Summer 2023: A Guide

With chaos in parliament, a vicious by-election underway and a general election coming up, becoming a politician seems a dangerous choice. Today Su Moore, CEO of the Jo Cox Foundation, returns to the podcast to discuss the ways we can make politics safer, how threats are driving people out of politics, and the charity's latest report on this subject. You can read the report here.

This week Tom's joined by former cabinet minister and Labour MP for Exeter Ben Bradshaw. We talk about life as an MP and how he's helping Labour's shadow ministers get ready for government, as well as what's changed in his decades in politics, and why it's right for older MPs to stand down and make way for younger ones. It's a really thoughtful conversation about the current state of British politics and how we got here.

Why has politics become so nasty? In the last 7 years 2 MPs have been murdered, and politicians at every level are facing death threats, abuse, and violence 7 days a week. Today Tom's joined by Su Moore, CEO of the Jo Cox Foundation, a charity seeking to break down barriers in communities and make politics much kinder. They talk about how we can all help make politics more effective, what we're missing out on by having such fraught system, and the shocking reality of being a politician at any level in 2023.

Introducing the first in our new mini-series The Sessions, where we discuss deeper topics and explore extraordinary stories away from the news. Jamie Hull was given a 5% chance of living after he jumped from the wing a plane. It took him over 60 surgeries and 2 years in hospital to recover, but Jamie's pulled through and has continued his adventurous lifestyle as a scuba diving instructor and extreme sports enthusiast. We discuss how the accident happened, how Jamie survived, and what he's taken from the experience. It's an extraordinary story of resilience and hope. You can buy Jamie's book Life on a Thread here.

It's the end of the series so we're taking a step away from the news for an end of term special! Today, we're talking all things sport and music with two people who really know their stuff: Banquet Beats presenter Florrie Ward, and sports journalist Theo Genc. We review Glastonbury, look at the artists you should be listening to this summer, as well as discussing how this year's summer of sport is shaping up.

British farmers are facing a crisis. Costs are going up, there's lots of uncertainty, and many farmers are suffering from poor mental health. But, the industry is continuing to battle its problems and a new generation of farmers are trying to overcome them through innovation and plenty of optimism. Today we're joined by one of them-Joe Bramall, a National Farmers Union (NFU) ambassador to discuss the major issues facing farming, and what the sector's prospects are for the future.

Is this it for the Tories? Not just at the general election, but for good. A new report for think tank Onward shows that a majority of 25-40 year olds think the Conservatives deserve to lose the next election, and that people aren't becoming more conservative as they get older any more. So what can the Conservatives do to save themselves, both before the next election and over the next generation? Tom speaks to the co-author of the report, Head of Politics and Polling at Onward James Blagden.

Today we're sitting down for a wide ranging chat with Zack Polanski, Deputy Leader of the Green Party. After some great local election results the Greens look set to do well at next year's general election, but what do they believe in aside from promoting environmental issues? We talk about housing, social justice, and why the Greens would be inviting Just Stop Oil protestors to Downing Street. Also, we're giving away some copies of Alastair Campbell's new book, listen for what you have to do to get your hands on one. Insta: @whatsoccurringpod Twitter: @tomhorntweets

Podcaster, mental health campaigner, and Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell is on the pod! We talk about his new book on why politics is broken, as well as why young people may be the ones to save it. We also discuss the invasion of Iraq, whether people who voted for Brexit are 'thick', and if getting angry at people helps the cause. Alastair is one of the most straight-talking but thoughtful figures in politics at the moment, and his book really highlights the issues there are in British politics-it's worth listening to this one. You can buy 'But What Can I Do?' here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/but-what-can-i-do/alastair-campbell/9781529153330

As the dust settles on Coronation weekend we're looking back on two historic days, with clips and interviews live from the events in London and Windsor as they unfolded. We've all seen the crowning and processions by now, but what did the crowds think of the events as they were happening? This is what it was really like watching the coronation take place on the ground.