The Rest Is Politics: Leading

A really excellent podcast with a first rate guest. Good to see Alastair Campbell doing a really good job as an interviewer rather than being an serial apologist for the multiple sins of the New Labour government. Rory good too.

City Tory · GB

Still the top global political podcast out there. Listening from Australia and always enjoy Alastair’s and Rory’s convivial but incisive insights.

Bellthecat · AU

As with the main show, this used to be good but is now being used as a propaganda machine by Alistair. Rory only seems to be interested in the US and doesn’t pull up Alistair on wild inaccuracies. Quality of guests on leading has diminished which is perhaps unsurprising.

Kathryn7853 · GB

What an amazing human, what an innovator and what a force for good. She is so incredibly inspiring, so gracious and so measured. I think there is so much to learn from leaders outside the Anglo-Saxon world and I hope you keep branching out this way. Thank you

Tiawpiaw · GB

Have enjoyed all of the Leading shows but alas can’t get through the Nick Cleggs - he is absolutely odious. Even his ums and ahs are affected and stagy. Made David Davis seem normal by comparison. If Clegg had been in coalition with Johnson I think they’d have got on famously. Both twisted by overinflated egos and self obsession.

stumpyarms · GB

What an exceptional young person she is, a bright beacon shining through the darkness. We all of us can/must take away something from this masterclass, not least Rory and Alistair conducting the interview with empathy and grace. Thank you.

aged librarian · GB

David Davis is an idiot. A blustering idiot. An annoying blustering idiot.

duncanssmith · GB

I nearly stopped listening before the midpoint because you can see Frank’s ego from space. Clever as he thinks he is though, the thing that undermined his whole spiel is that, after almost an hour of lecturing Alastair and Rory on understanding the other fella’s viewpoint and picking language with care, he blithely dismissed Oxford as “woke”, thereby shutting down any possibility of understanding another point of view. Never stand in the way of an arrogant man failing to apply his marquee argument to himself.

christineburns · GB

Bravo to Rory Stewart for challenging David Davis so well. I had to pause the interview half way as I was so annoyed with the arrogance of the man. His arguments were not only illogical but completely factually incorrect. As for his constant laughter….

Caroline 012 · GB

As someone from the centre-right, this podcast has become unbearably left wing. I enjoyed this show as a debate between people from different ends of the political spectrum - it hasn’t been that for a long time. Alastair Cambell is utterly disparaging of any view that isn’t his own and seems to lack any empathy for people who may think differently. Near zero challenge from Rory. It’s a little left wing echo chamber.

R-J2222 · GB

Great show but come on guys, how do y’all not question DeLauro on the nomination process? I’m a liberal that’s absolutely disgusted how the DNC bigwigs chose their nominee without a democratic process and yet no one seems to care. If the RNC did this WaPo would be running headlines on the downfall of democracy. This is the first time in my life I will not vote for President, GOP died in ‘16 and DNC ‘24.

Norman1995Pit · US

Campbell remains annoyingly left wing and can’t get over it to give a neutral interview

supreme leader james · GB

I hated listening to David Urban. I know it’s important to hear all sides. I appreciated the attempted discussion. If only integrity mattered and basic science. Please don’t let spin become the norm. Fast talkers aren’t really listening and are hard to listen to. But show is definitely 5 stars.

Dana :D · US

Love these two together!

Brittany Guinevere · US

Possibly the most tiresome, self serving and blinkered interviewee so far. Thankfully his influence on British Politics can now only be seen as historical, had not appreciated how hideous and arrogant his views could be.

mattpgtr · GB

Waited an hour and 10 mins and absolutely nothing on the dangers of Farage. Just a catchy name for an episode then …

Celibate Monkey · GB

I am an avid fan of the show but felt the need to express my annoyance and disappointment at the interview with David Davis which I have just listened to, that was by far the worst show that you have made. Your guest came across as fascicle and condescending with an irritating laughter to convey a playfulness, teasing or joking tone- not helped by Alastair at the end saying it was good fun. Come on guys you have a reputation to uphold as the top podcast - all for a wide spectrum of guests of all persuasions but this was hard work to stick through to the end. Fun it was most certainly not….

Baz from Belgium · BE

My first impression of David Davis was - “What an incredibly shaloow man. His habit of using laughter to cover his underlying hostility showed, at the very least, a lack of self-awareness. Very disappointed that Alistair doubled down on Davis’ goading of Rory. Felt more like a male testosterone display. Not what I expect from the Leader series. Unlike other participants, all I learned from Davis was how not to be a leader.

paulgui · CA

A guest says response to an attack is collective punishment of Gazan people with ruined so that they end up living in tents! Both interviewers clearly agree as not one challenge 🙄

Silli_ed · GB

Love your podcast! Listening from Canada.

cmc in canada · CA

Long time listener. Love the pod. But the time and content given to Clegg was deluded. No disagreeing agreeably. Should have been one show to stop all the advertising you let him sprout. So many friends that were big fans of this, that I’ve spent ages getting engaged in politics, were completely turned off. Hope you look at the impact social media has had over the last week in the UK and think again about who you give a mouthpiece on your widely listened to show. Will listen to RIP but unsubscribing to this.

ChrisDormer · GB

These guys are brilliant!

lallystop · IT

I kept being gobsmacked by how someone could be so apparently intelligent and educated and yet so clueless about basic economics, and almost flippantly unaware and incurious about the potential impact of his decisions. It seemed to tie back to an apparent mindset that governing is now a game played on social media apps, with policy reduced to a throwaway strategy. You almost have to wonder if there is an undiagnosed brain virus going round our societies. Astonishing and troubling.

robadr · CA

When the hosts spoke of the desirability of giving youth more electoral weight,forthe Brexit vote, where they aware of Neville Shute’s book “In the Wet”where such a system was proposed, everyone got a vote , a second vote for having Degree, a third for speaking a foreign language etc etc up to seven, which, the seventh vote,was the equivalent of a Knighthood. I was ,for many years in the hospitality business in California, l mentioned to a patron the absolute clarity of Neville Shutes writing, the gentleman remarked that they were in the RAF together during the war and Shute had a very debilitating stutter, hence the literary clarity.. There was one line in the book that has remained with me for over 50 years, “I’m a four man vote models” l always imagined it said by Peter Cook. Enjoy the Podcast Calvin Wilkes

In the Wet · US

Rory / Alistair Really enjoy the show - I thought it was very revealing when you asked Kwasi to answer a question je was posed when entering Eton many years ago re 2040 and him being prime minister when the army shot civilians in London - Kwasi dismissed the notion as absurd and he agreed - may I remind you that the Army shot civilians in Derry on Bloody Sunday - how do ye explain the amnesia ? Mark Cork Ireland

kramyel · IE