With the idea planted that “Keir Starmer is very much against pubs”, Sam won’t rest until he finds the truth - from a serious journalist (Matilda Davies - of The Times), a serious campaigner (Jay Chan - of legal drinking age) and a seriously unimpressed James.
What's Happening Now Podcast
Every week Sam Hampson and James O'Malley are joined by guests and comedians to look at the biggest and smallest stories of the week to see what's the matter with what matters in news, politics and the world around us.
Every week Sam Hampson and James O'Malley are joined by guests and comedians to look at the biggest and smallest stories of the week to see what's the matter with what matters in news, politics and the world around us.
Appears in episode
What's Happening Now
James O'Malley
I think the pub garden ban was just one of those mistakes you make in your first days of government when you're getting used to being in power
One thing about being in Opposition is that you can be against everything and come up with crazy ideas and no-one really listens and there's little consequence
Suddenly you're in government, say the same thing and Suddenly you have a department willing to make it happen. Journalists write about it and Interest Groups mobilize against you. Your ideas now have consequences
Add to that a Chief of Staff who as a Civil Servant had little to no political experience a virtually non existent press department and you have a situation which would have been shut down six months down the road