Craft Politics

Lord Walney joins the show to discuss his new 100-page report, Undue Influence, which documents a network of as many as 30 charities, cultural centres, and religious institutions in Britain with alleged ties to the Iranian regime. The report examines 10 charities in depth — eight of which are under active Charity Commission investigation — and argues that the network has avoided serious scrutiny b...

The war in Iran is 11 days old and the picture is shifting fast. A new supreme leader, an oil blockade threat, and Trump calling the whole thing a "little excursion" — Joseph and Andrew unpack why the conversation about international law feels so one-sided. Plus: the EU quietly drops a protectionist bombshell that nobody seems to want to call by its name, and Carney's Indo-Pacific tour delivers bi...

A new report from Digital Public Square and Abacus Data surveyed 2,250 Canadians on polarization — and the findings challenge some assumptions. Two-thirds of Canadians place themselves in the political centre. But when asked how they feel about people on the other side, the picture shifts dramatically. We dig into why the left is better at disliking the right than vice versa, why younger Canadians...

This week on Craft Politics, a sneak peek from Joseph's new show, Masters in Public Affairs. Episode 3 goes deep on Frank Luntz's Words That Work — the book that argues your message doesn't matter nearly as much as what your audience does with it after it leaves your mouth. In this episode:- Why Henry Kissinger's biggest regret was a word he didn't chooseThe core principle: communication is determ...

The week started with breaking news: CPC MP Matt Jeneroux crosses the floor to join the Liberal caucus — the third Conservative to do so in recent months. Joseph and Andrew unpack what it means for the Liberals' path to a majority, whether it takes a 2026 election off the table, and why Mark Carney keeps defying conventional political logic. Then, Canada's new defence industrial strategy gets the...

Alberta may be heading toward a citizen-initiated referendum on independence from Canada. Dave Cournoyer — who has covered Alberta politics for over two decades — joins Joseph and Andrew to unpack how the province's separatist movement evolved from a fringe cottage industry into an organized force embedded within the governing United Conservative Party. The conversation covers the deep historical...

Holly's out this week. Andrew claims she's started a rival podcast called "Raft Politics." We soldier on anyway. What We Covered UK: Starmer's crumbling premiership. The Mandelson crisis has triggered a cascade — chief of staff gone, comms director gone, cabinet secretary potentially next. Scottish Labour's leader publicly called for Starmer to resign. The leadership contest seems to be happening...

Quebec represents 23% of Canada's population and 20% of GDP. If it separated — which is back on the table for the first time in a generation — it would be like the UK losing Scotland, except with a larger economy. The last referendum in 1995? The "no" side won by 54,288 votes. Half a percent. Thirty years later, the separatist Parti Québécois is leading the polls with a commitment to hold another...

This week the team dissects Prime Minister Mark Carney's headline-grabbing Davos speech, Trump's inflammatory comments about NATO allies in Afghanistan, the Labour Party's decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in a by-election, and the continuing exodus of Conservative MPs to Reform UK. Plus: a deep dive into Trump's collapsing poll numbers across key demographics. Topics Covered 1. Carney'...

Plus, Carney's pivot on China, and more Tory defections in the UK. The gang is back after a winter break—and they’re diving headfirst into the chaos that kicked off 2026. Joseph, Holly, and Andrew cover the escalating crisis over Trump’s Greenland obsession, a wave of Tory defections to Reform UK, Canada’s pivot to China, and some economic mood swings that don’t line up with the data. 🔥 In This E...

It’s our final episode of 2025 — and we’re going out with a bang (and a beer). Joseph, Holly, and Andrew reunite after a winter bug-induced hiatus to bring you our first-ever year-end special. We make bold predictions (that we’ll surely regret), hand out highly scientific year-end awards, play games, roast each other’s beer tasting notes, and toast to the chaos that was. It’s everything you’d expe...

The team is back in London — Joseph is enjoying the rare British sunshine, while Holly and Andrew are soaking up the political chaos. This week, we unpack the Labour government’s tough week of headlines and hard truths: from a post-budget messaging mess to a controversial shake-up of the UK justice system — and a surprise pipeline agreement in Canada. 📉 Labour’s Budget Blunders: ‘Did She Mislead...

With Celia McSwaine & Christine Quigley The Labour government dropped its first full budget — and everyone’s claiming victory… or crying foul. This week, Joseph and Andrew are joined by Celia McSwaine (former Treasury SpAd) and Christine Quigley (Labour strategist) to unpack what it all means: from fiscal drag and frozen thresholds to the abolition of the two-child benefit cap and Kemi Badenoch’s...

With special guest Alex MuirIn this week’s interview edition, Joseph Lavoie and Andrew Percy sit down with Canadian-American pollster and strategist Alex Muir to map out the real factions driving the MAGA movement — and why Canada is dangerously unprepared for a second Trump administration. Muir doesn’t pull punches.“The America we grew up with doesn’t exist anymore. In the same way that the Canad...

This week’s episode runs the gamut: from house prices in freefall, to Labour’s immigration U-turn, to what the hell is going on in Parliament (again). We also say a bittersweet goodbye to one U.S. Congressman — and welcome a rare, almost-sincere apology from Marjorie Taylor Greene in our Lipstick on a Gerbil segment. Pour a pint and let’s get into it.⸻🏠 1. UK Housing Market WobblesNew data shows...

This week, we tackle the institution that’s cracking (the BBC), the leader who’s spending (Mark Carney), and the conservative premier who’s somehow breaking hearts and polling records (Doug Ford). Also, Prince Harry makes a surprise appearance… in our Lipstick on a Gerbil segment. 🏚 1. BBC on the Brink We break down the resignation of BBC’s Director-General, Tim Davie, following a firestorm of sca...

Budget Season, Housing Scandals & Populist Snapbacks Joseph’s in a bad mood. Andrew’s six minutes late. Holly’s podcasting from a cow-filled Cumbrian farm. And somehow, this chaotic start perfectly mirrors the week in politics we’re about to unpack. In this week’s Issue Scan, we tackle three big stories⸻ 💸 1. Carney’s Budget of Austerity (Without Saying “Austerity”) We preview Prime Minister Mark...

From the UK’s disastrous week under Labour to a major trade gaffe (or not?) in Canada, and Doug Ford’s surprising turn as global spokesman for tariffs and Reaganomics — we unpack a week of political faceplants, media spin, and near perfect lipstick jobs.⸻🧨 1. A Week in the Life of a Labour PMOne tweet said it all. Six political scandals. One week. And a mounting sense that Keir Starmer’s governme...

🧨 1. Maccabi Tel Aviv Fan Ban: Judenfrei by Policing? When Aston Villa banned Israeli fans from attending their upcoming UEFA fixture, citing security risks, it sparked outrage — and raised serious questions. Why did local UK officials capitulate to pressure from anti-Israel campaigners? How did Birmingham end up, as Andrew puts it, “effectively declared Judenfrei”? What does this mean for sport...

Guest: Dan Robertson, former Conservative strategist & founder of ORB Advocacy This week, Joseph and Holly are joined by long-time conservative strategist Dan Robertson, who has an unconventional set of ideas: Canada’s Conservative Party can’t out-campaign a system rigged against it. Dan’s solution? Structural reform. In a recent op-ed, he outlines three controversial but compelling ideas to level...

Joseph is back, Andrew has a cold, Holly has green tea — and the Craft Politics crew takes on three major stories reshaping the political map: peace in Gaza, Canada’s economic pivot, and Britain’s inflation problem. 🧭 What’s Inside: 🇮🇱 20 Hostages Freed — Can Trump Deliver Peace in Gaza? All living hostages have been returned after 738 days in captivity Trump takes centre stage in the peace proce...

With Andrew Percy, Holly Mumby-Croft & guest roving reporter Antony Higginbotham Joseph’s away, so the adults are off-duty — and the former MPs are in charge. In this special Tory Party Conference edition, Andrew and Holly are joined by their old colleague (and flatmate) Antony Higginbotham — back from the ground in Manchester with gossip, grit, and grim assessments of where the Conservative Party...

This week, we’re joined by Lord Daniel Hannan, one of the most thoughtful — and globally fluent — conservative voices in politics. We go deep on the future of the right across the Anglosphere: 🇬🇧 Is the British Conservative Party dead or just regenerating? 🇺🇸 Has the U.S. abandoned the world it built? 🇨🇦 Why is Canadian conservatism still the sanest? 🗳 And is the UK heading toward a merger moment...

We’re back with another Issue Scan — and we’ve got a full lineup: 🌍 A 20-point postwar plan for Gaza 🇬🇧 Labour’s conference drama (or lack thereof) 📬 And a Canada Post strike that’s gone… oddly unnoticed? Joseph, Andrew, and Holly break down the headlines with just enough disagreement to keep things honest — and just enough beer to keep things friendly.

We had intended to explore this major foreign policy shift with a former G7 foreign minister, but unfortunately, schedules got in the way. Percy and Joseph share their thoughts on what is an incredibly sensitive topic. The conversation delves into the recent recognition of Palestine at the UN, contrasting Canadian foreign policy, and the implications of the October 7th attacks. We discuss the role...