Blair: “Modern Life is Rubbish”

Oh God, What Now?

Podmasters

News, Society & Culture, Politics

4.6 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 29 May 2026

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

• Podmasters is 10 years old! Get an extra 10% off a year’s Patreon backing. What else does a beleaguered PM like Keir Starmer need but… unsolicited advice from Tony Blair? In a new essay published by his think tank, the former PM calls on Labour to cosy up to Donald Trump and axe Ed Miliband’s net zero agenda or risk relegation from the “Premier League of nations”. Is Blair offering a genuine diagnosis or is he just dusting off the 1990s playbook? Plus, jobs tsar Alan Milburn’s bombshell report on youth unemployment warns that young people are being “rewired” by their smartphones and trapped in a doom loop that’s keeping them out of work. Can they escape it? And Reform's candidate for the Makerfield by-election Robert Kenyon is facing a firestorm for a string of resurfaced sexist social media posts. In the age of the political lout, why do the rules always seem different for the right? And in the Extra Bit: our panel reveals how they find their Zen in the age of doom-scrolling. • Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk. ESCAPE ROUTES • Hannah went to see Francois Ozon’s new movie adaptation of Camus' existentialist classic The Stranger. • Ros also visited the cinema to see Project Hail Mary • Jonn watched the first episode of the BBC’s Two Weeks in August • Seth has been reading Being Liberal: The Liberal Disposition in Contemporary British Politics by Cambridge professor David Howarth www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Seth Thévoz with Jonn Elledge, Ros Taylor and Hannah Fearn. Produced by James Liddell. Audio Production by Jade Bailey. Art direction by James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's happy birthday to Podmasters this month.
0:02.3	The home of Oh God What Now, the bunker, American Friction and all your favourite podcasts is 10 years old.
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0:12.3	Just follow the link in the show notes and help us keep at it for another 10 years.
0:16.3	People across the country are feeling all warm and fuzzy about their heat pumps.
0:20.2	Installing it during the renovation was an easy call.
0:23.2	The bathroom tiles, however.
0:25.0	It's much nicer than your boiler.
0:26.6	The place is just always warm and cozy like.
0:28.9	The government grant was the help we needed to start upgrading.
0:32.4	You've got a lovely steady temperature.
0:34.3	Walking around without waste slippers are you?
0:35.9	Feel all warm and fuzzy
0:37.5	inside with a 7.5,000 government grant towards your heat pump at gov.uk. U.K. slash clean energy. Eligibility criteria applies the website for details. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money. Whether it's the funds fueling AI or Crypto's trillion dollar swings.
0:55.3	There's a money side to every story.
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1:06.8	Attention all passengers. The Uber ride for Jeff's rugby team will depart in five minutes from Platform 15. Your ride comes with six toilets and a refreshments carriage that you'll empty within five minutes. Thank you for booking your tickets on Uber.
1:24.6	Trains on Uber.
1:30.8	Hello. Uber. Trains on Uber. Hello and welcome to Oh God What Now, the politics podcast that enjoys nothing more than your old boss from 20 years ago publishing a 5,700 word essay on how everybody should be doing their job.
1:43.4	I'm Seth Tevel.
	...

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