This week Nish and Coco ask if our politics is on sale to those with the deepest pockets? The Conservative Party would love us all to move on from the row around the £15 million donation from Frank Hester, but it’s a story that highlights the often murky world of political funding. Nish and Coco talk to investigative journalist Peter Geoghagen about what the rules are, what donors get for their money, and whether there’s a better way to do it.
Dodgy donations have also cast a bit of a cloud over a momentous week in Welsh politics, which saw the appointment of Vaughan Gething as the first black leader of a European country. Journalist Will Hayward explains why it hasn’t been an easy ride for him so far and why he’s got a rocky road ahead. Plus in other news, MP’s and Lords play ‘ping pong’ with the Government’s Rwanda Bill, and there’s a new name in the Tory leadership frame.
Competent and popular politician spotted at Downing Street shock: Nish and Coco discuss President Obama’ popping in for a cup of tea with Rishi Sunak. Plus a new sighting of Princess Kate raises more questions about the royal PR machine. In this week’s hero and villain, find out why a Glasgow record shop has amused Nish and why a Lord has annoyed Coco.
Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media.
Contact us via email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: 07514 644572 (UK) or + 44 7514 644572
Insta: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk
Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/podsavetheworld
Guests:
Will Hayward, Welsh affairs editor at Wales Online
Peter Geoghagen, investigative journalist and author of the Democracy for Sale substack
CHAPTERS:
0:00 Pre-titles
0:40 A famous fan
2:35 Obama pops round for tea
5:36 Playing ping pong with Rwanda
8:18 Tory plotters
9:40 Wales gets a new First Minister
10:05 Guest: Will Hayward
16:32 Ad break
16:38 Is our democracy for sale?
18:46 Guest: Peter Geoghagen
42:09 Ad break
43:17 Nish’s hero: Monorail Records
46:15 Coco’s villain: Lord Bathurst
Useful links:
https://crooked.com/podcast-series/world-corrupt/
https://democracyforsale.substack.com/
https://www.righttoroam.org.uk/
Video credits:
BBC News
ITV News
ITV News West Country
Photo credits:
Associated Press
HBO Max/Warner Bros/Sky
The Sun
@WillHayCardiff
Stuart Sinclair
Henley on Thames Conservatives
Inspired by Crooked Media’s ‘Pod Save America’, their mission is to find solutions to Britain’s political problems – and have a laugh while they’re doing it. Subscribe now so you don’t miss the video podcast, or subscribe here to listen each week:
http://go.crooked.com/PodSaveTheUK
Crooked Media believes that we need a better conversation about politics, culture, and the world around us—one that doesn’t just focus on what’s broken, but what we can do to fix it. We are a media network that showcases stories, voices, and opportunities for activism that inform, entertain, and inspire action, because it’s up to all of us to do our part to build a better world.
That’s it. End of mission.
Learn more about us at crooked.com
#nishkumar #cocokhan #sarahjessicaparker #barakobama #donor #tories #rishisunak #vaughangething #willhayward #petergeoghagen #frankhester #pennymordaunt #princesskate #katemiddleton
source
Lamy is a Thatcherite it seems…
❤❤❤❤❤🎉
❤
❤❤❤
Ah Celebrity fan?? Oh SNAP! If tru
as an american, my main takeaway is that british elections are so much cheaper than ours
When you're American and then you stumble into this weird world where everybody has British accents.
Love the idea of democracy dollars!
Great show, loved Peter's tenacity & bringing the smelly side of politics into the light.
Is your democracy for sale?
In one word: Israel.
thank you
Episodes since Koko has mentioned the badgers:0
I am confused. When I traveled in the UK we hiked all over the countryside, including private property, where we had to open and close numerous gates, and never once did we have to pay any kind of fee.
I am once again so proud to be Glaswegian.
Wonder if SJP watches on YouTube or only listens to the podcast through her favorite Podcast provider. She's missing out if she's not watching these two and their guests do the show.
But did Kate pop out?
Usually U.K. politics makes me feel less sad about US politics but this made me go “how cute…one big donor and no lobbyists; talk to me when corporations are people”
There has already been a Museum of Failure. I am sure there will be more in the future.
You two make news super fun
I hope Geoghagen is pondering the upcoming nuptials between Rupert Murdoch and the mother of Roman Abramovich's former wife……..
One solution to buying political access that was tried here in the US and was ironically too successful was a political escrow account. Every dollar given to either party would be accounted for by an outside firm and paid into the party coffers over some (relatively short) time, and in irregular amounts so as to disguise the amount given by any one donor. Basically it made impossible to determine who gave how much and when, and it would be extremely difficult to buy access because the party couldn't tell who was actually paying them.
The result was that donations dried up to almost nothing. Just disguising the source of the donations made it very clear that the actual purpose of the donations was bribery.
Also, your elections in the UK are unfathomably cheap by American standards. 15 million pounds goes an awfully long way.
Lord butthurt there, saying “oh it’s 300 years ago now get over it”, conveniently leaving out the fact that wealth, accumulated through the heinous act of selling human beings, passed down through the generations, and the opportunities that wealth affords is precisely why he still owns a part of the fucking countryside in a world where people my age will literally never own a house. How about we’ll get over it when you give back that money to the descendants of people your ancestors sold by selling them, or at the very, very least, don’t skim even more money off of the peasantry by charging them for a fucking walk.
Is big money corrupting politics?
Wow, current affairs from err 1724!