Best Week In Irrelevance Podcasts (2025)

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Palestinian statehood: the route to recognition 29:02

Play Pause

7m ago29:02

29:02

With France, the UK, Australia and Canada expected to recognise an independent Palestinian state at UN General Assembly in New York, what are the origins of the state they plan to recognise? In this episode, Palestinian-American historian Maha Nassar from the University of Arizona describes the events leading up to the original declaration of Pales…

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PART 2 — A New Awareness — Akathisia, Mental Health Advocacy & Stochastic Terrorism — Live 50:24

1h ago50:24

50:24

PART 2 — A New Awareness — Akathisia, Mental Health Advocacy & Stochastic Terrorism — Live In part two, Sal educates us about a little known, but very serious condition. We chat a lot about mental health, and a piece of breaking news about Charlie Kirk led in to a debate around stochastic terrorism. Don't forget to check out Part One for PMQs and R…

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PART 1 — Badenoch Brings The Heat — PMQs, Reform Conference Disaster & Farage Didn't Buy a House 54:45

4h ago54:45

54:45

PART 1 — Badenoch Brings The Heat — PMQs, Reform Conference Disaster & Farage Didn't Buy a House This week in Part One, Sal and Don chatted about an unusual turn of events at PMQs — Kemi Badenoch did her actual job as Leader of the Opposition, and pinned Starmer down … hard. Some pressing questions about Mandelson and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. …

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The sovereign citizen movement's spread around the world 23:44

12m ago23:44

23:44

Police in Australia are continuing a huge manhunt in the mountains for Dezi Freeman, a man accused of killing two police officers and injuring a third in late August. Freeman identifies as a sovereign citizen, someone who believes they aren't subject to the law. In this episode we speak to criminologist Keiran Hardy from Griffith University about t…

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Part Two — Mr. Farage Goes to Washington — That Disastrous Hearing & Badenoch's Lie of the Week 47:17

3d ago47:17

47:17

Part Two — Mr. Farage Goes to Washington — That Disastrous Hearing & Badenoch's Lie of the Week Don's talks about the UK media's lack of accurate reporting on Nigel Farage's awful appearance in front of the House Judiciary Committee this week. Read his full article linked below. We chatted about Kemi Badenoch and her fantasist, non-existent offer f…

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Liz Webster Brings the Brexit Debate — Brexit, the Far-Right & All Things Farming + Angela Rayner 1:15:02

3d ago1:15:02

1:15:02

Liz Webster Brings the Brexit Debate — Brexit, the Far-Right & All Things Farming + Angela Rayner This is part one of two episodes this week. We were lucky enough to have the amazing, Liz Webster join us to talk about all things Brexit, Singapore-on-Thames, the failure of the Lib Dems and the challenge of the far-right. Liz is a farmer and advocate…

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How China is weaponising the history of WWII 24:33

5d ago24:33

24:33

As China invited world leaders to a vast military parade marking the end of the second world war on September 3, President Xi Jinping said China is "never intimidated by bullies" and would "stand by the right side of history". In a coded message about China's territorial ambitions over Taiwan, Xi added that "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese na…

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Decency Advocate Davey — Reformatives, Societal Collapse & The Carol Hedges Award for Common Decency 1:28:58

10d ago1:28:58

1:28:58

Decency Advocate Davey — Reformatives, Societal Collapse & The Carol Hedges Award for Common Decency We talked about mental health this week. How tricky it is for young people to work and the ramifications of decades of austerity. Reform's fascist press conference was mentioned … of course. And Sal rounded up the week's news in style. OH! And Ed Da…

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The secret ingredients for creative flow 22:06

12d ago22:06

22:06

If you’ve ever experienced a state of creative flow, perhaps when writing, playing music, or even gardening, you’ll know that it feels like everything just clicks into place. But what is actually happening inside the brain? This week, we're re-running an episode first published in June 2024 featuring neuroscientist John Kounios at Drexel University…

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Flags Week — Flags! Flags! Flags! Reform Lose the Plot, GB News Threats, Stamp Duty & Katie Lam 1:18:03

17d ago1:18:03

1:18:03

Flags Week — Flags! Flags! Flags! Reform Lose the Plot, GB News Threats, Stamp Duty & Katie Lam. You may have noticed in the media that it's Flags Week again — it comes around sooner every year. We have a chat about that and how Farage has used it to cover up a whopping mistake. Sal educates Don on Stamp Duty — the history of, and the current state…

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LSE IQ: is AI destroying the planet? 32:33

22d ago32:33

32:33

AI is transforming the world around us, offering increased productivity and promising to tackle difficult problems like global warming. But behind the scenes, its environmental costs are mounting. From massive energy use to vast quantities of water required to cool data centres, AI’s footprint is growing fast. So, in an age of water scarcity and cl…

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Murder in MAGA Land — Far-right Fractures in the UK & US, Lawless Britain (?) and Farage Grifting Again & #TeamWater 1:06:42

1M ago1:06:42

1:06:42

Murder in MAGA Land — Far-right Fractures in the UK & US, Lawless Britain (?) and Farage Grifting Again and #TeamWater Our second episode this week was supposed to be a little shorter but, as usual, we got stuck in to some interesting stuff. Including, but not limited to: The wonders of Zack Polanski. The insanity of MAGA. Farage grifts again. The …

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Teaching animals irrelevant skills can reveal the secrets of cognition 21:45

27d ago21:45

21:45

Scientists can get animals to do the strangest things. They’ve taught goldfish to drive cars, primates to perform calculations with Arabic numerals and giraffes to do statistical reasoning. But what’s the point? In this episode, biologist Scarlett Howard from Monash University in Australia – who has taught bees to tell the difference between odd an…

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Off Diary — Tory Irrelevance, Media Crime Reporting Bias, US DOGE Disaster & Labour's Dismal Comms 1:15:02

1M ago1:15:02

1:15:02

Off Diary — Tory Irrelevance, Media Crime Reporting Bias, US DOGE Disaster & Labour's Dismal Comms This week's [slightly late] episode starts a bit dour, but we finish with some good laughs at the expense of the far-right. Labour's astonishing lack of focus and the Conservative's fading relevance. Look out for a jump scare from Sal. You'll know it …

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How the world got hooked on plastic 28:53

1M ago28:53

28:53

Countries around the world are meeting in Geneva in August to negotiate a global plastics treaty aimed at curbing plastic pollution. The last round of negotiations failed last November after oil-producing countries refused to sign up to a clause calling for the world to reduce its production of plastics. But how did the world become hooked on plast…

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Unhinged Politics — Desperate DOGE, Gaza's Future, Farage Fails to Answer & Labour's PR Nightmare 1:12:26

2M ago1:12:26

1:12:26

Unhinged Politics — Desperate DOGE, Gaza's Future, Farage Fails to Answer & Labour's PR Nightmare We're back with a full episode this week. Apologies if you missed us. This week, Sal has done some excellent research into the removal of ACOBA and what it means for grifting MPS after they leave Parliament. Don has another DOGE round up from Lancashir…

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How Rupert Murdoch helped to build brand Trump 27:59

2M ago27:59

27:59

Donald Trump is suing Rupert Murdoch, alongside the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones and others, for libel after the Journal published an article alleging that Trump once wrote a “bawdy” birthday letter to the convicted sex offender, the late Jeffrey Epstein. Trump is seeking US$10 billion in damages. Trump and Murdoch have a transactional friends…

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Interim Non Episode Minisode — Labour Scrap ACOBA, the Nelk Boys and Lee Anderson Tries to Land Himself in Hot Water 10:46

2M ago10:46

10:46

Interim Non Episode Minisode — Labour Scrap ACOBA, the Nelk Boys and Lee Anderson Tries to Land Himself in Hot Water Due to Don being in Portugal and Starlink broadband being terrible, we've had to do a hastily recorded interim minisode so you don't miss us until we're able to put out a full EP on Monday. So, we've put together some bullet points o…

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Israel’s secret deal to build a nuclear arsenal 27:44

2M ago27:44

27:44

Israel has never officially confirmed or denied having nuclear weapons and has never signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Instead, even as evidence has emerged about its nuclear capabilities, Israel has maintained a policy of nuclear ambiguity. The origins of this opacity lie in a secret deal forged in a one-on-one meeting between Israeli p…

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PMQs Party & Trump - End of Term PMQs, the Defence of Motability and Trump's Crazed Meltdown 1:18:38

2M ago1:18:38

1:18:38

PMQs Party & Trump — End of Term PMQs, the Defence of Motability and Trump's Crazed Meltdown Sal celebrated the end of PMQs with her own little party this week. Clips will follow, but the video is a must-watch. We chatted about Reform and their continuing lies … again. This week saw an outright attack on the disabled community, but we rallied and p…

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What will batteries of the future be made of? 25:20

2M ago25:20

25:20

The majority of the world’s rechargeable batteries are now made using lithium-ion. Most rely on a combination of different rare earth metals such as cobalt or nickel for their electrodes. But around the world, teams of researchers are looking for alternative – and more sustainable – materials to build the batteries of the future. In this episode, w…

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Continuity Calamity — Sickfluencers, Reform Failures and Wins for Labour 1:32:20

2M ago1:32:20

1:32:20

Continuity Calamity — Sickfluencers, Reform Failures and [some] Wins for Labour This week our guest is Dr Rachel Morris, a wonderful journalist and writer of many amazing things. We spoke to Rachel about politics, Wales and some of her astonishing investigative work. See the links below for her work. Please check them out, you won’t be disappointed…

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An enduring anti-fascist legacy in Italy 23:42

2M ago23:42

23:42

Across Europe, far-right movements are gaining ground. By normalising nationalist rhetoric and challenging democratic institutions, these parties raise comparisons with former periods of fascism on the continent. Between 1943 and 1945, when Nazi forces occupied northern Italy, ordinary people in towns and villages across the country took up arms a…

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Unacceptable Politics — Welfare Bill, Glastonbury Faux-Outrage and Rachel Reeves 1:12:25

3M ago1:12:25

1:12:25

Unacceptable Politics — Welfare Bill, Glastonbury Faux-Outrage and Rachel Reeves As you may expect, Sal had some excoriating commentary on Labour's catastrof**k — the Welfare Bill, this week. Listen to our analysis of ineptitude. PMQs was interesting this week, sort of. We chat about the insane confected outrage over the more outspoken Glastonbury …

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How Europe dropped the ball on its own defence 31:01

3M ago31:01

31:01

The language from European leaders was fawning and obsequious. At one point, the head of Nato, Mark Rutte, even called Donald Trump “daddy”. But when the US president left the Nato summit in late June, there was a sigh of relief that he had not made any more angry criticism of the alliance. And after months of American pressure, Nato members agreed…

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Political Stupidity - Reform, Labour and Trump - the Trifecta of Ineptitude + the Assisted Dying Bill 1:30:45

3M ago1:30:45

1:30:45

Another long episode for you this week, but we had a lot to cover. As always, we have Sal's roundup of PMQs. Don did some more data analysis, this time into a Reform Deputy Council leader who is, let's say, a little workshy. We had a little mini interview with the inimitable Carol Hedges about the Assisted Dying Bill. That's toward the end of the e…

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30 Under-the-Radar Outbound Plays for Consistent Growth 31:53

3M ago31:53

31:53

Tired of the same old cold calls? So is everyone else. In this episode, Jeremy Pound and RentScale COO Jen Merritt pull back the curtain on outbound — revealing 30 overlooked tactics that top property managers use to keep their pipeline full without the awkward, old-school sales vibe. Discover practical plays beyond just realtors and cold calls: cr…

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Autism, RFK Jr and avoiding disability surveillance 33:55

3M ago33:55

33:55

Robert F Kennedy Jr caused controversy in April by promising to find a cause for autism by September. Claims by the new US secretary for health and human services that autism is a “preventable disease” with an environmental cause, contradict a body of research that suggests autism is caused by a combination of genetic and external factors. The US …

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Campaign Chat 1:19:45

3M ago1:19:45

1:19:45

This week, we talked about, as always, Reform — but this week Don has been busy with Freedom of Information Requests to see if their DOGE claims matched up to reality. Listen to hear the result. We also had the chance to talk to Gary Trowsdale, a charity campaigner and political commentator. The interview went short due to technical issues, but we'…

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Self-censorship and what drives it 31:24

3M ago31:24

31:24

Faced with the choice in their daily lives, their work or their politics, why do some people decide to keep quiet, to censor themselves in anticipatory obedience, even if they’re not ordered to do so? In this episode we talk to self-censorship expert Daniel Bar-Tal at Tel Aviv University about what drives people to censor themselves, and its conseq…

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Friday Fandango Update - EP 09a 25:57

3M ago25:57

25:57

Unbelievably, we forgot to talk about some stuff yesterday. Mainly, the fact that an elected MP wrote to me on 𝕏 to ask for some advice. So, hey Richard Tice, here it is. https://x.com/donmcgowan/status/1932088499441717578 Thanks as always to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@TheZombyPop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on 𝕏 for our theme tune. If you want to send us anything to read out, or a vid…

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Another Guest of Honour 1:25:33

3M ago1:25:33

1:25:33

This week, Sal had an extended chat with Dr Jay Watts — a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and activist. They discussed a few things, but, for the most part, about the government's continued push to cut disability and welfare benefits. We talk about this every week, and will continue to do so, but it was incredible to have the input of an expert in…

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The Power of Owning the Whole Service Chain in PM 1:10:42

3M ago1:10:42

1:10:42

Justin Mann, CEO of StoneLink Property Management, breaks down how he scaled from zero to 1,500 doors—not by outsourcing services, but by owning them. From launching a plumbing company to acquiring landscaping and construction teams, Justin reveals how vertical integration has become his unfair advantage. You'll hear how this strategy not only crea…

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Cash for releasing sharks has a catch 23:12

3M ago23:12

23:12

As Jaws marks its 50th anniversary, sharks continue to get a bad rap. Film after film portrays them as terrifying hunters, the bane of surfers and swimmers. But in Indonesia, sharks are the hunted. It’s the world’s largest shark-fishing nation, with more species of sharks found in Indonesian waters than in any other country. So Indonesia was the id…

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Sal is Back - Part Two 43:18

4M ago43:18

43:18

Part two of this week's episode. We decided to re-record the bits that were left out of yesterday's episode and also add a little bit of chat about the Trump/Musk mega cat fight, and to prove that we predicted Reform's demise before anyone else. This is Part Two of EP 08. We also chat a bit about LBC's reliance on certain callers and the Freedom Fl…