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Planet Normal

The Telegraph

The podcast that speaks your language. News and views from beyond the bubble with Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan, every Thursday.

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Society & CultureSociety & Culture

Episodes

Is the UK's grooming gang shame just the tip of worldwide iceberg?
3d ago
Is the UK's grooming gang shame just the tip of worldwide iceberg?
Your co-pilots have blasted off a whopper of a rocket this week so strap in.It’s Labour vs lettuce this week as the scrutiny of Chancellor Rachel Reeves continues to the rising drumbeat of calls for her to go. And with a resignation and an upcoming inauguration, there’s no shortage of melodrama in orbit this week.It will come as no surprise that the residents of the rocket are less than impressed with ‘Rachel from accounts’; is she on borrowed time and will there be an emergency budget in March? Resident rocket economist co-pilot Halligan brings his expert opinion and context to the discussion.Joining your co-pilots this week to discuss the recent grooming gang scandal is the inspirational author of Infidel: My Life, and Prey: Immigration, Islam, and the Erosion of Women's Rights, is activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |Read Allison” : ‘Rachel Reeves should quit now, not later this year’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/01/14/rachel-reeves-should-quit-now-not-later-this-year/ |Read ‘Infidel: My Life’: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Infidel-Ayaan-Hirsi-Ali/dp/1416526242 | Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Liz Truss Threatens Starmer with Legal Action
09-01-2025
Liz Truss Threatens Starmer with Legal Action
It’s a new year and the rocket returns with a blast to take on tax rises, economy worries and a grooming scandal, but what do your co-pilots make of 2025’s headlines so far?Liam questions why Labour won’t launch a national inquiry into the grooming gangs, whilst Allison thinks the country’s leading party are too hung up with promoting diversity as a strength to investigate any wrongdoing.Strapping into the rocket for the first voyage of the year is Economist Andrew Lilico who explains exactly why he thinks Former PM Liz Truss didn’t crash the economy with her mini budget.And there are results from the great ‘Planet Normal Christmas Weigh in’....Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |Read Allison Elon Musk has ripped the cloak of deceit off one of Britain’s most disgusting scandals: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/01/07/elon-musk-has-ripped-cloak-of-deceit-off-britain-scandal/ |Read Andrew Did Liz Truss Crash The Economy?: https://europe-economics.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Did-Liz-Truss-Crash-the-Economy-Final.pdf |Read Sentencing Remarks: https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/JCO/Documents/Judgments/sentencing-remarks-r-v-dogar-others.pdf |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Cultural Sensitivities Can Cost Lives
12-12-2024
Cultural Sensitivities Can Cost Lives
A sombre journey to Planet Normal today, as Allison and Liam learn that the father of Sara Sharif has been found guilty of the 10-year-old’s murder just before recording. Co-pilot Pearson decries that a little girl could have been a victim to such violence in modern Britain, and what it says about integration in our country.Plus they discuss the events of Syria, and co-pilot Halligan notes that the 'tectonic plates of Western politics is shifting' as mainstream European politicians use events as a chance to call for Syrians in their nations to return home.Boarding the rocket of right-thinking this week are co-founders of savetheparish.com, the impressively named Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, and journalist Emma Thompson. Sir James and Emma give a passionate pitch for the humble parish church, and why bureaucracy is at fault for the many closures.Plus your co-pilots dip into the mail bag for more tales of free speech fighters at work.Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |Visit Save The Parish: https://www.savetheparish.com/ |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rachel and the blackhole
16-10-2024
Rachel and the blackhole
The countdown to Labour's first Budget is on, but what do your co-pilots make of the new Chancellor's plans? Brace yourselves it's another news Tsunami…Liam isn’t convinced Labour’s plan for growth will strengthen up the public finances and believes a more prudent approach to spending is needed.Allison agrees and is concerned if they increase National Insurance on employers it will lead to less investment and fewer jobs.Joining your co-pilots for this week’s voyage is former Downing Street advisor and journalist Andy Coulson. The former News of the World Editor shares his thoughts on the first 100 days of the Labour government and reflects on his time at Belmarsh prison where he first formed the idea for his podcast ‘Crisis, What Crisis?’.And your co-pilots weigh in on Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s endorsement of weight loss drugs…Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ Read Allison: ‘I’m buying a generator. Who would want to invest in blackout Britain?’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/10/16/buying-a-generator-in-blackout-britain-ed-miliband/ |Listen to Andy Coulson: www.podfollow.com/crisis |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |Planet Normal listeners can get 20% off tickets to the Battle of Ideas Festival by putting the code PLANETNORMAL24 into the Promo code section of the ticket page – accessible through https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/battle-of-ideas-festival-tickets-2024/ | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The two Tory horse race
09-10-2024
The two Tory horse race
Fresh from a shock elimination in the Tory leadership race, your co-pilots deliver their verdict on the latest results from the now two horse race. And did co-pilot Pearson really influence the result?One year on from the shocking 7th October attack in Israel, the rocket reflects on Allison’s recent dispatch to Israel and welcomes Brendan O’Neill into the cockpit. Brendan’s new book ‘After the Pogrom: 7 October, Israel and the Crisis of Civilisation’ describes how he believes the West failed in their actions following the events in Israel.Your co-pilots also share an exciting announcement about an upcoming event and Bob the Bard returns…Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ Read Allison: ‘Not one girl could be shown to her parents’: The horrors of Oct 7 – as told by the survivors’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/10/05/oct-7-israel-survivors-stories-state-of-the-nation/ |Read Allison: ‘Hamas murdered my sister and her husband – but we will give their babies a normal life’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/10/06/oct-7-attack-orphan-twins-guy-roi-adoptive-parents/ |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |Planet Normal listeners can get 20% off tickets to the Battle of Ideas Festival by putting the code PLANETNORMAL24 into the Promo code section of the ticket page – accessible through https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/battle-of-ideas-festival-tickets-2024/ | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.