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Planet Normal

Planet Normal

By: The Telegraph
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The podcast that speaks your language. News and views from beyond the bubble with Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan, every Thursday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

© Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.
Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Burnham is the wrong answer to the UK’s economic problem
    Jun 24 2026

    You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/D90j1xiHV_c


    A news heatwave has caused chaos across the land, Co-pilot Halligan pressed the emergency button and is joined by under-study Baroness Claire Fox while Co-pilot Pearson recovers from the shock of it all.

    Liam congratulates Andy Burnham on his victory in Makerfield, and apparently set to have a coronation rather than a contest, for the top job, however doesn’t believe his fiscal policies will stand up to economic reality.

    Baroness Fox recalls the Brexit vote 10 years on and why the remain camp will never accept the outcome, as well as outlining where we have not yet embraced many of the freedoms we gained, by changing EU laws.


    Stowing away this week is return guest Dr Gerard Lyons who discusses Britain's economic outlook, arguing that weak growth, rising debt and high public spending pose major challenges for the UK, and 10 years on from the Brexit vote he also questioned the case for closer ties with the EU…


    Highlights


    • Planet Normal: Burnham is the wrong answer to the UK’s economic problem
    • Burnham on set for Premiership coronation
    • Brexit 10 years on, have we taken full advantage yet


    Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |

    Book your tickets to 'How to make Brexit a success’ on 29th June in London: telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate |

    Read Allison ‘I will always be proud I voted to leave the EU and stand up for the Britain I love‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/23/proud-of-vote-to-leave-eu / |

    Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |

    Read Liam ‘I’ve known Andy Burnham for 30 years but I still think he’s wrong’:

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/06/21/ive-known-burnham-for-30-years-but-i-still-think-hes-wrong/ |

    Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

    Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |

    Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

    Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |

    For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Social Media Ban: Starmer finally gets something right
    Jun 17 2026

    You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lq-8ZhnYjjk


    The rocket of right thinking speeds around planet normal gathering the news tsunami of this week…


    Allison surprises Liam by AGREEING with Sir Keir Starmer’s social media ban for under 16 year olds, as she states in her column this week. The addictive and toxic nature of smartphones has ruined children’s attention spans and their “in real life" connections and this ban could help them reconnect with the elusive parchment joy of books.


    Liam strongly echoes Allison’s stance, arguing that tech platforms expose children to "relentless bullying" and corporate exploitation. Shifting to finance, he forecasts an imminent rise in global interest rates, pointing to rising producer price inflation and rate hikes in Australia and Japan as clear indicators that borrowing costs are headed back up.


    Stowing away this week is return guest Bernie Spofforth, who tells us about her experience of being questioned by police due to a retweet she posted on X. She has released a book, out on the 25th June, to discuss how Government overreach, police and NGO’s have worn down democracy…


    Highlights




    • Planet Normal: The Social media ban will free our kids from the addictive and toxic smartphone
    • Bernie Spofforth’s Legal Fight: Detained for 36 hours over a Southport-related retweet, Spofforth reveals she is suing the police in the High Court this November for gross overreach.
    • Institutional Failures: The hosts condemn public bodies for failing to protect victims in the Preston Davey and Nottingham tragedies due to a culture of "suicidal empathy".


    Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |

    Book your tickets to 'How to make Brexit a success’ on 29th June in London: telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate |

    Read Allison ‘Giving children smartphones is like handing them grenades. I should know‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/16/why-i-support-social-media-ban/ |

    Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |

    Read Liam ‘The UK’s battered public finances are about to get even more stretched’:

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/06/14/the-uks-battered-public-finances-about-even-more-stretched/ |

    Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

    Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |

    Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

    Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |

    For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Civil unrest will only get worse if people’s concerns remain ignored
    Jun 10 2026

    You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qNYLdKrCI_o


    On your rocket of right thinking this week co-pilots Pearson and Halligan discuss the recent riots in Belfast and the two-tier policing worries continuing from the murder of Henry Nowak.


    Liam thinks Kemi Badenoch’s call to ‘treat people equally’ under the law is correct and the DEI training given to police has disproportionately affected victims of crime more than the perpetrators and is detrimental to the social cohesion of the UK.


    Allison is concerned civil unrest will get worse before it gets better as people feel their fears of rising immigration is labeled as bigotry or racism.


    This week’s stowaway is former police officer and counter-terror specialist Paul Birch, who gives his take on the claims of two-tier policing and the recent unrest in Southampton and Belfast


    Highlights


    • Planet Normal: Civil unrest will only get worse if people’s concerns remain ignored
    • Kemi’s calls to scrap DEI in policing is right
    • Counter terror specialist on two-tier policing


    Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |

    Book your tickets to 'How to make Brexit a success’ on 29th June in London: telegraph.co.uk/brexit-big-debate |

    Read more from Paul Birch’s Substack: https://birchy1.substack.com/ |

    Read Allison ‘The football widows’ guide to the World Cup‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/10/world-cup-dos-and-donts-football-widows/ |

    Read Allison ‘Kemi underestimates how deeply the woke cult has infected Britain’:

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/09/kemis-promise-to-overhaul-woke-cult-doesnt-touch-the-sides/ |

    Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |

    Read Liam ‘Labour’s statist policies are gumming up the jobs market’:

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/06/07/labours-statist-policies-are-gumming-up-the-jobs-market/ |

    Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

    Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |

    Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |

    Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |

    For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 3 mins
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All stars
Most relevant
What’s not to love about a podcast that speaks the thoughts of most people freely. Planet Normal is simply and plainly speaking generally centrist type thoughts. The type of thoughts that are, worryingly, being increasingly touted as bigoted and far right, or, overblown as dangerous by numerous Legacy Media outlets who’s presenter’s/editors/journalists/backers now seem to live in an ideological bubble that no one normal can identify with, and instantly cancel or target as bigots anyone who has a thought that does not strictly align with their chosen rhetoric. So, shame, shame, shame on main stream & legacy media, and WELL DONE Rocket Pilots who got me through lockdown with some sanity left. THANK YOU. Never give up, never surrender.

Love love love… freedom of speech and polite debate

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PN used to be great but it's refusal
to acknowledge the possibility of vaccine harm is infuriating. This week Andrew Bridgen spoke very powerfully about this to an empty Parliament...yet this bombshell was completely ignored!. But because PN supported the vaccine they cannot possibly do an about face as the facts change.!.
Also Haligan's refusal to discuss immigration without banging on about his Irish ancestory growing up in London..tolerance bla bla bla yada yada every time is becoming boring and patronising. He's too cosy with his chums in power to be the voice of reason we need.

Still good but..

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A fantastic insight into the statistics and human stories behind the pandemic. A must-listen every week.

Required listening to stay sane!

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I really enjoy this podcast. Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan have great chemistry and are fearless in their opinions. Interesting guests and relevant topics

I look forward to it every week

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wonderful to hear common sense in this crazy world. definitely my therapy for the week.

common sense

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