EMQs: Is PMQs just 'political theatre'?
Political Currency
Persephonica
4.1 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 17 November 2025
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What is the real purpose of Prime Minister's Questions? As an ‘infuriated’ listener asks why the Speaker can't force politicians to answer, George Osborne breaks down why PMQs is ‘political theatre’ and what most people misunderstand about it, while Ed Balls explains why David Lammy’s recent performance revealed the real procedural power the Speaker holds.
Then, prompted by a question from Shadow Cabinet minister Victoria Atkins, the pair break down when cross-party support actually works, and when it’s just a ‘bear trap’ for the opposition.
And, reporting from the COP summit in Brazil, the hosts of the Outrage & Optimism podcast ask why the UK failed to put money into the 'Tropical Forests Forever' facility, leading Ed and George to discuss the 'crumbled' political consensus on foreign aid.
Finally, the pair delve into the reality of rejoining the EU. Could the UK get the same deal as before? And what's the real obstacle to rejoining - could it be the Euro, the non-negotiable issue of free movement, or something else altogether?
Thanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad-free join Political Currency Gold. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:
👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency
👉 Apple Podcasts
Please note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.
Credits:
Assistant Producer: Caillin McDaid
Senior Producer: Silvia Maresca
Video Editor: Maha Al-Badrawi
Executive Producer: Ellie Clifford
Political Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The Chancellor of the Exchequer. |
| 0:02.0 | Getting a lesson from the Shadow Chancellor in how to balance the books, |
| 0:05.0 | it's like getting a lesson from Dracula and how to look after a blood back. |
| 0:08.0 | Ed Balls. |
| 0:10.0 | As steady as she goes, budget. |
| 0:13.0 | What kind of ship does he think he's on, the Titanic? |
| 0:16.0 | Themary Celeste. |
| 0:17.0 | Welcome to EMQs from Political Currency. |
| 0:20.0 | With Ed Balls and George Osborne. |
| 0:27.8 | So hello, welcome to EMQ's ex-minister's questions, and we are remote. |
| 0:32.5 | I'm sitting opposite George. |
| 0:33.8 | Normally at this point you share with us some cultural gem from your kind of rich |
| 0:38.7 | international life. No, I haven't been to see any plays or whatever this week, but I did get |
| 0:43.2 | to the book launch of a book called The Seven Rules of Trust, co-written by my friend Jimmy Wales, |
| 0:51.9 | who's also the founder of Wikipedia. And it's all about how we establish |
| 0:56.6 | trust in the world. And, you know, Jimmy is just a brilliant ideas guy. He's just endlessly |
| 1:02.6 | restless with thoughts and ideas. And of course, Wikipedia is an incredible creation. And, you know, |
| 1:07.7 | powers on, even in the, you know, as the digital world changes and morphs. And I think it's |
| 1:12.9 | worth saying, you know, unlike quite a lot of these other creations of the digital age, the |
| 1:17.9 | Facebooks and the Googles, you know, this has actually been always not-for-profit. And Jimmy, |
| 1:23.1 | maybe there are moments where he regrets it, but he is not a multi-billionaire as a result of his creation. |
| 1:28.9 | He's put it to good public use, and now he's written about how the lessons he's learned from |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Persephonica, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Persephonica and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

