The House of Comments
By Mark Reckons and Stuart Sharpe
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Podcast Description
House of Comments is an independent and non-partisan political podcast presented by Mark Thompson and Stuart Sharpe, featuring political bloggers and other commenters giving their views on news, politics, current events, and the most interesting stories to come out of the UK political blogosphere.
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Clean37 - The End of the Party | This week sees the final episode of The House of Comments podcast, in which we chat with Labour blogger Antony Painter, and Mark Wallace of Crash Bang Wallace about recent events in UK politics. We chatted about: * Matthew Elliot, CEO of the TaxPayers Alliance, will be running the anti-AV campaign for the forthcoming referendum on changing the voting system. We discussed the different approaches of the pro- and anti-AV campaigns and which is currently in the strongest position. We also asked whether it is, as some have suggested, 'unfair' that Matthew Elliot also owns the internet domain name 'yes2av.org'. * The Coalition has received much criticism from members of the Labour party for their recent announcement that the new 'NHS111' non-emergency telephone service will eventually replace NHS Direct. Is the 'Save NHS Direct' petition a great example of social media campaigning from John Prescott, or merely 'bandwagon jumping' and 'crying wolf'? * Tony Blair's memoirs will be published in the very near future. We discuss political autobiographies, the Blair years of Labour, and the 'end of the party', as documented in Andrew Rawnsely's book * We also discus recent developments in the Labour leadership contest, and whether they're in danger of finding themselves in the same position as the post-Thatcher Conservative Party. * Tory minister Crispin Blunt has recently come out as gay and announced that he is separating from his wife of twenty years. Rumours have been swirling around the blogosphere about another Conservative minister. We ask if it's right for the press OR the blogosphere to 'out' people against their will. Finally, we'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who's listened to the podcast over the last year, and especially those people who've been kind enough to appear as guests on the show. It's been a blast. | 31 8 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean36 - Lunch With Ken Clarke | This week we're joined by Liam Rhodes and Duncan Stott to talk about the events of the last fortnight in politics. | 3 8 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean35 - Cameron's BS | This week we're joined by Alex Massie from the Spectator and Labour blogger Claire Spencer. We discussed David Cameron's Big Society policy and what it means in practice, whether the possibility of reducing the Licence Fee as floated by Jeremy Hunt signals the end of the BBC as we know it, the publication of Peter Mandelson's memoirs, and the continuing controversy over the release of the Lockerbie bomber last year. | 21 7 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean34 - Labour's Dilemma | This week we’re joined by Sara Bedford of the Lib Dem "Always win when you're singing" blog and Labour blogger Paul Evans from "Never trust a hippy". We discussed the Labour party and how it needs to position itself in relation to the coalition as well as raking over its history in office. We also discussed Paul's new "Political Innovation" initiative which seeks to bring together political bloggers from all parties under a common purpose. | 14 7 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean33 - Libellous Oslerism | This week we're joined by David Allen Green, convener of Westminster Skeptics and writer of the Jack of Kent legal blog, and by labour blogger and journalist Dave Osler. | 7 7 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean32 - The Cracks in the Coalition | This week we're joined by Richard Angell, the Deputy Director of Progress, and James O'Malley of the Pod Delusion podcast. We chatted about the weeks events in politics, including: * 2 Liberal Democrat MPs voted against the VAT rise in the budget, could we be seeing trouble within the government, or is this just far for the course in a coalition? * Labour Leadership candidate Diane Abbot had an 'absolute meltdown' on the This Week sofa at the hands of Andrew Neil. What was she thinking? * This week sees a cabinet meeting taking place in Bradford. We ask whether cabinet meetings should be sent around the country, or if that's just a waste of money * Freelance photographer Jules Mattsson claims he was harassed and mistreated by policemen who seized his camera and, he claims, pushed him down some stairs. | 30 6 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean31 - Taxi Taxes | This week we're joined by Benny Austwick and Arnie Craven from the Ben and Arnie Show Podcast (Available on iTunes)This week we're joined by Benny Austwick and Arnie Craven from the Ben and Arnie Show Podcast (Available on iTunes) to talk about the week's events in politics, including the Coalition's first Budget, Charles Kennedy's feelings about the Coalition with the Tories and an upcoming reduction of the drink driving limit. | 23 6 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean30 - Bloody Sunday | This week we're joined by Tory Rascal and Matt Wardman to talk about the week's events in politics, including the Saville Report into the Bloody Sunday shootings, the ongoing saga of the Labour leadership election, and the uncertain future of the news and media industry. | 16 6 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean29 - Prime Minister's Answers | We chatted with Kate Maltby and Anthony Painter about the week's events, including David Cameron's first Prime Minister's Questions, the tragic shootings in Whitehaven, the continuing Labour leadership election battle, and the Orange Digital Election Awards. | 9 6 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean28 - The Breaking of Laws | This week we're joined by Stephen Tall of Lib Dem Voice and Emma Burnell of Scarlett Standard to talk about the events of the last week, which have focused on the resignation of David Laws following revelations about his expenses in the Telegraph over the weekends. | 3 6 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean27 - The Queen's Speech | We're joined by Tracey Cheetham of A View From the Public Gallery, Darren Bridgeman of the Lib Dem Bracknell Blog, and Conservative activist and blogger Walaa Idris, to talk about the week's events in politics. | 26 5 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean26 - The Nick And Dave Show | We're joined by Allen Green of the Jack of Kent blog and Labour blogger Tim McLoughlin to talk about coalitions governments, Labour's leadership elections, and the trial of Labour Blogger Dave Osler. | 19 5 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean25 - Activate The Queen! | Regulars Mark Thompson and Stuart Sharpe are joined by Labour MP Tom Harris, who writes the And Another Thing... blog, and Paul Evans, who blogs at Slugger O'Toole and Never Trust A Hippy. Events in Westminster were unfolding as we recorded, with Gordon Brown visiting Buckingham Palace to offer his resignation and David Cameron being instated as the new Prime Minister, announcing a formal coalition between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats. We discussed an unprecedented week in British politics which has led up to this point, and what ramifications this coalition government may have in the future. We also discussed the negotiation process, and whether it potentially presents a bad advert for Proportional Representation. Also, was there really ever any chance of a 'Rainbow Coalition', and indeed how can the 'Change Coalition' last? Despite their position of power post-election, the Lib Dems lost significant ground on polling day. Whatever happened to the much-discussed Lib Dem Surge? Finally, we moved away from election news to update you on the Paul Chambers story, the man who tweeted a joke about blowing Robin Hood Airport 'sky high'. Read more about the case on the Jack of Kent blog. | 12 5 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean24 - Election Day Is Here! | We review the election campaigns, ask what the 'big moment' of this election has been, and cautiously make predictions for what Thursday May 6th 2010 will hold, with the internet's Charlotte Gore and Bill Jones, author of the Skipper blog and Professor of Politics at Liverpool Hope university. | 5 5 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean23 - The Chaotic Election | This week's guests are blogger Charlotte Gore and Political Betting's Morus, aka Greg Callus. | 28 4 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean22 - The Lib Dem Surge | This week Conor Pope of the Audacity of Pope, and Chris Mounsey of the reborn Devil's Knife join regulars Mark Thompson and Stuart Sharpe to talk about this week's political events through the prism of the UK political blogosphere. Download the MP3 file, Subscribe using iTunes or listen using the player below. We chatted about: * Following Nick Clegg's performance at the Leaders Debates, the Liberal Democrats have broken past Labour in the polls, and some polls are even putting them ahead of the Tories. Is this 'surge' a flash-in-the-pan, or could it be sustained all the way up to election day? * Electoral mathematics make it unlikely the Lib Dems could win an election outright, but the political system is being given a shake up. With predictions that Labour could end up the party with the most seats but the smallest number of votes, will we soon be seeing Mark's electoral reforms come to pass? * Leaving the Lib Dems aside, Chris was interviewed by Andrew Neil for The Daily Politics recently in his capacity as leader of the UK Libertarian Party, but by most accounts did not come off very well from the interview. We asked for his side of the story, and whether writing a blog under such an aggressive persona is compatible with holding ambitions in the 'respectable' world of politics?This week Conor Pope of the Audacity of Pope, and Chris Mounsey of the reborn Devil's Knife join regulars Mark Thompson and Stuart Sharpe to talk about this week's political events through the prism of the UK political blogosphere. Download the MP3 file, Subscribe using iTunes or listen using the player below. We chatted about: * Following Nick Clegg's performance at the Leaders Debates, the Liberal Democrats have broken past Labour in the polls, and some polls are even putting them ahead of the Tories. Is this 'surge' a flash-in-the-pan that will be gone by next week, or could it be sustained all the way up to election day? * Electoral mathematics make it unlikely the Lib Dems could win an election outright, but the political system is being given a shake up. With predictions that Labour could end up the party with the most seats but the smallest number of votes, will we soon be seeing electoral reforms come to pass? * The other parties seem unable to figure out a good line of attack against this third party uprising. We discussed some of the tactics they appear to be trying, and whether any of these have worked at all. * Leaving the Lib Dems aside, Chris was interviewed by Andrew Neil for The Daily Politics recently in his capacity as leader of the UK Libertarian Party, but by most accounts did not come off very well from the interview. We asked for his side of the story, and whether writing a blog under such an aggressive persona as Devil's Kitchen is compatible with holding ambitions in the 'respectable' world of politics? | 21 4 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean21 - The Election Begins | This week we're joined by Jessica Osata and Duncan Stott, to talk about the recent events in politics. | 14 4 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean20 - It's The Economy, Stupid. | This week we're joined by Alex Massie of The Spectator, and by Alex Smith, editor of LabourList and Islington council candidate. Download the MP3 file, Subscribe using iTunes or listen using the player below. We chatted about: * The last week has been dominated by the economy, with the budget speech last Wednesday and Channel 4's 'Ask The Chancellors' debate the night before our recording. How did the performances of Alistair Darling, George Osborne and Vince Cable stack up in the Channel 4 debate, and will it have any overall effect on the election outcome? * Tony Blair has recently returned to the UK political scene, giving a speech in support of Gordon Brown. Is his return a good thing for the Labour Party, or does it smack of desperation? * While Labour have been closing on the Conservatives in polls recently, it still seems fairly unclear what they would actually do with another term in Parliament. Could we see, as Alex Smith suggests, a surprisingly radical manifesto from Labour? * At the same time, the Tories have not successfully gained control of the 'media agenda' from Labour. Are the suffering from a lack of campaign experience compared to Labour? * Both Alexes were in the USA during the run up to last year's presidential election, and Alex Smith worked for the Obama Campaign from 2007. We took the opportunity to ask them about that campaign and whether British political parties can take anything from that campaign. | 31 3 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean19 - Lobbying Scandals, Healthcare Reform and #CashGordon | This week Lib Dem MP Lynne Featherstone, and Sara Scarlett of Liberal Vision, joined regulars Mark Thompson and Stuart Sharpe to talk about the events of the week in politics. Topics covered include (but are not limited to): * A joint investigation by the Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches exposed a number of MPs apparently offering to lobby the Government for cash. We discuss the scandal, and whether this is reminiscent of the sleaze which marred the final days of John Major's government. * President Obama has passed his landmark healthcare reform bill after a political skirmish that has lasted many months. Is this a symbol of his tenacity and negotiating skill, or is the bill too much of a compromise? Also, there's been some suggestion that the bill is unconstitutional and may need to be revised. * The Tories #cashgordon campaign website included an unmoderated Twitter feed which contained a major security flaw, leading to the site being exploited first by Labour activists keen to spread messages opposing the campaign, and then to hackers and others maliciously redirecting website visitors to other sites. We discussed whether presenting user-generated content unmoderated shows bravery on the part of the Tory web team, or naïvety. | 24 3 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean18 - Unite Against Ashcroft | Emma Burnell and Old Holborn join regulars Mark Thompson and Stuart Sharpe to talk about the political news of the week. In this episode, we chatted about: * Unite, the UK's largest public sector union, have donated some £11m to the Labour party, and the Conservatives have said this gives them undue influence over the government - is this equivalent to accusations Labour made over Lord Ashcroft's donations to the Conservative Party? * With British Airways workers represented by Unite threatening to strike, could there be a political motivation behind the action? Some bloggers have suggested there may be a conspiracy in the works. * Nick Hogan, a landlord who was imprisoned after failing to pay fines for allowing allowed people to smoke in his pub, has been released after the fines were paid by bloggers and readers from all around the world. Old Holborn organised this campaign, and told us a little about what happened. * A number of deaths have been linked to mephadrome, a legal substitute for amphetamines. THis has lead to calls for the drug to be banned - but how effective is drug prohibition? * Lastly, Gordon Brown has stated that even if Labour were to lose the next election, he intends to go on as the party leader. Is this likely to happen, and is it the message the electorate want to hear? | 19 3 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean#LDConf Special | We went to the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference to chat with Mark Pack, Alex Foster and Sara Bedford from the LibDemVoice.org team about what's been going on. We chatted about the Digital Economy Bill, the 'defection' to the Lib Dems of former Conservative MEP Edward MacMillan-Scott, and the new 'Liberal Vs Authoritarian' MP ranking system at 'rank dot libdemvoice dot org'. | 14 3 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean17 - Piracy and the Digital Economy Bill | Bridget Fox, Jonathan Shepherd, David Weber join us to talk about the week's political events. | 11 3 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean16 - The Blogger, Not the Director General | This week's Podcast features The Heresiarch, writer of Heresy Corner, and Juliette Lewis of Lazy Hyena and Guy News. We talked about: * Mark Thompson (the Director General of the BBC, not the political blogger) has caused much consternation with his announcement that radio stations 6Music and Asian Network are to close and the BBC's web content to be scaled back as part of a cost cutting initiative across the BBC. [Infographic of BBC spending] * With the continuing growth of 'user generated content', is the BBC's remit becoming ever more out of date? For that matter, will bloggers ever be able to make money? * A deal was recently reached between the various networks to host live televised debates between the party leaders. Will this be a good thing, will it make any difference in the long run - and why is it finally happening now, after all the years of dancing around this issue? * In spite of the ongoing allegations of bullying levelled at Gordon Brown, Labour seem to be resurgent in the polls, with a recent poll placing them only two points behind the Tories. * Lord Ashcroft, the Conservative Party's Deputy Chairman and one of their principle funders, has announced that he is a 'non-dom' and doesn't pay UK tax on earnings outside Britain. This has led to a widespread debate about party funding, political donations and the future of party politics. | 4 3 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean15 - Bullying in the Workplace | Tracey Cheetham and Iain Dale join us to talk about the events of politics and the blogosphere over the past week. We chatted about: * Gordon Brown has been accused of bullying civil servants by Andrew Rawnsley. Do we believe Rawnsley's accusations, and has the ensuing political battle been necessary, or has it diminished everybody involved? * Bloggers may be able to apply for lobby passes previously only available to professional journalists - but do bloggers need or even want them? * Sir Nicholas Winterton's ill-advised remarks about first class train fares have caused the Tory party some discomfort over the past week - has he let slip that the Tories haven't changed as much as they say they have? * Finally, Mark is standing in a council by-election this week - we wish him luck | 24 2 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean14 - Simon Singh, Libel Reform, Joanne Cash and Twitter Outrage | This week we're joined again by Allen Green, writer of the Jack of Kent blog and convenor of Westminster Skeptics, and by Bill Jones, Professor of Politics at Liverpool Hope University and author of Skipper. Download the MP3 file, Subscribe using iTunes or listen using the player below. We talked about: * Next week, Science writer Simon Singh's case will be heard by the Court of Appeal. Singh was sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association after accusing the BCA of promoting 'bogus' treatments. The Singh case brings up a number of issues with English libel law, as detailed at the libelreform.org website * Joanne Cash recently resigned and then was re-instated as the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Westminster North. Is this a sign of Conservative Headquarters' tightening grip over local parties, and are they underestimating the 'Turnip Taliban'? * We tend to elect MPs based on their ability to campaign, not their ability to run a government. Tony Blair's time in office seemed particularly affected by a lack of ability to 'execute'. Could it be that we've got this all backwards? * Finally, there's been a rash of 'Twitter Outrages' over the past week, the biggest concerning an ill-advised remark on David Wright MP's Twitter account. Are we to expect similar dramas more often over the next few months, and should anyone care? | 18 2 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean13 - What Difference Can Political Blogging Make? | Mark Pack, co-editor of Lib Dem Voice, joined us to talk exactly what difference the political blogosphere can make, what the relationship between blogging and newspapers will look like in the future, whether the party-political bloggers are watching their words in the election run-up. | 10 2 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean12 - On Northern Ireland | This week Mick Fealty of Slugger O'Toole (http://sluggerotoole.com) joined us to talk about recent political events. Topics we covered include: * Mick has been extensively covering the scandal caused by Iris Robinson, wife of First Minister Peter Robison, and the affair she had. He gave us an overview of the history and the impact of the resulting political crisis. * David Cameron and Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson have had a few problems in Northern Ireland recently as well. * Gordon Brown recently announced that the Labour Party would introduce the Alternative Vote electoral system if they were successful at the next election - is this a needed reform, or is it just playing politics? | 3 2 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean11 - In Defence of Labour | This week we were joined by Darrell Goodliff, writer of the formerly Lib Dem - now Labour - Moments of Clarity blog (http://momentsofc.wordpress.com), and the perpetually irate Constantly Furious (http://constantlyfurious.blogspot.com). We chatted about: * Darrell's recent conversion to the Labour Party, and why he's swimming against the tide * Paul Chambers, a man who made a possibly ill-advised joke on Twitter and found himself arrested and detain under terrorism laws * Constantly Furious's liver, and the Government's plans for it * The recent snow, and whether we've lost the ability to deal with problems ourselves instead of relying on state support * The hostile takeover of Cadbury's by Kraft, and whether taxpayer's money should be funding the buyout | 21 1 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean10 - The Police State | In this week's House of Comments Podcast, we're joined by Lib Dem blogger and councillor Sara Bedford, and Allen Green, convenor of UK Sceptics and writer of the Jack of Kent blog. We chatted about: * Greg Stone's resignation as a Lib Dem PPC after being 'outed' as the author of a number of lewd comments about ministers and other politicians made on the Guido Fawkes live chat last year. Is he paying too high a price for having made these comments anonymously? * The banning of Muslim protest group Islam4UK in advance of their planned demonstration in Wootton Bassett has raised many eyebrows. Is it right to pre-emptively ban an organisation such as this - and could banning them just give them the publicity they desire? * The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Britain's police stop-and-search powers are illegal and constitute a breach of the right to privacy. Are the police becoming too powerful in this country? * Last week's 'Snow Plot' attempted coup was short and sweet - but will it cause lasting damage to the Labour Party, or do they appear more united behind Gordon Brown in its wake? * Finally, Parliament has released a Flash-based computer game with the intention of giving 11-14 year olds a taste of life as an MP. Is this the right way to go about engaging the youth? | 15 1 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean09 - The Changing Climates | In the first HoC podcast of 2010, Chris Mounsey from Devil’s Kitchen (http://devilskitchen.me.uk) and Will Straw from Left Foot Forward (http://leftfootforward.org) join regulars Mark Thompson and Stuart Sharpe to talk about politics, the blogosphere, and the events of the last week. We discussed: * The #KerryOut campaign to try and oust Labour MP Kerry McCarthy from her Bristol East seat at the next election. Is this a positive sign of the power of online grassroots action or a puerile spat between Twittering egos? Or a bit of both? * Climate change continues to provoke controversy in the blogosphere. Chris and Will (who regularly blog on the subject themselves) discuss the issues from different sides of the argument and in the process go for the world acronym quoting record! * Following the attempted bombing of a US bound flight on Christmas Day, it has been announced that full body scanners will be introduced at airports. We discuss the implications for privacy and civil liberties. Also, will they even work and could the money be better spent elsewhere? * And in a related discussion can racial or other sorts of profiling to screen bombers work? | 5 1 10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean08a - Blocked By Nadine | After we'd finished recording yesterday's podcast with Tory Rascal, we got to talking about Twittering MPs and the recent spat of 'blockings'. Since we had the conversation recorded, but it didn't fit into the main body of yesterday's podcast, we thought we'd release it separately as a short supplemental episode of the podcast. Hope you enjoy! | 16 12 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean08 - Shakespearean Tragedies and Toast Mathematics | This week's podcast features Conservative blogger Tory Rascal along with regulars Mark Thompson and Stuart Sharpe Show notes to follow. | 15 12 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean07 - "Sympathy For Malcom Tucker" | Charlotte Gore and Tom Harris MP joined regulars Mark Thompson and Stuart Sharpe to talk about politics, the blogosphere, and the events of the last week. Show Notes: * A new poll put Labour on 30%. How much does Prime Minister's Question Time affect polling? * Are so-called 'planted questions' at PMQs really planted, or is it just a case of MPs helping out their own party? * We want to know what it is about the internet that makes people unpleasant to each other? Charlotte has recently been taking some abuse in her blog's comments after writing a post taking Rod Liddle to task over his opinions on crime and race. * Charlotte has stopped blogging under a Lib Dem banner. Is non-partisan blogging the future, or is it too hard to get started? * The Government are considering offering a referendum on electoral reform. Mark and Tom discussed whether it is necessary, and whether is it being done for the right reasons * 'Class warfare' still hasn't gone away - is it an effective strategy for Labour, or does it 'smack of desperation'? * And Finally... With the latest series of BBC political comedy The Thick of It drawing to a close, we asked Tom how accurate Armando Iannucci's portrayal of the inner workings of government really is. | 7 12 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean06 - The Expenses Saga, Zac Goldsmith and the Impartial Civil Service | Featuring: Harry Cole (Tory Bear) and Alex Hilton (Recess Monkey) alongside regulars Stuart Sharpe and Mark Thompson Topics we discussed: The expenses crisis - the story that just won't go away. Is parliament doing enough to reform the current system - and if not why not? Tory PPC and environmental campaigner Zac Goldsmith is a non-dom and doesn't pay much British tax at all. Should he be allowed to be a PPC or an MP? The new chair of Young Labour works at DEFRA in an ostensibly non-partisan position - should politically neutral civil servants be allowed to take positions of importance within a political party? | 1 12 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean05 - Hung Parliaments, Cyberlockers, Sawn-Off Shotguns and Blog Regulation | Charlotte Gore (http://charlottegore.com) and Constantly Furious (http://constantlyfurious.blogspot.com) join us to talk about some of the blogosphere's biggest stories over the past week. We chatted about the possibility of a hung parliament and what that could mean for the Lib Dems. Lord Mandelson's 'Three Strikes' policy is still making waves. What problem is he trying to solve, and will his plans do anything to solve it? Paul Clarke handed in a shotgun at his local police station and now faces a possible 5 year jail sentence. The new Chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, Baroness Buscombe, has been quoted as saying she's interested in regulating the blogosphere. We blow her a collective raspberry. | 25 11 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean04 - Labour's Debts, Twitter's Power, Watford's Playgrounds and MP's Salaries. | This week on the House of Comments podcast we're joined by Jennie Rigg (http://miss-s-b.dreamwidth.org) and Matt Wardman (http://www.mattwardman.com) to talk about a few of the things which have been making waves in the UK Politics blogosphere recently. Labour appear to be on the verge of going broke - could this mean an early election? The online world of Twittering Social Networking has been flexing its muscles over the past few weeks. Where is this going, and how will it affect politics in the future? Was Watford Council right to use child safety concerns as justification for banning parents from 2 Adventure Playgrounds? And finally, should we be paying MPs more - and is this all really Thatcher's fault? | 10 11 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean03 - David Nutt, Climate Change, File Sharing and the EU Presidency | This week on the House of Comments podcast we're joined by Mathew Hulbert of the NetNewsDaily blog and Thomas Byrne of Byrne Tofferings. Was Alan Johnson right to sack David Nutt for giving the 'wrong' advice on drugs? Conservative bloggers seem to be out of step with the Conservative party leadership over Climate Change - but which of them is closer to the grassroots? Lord Madelson has detailed his 'three strikes' policy for illegal file sharers, but do his proposals stack up? And lastly, do we think Tony Blair will become President of the EU Council? Do we think he should? | 2 11 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean02 - Nick Griffin, Sex Trafficking and All Women Shortlists | This week on The House of Comments Podcast, we're joined by leading Lib Dem blogger Alix Mortimer, and Will Straw, founding editor of the Left Foot Forward blog. Things we talked about include: BNP leader Nick Griffin appeared on Question Time this week. How did he come off? Is there any truth in his assertion that the BBC rigged the show against him? Do we even care?! A number of blog posts this week, including Unity's at Liberal Conspiracy and Dr Belinda Brooks Gordon's guest post on Charlotte Gore's blog, have taken the Home Office to task about their statistics on sex trafficking. Do the figures add up - and if they don't is there anything we can do about it? Britain has hit its sixth consecutive quarter of negative economic growth, making this recession the longest in recorded history. The Conservatives are 'considering' using all-women shortlists to boost the number of potential female Conservative MPs. Are they necessary, and if so - why? Also, why is the blogosphere so male-dominated? | 26 10 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clean01 - Conference Polls, Gordon’s eyesight, Dannatt and The Tax Payers’ Alliance | We're joined by blogging luminary Iain Dale to talk about: What can the first post-conference polls tell us about how the next election may work out? Are we happy with the way blogs have reacted to the news that Gordon Brown has retinal tears on his one remaining good eye? Should we care that a director of low-tax pressure group Taxpayers Alliance doesn't actually pay UK tax? David Cameron is has suggested that former Chief of the General Staff General Sir Richard Dannat may join is cabinet. Is that wise? | 12 10 09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 39 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
Excellent UK Politics Podcast
Nice to have an unbiased, topical discussion about the UK political scene on a weekly basis. Excellent selection of guests, and time for in-depth discussion which is rarely found in mainstream political media. Also avoids the adversarial, sound-bite driven approach favoured by many. If you want a flavour, start with Episode 14 with Allen Green and Bill Jones.
Quality
The reason the Internet is amazing is that it allows free, frank open discussion. House of comment could easily become a biased rant but shows self control in producing debate between people with there ear to the ground. More please.
