Hello and welcome to rock and roll politics, the podcast with me, Steve Richards.

Thank you very much for tuning in.

We've got even more to cram in in our time together for some reason in this podcast than usual.

And we're always cramming in a lot.

We've got a few important notices to reflect on.

And then if it's okay with all of you, I'm going to dance from one theme to another fleetingly, but they're all connected, whilst focusing on

a question of increasing urgency, which is how does a government communicate via a media which is largely hostile?

And this is a kind of constant theme with Labour governments and indeed Labour oppositions,

but becomes more urgent when, in the light of that comprehensive spending review,

they are in some areas going to be

investing quite a lot. How to make voters recognise what is happening and why, when the only

way you can do it actually is via the media. The voters aren't watching every move around the

clock in the roar, so to speak. So it has to be

mediated. And without that mediation, without voters making a connection between what a government

plans to invest and the outcomes, you will just get deep disillusionment. And the context of that deep disillusionment is we all know deep at the moment.

In fact, before I even come on to notices,

I'm going to read you an email from our white van man driver, Andy,

who keeps us informed with the mood on the street amongst his fellow white van

man drivers. And for new listeners, he is an important source for all of us because he picks up

the kind of enthusiasm for reform and the disillusionment with so-called mainstream politics.

Anyway, his latest email, there's been a by-election.

Andy lives in North Hampshire, but drives that van around the country and keeps everyone

...