Steve - @guitarmoog - and Chris - @ottocrat - investigate cakeism: the philosophy of having your cake and eating it, as preached and practised by the British government in its approach to Brexit. Each week, we explore the latest developments as we head towards Brexit and spend time wading through the weeds from the perspective of two long-standing Brussels and UK government insiders. Our aim: to inform you, our listeners, about EU realities and so, hopefully, to equip you to spot lies and to thwart attempts to manipulate you. There may be swearing. We are regularly joined by guests and occasionally by special guest co-hosts.
76 Available Episodes (76 Total)Average duration: 01:12:53
Oct 06, 2020
Episode 72: The Four-Letter Guest
01:25:54
Steve is back, but as a guest, and joined by Ian Dunt to reflect on what makes a liberal, how to win the culture war, and whether we remember anything from our undergraduate days. Swearing.
Buy Ian Dunt's new book, How To Be A Liberal, from Canbury Press. (https://www.canburypress.com/products/how-to-be-a-liberal-by-ian-dunt-hardback-isbn9781912454419)
Audio clips from Patrick Tull's reading of Treason's Harbour by Patrick O'Brian Special Guests: Ian Dunt and Steve Bullock.
Sep 23, 2020
Episode 71: Specific and Limited Return
00:49:23
Chris and Garvan Walshe catch up on how they handled lockdown, what to expect next, and what has changed since they last recorded the podcast together, in November 2018. Just as it did two years ago, the Northern Ireland backstop features heavily in Lie of the Week. Also, will the Conservative Party have the good sense to ditch its current leader?
Special Guest: Garvan Walshe.
Mar 04, 2020
Episode 70: Our Friends In The North
01:00:49
Alviina Alametsä (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/204335/ALVIINA_ALAMETSA/home#detailedcardmep) is a Green Party MEP from Finland. She took up her seat only in February 2020, after it was vacated by a departing UK MEP. Cakewatch likes to think that she took one previously occupied by a Faragist. Alviina's particular policy interests are public mental health and conflict resolution, so who better to talk about tackling the Brexit aftermath? Alviina draws on her own experience as a survivor of a school shooting to inform her campaigning work to improve access to mental healthcare for young people in particular. In a world facing climate emergency and coronavirus, not to mention Brexit and populism, we look at how policy generally fails to factor in the mental health impact, and what can be done at EU level to address this.
Mind, the mental health charity (https://www.mind.org.uk), offering help and advice to you if you are suffering from depression or if you are looking for advice on how to help someone who you think might be depressed. Special Guest: Alviina Alametsä.
Feb 04, 2020
Episode 69: Back to the Future
01:03:23
Trade expert David Henig joins the podcast again for our first survey of the post B-day wreckage. With the EU and the UK apparently offering different visions of their future relationship, which one is the more realistic? Hahaha no seriously, which?
Special Guest: David Henig.
Jan 22, 2020
Episode 68: One Thousand Days
01:43:34
For our final podcast before Brexit, we're joined again by Tanja Bueltmann to talk about coping strategies, Steve's album of ambient prozac, and the ongoing work to support EU citizens in the UK as they face mounting hostility and an unforgiving bureaucracy.
You can get Steve's album here, and become an EU Citizens' Champion (https://eucitizenschampion.allwelcome.org/en/donations/supporter/27/one-thousand-days/).
We're dedicating this episode to the memory of our friend and colleague Andy Barnard.
Dec 16, 2019
Episode 67: We Raged Against the Lying of the Right
01:36:36
The aftermath. Rather than wallow in despair we look back on a fight well fought, and the friends that have joined us on the podcast. We also reflect a little bit on what the future will bring. It's not pretty, so we need to find strategies to help us through the dark times ahead.
Thank you to all our guests who have helped us out on the podcast over the last 67 episodes:
Alyn Smith
Andy of Remainer Now
Axel Antoni
David Henig
Dmitry Grozoubinski
Garvan Walshe
Ian Bond
Jason Knoll
Jim Cornelius
Jon Worth
Julie Girling
Katie Low
Laura Shields
Molly Scott Cato
Nick Crosby
Nicky James
Peter Wilding
Seb Dance
Steve Analyst
Tanja Bueltmann
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_not_go_gentle_into_that_good_night) by Dylan Thomas
Download Steve's new album One Thousand Days (https://1000days.eucitizenschampion.co.uk) and please give generously to EU Citizens Champion (http://eucitizenschampion.co.uk)!
Dec 11, 2019
Episode 66: Goodnight and Good Luck
00:14:54
We cut to the chase. Nothing is more important than this. On Thursday, vote for the candidate most likely to beat Boris Johnson. Because if you don't, if he wins, our country will become unrecognisable. This will be the defining battle of our culture war.
Dec 03, 2019
Episode 65: Vote Early Vote Often Vote Tactically
01:12:25
Brexit flowchart hero and EU Twitter legend Jon Worth joins Chris this week to take a deeper dive into tactical voting in the UK's general election - where is a tactical vote needed, how to work out where a tactical vote should go, and what might happen? All in the service of depriving Boris Johnson of a working majority and so keeping our hopes of remaining in the EU alive. Jon and Chris also reflect on their experiences of living and working in the EU and observing the way other EU countries do politics differently, and ask how the UK might do things better, why its EU membership seems to have had so little impact, and yes the 'f' word crops up. Federalism, that is.
If you want to take Jon up on his offer of a personalised tactical voting recommendation, please get in touch with him via his blog jonworth.eu (https://jonworth.eu) or on Twitter where he is @jonworth (https://twitter.com/jonworth).
Jon's tactical voting guide can be found here. (https://jonworth.eu/2019-uk-general-election-tactical-voting-guide/) Special Guest: Jon Worth.
Nov 19, 2019
Episode 64: Centrist Unicorn Hunt
00:58:02
Steve studied moral philosophy. (So did Chris but he doesn't get a word in edgeways.) We look at the ethics of tactical voting in the 2019 general election, and why you should hold your nose and vote for a candidate from a party you might not endorse as a party of government. Not just because you want to Remain in the EU, but also because you want to avert a catastrophic Johnson majority and engineer a situation where your first and second order goals might, just might, see the light of day.
Network Vote (https://www.network.vote/) want your help to get the "unheard third" of the vote out.
Today we launch our website https://t.co/MghOAJAWaE - a tool to help our communtities across the UK boost voter turnout. Ours is a simple, unique idea: we don't want you to sign up to a mailing list or get your details. The materials are free, open-source and for everybody /1
Jon Worth's blog is your one-stop-shop to help you decide how to use your precious vote. You can find out where you are voting, whether you should vote tactically, and what the key tactical voting sites are recommending you should do with your vote.
Jon Worth's practical guide to tactical voting
Laura's kitchen table is once again the scene of a cosy chat about our favourite things: Brexit, Boris Johnson, his so-called new deal, and the wholesale attack on citizens' rights. For light relief we join four Remainers Now standing in the rain outside the European Commission's headquarters and hear from them why they've made the journey to Brussels and what they want to achieve here. This podcast was brought to you by a large gin and tonic.
Jamie Susskind, author of Future Politics (https://www.jamiesusskind.com)
On The House podcast with guest Alastair Campbell (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-moment-of-truth-with-guest-alastair-campbell/id1474010876?i=1000453971430) Special Guest: Laura Shields.
Oct 06 | 01:25:54
Episode 72: The Four-Letter Guest
Sep 23 | 00:49:23
Episode 71: Specific and Limited Return
Mar 04 | 01:00:49
Episode 70: Our Friends In The North
Feb 04 | 01:03:23
Episode 69: Back to the Future
Jan 22 | 01:43:34
Episode 68: One Thousand Days
Dec 16 | 01:36:36
Episode 67: We Raged Against the Lying of the Right
Dec 11 | 00:14:54
Episode 66: Goodnight and Good Luck
Dec 03 | 01:12:25
Episode 65: Vote Early Vote Often Vote Tactically
Nov 19 | 00:58:02
Episode 64: Centrist Unicorn Hunt
Oct 21 | 01:03:48
Episode 63: Honey Badger
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