Coco Kahn

We always try to give tangible solutions on this podcast. And even though a lot of the issues that we face today sometimes can feel insurmountable, we do want to give a shout out to the charity Choose Love. Choose Love supports refugees and displaced people globally in the UK, the Middle East, at the Mexico-US border, across Europe, via a network of refugee and community-run organisations.

They provide everything from nutritious food to warm clothes, safe spaces for women,

100% of what you give goes to buying that item or something similar. If you're doing any gifting, you can also buy in the name of a loved one and send them over an e-card to let them know what you bought on their behalf.

Labour, of course, seemed very excited about the announcement, but they also seemed like they were, I believe the official term is shitting themselves. We often talk on this podcast about whether they were truly ready. Their strategy seemed to involve just going to spectacles Spectacular lengths to say nothing at all. You say it best when you say nothing at all.

Oh, I'm feeling the pop music references coming. It will not be the last in this episode. So yeah, they said nothing apart from the word change. Should you change? Oh no, stop me. Anyway, the Lib Dems took a different approach to campaigning. Leader Ed Davey took himself to every available campaign podium and the Tories focused on churning out red meat.

And who can forget the return of mandatory national service, which would have required every 18-year-old to spend a year in military service or one weekend a month volunteering.

But at the same time that Sunak was trying to inspire the younger generation, he was pissing off the older generation by leaving the 80th anniversary of D-Day early to record an ITV interview where he spoke about the things he had to go without as a child.

Famously, Sky TV. Famously.

Well, look, I think it's fair to say that many of us on the left have complicated feelings towards Labour under Keir Starmer. But watching their landslide 412 seats come through one by one on election night, I mean, it was quite enjoyable. Let's just take a little moment to just remember that feeling.

Yeah, I think, like, if you are progressive, whether you were supporting the Greens or independents, there was lots to be happy about. I had a Jaeger bomb for every Tory MP that I really particularly hated losing their seat.

Well, I tried to. I don't really remember a lot of it.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure, for sure. And when the exit poll first came in, I had a Jagerbomb.

Just to see the Tories decimated.

Oh, yeah, for sure.

Fair and square is the right phrase, actually.

Last week, Saudi Arabia was named the host of the 2034 World Cup. And it's no coincidence in season two of World Corrupt, Roger Bennett and Tommy Vitor uncover how an oil-rich nation with a grim human rights record bought its way to global influence from wooing soccer stars to Silicon Valley investors.

Once the debris from the election parties had been cleared in Keir Starmer and packed all his boxes of Arsenal scarves, free suits and glasses into number 10, what did Labour do next?

Anyway, things turned out quite badly. In the summer, we had the horrible attack in Southport, followed by devastating riots, spurred on in part by newly elected MP Nigel Farage, who amplified fake news reports that the man involved in the Southport attack was known to British security services.

Starmer condemned the rioters, but wouldn't explicitly call out their racism, opting for the vaguer phrase, whatever the apparent motivation.

Then, of course, in October, we got to the first Labour budget in 14 years. Nish is actually wearing a Grinch hat.