Quiet Riot

We need to talk about war. MI6 has warned that we are, in this country, now in the space between peace and war. The Government has announced an independent review into foreign interference with our domestic affairs. Europe is talking tougher and even Germany is now reframing its own dark past as a warning about what happens when dictators are appeased. Alex Andreou, Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell...

So it turns out Belgium of all places has Russia by the financial short and curlies ... and that's awks for various reasons. The EU is immobilising indefinitely £185bn of Russian assets – held mostly by Belgian bank Euroclear – to help Ukraine and Russia is somewhat miffed. Belgium doesn't want to be saddled with a huge bill if this all goes pear-shaped. Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell pick over t...

The Lib Dems have elected a new president and his journey to that lofty position is pretty non-standard. Naomi Smith sits down with Josh Babarinde to find out how a beermat set him on his political journey, and what he learned through his work with young offenders and broken phones. There's politics too, of course – from the latest developments in the UK-EU debate, to the future of the Lib Dems. S...

It is time for Europe to get past squabbling and realise that the US is no longer even ambivalent, but an active hostile antagonist, intent on picking off liberal democracies one-by-one. Unless we can unite. PLUS: A very interesting experiment with social media is taking place in Australia. Can it work? Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith are joined by brilliant satirist and former "Secret Tory", Henry M...

You know the right-wing content that crops up relentlessly in your socials? Well, it's not your fault and you can't escape it, even if you start a new account. Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell look at new research showing that TikTok serves up right-wing propaganda even *before* you've had a chance to build your browsing history. And, in the week that both France and Germany revealed plans for natio...

History defines our present, our present defines our future. And so this week we look at the lessons finally being accepted from Brexit, plus some lessons for Labour from the 2024 General Election. Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith are joined by Sam Freedman – Substacker extraordinaire, political commentator, author and senior fellow at the Institute for Government. He knows his political onions! And t...

From Labour's Budget to Corbyn/Sultana's conference ending in acrimony, it's been a big week for the political left. You can buy Mismanaged Decline: What politicians won't tell you about the economy here and support both a local bookshop and Quiet Riot. But has it also been a good week for them? Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell tread warily through the Budget fallout on their way to the Your Party...

Budget 2025: A world of taxes, benefits and leaks. Mostly leaks. Tune in to find out what Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith make of it all. And they are joined by economic heavyweight Vicky Pryce to ensure that the economics aren't overshadowed by the theatrics (of which there were many). ***SPONSOR US AT ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠*** Head to ⁠⁠nakedwines...

Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith, mull the week's news. The second part of the Covid Inquiry issues its report on decision making and is scathing about the toxicity, chaos, and sheer incompetence at the centre of the Johnson administration. Should there be consequences? Trump tries to impose a surrender on Ukraine, in order to distract from the MAGA meltdown at home. How should Europe respond? And mor...

In this country, we can get through multiple Prime Ministers in the time it takes for a serious sexual assault allegation to make it to trial. As Keir Starmer battles leadership challenges (Real? Imagined?), Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell look at the threats from Streeting, Mahmood and Burnham; there's the scent of blood in the air at Westminster. And, in a week during which a judge expressed desp...

Not AGAIN, Labour comms team... After a week that started with a leadership kerfuffle and ended with an income tax volte-face (or was it..?), Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell try to work out how sticking to a manifesto pledge can transmogrify into a U-turn. And there's a look at the unbelievable 'canal' of fly-tipped waste that has appeared in Oxfordshire, as we ask why Brits put up with this behavi...

It takes a very special team to accidentally advertise and fuel a leadership challenge that was not even real yet, but the current team in No.10 is nothing if not special. AND... Is the BBC just another legacy giant that has outlived its purpose? Or is it worth defending against Trump? (SPOILERS: Hell, yes, it's worth defending!) PLUS... an unexpected "Wokey Dokey" and a superbly inspirational "Gr...

Why is a moral panic gripping the country about a handful of mistaken prisoner releases? How do we lift our gaze to a better horizon? Musk's remuneration package is designed to shock. Why is the Tesla board so keen to reward failure? And - with Comcast eyeing up ITV and the BBC scoring a massive Traitors hit, were news of the death of legacy media premature? Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith, mull the...

The future's bright, the future's not orange. Perhaps. Trump may think he's the ultimate New Yorker but the Big Apple turned rotten on him, as Zohran Mamdani became the first mayor to attract a million votes since the 1960s, on an uplifting night for Democrats across the US. We take a deep dive. And, talking of rotten, we look at Rachel Reeves' attempts to prepare us all for a bruising Budget. Uh-...

This week, a nod to Halloween, we have a real CREEPSHOW. Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell look at how Buck House, the media and the Metropolitan Police have dealt – or failed to deal – with the fallout from Virginia Giuffre's long and ultimately tragic campaign for justice. Where does the PR end and the restructuring of the Royal Family begin? And, if the Met won't act on behalf of a woman who was...

Lies, lies and more lies. How many lies can our institutions survive? And why are we so bad at defending those institutions? Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell are joined by a Quiet Riot favourite – Christina Pagel, a professor of operational research at UCL as well as the creator of the smash hit service to humanity that is the Trump Action Tracker. Is Britain vulnerable to the sort of institutional...

When the trust vanishes, you're finished, whether you're Labour in Caerphilly or a celebrity in BBC's The Traitors. Alex and Kenny pore over three examples of democracy in action from a hectic week – Plaid Cymru's historic victory in Wales, a new Deputy Leader for Labour in Westminster and ... a bizarre litany of bad voting decisions in The Traitors. All three have involved some measure of chaos b...

Special guest Zoe Williams (and young Ruby), discuss the week's big stories with Alex and Kenny. What is it about Zack Polanski that seems to be taking the British left by storm? Has Corbyn and Sultana's 'Your Party' missed the boat? Will the Caerphilly by-election become a test case? AND how is it possible for AI solutions to be both at the fingertips of every minister, to answer all the UK's pro...

Should we be bending over backwards to welcome Israeli football supporters, while Israel rolls out the red carpet for English hooligans? ALSO - Is Rachel Reeves about to tell the country the truth about Brexit? Exclusive reasearch shows she would be wise to. PLUS - The nights are drawing in, so what are our favourite Autumn comfort foods? Alex and Naomi talk through the week's news. ***SPONSOR US...

Special guest Plaid Cymru's Liz Saville-Roberts, discusses the week's big stories with Alex, Naomi, and Kenny. Chinese Spy Trial: cock-up, cover up, or nothingburger? Nathan Gill bribe story: why is Farage not being asked difficult questions? Musk funding Yaxley-Lennon: wake up UK. Caerphilly By-Election: Plaid to the rescue? Labour vote collapse in Wales. Senedd elections in a few months. PLUS -...

We're off to Scotland for a keek at the SNP conference (and a couple of Aberdeen rowies – don't worry, we'll explain). Quiet Riot's occasionally tame Scot, Kenny Campbell, is joined by the Scotland-based reporter Jacob Freedland, for a look behind the scenes at what was a pretty chipper conference for the Nats. • Gasp as we reveal the truth about leader John Swinney's comedic talents • Weep as we...

Who is María Corina Machado - the woman who won the Nobel Peace Prize? Is the Gaza 20-point plan anything more than a ceasefire with a wishlist attached? And what is Trump up to inside the US? ALSO - Reform UK councils seem to be finding it more difficult than predicted to find any savings. Has swagger met reality? PLUS - Jilly Cooper, queen of the steamy beach read is gone, but what are our favou...

Special guest Sam Freedman, discusses the week's big stories with Alex, Naomi, and Kenny. Is there a future for the Conservative Party? Is there a future IN the Conservative Party. Should they stick with Badenoch, or twist and risk the - incredibly - LESS likeable, Jenrick? AND - Is France basically ungovernable now? Our favourite Chevalier, Olivier Morel, talks us through the latest drama. PLUS -...

Strip away the schadenfreude around Michelle Mone's fall from grace, and what is the real story here? Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell look at a scandal that is far from over. Also, with the Conservatives and Greens in conference mode, we consider the contrasting fortunes of their respective leaders – and dive into some fascinating data around Tory voters. Plus, in tribute to the late, great Patrici...

Do fightbacks always begin at Liverpool? An unexpectedly feisty speech by Starmer leads to a lot of pearl-clutching by Reform. But will our media cover it? Also, the former Welsh leader of Reform admits to taking Russian bribes. But will our media cover it? And with the election in Moldova sends an unequivocal F-U to Moscow. But will our media cover it? Alex Andreou, Kenny Campbell and special gue...