Westminster Reimagined - a podcast with Armando Iannucci

[Stoneage Dinosaurs]

This man has just realised he's a former satirist who's now doing a podcast with Anna Soubry.



AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

[idunnosomename]

he is a grey goo turncoat who will have whatever opinion gives him the most revenue. he is a bald tadpole of a man who deserves nothing more than grave.

[Barry Admin]

he is a grey goo turncoat who will have whatever opinion gives him the most revenue. he is a bald tadpole of a man who deserves nothing more than grave.

Fucking hell.

[Echo Valley 2-6809]

he is a grey goo turncoat who will have whatever opinion gives him the most revenue. he is a bald tadpole of a man who deserves nothing more than grave.

Gilesy, that you?

[king_tubby]

I reckon idunno's still on about Ian 'Lexit' Dunt and his 180 when he realised he could make more money grifting for Remain.

[dissolute ocelot]

He's called campbellclaret because he supports Burnley, isn't he?

One of my rules in life is not to trust anyone who loudly proclaims their football allegiance to strangers. 99% they're cunts.

Westminster on the other hand has boats. You can't get a river bus to the Reichstag.

[PlanktonSideburns]

Is this podcast out yet?

[Fambo Number Mive]

The first episode is out now. It's sponsored by Facebook:

In episode one, Armando and Anoosh Chakelian examine the issue of accountability in politics. Why are resignations so rare and can anything be done to hold a shameless Government to account?

They are joined by special guests Ian Hislop, the editor of Private Eye, and Jill Rutter, a former senior civil servant to discuss why  had to go, memorable resignations from history and how the current government have managed to cling on to jobs in the face of pressure.

They also look at what needs to change to bring back accountability to British politics.

These special episodes will be published weekly in the New Statesman Podcast feed. Watch video from the recording on the New Statesman Youtube channel.

[sevendaughters]

so sponsored by Nick Clegg.

absolute wasteman Iannucci.

[idunnosomename]

sponsored by the platform that plutocrats got bombed with manipulative ads to get silly old boomers to vote leave. cheers

but hmm, maybe what REALLY needs to change in politics is that we're all more down-to-earth, like Jess Phillips

[olliebean]

Has anyone listened to it? Is it worth listening to?

<edit> oh, it's on the New Statesman podcast? Well that can gtf.

[sevendaughters]

FBPE fan: yes I agree Armando, more accountability
Iannucci: what about Blair?
FBPE fan: not about that
Iannucci: me either

[Fambo Number Mive]

Listening to it now. They're currently talking about their favourite ministerial resignations. Nothing majorly controversial said so far. 24 mins in, 10 mins left.

I think Hislop is a bit too optimistic about politics on the podcast.

[Jumblegraws]

Surprised they didn't title it "Adults in the Room"

[Pink Gregory]

Adults in Rooms Talking Beige

[amateur]

Is Veep worth watching? Should I watch Veep? I liked The Thick Of It.

[Bernice]

Veep is very funny, but not quite as good as The Thick of It.

This podcast was nothing, really. Cosy chat about "cor, bloody politicians, eh?" Nothing egregious, but not bite or insight. Agree with everything already said about Iannucci's disappointing decline.

[Mobius]

Veep is brilliant.

[colacentral]

Stuff like this, any of these cosy centrist podcasts, it makes a little bit of my life force drain away knowing that they exist, the futility of it. A bunch of rich people afraid of change, getting together to talk about what's wrong in politics, with no real intention of changing anything, to an audience of millions who are also scared of change. The bulwark of the establishment, disguised as subversives. Depressing as hell.

Listening to it now. They're currently talking about their favourite ministerial resignations. Nothing majorly controversial said so far. 24 mins in, 10 mins left.

I think Hislop is a bit too optimistic about politics on the podcast.

This is the problem. What sort of sicko has a favorite ministerial resignation? Politics isn't a matter of life and death to them, it's a spectator sport, like watching wrestling. Ministerial resignations as pop culture nostalgia, filed next to Michael Fish's hurricane and the Smash advert. "What can be done to force resignations?" discussed with the same level of gravity as "Should the League Cup be scrapped?"

[Fambo Number Mive]

That's why they are all so obsessed with PMQs, to them it's like watching an episode of The West Wing. How long before the "10 times Kier Starmer was like President Barlett" article in the New Statesman?

I think this is why Brexit angered some of these types so much. For the first time in decades something bad was happening in politics that would affect them. If you're the editor of Starmer Times or whatever and appear on a "satire" quiz show once a week, you are wealthy enough not to worry about austerity and, if you are a middle class cis white man, as so many of these types are, probably aren't that worried about the culture war and the ever rising tide of bigotry either. Brexit, however, affected everyone.

It does surprise me that these types aren't more angry about COVID deniers and how the government handled the pandemic, given that affected everyone. Even if you can work from home and live in a six bedroom house in Surrey with your family and dogs, you still need to be careful, especially if you know people who are CEV and/or elderly and will have spend much of the last 18 months unable to go to non-essential shops, pubs, restaurants, round the houses of other sensible people to have a sensible chat about why Tony Blair should be in charge, etc. 

Having said that, I do think Hislop does care somewhat though, even if he is a cosy centrist he is keener than most of them to point out government venality, even if he doesn't seem to have much appetite for solutions. I think a voice like his is still important even though he'll clearly be alright whatever happens.

[Famous Mortimer]

Having said that, I do think Hislop does care somewhat though, even if he is a cosy centrist he is keener than most of them to point out government venality, even if he doesn't seem to have much appetite for solutions. I think a voice like his is still important even though he'll clearly be alright whatever happens.

He was a Tory, last time I remember him discussing politics. Although I could be conflating two different people.

[Huxleys Babkins]

Hislop still doesn't believe he played any role in the rise of Johnson and Rees-Mogg and for that alone he can absolutely fuck right the fuck off.

[olliebean]

It's Starmer laughing in PMQs at how useless Johnson is that winds me up. It's nice that he's having fun, but the appropriate response is anger, not amusement. People like Hislop and Iannucci have the luxury of treating politics like a spectator sport and having a cosy chuckle about it, but I expect more from the leader of the opposition.

[MoreauVasz]

Hislop still doesn't believe he played any role in the rise of Johnson and Rees-Mogg and for that alone he can absolutely fuck right the fuck off.

He's a C of E Tory who has long loathed Europe and distrusts vaccines.

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

This man has just realised he's a former satirist who's now doing a podcast with Anna Soubry.



AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Fantastic.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

I thought I should listen to this, despite knowing exactly what to expect. Sure enough, it's just a bland, cosy centrist chinwag of no consequence whatsoever. Even Armando sounds bored.

I find his decline quite depressing. As you've all said, I really don't understand how someone responsible for a piece of political satire as scathing as The Thick of It has ended up like this. It's worth bearing in mind that he was already middle-aged and wealthy when he made TTOI, but that's not the work of a politically complacent man. God only knows what happened.

I'll always love his best work, though. Remember him that way.

[An tSaoi]

I find his decline quite depressing.

God only knows what happened.

What makes it so baffling to me it the lack of any obvious "moment" when he started to go wrong. With Glinner, you've got the IT Crowd "man/Iran" trans backlash. Of course Armando's nowhere near as bad, it's just an example. What was the tipping point? Corbyn?

[Huxleys Babkins]

The mistake is believing that Iannucci was ever against New Labour or the coalition in terms of policy. The only time he ever comes out strongly against any policy is In The Loop's take on Labour's handling of the Iraq war, something which was opposed by many on both sides of the aisle.

Most of the satire is at the expense of the personnel and their methods. Bedroom tax? Don't give a fuck, mate. But imagine if George Osborne announced it and then got caught in a compromising position in a branch of Bensons for Beds... Delightfully devilish, Armando!

[Famous Mortimer]

What makes it so baffling to me it the lack of any obvious "moment" when he started to go wrong. With Glinner, you've got the IT Crowd "man/Iran" trans backlash. Of course Armando's nowhere near as bad, it's just an example. What was the tipping point? Corbyn?

It was him accepting the OBE, I think.

[Bernice]

I think a lot of satirists of that era got quite comfortable railing against a specific consensus and a certain type of politics. And then that consensus collapsed and that type of politics fell away, and we suddenly got these "impossible" moments like Brexit and Trump and Corbyn and a resurgent far-right and uppity young people on mass platforms suddenly being really into socialism and identity politics - suddenly that old ground has fallen away and it's scary and disorienting and unpredictable. And so a once great satirical mind is left with no stomach for a fight, pining after great ministerial resignations of yesteryear because at least back then you knew where you were and who was who.