Starmer’s new Trump headache and making comedy under occupation
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hi, this is Pod Save the UK. I'm Nish Kumar.
And I'm Coco Khan. Keir Starmer is having a busy week as he tries to keep Trump from totally losing it over Greenland, as well as his new obsession, the Chagos Islands.
It would be nice for the UK's prime minister to have a bit of time to actually run the UK.
What challenges does Keir Starmer face with Trump over Greenland?
So is the government's new warm homes plan the kind of policy to help Labour tackle the rise of reform? Nigel Farage is collecting disaffected Tory figures like Trump collects other people's peace prizes. Liam Thorpe from the Liverpool Echo will give us his insights.
Plus, Palestinian comedian Alar Shahada is with us to discuss his latest project, which shows the reality of trying to do a comedy tour in an occupied state.
And of course, we'll be dealing with all the news about Brown to Beckham.
Yes, all of life is truly here.
This is expressly against my wishes. Donald Trump rolls into the elite money club of Davos today, having had, even by his standards, an insane week. We have no idea what's going to come out of his mouth. Here he is addressing world leaders. So bear in mind, this is happening after we're recording. So I literally have no idea what the fuck I'm teeing up here.
We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But...
How is the UK government addressing fuel poverty with the Warm Homes plan?
I won't do that. All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland.
Now, a leaked letter revealed that he is blaming his threats to take total control of Greenland on the Norwegian government's decision to give the Nobel Peace Prize to someone other than him. A letter, which is full of the usual Trump inaccuracies bullshit, shows the leader of the free world has the self-control of a toddler who's got into the Jammie Dodgers once more.
He's managed to get it wrong not once, but twice, because not only is that an unfathomable excuse for threatening to invade a country, it's also an independent committee that decides where to award the prize, not the Norwegian prime minister.
Normally, when someone is that wrong, it doesn't really matter. You can kind of ignore it. But Trump's inability to understand basic facts is impacting us every day. Keir Starmer had to start the week dealing with the threat of massive tariffs on the UK and EU after a different Trump tantrum.
Listen, we are very repeatedly critical of Keir Starmer's leadership of the Labour Party and this country. The only time where I feel he's completely powerless to manage what's going on in front of him is when Donald Trump becomes involved. What I would say is that as soon as Trump came into office, he had started sabre rattling about Greenland. So maybe actually we shouldn't have been as caught cold by this as we have been.
What insights does Liam Thorp provide about Labour's housing strategy?
Sky News' Mark Stone has reported that in a weekend call, Starmer managed to get Trump to calm down a little and admit that he might have been misinformed and jumped to the tariff threats too quickly. Now, obviously, that's an interesting development. It doesn't seem to have translated into any public pronouncements. Trump continues to saber-rattle about tariffs on European countries that have sent troops into Greenland. There is this strange thing that Starmer said on Monday where he said that, you know, As part of his reasoning for not threatening retaliatory tariffs, he said that this thing needs to be done in a kind of reasonable, grown-up way. But that's not taking into account who he's trying to negotiate with.
You're not dealing with a reasonable person. It's like trying to explain string theory to a toddler.
How does Alaa Shehada navigate comedy in an occupied state?
It's unfathomable what he's trying to do. I keep reading op-ed pieces written by, I think, well-intentioned journalists that are asking questions like, is this the end of the rules-based international order? Well, the fuck are you talking about? Rules-based international order. It's like somebody trying to give etiquette lessons to a man who's currently dunking his balls in the soup. It doesn't make any sense. It just feels like there is a total fundamental disconnect between everything that Donald Trump is saying and the high-minded questions being asked by people who write op-eds and, to be honest, a lot of the front bench of the Labour Party at the moment.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:19
2
What challenges does Keir Starmer face with Trump over Greenland?
0:19–1:17
3
How is the UK government addressing fuel poverty with the Warm Homes plan?
1:17–2:35
4
What insights does Liam Thorp provide about Labour's housing strategy?
2:35–3:20
5
How does Alaa Shehada navigate comedy in an occupied state?
3:20–9:23
6
What are the implications of Trump's tariffs on the UK and EU?
9:23–12:53
7
Why is the Hillsborough Law significant for public accountability?
12:53–18:40
8
What is the current state of humanitarian conditions in Gaza?
18:40–55:38
Speakers
7 identifiedMore from Pod Save the UK
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