Planet Normal

It’s a ho ho ho from our co-pilots this week as they embark on a very special festive voyage, strapping in for one last orbit of 2022 to look back at a year of tumultuous news. Allison had to steel herself with a glass of mulled wine before looking back at the year that's been: Three Prime Ministers, a war in Europe, soaring cost of living, the Queens' death, and a series of strikes. Amid the chao...

It’s less striking action, more strike-in-action this week as England crash out of the World Cup and industrial action rumbles on. But how many strikes can the Tories take until they are down and out? Strapping into the rocket of right thinking this week is Stanford professor Dr Jay Bhattacharya. He tells our co-pilots about his private meeting with Elon Musk and why he doesn't blame the new Twitt...

Our co-pilots are doing their best to minimise the gloom threatening to eclipse the rocket this week, by bringing a little festive cheer. Allison and Liam deliver their verdict on the week’s blockbuster releases; the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Netflix tell-all, and Matt Hancock’s new book the 'Pandemic Diaries'. Co-pilot Pearson is shocked that the former government minister has been allowed to...

The winter of discontent appears to be in full swing, with strikes, swelling inflation and power cuts threatening to dim the Christmas lights. This week our co-pilots are wading into the immigration debate, and strapping into the rocket to help them is the Chair of Migration Watch UK, Alp Mehmet. Alp shares his concerns at the impacts increased levels of immigration are having on our country,...

December is fast approaching but the mood is far from festive on the rocket, with strikes, spiralling living costs and World Cup wokery afoot - can it still come home? As a growing number of Conservative MPs announce plans to step down at the next election, our co-pilots mull over whether it might be time for a change in high office. Allison believes the Tories have given up on business and g...

Tax is the word on our co-pilot’s lips this week as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveils the Autumn Statement. But with some bold moves expected, could there be Tory mutiny on the horizon? Liam is frustrated at the cynical use of ‘stealth taxes,’ which he worries might drive the economy into deeper recession and break already delicate bonds of trust between the public and the state. Allison thinks the C...

It’s Cop27 week, and as the world leaders jet in, our co-pilots digest the highs and lows from what is better known on the rocket as ‘the inverted pyramid of piffle'. The hypocrisies of the event certainly weren’t lost on either co-pilots. Liam thinks the PM should have set a better example, attending the event remotely on Zoom rather than attending by plane, whilst Allison is concerned that...

Halloween might be over but the witch hunt has only just begun , as the Home Secretary Suella Braverman is under fire over the ongoing migrant crisis haunting the UK. Allison is appalled at the treatment of the Home Secretary,  who she feels has been subject to ‘political parlour games’. Whilst Liam thinks that with the right support from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Home Secreta...

Another week on the rocket, and another Prime Minister on Planet Earth. But what does the future hold for ‘dishy Rishi’ as he moves into No10? Our co-pilots have their crystal ball out. Both our co-pilots think the new PM made a strong debut at his first PMQ’s. But Allison wonders how the new PM will fare when faced with conquering the red wall. Liam is also concerned that the Tories could be givi...

The beloved rocket gains a few extra passengers this week as our second Planet Normal live event is broadcast from the IET in London. Allison has been gone for a mere two weeks and the country has descended into what she calls a ‘post apocalyptic mad max wasteland’. Can things come back from the brink or will co-pilot Halligan have to step in as the next Chancellor? Anything could happen! In the w...

Another week, another dose of economic woe to digest on the rocket. Honorary Planet Normal citizen Nick Timothy is back to give his take on what the Labour Party have dubbed ‘the crisis made in Downing Street’. Nick thinks the Government rushed into their budget, and that the Truss camp have been slow to switch gears from campaigning to governing. Liam thinks the Chancellor and PM might be st...

The lights have come down on another Conservative Party conference, but it hasn't been without its political psychodrama. Co-pilot Halligan beams in from the heart of the action in Birmingham, and joining him in the cockpit whilst co-pilot Pearson takes a well-earned rest is columnist and former Chief of Staff to Theresa May, Nick Timothy. Underwhelmed by the turnout and the mood at conference, Ni...

Strap in for an economic rollercoaster on the rocket this week. Fresh from his perch outside the Bank of England, co-pilot Halligan is here to break down why the mini budget has caused such big waves. Liam thinks that the markets have overreacted, but the decision to cut the top rate of tax during a cost of living crisis was ‘venal’ and 'indulgent.' Allison agrees the move was an ac...

After a momentous period in which we lost our beloved Queen, the co-pilots are back to reflect on the historic turn of events. Allison was moved by scenes of people queueing to view the late Queen's lying-in-state, and shares her thoughts on the seismic sense of change the country is experiencing. Liam reveals the surprising warmth towards Her Majesty that he witnessed in Ireland, of all...

It’s the dawn of a new era on the rocket as Liz Truss takes the throne as Prime Minister. But do our co-pilots think she's got what it takes? Co-pilot Halligan predicts Truss will grow into the role, but warns she will have to be a 'shape-shifter' in order to tackle the toughest in-tray of any peace-time PM.  Allison wasn't blown away by Truss' debut speech, comparing her performance to that...

The curtain is finally falling on the Tory leadership contest. The spectacle might be nearly over - to the relief of our co-pilots - but the madness is just beginning for Boris' successor. As we bid farewell to the Johnson premiership, co-pilot Pearson is adamant we need more of a ‘realist’ at the helm. She warns the incoming PM must put dealing with the cost of living crisis ahead of the gre...

Levels of discontent have reached new highs on the rocket this week, with crisis brewing in the NHS and the economy. Co-pilot Halligan is frustrated that the Government remains 'leaderless, rudderless and hopeless' at such a critical time. While Allison is concerned the country could descend into 'third world Britain.' Plus, our co-pilots deliver their verdict on Rishi Sunak’s revel...

It’s A-level results day, and it’s not just the grades that are up for scrutiny on the rocket this week. Both our co-pilots lament the cost of lockdown on this year’s A-level recipients, with Allison also taking aim at social engineering schemes that are replacing traditional entry requirements into UK universities.  Climbing aboard the capsule of common sense for his second voyage is Conserv...

With temperatures soaring and the energy crisis escalating, our co-pilots have run out of patience with the lack of political leadership. Allison is 'fuming' that the focus on net zero has led to a 'grotesque' failure of energy security, and warns we are on-board a ‘captainless ship’ at the mercy of the elements and heading towards an iceberg as winter approaches. Co-pilot Halligan takes...

The political psychodrama rumbles on, but both our co-pilots think it's time for a curtain call on the leadership showdown.  So will Rishi Sunak throw the towel in? Co-pilot Halligan climbs aboard the rocket from his holiday to deliver some hard truths, warning the former chancellor to ‘bow out’ if he wants to save his future in politics. Liam argues the political class needs to turn its focu...

It's full-contact battle as Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak face off to become the next Prime Minister.  So who better to join our co-pilots on the rocket of right thinking than Dame Andrea Leadsom, campaign manager for former front runner Penny Mordaunt, and a one-time Tory leadership contender herself. Dame Andrea takes aim at political 'black ops' and says it's painful to see candidate...

It’s been a dramatic week since the rocket's last journey, with scores of cabinet resignations shaking the Johnson Premiership. So will the squealing piglet’s head finally reach the chopping block? And which member of the Tory party could be waiting in the wings to take over? Liam warns the job is a poisoned chalice, and wonders who would want to take the crown when an economic crisis is...

The by-election results are in, and the predictions of Planet Normal's very own clairvoyant co-pilot 'Mystic Pearson' proved to be eerily accurate. Allison warns the results show many Conservative supporters are so dissatisfied that they will vote 'A.B.B: Anyone But Boris'. Our co-pilots blame the Prime Minister's broken promises, likening his Government to a Deliveroo driver turning up...

This episode was recorded on Wednesday the 22nd of June before the UK by-elections. It’s all eyes on the Conservative party this week as they face all important by-elections. But will it be fun in the sun for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, or a political washout?  One thing’s for sure, the political heat in rocket this week is rising faster than the soaring rate of inflation, as our co-pilots...

The rising cost of living continues to bite as we board the rocket of right thinking this week, but UK-EU relations have also returned to centre stage. Baroness Claire Fox steps into the spaceboots again as guest co-pilot, to help Liam dissect all of the week's judicial jousting and performative politics.  Claire believes the EU is determined to pick a fight over the North...