeves can’t cover.


    Plus comedian and writer Andrew Doyle stows away in the rocket, and tells Allison and Liam why he wrote his latest book The End of Woke, and why he thinks society has swiftly moved away from culture war issues.



    Read Liam: 'Labour is pioneering the Blackadder approach to public finances': https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/05/25/labour-pioneering-blackadder-approach-to-public-finances-uk/ |

    Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

    Read Allison: 'Only a very clever man like Lord Sumption could be so stupid when it comes to Lucy Connolly': https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/27/clever-lord-sumption-could-be-so-stupid-lucy-connolly/ |

    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.

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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • Starmer sells off our sovereignty
    May 21 2025

    Following Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement of an EU ‘reset’ your co-pilots invited regular flier Lord David Frost to the rocket, former chief negotiator for exiting the EU, to give his assessment of the proposed deal.


    Allison is shocked the deal includes 12 years more fishing rights for the EU in our waters and thinks the deal will once again prevent investment in our fishing industry.


    Meanwhile Liam thinks Starmer has made too many concessions to the EU and we are once again ’rule takers, not rule makers’ and will have no choice but to adhere to EU rules without a vote.



    HELP LUCY CONNOLLY REBUILD HER SHATTERED LIFE AND FIGHT TWO-TIER JUSTICE: https://democracythree.org/helplucyconnolly |

    Read: ‘Angela Rayner demands tax raid on savers’

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/05/20/angela-rayner-demands-tax-raid-savers-rachel-reeves/ |

    Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

    Read Allison: Lucy Connolly: ‘The judges should be ashamed of themselves. It’s cruel and twisted’

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/20/exclusive-lucy-connolly-interview-judges-cruel/ |

    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.

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    1 hr and 1 min
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All stars
Most relevant  
I have listened to every episode since it started during Covid. Both presenters and the choice of guests are always highly entertaining. The combination of gentle humour and sharp commentary makes for the best podcast out there.

Best podcast out there

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