System of a Climbdown – Starmer: Year One ends in tears

Oh God, What Now?

Podmasters

Politics, Government, News, Society & Culture

4.6 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 4 July 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

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Summary

What better way for Labour to celebrate a year in power than with a humiliating climbdown on welfare? Political historian Steven Fielding joins the panel to discuss rebellions, “Austerity PSD”, and how Starmer and Reeves can make Year Two better than Year One. Plus, after the anti-IDF rants by punk band Bob Vylan at Glastonbury, has the festival really become the antisemitic “hatefest” its critics claim? Unlike most of them, our own Andrew Harrison was actually there… And in the Extra Bit for Patreon supporters, is far-right ideologue Matthew Goodwin serious when he says he wants to be Reform UK’s Home Secretary, or just waffling to sell his Substack? • Listen to Why? with Emma Kennedy: Could we make a real Jurassic Park? ESCAPE ROUTES • Rachel has been bingeing on Wimbledon. • Jonn has been reading Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. • Steven has been listening to the title track of Close To The Edge by Yes. • Alison is very excited about the Women’s Euros. • Back us on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more. Presented by Alison Phillips with Rachel Cunliffe and Jonn Elledge. Audio production by Robin Leeburn and Tom Taylor. Theme music by Cornershop. Produced by Chris Jones. 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	Welcome to Oh God What Now. I'm Alison Phillips. And on today's show, one year ago, the UK voted for change, oust in the Conservative Party in favour of a new direction
0:22.4	for the country with Labour. One year on, do we still feel the same hope under the guardianship
0:28.6	of Kirstama? Political historian Stephen Fielding joins the panel. Plus, the Glastonbury
0:34.4	Music Festival has always had a political edge, but did in-century performances
0:38.6	by the band's Bob Villain and kneecap really add up to an anti-Semitic hate fest?
0:43.9	Our own Andrew Harrison was on the spot.
0:46.5	And in the extra bit for supporters, Matthew Goodwin's on one again.
0:50.0	This time he says he wants to be Home Secretary in a Reform UK government.
0:53.9	Does he really?
0:55.0	Or is he just bullshit into increase his fame?
0:57.5	Let's begin by meeting today's panel.
1:00.0	First, it's the Associate Political Editor of the New Statesman, Rachel Cunliff,
1:03.6	who this week wrote a heartening piece for the Prime Minister entitled
1:06.4	The Rebellions Against Stama are only just beginning.
1:09.7	Hi, Rachel.
1:10.7	Hello.
1:11.6	So we're going to be talking about this in a lot more detail later on, about the climb down on benefits.
1:16.9	But has Stama lost control of the Commons?
1:19.4	And when you lose authority like this, can you ever get it back?
1:22.6	You can get it back.
1:24.2	But what I think is challenging for the government is they went in very,
1:29.5	very hard with their authority at the start of the parliament.
	...

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