Where are all the grown ups? This is the burning question our co-pilots are asking today. Amongst the latest drama at Westminster not to mention the This Morning sofa, our co-pilots feel as if they’re now  living through the looking glass. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s energy strategy is under (a carbon emitting) fire, which Allison describes as an act of ‘national suicide’ too reliant upon foreign strategies to be virtuous enough for the green lobby. Whilst Liam thinks the Labour leader needs to put more care into his strategy in order to appease vital voters in S ..read more

Inflation has slowed but the latest bombshell immigration figures are in. Could the Conservative party be heading for a possible 1997-style landslide election defeat? Liam thinks the latest immigration figures could give Labour the leg up they need, but only if they start ‘talking tough’ and stop trying to appease their most Left leaning voters. Joining the rocket this week is Nigel Farage, who buckles in next to the co-pilots to give his take on the latest immigration figures, and why he thinks this government cannot overcome the issue because they will never leave the European Conventio ..read more

We saw two mini conferences this week from Tory Land: both the National Conservative conference and the Social Conservative Democratic Organisation had speakers from across the party both claiming they know what is best for members going forward. Are we about to see a full blown Tory identity crisis? Allison predicts the last nail in the Conservative coffin might be on the horizon when the net immigration figures are released next week, whilst Liam thinks that the potential betrayal of the Tory manifesto could see more extreme political forces try to grab their votes.  ..read more

The local elections results are in and your co-pilots are on hand to deliver their verdict. But who won the all important sweepstake, Allison or Liam? Liam thinks the Conservatives should be quietly confident with the results, but suggest they should reframe the threat of an anti-Tory coalition as a ‘coalition of chaos’. Allison however, is doubtful that the governing party can hold the country together, comparing recent policy announcements to ‘moving deck chairs around the titanic’. Joining our co-pilots this week is Planet Normal listener and professional rowing coach ..read more

NB: This episode was recorded on Wednesday May 3rd 2023 It’s a big week on the rocket, as England faces local elections and The Coronation in one orbit. But will the pomp and circumstance be enough to distract from potentially troublesome poll results for the Tory party? Your co-pilots have their predictions ready. Allison thinks Rishi Sunak might have to pull off a miracle to help the Conservatives weather this election, and that a new branch of the party might emerge from the rubble. Liam still thinks the results are hanging in the balance and will depend heavily on the s ..read more

With concerns about the London marathon and FA cup final due to protests, our co-pilots weigh in on the latest protest psychodramas dominating the news this week. Allison thinks public patience with these sorts of protests is wearing thin and that more realistic net zero targets need to be set. Whilst Liam is optimistic that the renewable energy debate is shifting towards a bigger focus on technology rather than ‘moral virtue’. Joining our co-pilots this week is author Professor Matthew Goodwin, who explains to our co-pilots how our culture has become skewed towards a "new elite" class, and hi ..read more

As the country’s junior doctors hit the picket lines, your co-pilots hit the rocket of sweet reason to dissect what’s really going on in our ‘first class' National Health Service. Allison thinks the NHS might have finally kicked the bucket and questions whether we should start sending patients abroad for treatments, whilst Liam thinks the strikes represent bigger failings of our political and media classes. Joining our co-pilots this week is trade economist Catherine McBride, who is on hand to explain exactly what the mouthful that is the CPTPP really is, and why she thinks th ..read more

The campaign starting gun has been fired and the race to the local elections has begun. But which horse is the current front runner in the eyes of our co-pilots? Allison believes the Conservatives are heading for a huge election defeat and a chasmic ideological party split. However Liam doubts that Keir Starmer lacks the charisma to achieve a 1997 style landslide.  Also on the podcast, our co-pilots weigh in on the latest political developments across the pond, and ponder over what former president Donald Trump’s arrest says about the state of democracy in America. Joining our co-pilots f ..read more

In the second of this two-part lockdown retrospective, your co-pilots welcome back onto the rocket some of their heroes from the pandemic, those they feel that have spoken out against the mainstream. Previous stowaways Sir Graham Brady, Professor Pat Price, Laura Dodsworth, Lord David Frost, Luke Johnson, Lord Jonathan Sumption and the infamous 'George' all strap in to share where they were in March 2020, reveal what they think the collateral damage has been, as well as how they think historians will remember it. And co-pilots Pearson and Halligan delve into the  rocket’s bulgin ..read more

In the first of this two-part lockdown retrospective, your co-pilots look back at the events of March 2020, that unexpectedly led to them being at the helm of a ‘covid podcast’. Both are in no doubt that the pandemic has changed them. Allison feels she has lost a trust in authority as a result, whilst Liam feels he’s become steelier at arguing his opinion, after speaking out against mainstream thought. Also joining our co-pilots on this very special voyage is Anders Tegnell the State Epidemiologist for Sweden during the pandemic. Hailed as a ‘pandemic hero’ Anders shares his observations ..read more