Vote of the Living Dead – Why British politics is ruled from beyond the grave

Oh God, What Now?

Podmasters

Politics, Government, News, Society & Culture

4.6 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 3 June 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

He’s old, he’s reactionary, he’s authoritarian-curious, he hates the EU… and he’s dead. Why are the main parties fixated on the demands of a zombie voter who has gone to join the Choir Eternal? And at the other end of the scale, what about “Henry” – high earner, not rich yet – the urban go-getter with an “email job” who earns six figures yet somehow finds himself strapped? Duncan Robinson who writes The Economist’s Bagehot column identified both these phenomena. He joins us to debate what we do about the Walking Dead – and whether Henry deserves a helping hand or a teeny-tiny violin. Who should replace Keir Starmer? Find out on the latest edition of The Bunker. ESCAPE ROUTES • Duncan recommends the Screen Rot podcast. • Hannah recommends Uncommon People: Britpop and Beyond in 20 Songs by our own Miranda Sawyer. • Seth recommends The Deep Blue Sea by Terence Rattigan at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. • Andrew recommends Thunderbolts, coming soon to Disney+ . • Back us on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more. Written and presented by Andrew Harrison with Hannah Fearn and Seth Thévoz. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. 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	It's a tough old world out there, and we need advertising to keep the podcasts going.
0:04.2	But if you'd rather not hear the adverts, you can skip them altogether by backing us directly on Patreon.
0:09.7	Follow the link in the show notes to find out how to get a smooth, ad-free listening experience.
0:27.0	Welcome to Oh God, What Now, the No Bullshit podcast that makes politics just about bearable.
0:29.9	On today's edition, dead man walking.
0:35.4	Why are political parties living in fear of voters who aren't just hard to reach and hard to persuade?
0:37.3	They're often literally dead.
0:39.3	It's been getting worse since Brexit.
0:42.7	Will we ever be out from under the shadow of the zombie voter?
0:44.8	And watch out.
0:46.0	There's a Henry about.
0:48.7	The high earner, not rich yet voter.
0:49.3	Who are they?
0:49.9	What are they want?
0:51.4	What are they complaining about?
0:55.2	And are they going to wield decisive political power in years to come?
1:00.7	The man who spotted both of these themes is the author of The Economist Badgett column, and he's our special guest today.
1:02.4	Hello, Duncan Robinson, welcome to the podcast.
1:03.4	Thanks having me.
1:07.1	You've coined two useful tools for the future there.
1:10.5	Also on the panel, we've got housing journalist of the year, Hannah Fern.
1:11.0	Hello, Hannah.
	...

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