Government in Crisis

It’s back-to-school, back-to-politics, and back to your feeds with Season Two of Craft Politics — now with a brand new format and a new co-host.

We’re thrilled to welcome Holly Mumby-Croft, former UK Member of Parliament, to the pod. She’ll join Percy and I each week for our Tuesday Issue Scan episode, adding deep political insight and a healthy counter-weight to Percy...

In this episode:

• Labour’s economic mess: Starmer sidelines Reeves, reshuffles advisors, and still can’t land the message
• Reform UK leads the polls—now ahead of Labour and the Conservatives combined
• National flag protests, economic confusion, and the risk of a populist summer boil-over
• Canada’s Trump problem continues: no deal, no clarity, and no end in sight
• Carney’s super honeymoon: how long can he ride high on sky-high approval ratings?
• Why France’s looming debt crisis could become everyone’s problem
• What happens when both the left and the right promise unsustainable spending?
• A special new segment: “Lipstick on a Gerbil” — where we rate the worst political comms moments of the week. This week we look at Angela Rayner’s stamp duty dodge and Stephen Kinnock’s weasel-worded defence

And of course:

• 🍺 Joseph and Percy drink one of BC’s finest Pilsners
• 🍷 Holly sips Ribena

00:00 Welcome back — Season 2 with new co-host Holly Mumby-Croft
04:21 UK deep dive — Starmer's reshuffle and Rachel Reeves sidelined
06:49 The grown-ups narrative collapses — Economic chaos and mixed messages
08:55 The flag phenomenon — England's emotional response to the migrant crisis
14:09 Everything plays into Reform's hands — Why the balloon won't burst
17:09 Canada and the tariff stalemate — Carney's cap-in-hand reality
18:43 The elbows-up delusion — Why Canada can't win a fight with the US
22:43 Carney's honeymoon and the Trump excuse — How long will it last?
24:53 France on the brink — The spending crisis that could crash the global economy
26:56 The Western spending trap — When voters refuse to face reality
28:42 The triple lock trap and generational unfairness
31:24 Lipstick on a gerbil — Angela Rayner's stamp duty scandal
36:49 Stephen Kinnock's uncomfortable defense — Rating the damage control
39:37 The court of public opinion versus the letter of the law
43:45 Tasting notes and sign-off — Pilsner versus Ribena