Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot is a politics podcast that aims to bring more passion, less shouting, and lots of laughter to political discussions. Hosted by Alex Andreou, Naomi Smith, and Kenny Campbell, the show offers a refreshing take on current events and political issues. It is produced by Megaphone and available on Apple Podcasts.
Episodes
B-SIDE: The Scotland Lab
With PM-in-waiting Andy Burnham leaning heavily into devolution, we take a look at what lessons he can learn from the Scottish experience – and what his (still somewhat vague) plans might mean for Scotland too.
Kenny Campbell is joined by someone who knows the Scottish political scene extremely well: Stephen Boyd, director of the progressive think tank IPPR Scotland.
They also catch up with the
Handover season
Westminster is neck-deep in handover shenanigans, with team Starmer playing its final games while team Burnham is still, officially, to qualify for the big one.
Naomi and Alex are joined by MP Ellie Chowns, Commons leader of the Green Party, to talk regime change, asylum, defence, and the looming Manchester mayoral battle.
Plus, a blast of our newish feature, God! Less America! ... complete with
Sunday School: Coronation Treat
Coronations bring both brickbats and bouquets, as both King Charles and King Andy have found this week.
Alex and Kenny take a detailed look at what Charles's tax disclosures reveal – and keep hidden.
And there's the latest leadership challenges facing Andy Burnham as his (not quite guaranteed) coronation as Labour leader progresses.
Plus a catch-up with the latest madness of the orange man who
B-SIDE: Too Hot for Politics
It's been a bit of a scorcher this week (unless you're in Scotland with Kenny) and thus a good time to ask what politics can do about climate change.
Naomi, Kenny and Alex take it one step further and ask whether politics is even capable of dealing with climate change.
It's literally the hottest topic of our times, so why are things in such a pickle?
Plus something a bit lighter from the cupbo
The Andy Man's Guide to Cabinet Making
Andy Burnham may well be the PM-in-waiting but he can't do the job by himself. So who should be in his cabinet?
Naomi, Alex and Kenny ponder the question on every political geek's lips, and put some fantasy cabinet suggestions of their own forward too.
And we also survey the wreckage of Nigel Farage's most hilarious media round, ever.
Plus a break from the politics with one of our regular featu
From Brexit to Burnham, with James O'Brien
It's appropriate that Starmer's teary farewell comes amid the tenth-anniversary obituaries for Brexit, as the two are inexorably linked.
Alex and Naomi are joined by broadcaster, author and Quiet Riot favourite James O'Brien to look back at ten years of Brexit, and tease out the links to Starmer's resignation.
And they break out the Quiet Riot crystal ball to consider what the future may look li
Sunday School: Nigel's half-empty glass
Has anyone seen the confident swagger of Nigel Farage lately? Thought not.
A month of funding controversy, candidate shenanigans and sliding support has culminated in Reform UK being soundly beaten in a by-election that was supposed to be too close to call.
Alex and Kenny look at why Reform is stalling, and the reasons why Farage is right to be feeling a bit 'glass half-empty' right now.
And t
BY-ELECTION SPECIAL: Maker-or-Breakerfield
It's the middle of the night and the Makerfield result has just been declared... what next?
Alex and Kenny prop their eyes open with matchsticks to take stock of a result that has huge implications for this country's political future. Well, probably.
There are by-elections in Scotland too – Aberdeen South, plus the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry seats, are both up for grabs following the election o
X Marks The Rot
Having spent their formative years being herded into and around the playpen/minefield/information artery that is social media, Britain's youngsters are about to experience a life outside the social media bubble.
Or are they?
Naomi, Alex and Kenny look in more depth at what's likely to happen to the under-16 social media junkies, as well as what's happened to their counterparts in Oz, which has a
Sunday School: They think it's all over... Again
Just how many red cards will Keir Starmer be shown before he actually leaves the pitch?
Naomi and Alex ponder the latest Healey brickbats being hurled Sir Keir's way, and look in more detail at the 'defence v welfare' narrative.
Plus, if you had a trillon bucks like Elon Musk, what would you do with it? Think Brewster's Millions, but with questionable morals.
***SPONSOR US AT
B-SIDE: Peace Off + Healey Resignation
EXTRA! EXTRA! INCLUDES EMERGENCY MINI-EPISODE ON HEALEY RESIGNATION.
Trump continues to struggle with Iran despite having 'completely defeated' it, and Putin can't even get petrol to Russian tourists in Crimea.
Alex, Naomi and Kenny are joined by our favourite geopolitics expert Arthur Snell for a deep-dive into the latest alpha male chaos unfolding in these conflicts.
Plus, announcing the arr
It's A Badenoch Life, For Us
Riots, attacks, police snafus – they can't all be solely the fault of one bit of equalities guidance, can they?
Well, if you've listened to Kemi Badenoch, you might be beginning to wonder.
Her latest foray into the world of identity politics sees her wanting to scrap the Public Sector Equality Duty as the opening move in a mission to 'restore common sense'. Because, apparently the UK is so post
Sunday School: Bruising encounters
The spotlight is unforgiving, as both would-be MPs and former royals found this week.
Join Naomi and Kenny to pick through the ashes of a somewhat underwhelming BBC Question Time from the Makerfield by-election, where a bunch of candidates with minimal experience performed ... like a bunch of candidates with minimal experience.
Elsewhere, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has stumbled, blinking an
B-SIDE: Labour's difficult second album
Who is Labour for? It is such a fundamental question and one that no one appears to have an answer for.
Naomi and Alex welcome the perfect guest in Christabel Cooper, of ThinkLabour, who has written a report on this very topic.
From the vagueness of Labour's 2024 offering to its conundrum about chasing votes on the right, there is a lot to discuss.
Plus, a Grin And Share It that will hit all th
The Rage in Farage
The murder of Henry Nowak has raised a great many questions because of the terrible way Henry was treated by police as he lay dying.
Henry's family have responded with remarkable dignity to this dreadful affair but the same cannot be said of elements of the political class.
Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou look more closely at the politics of rage and, in particular, Nigel Farage's call for public '
Sunday School: No jobs for the boys (or girls)
Youth unemployment is at crisis levels, and we're at the stage where Britain spends more to support jobless young people than it does on education.
Naomi and Alex look at the latest NEET figures and Alan Milburn's interim report on youth unemployment, which makes for sobering reading.
Plus, as Britain and Poland ink a defence agreement, is Europe building a 'NATO within NATO' defence against Ru
B-SIDE: From Usk Till Dawn
Welsh politics has been through the electoral tumble dryer of late, but does the rise of Reform and Plaid Cymru's success herald a new beginning, or are circumstances going to clog things up?
We are joined by the always-brilliant Will Hayward to look at how things are panning out in Cardiff Bay.
Plus, there's a glorious Grin And Share It to help you end the week on a high.
***SPONSOR US AT
The Tone Commandments
Nothing says Elder Statesman like dumping publically on your party, its leader and its wannabe leaders in the midst of a crisis and weeks before a series of tricky by-elections.
And so to Tony Blair, a man so brim-full of his own wisdom that it took him 5,700 words plus a BBC interview to say Labour and its team is a bit, well, lefty for his liking.
Alex, Naomi and Kenny try to tease out the re
Sunday School: Immigration home truths
New immigration figures show two noteworthy things: arrivals are down but a lot of voters think arrivals are up.
Meanwhile, Andy Burnham says those figures need to come down further – to the chagrin of some in Labour, and also us because he said that after we'd finished recording this episode.
Alex and Kenny dig around the data from several sources and try, tentatively, to work out what's going
B-SIDE: Two State Dilution - why Palestine needs your voice
Welcome to our first ever B-SIDE, a bonus for our fans when the midweek and Sunday episodes simply aren't enough :-)
This week, Naomi, Alex and Kenny are talking with Lib Dem MP Layla Moran – the first MP of Palestinian descent, the first pansexual MP and a new-ish mum as well.
The Palestinian crisis is personal for Layla, and she's the perfect guest to help us get under the skin of what's
Terminal decline: Has Britain forgotten how to build big?
From HS2 to Heathrow 3, via housing 101: what is going on with big building projects in Britain?
Naomi, Alex and Kenny look at how Britain has been building trouble for itself – with top-drawer insight from Lib Dem MP and all-Parliamentary history-maker MP Layla Moran.
And Layla brings her unique insight into the many issues surrounding Palestine and Palestinians – she really is must-listen.
P
Sunday School: A Kingmakerfield by-election
The next PM may be decided in a by-election near Wigan. That could be problematic for both the voters of Makerfield and the electorate at large.
Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell look at what the Burnham drama could mean for Britain as a whole, as national and local politics collide in Labour's latest psychodrama.
Talking of local politics, they also venture to Worcestershire, where a rainbow
The Cling Speech
Political psychodrama heaped on top of political drama. Well, sort of.
The psychodrama of the Labour leadership battle is real, whether we want another short-term PM or not. Naomi, Alex and Kenny pretend to hate the drama and then get sucked into the socialist-ish soap opera that's captivating Westminster.
And then there's the King's Speech, which is legislatively significant but ... well, woul
Sunday School: Worst Past The Post
***SIGN UP FOR OUR ASK-US-ANYTHING ELECTION SPECIAL LIVE ZOOM ON TUESDAY 12 MAY 2026, 1PM, AT KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD***
Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou discuss the results of this week's round of elections and find that, underneath the single narrative of Nigel Farage's inevitability as Britain
Midnight Mass: From Landslide to Mudslide
In the iconic words from A Streetcar Named Desire "we've had this date with each other from the beginning!" For nearly half of Labour’s 20 months in power, it has been said that this set of local elections would mark Starmer’s last throw of the dice.
With results still coming in, it is difficult to analyse precise voter movements, but patterns are certainly beginning to emerge. To discuss the res
Farage's millions: Nothin' to see here guv
Have £5million guv. It's a present, tax free, no strings attached.
Yet again, questions arise over Farage's finances, this time after yet another huge wad makes its way from a crypto billionaire into Nigel's orbit – actually straight into his wallet, according to Farage himself.
Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell ask wtf is going on with right wing political funding in particular, and the rules arou
Sunday School: The heat is on
This week's Golders Green attack resurfaced some deeply disturbing prejudices and raised the political temperature too.
Alex and Kenny look at the facts as they stand and analyse the political reaction to a tinderbox issue.
And, with temperatures rising literally as well as metaphorically, they turn their attention to the looming El Niño impact, and ask if hotter summers make for violent pro
Premature Elation; The US midterms are NOT a done deal
The stakes are too high to allow even a hint of complacency to creep into our thinking about the upcoming US 2026 midterm elections. This is one of the most powerful and malicious administrations in US history - the same lot who tried to overrun the Capitol in order to overturn the 2020 result. To treat them as an inert substance that will not fight tooth and claw is naive and dangerous.
The chao
The Windsor Takes It All
The King and Ay, ay, ay... One (the royal One) flew over the cuckoo's nest ... Windsors and losers ... too many ways to describe what happened in Washington this week when genuine royalty met wannabe royalty.
Join Naomi, Alex and Kenny for a diplomatic murder mystery carried out in the full glare of media lights to find out who got murdered and who... dunnit.
PLUS those pesky local/regional/nati
What next for the assisted dying debate?
When illness makes life unbearable, should we be permitted – and helped – to end our time in this place on our own terms?
Last year on this podcast, we spoke to Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK, about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
On Friday the 24th of April, the bill officially ran out of parliamentary time. Undone not by elected MPs, a vote against it, or lack of
Sunday School: Hobson's choice (or the illusion of our freedom)
Food, fuel, political parties ... it can feel like we've never had so much choice. But how much choice do we REALLY have?
Naomi and Kenny ask whether the modern world gives us choice on one level ... only to utterly deny it on other levels.
And, talking of choice, they look at Ed Miliband's big policy speech on green energy, ask what it all means and wonder if it's time to stop calling it 'g
That Man and Robbins
Keeping up with the Starmer-Mandelson-Robbins scandal is like juggling spaghetti, soggy spaghetti at that, but we're here for the challenge.
Naomi, Alex and Kenny pick apart this week's remarkable developments in a saga that has cost two of the main players their jobs ... and may well consign the third player to an early bath too.
What happened, what happens next and who's to blame? And what do
Sunday School: JOIN VENTURE - The path back to EU membership
Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou discuss the UK's back to full EU membership, after a new Report by Best for Britain found it is the smart option for the government in every way - economic, security, or political.
Also, why is the BBC channeling energy and resources to undercover investigation of the asylum system, when it is anything but under-covered?
Finally, as sequels, prequels, franchises, re
Block, stock and two million smoking barrels
Who's blockading the Strait of Hormuz today? Iran? Donny From The Block? The Fake News Media?
Naomi, Alex and Kenny look at the winners (yes, there appear to be some) and losers (everybody else) from Trump's ongoing Middle-East distraction.
And they are joined by Andrew Ryder – a British political scientist who has made Hungary his home and teaches politics at the Eötvös Loránd University in Bud
Scotland special: A Holyrood ghost story
The May elections are now mere weeks away and, in Scotland, there's a fascinating battle developing for second place.
Not that the SNP can take a majority for granted, but the real action is between Labour, Reform ... and possibly the Greens.
Kenny Campbel is Joined by the Telegraph's man in Scotland, Jacob Freedland, to roor around behind the scenes of Scotland's politics.
As well as at
Sunday School: For whom the Mel trolls
Look, we're STILL trying to work out what Melania's plan was with that WTF speech this week.
Plan, did we say? Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell give miserable Mel's bizarre intervention their best shot and, for the adults in the audience, try to make sense of that other Trumpian mystery of the week, the cease fire that no one in the White House seems to have read before agreeing to it.
Back
I came, I saw, Iran away: How not to fight a war
One minute, it's Armageddon and profanity; the next, it's back to the clown show and Trump's biggest TACO yet.
Naomi, Alex and Kenny are joined by QR favourite Arthur Snell to rake through the ashes of Trump's Iranian dumpster fire, and try to make sense of a blisteringly bleak week in the annals of US foreign policy.
The yellow streak that runs though Trump hasn't stopped him declaring vic
Sunday School: Choc and awe
Brace for betrayal, resurrection and chocolate in our Easter special!
Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell examine the Judas Factor in politics, and then dive into that other great seasonal topic: the soaring price of Easter eggs.
All that plus the Wokeydokey we had to hold over from our midweek shows with Baroness Ayesha Hazarika, because there was too much other stuff to talk about.
Happy Eas
Eureka Hazarika special – Part 2: Memoirs of a newly-minted peer
Welcome to the second part of our fabulous bank holiday two-parter with Baroness Ayesha Hazarika.
What does becoming a peer actually feel like? How should we reform the upper chamber? And will our friendly Baroness give us any juicy insights from behind those woolsacks?
If you missed the first part of this two-parter, why not pause this one and go back to hear Ayesha's views on Trump's late
Eureka Hazarika special – Part 1: Labour finally chooses Europe
Our fabulous bank holiday two-parter with Baroness Ayesha Hazarika kicks off with (of course) Trump's latest Iranian-adjacent madness.
And we utter a modest hurrah as Labour starts to move publically towards Europe – and ask what the party can do to prepare us all for some expected hard times ahead.
Also, we answer the question that our subscriber Sarah was midway through when our latest As
Sunday School: CTRL-ALT-DECEIT Truth in the Age of Disinformation
Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith discuss a parliamentary report on disinformation, in the light of news that the BBC has chosen a former Google executive as its new boss.
And - as promised - they bring you our research into party membership in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, to supplement QR's midweek deep dive.
Finally, can you tell Prank from Frank? Alex and Naomi test each other with far
QR Special: The cruelty of Long Covid
How would you feel about a medical examination that was designed to make you faint? What about having to instal soundproof doors and blinds, because noise and light can bring on seizures?
Welcome to the world of the Long Covid patient – and there are millions of them. Six years since the first Covid lockdown, humans have become relatively blasé about the disease. But it has cast a crippling sha
Hormuz it or Lose it: A global economic crisis, made in Washington
As the US keeps 'negotiating with itself' (Iran's words...) we ask tentatively what impact the ongoing conflict will have on our wallets, purses and digital wealth stores.
Plus, a look at new research revealing perhaps too much about the sort of people who are actual *members* of a political party. Spoiier alert: they're outnumbered handsomely by the number of criminals out there, not that ther
A righteous kind of anger: WALES SPECIAL with Will Hayward
For this bonus episode, award winning journalist, writer and podcaster Will Hayward joins Naomi Smith to break down all you need to know about the forthcoming Senedd elections, as well as his brilliant new book, "Who Cares About Wales?"
As well as discussing the current fortunes of Plaid, Reform, Labour, Conservatives, Greens and Lib Dems, you’ll also find out Farage’s thoughts on the “foreign
Sunday School: Trump's Iranian Taco - with a Farage Cameo
War? What war? As missiles continue to whizz around the Middle East and the global economy continues to sweat as a result, Trump looks to be planning his exit from that Iranian adventure.
Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell look at the latest, and wonder if US plans to de-escalate the conflict will be as well thought through as its plans to escalate were in the first place.
And, away from the ma
With Europe we stand: Foreign policy special with Anneliese Dodds
As the UK and Europe push back on Trump's overseas adventures, Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou are joined by MP for Oxford East, Dame Anneliese Dodds, to look at the Iran latest, the Ukraine defence partnership, and the government's pivot towards the EU. Starmer is, for once, in tune with the public mood. Can foreign policy repair his domestic reputation?
Plus, we talk overseas aid (or the lack o
Sunday School: Sinday School
Brace yourselves for an episode with a particularly adult feel... fret not, it's still Quiet Riot.
Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell start with the latest on Mandelson, and the never-ending political fallout from his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Then they turn their gaze to the Government's muddle over pornography – specifically, the row over whether content representing ince
Dud's Army; A review of Reform UK in local government
As Nigel Farage gets Reform's local election campaign under way, we look at how his existing platoon of local representatives is doing (nb may involve the odd shambles).
Plus, Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou are joined by Quiet Riot's favourite geopolitics titan, Arthur Snell, to discuss the new geography of climate change – which just happens to be the subject of his brand new book, Elemental (bu
Sunday School: Mahmood Music
Naomi Smith & Alex Andreou take a good look at whether Labour's new immigration and asylum reform proposals make sense - in terms of either policy or politics.
And... As Kirsti Noem becomes the first fallen of Trump's Glorious Revolution 2.0, is this a one-off or has a rubicon been crossed?
Plus... What are the series you know you MUST binge, but just haven't got round to yet?
***SPONSOR US A
It never rains...
A spring budget statement in the middle of a global meltdown. Can it make sense even a little bit?
Well, possibly. Our guest is someone who really can get under the skin of these issues – uber-economist and author Vicky Pryce.
Join Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell to find out (possibly) if Trump's Iranian adventure has rendered Rachel Reeves' Spring Statement redundant.
And w
Sunday School: One thing after another
Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell peer into the developing situation in Iran and the Middle East and try to glean if there is any longterm strategy or just a throwing of the dice.
They also look at the Gorton & Denton by-election result and the reaction to it, to assess what its lessons might be and whether anyone at all is interested in learning them. Also Alex gets quite angry.
***SPONSOR US A
By-election curious
Political geeks rejoice – it's a by-election week AND we've got polling god Peter Kellner in da house to talk predictions and implications.
Join Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell as they dig through the last-minute 'what ifs' of Gorton & Denton.
And they look ahead to the May elections too, ask whether Reform has peaked too soon and try to make sense of a fabulously chaotic political landscape
Sunday School: Royal flush
A royal scandal for the ages ... but how much worse could the Mountbatten-Windsor meltdown get for the Royal Family? Spoiler: very.
Join Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell for a particularly heavyweight Sunday School, featuring not just constitutional bedlam but potential chaos in the looming Gorton and Denton by-election.
And there's the small matter of Trump, Iran and those pesky US airbases o
The Shadow Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
As the real world is sweating over unemployment figures, especially among younger people, Farage unveils a 'shadow cabinet' that is nothing of the sort, and appears to have no solutions.
Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell dive into the figures, and look at the broader economic outlook too – will lower inflation come to the rescue?
ALSO, looking at the government's High Court defeat
Sunday School: Colonised by Ignorance
Britain is making its strongest pivot yet towards Europe, with a suggested Defence Union that seems to go well beyond defence.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe soils himself in public and only sort of apologises to anyone whose nose is "too sensitive".
And Nigel Farage, the most flexible worker of all, has a hissy fit about flexible working.
Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith discuss what needs discussing and ridic
Keir today, gone tomorrow?
What was it really like in THAT meeting between Starmer and his MPs? And what next for the embattled PM?
Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell are joined by Loughborough MP Jeevun Sandher to get an insider's view of a remarkable few days of politicking.
Plus, what makes us British? Pubs? Shared wartime sacrifice? And what if you're a Celt?
And there are llamas. Yes, you read that r
Sunday School: Fash cash splash
Roll up, roll up for MAGA money ... if you're a bit far right and based in Europe, at least.
The US State Dept is planning to fund MAGA-aligned organisations throughout Europe in a ramping up of the culture wars, if new reports are accurate.
Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell consider what on earth could go wrong with Uncle Sam's deep pockets being emptied into the coffers of far righters in th
Binfire of the Vanities
Mandelson has provided a political scandal for the ages but, amid the salacious detail and schadenfreude, what are the implications for Starmer, Labour and Westminster?
Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell race to keep up with all the developments and also zoom out to look at the other power networks with tentacles spread throughout our political landscape.
And they are joined by planet-brained autho
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right
Kemi Badenoch has frozen out Conservatives to both her political right and left. Which doesn't leave her much to work with when it comes to building support.
So, is she stuck in the middle or stuck in a muddle having mocked Tory hot-heads of the right and wise heads of the (relative) left?
Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell ask whether the Tory former big guns of Prosper UK are on to something w
Deflections, Defections, and By-election Selection Reflections
It's chaos out there, chaos!! Labour lick their Burnham wounds, Braverman defects from the Tories to the 'other' Tories, and a new centre-right movement packed with old-school Conservatives makes its debut.
Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell try to make sense of it all while staying chipper... no small feat.
And they're joined by Arthur Snell – QR favourite and host of our sister p
Sunday School: We Didn't Burnham!
Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou look at the rumours swirling around Andy Burnham putting himself forward to contest a parliamentary seat, after eight years as Manchester mayor, and game the various outcomes.
And they discuss the latest Trump insult to Europe, the new defence strategy - and the first USA/Ukraine/Russia trilateral negotiations that just concluded in Abu Dhabi.
PLUS are the Beckhams
Swiss Troll
He came, he saw, he conked out. Trump blew chaotically into Davos, demanded Greenland then carried out a spectacular U-turn. Well, for now at least.
Whatever the outcome of this latest round of Trumpian Wheel of Fortune, one thing was very clear: Trump is a man struggling to make sense, even when he's been prepped for the biggest of stages.
Alex Andreou, Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell talk
Sunday School: Looney Tunes politics
The Robert Jenrick fiasco capped what was a mad week in the crazy world of Westminster.
Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell dive in to the cartoonish series of events that culminated in yet another Tory lashing their political career to the Farage mast.
And, in a not-entirely-unrelated segment, they also ask whether politics is in fact run on the same principles as cartoon favourite Road Runner.
In With The Old: Is Zahawi a Tory too far for Farage?
Nadhim Zahawi?? Is this the moment Reform jumped the shark?
Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell ask whether Farage's little project has, in fact, been hopping over Jaws for a while now.
And they are joined by Times columnist and former host of the influential Chinese Whispers podcast Cindy Yu to discuss all things Chinese, from trade figures and Taiwan to Trump and that little plann
BONUS EPISODE: The Affordability Crisis, with Jeevun Sandher MP
The journey from policy geek to politician is one that a higher-than-usual number of the new intake of Labour MPs have made. Throw in a Punjabi Sikh heritage, growing up in Luton, a doctorate in economics, and a spell in Somaliland, and the result is a picture of a particular kind of "Britishness" that is the kryptonite of right wing parties.
Naomi gets to hang out with Jeevun and get his ideas
Sunday School: ICE Age
To her friends and colleagues, she was Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, prize-winning poet and guitarist. To the Trump administration, she was a 'domestic terrorist'.
Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou look at the aftermath of the killing and ask what we are to make of the age of ICE. There is a lot to digest.
And they discuss the latest X outrage, with Grok creating abusive images of
The Madness of King Donald
NOW what's he done, and why? Trump, the self-appointed King of Chaos, is ramping up that chaos, kidnapping foreign leaders, hijacking oil tankers, reiterating his threats to move in on Greenland and more besides.
Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou are joined by the redoubtable Arthur Snell – Quiet Riot regular, former diplomat, author and, of course, host of the excellent Behind The Lines podcast – t
Optimism in activism: Our 2026 predictions... and how to avoid them
Buckle up as we break out our crystal ball to make a few tentative predictions for the year ahead.
Joining Naomi and Alex is Danny Sriskandarajah, chief executive of the New Economics Foundation (also former boss of Oxfam GB, the youngest boss of the Royal Commonwealth Society and author of civic action bible Power to the People ... phew!).
As it's Quiet Riot, expect a healthy dose of optimi
A Cup o' Kindness: Wokey Dokey & Grin And Share It special!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! And we kick off 2026 with an uplifting 40minutes that is short on politics and big ... very big ... on Wokey Dokey and Grin And Share It.
These are the most popular features on Quiet Riot so we thought we'd pull together a bumper episode featuring only Wokeys and GASIs.
Marvel at the very Welsh response to last year's flag-flying epidemic; cheer for the beavers that couldn't
2025 reviewed Pt2: This was fine... with James O'Brien
What's this? More holiday helpings of our James O'Brien special?
You'd better believe it. And, as well as looking over our shoulders as 2025 disappears beneath the horizon, we're also asking what one thing we'd each change that would have made the world a (hopefeully) better place.
Plus the usual Quiet Riot mixture of chat and chortles to help you through the twilight of the holiday season.
2025 reviewed: Nothing to see Year... with James O'Brien
Ding-dong! It's time for our festive specials and this year we've got broadcaster extraordinaire James O'Brien with us to help prod the soggy sprout that's been 2025 ... and to peek in the oven to see how 2026 is cooking up.
Who's had a bad year, a mad year, a (dare we ask) fab year? Buckle up for bants, insight and the usual helping of Quiet Riot laughter.
And this is only part 1 of the sho
Sunday School: Missing in Redaction
Turns out Epstein was a keen black rectangle collector. Either than or the DoJ is trying to rewrite history. Or at least redact history.
ALSO - The Westminster Lobby is in a tizzy over losing their special access to No.10, but is this about less transparency or more?
PLUS - Some hilarious panto-related political polling from our friends at More in Common.
Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou p
The Space Between Peace And War
We need to talk about war.
MI6 has warned that we are, in this country, now in the space between peace and war. The Government has announced an independent review into foreign interference with our domestic affairs.
Europe is talking tougher and even Germany is now reframing its own dark past as a warning about what happens when dictators are appeased.
Alex Andreou, Naomi Smith and Kenn
Sunday School: Belgian Waffling
So it turns out Belgium of all places has Russia by the financial short and curlies ... and that's awks for various reasons.
The EU is immobilising indefinitely £185bn of Russian assets – held mostly by Belgian bank Euroclear – to help Ukraine and Russia is somewhat miffed. Belgium doesn't want to be saddled with a huge bill if this all goes pear-shaped.
Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell pick ove
BONUS EPISODE: Pints of view, with Josh Babarinde
The Lib Dems have elected a new president and his journey to that lofty position is pretty non-standard.
Naomi Smith sits down with Josh Babarinde to find out how a beermat set him on his political journey, and what he learned through his work with young offenders and broken phones.
There's politics too, of course – from the latest developments in the UK-EU debate, to the future of the Lib D
National Insecurity Strategy: Trump's attack on European values
It is time for Europe to get past squabbling and realise that the US is no longer even ambivalent, but an active hostile antagonist, intent on picking off liberal democracies one-by-one. Unless we can unite.
PLUS: A very interesting experiment with social media is taking place in Australia. Can it work?
Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith are joined by brilliant satirist and former "Secret Tory", Hen
Sunday School: Algorithm & Blues
You know the right-wing content that crops up relentlessly in your socials? Well, it's not your fault and you can't escape it, even if you start a new account.
Naomi Smith and Kenny Campbell look at new research showing that TikTok serves up right-wing propaganda even *before* you've had a chance to build your browsing history.
And, in the week that both France and Germany revealed plans fo
What's past is prologue
History defines our present, our present defines our future. And so this week we look at the lessons finally being accepted from Brexit, plus some lessons for Labour from the 2024 General Election.
Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith are joined by Sam Freedman – Substacker extraordinaire, political commentator, author and senior fellow at the Institute for Government. He knows his political onions!
Sunday School: Oh! What a Lovely War
From Labour's Budget to Corbyn/Sultana's conference ending in acrimony, it's been a big week for the political left.
You can buy Mismanaged Decline: What politicians won't tell you about the economy here and support both a local bookshop and Quiet Riot.
But has it also been a good week for them? Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell tread warily through the Budget fallout on their way to the You
SPOILER ALERT: Unpicking the Budget, with Vicky Pryce
Budget 2025: A world of taxes, benefits and leaks. Mostly leaks.
Tune in to find out what Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith make of it all. And they are joined by economic heavyweight Vicky Pryce to ensure that the economics aren't overshadowed by the theatrics (of which there were many).
***SPONSOR US AT KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD***
Head to n
Recommended
Bloom and Belong
Bruno Mars - Biography Flash
Spiritual Wisdom Weekly – from GOCSL
Self Love Chats: Money Mindset & Personal Growth for Ambitious Women
Dad V Girls After Hours
Saints‘ Hill Church Podcast
The Arab Film Club Podcast
AI Fire Daily
The Fifteenth Page Show | AI Systems, Marketing Tips, andContent Marketing Strategy for Busy Teams
Intrigue Outloud
The Daily
Doctor Zhivago Slow Read
