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About This Podcast
Armando Iannucci hosts the programme that gives you a cast-iron guarantee to be laser-focused on decoding the baffling world of political language.
Each week he'll be joined by a guest to crack open the political phrasebook and attempt to demystify the doublespeak. Why does everything now have to be 'turbo-charged'? What's the difference between a 'pledge' and a 'mission'? Why has my local MP been 'weaponised' and should I be worried?
You'll be treated to a crash course in the dark arts of political language from people on the inside who are both baffled and beguiled by it. They'll walk you through the various verbal fiascos of the modern political lexicon so that by the end you'll be oven-ready for an appearance on Newsnight.
Armando's erstwhile partner in de-baffling political lexicon, Helen Lewis, is away working in the United States in the autumn and so her seat will be kept warm by a rotating cast of co-hosts.
Listen to Strong Message Here on Thursdays on Radio 4 at 9.45am, and an extended version is available on BBC Sounds.
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4.
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Recent Episodes
Fanning the Flames (with Hugo Rifkind)
Hugo Rifkind joins Armando, fresh from interviewing a highland cow, to discuss the phrase 'fanning the flames'.Can a politician ever avoid politicising an issue? How is that different from…
There's Been An Under-Discussion (with Natalie Haynes)
Natalie Haynes joins Armando to look at the differing language used when discussing the benefits and risks of the AI revolution.Is it just 'a thing' which is beyond debate? What does non-zero…
That's Not for Me to Say (with Munya Chawawa)
Fresh from a trip to America, Munya Chawawa joins Armando to discuss the political art of saying nothing.Munya recently looked at the parallels between Trump and Wrestling, and talks about how the…
A Febrile Atmosphere (with Tom Peck)
How do you capture the atmosphere of the commons? Parliamentary sketch writer for The Times, Tom Peck, joins Armando to discuss his most detested political buzzwords.We look at why people get so…
We Can't Go On Like This (with Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ayesha Hazarika)
This week, we look at the language of embattled leaders, and some triumphant ones.Joined by Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ayesha Hazarika, we pore over the speech of Starmer's life - the third such event…
Technological Republic (with Stewart Lee and Carole Cadwalladr)
What is the Technological Republic?Armando, Stewart and founder of The Nerve, Carole Cadwalladr, discuss the language and posture of the manifesto released by Palantir's Alex Karp last year.We look…
Game On (with Natalie Haynes)
Ready Player One?Natalie Haynes joins Armando once again to talk about the rise of prediction markets, and how they might affect political language. We also look at the respective war memes from the…
The Process Was Followed (with Tim Shipman)
Tim Shipman steps out of a busy week in Westminster to talk Armando through the language of political crises.Whether "time will tell", or "the matter has been dealt with", we decode what these…
Only the Fake News Would Come Up with This (with Amol Rajan)
Politicians have their own podcasts, the Government has launched a YouTube channel. It seems our political class want to bypass traditional media to get their message out. Why is that? How does it…
Righteous Targets for Violence (with Hugo Rifkind)
Hugo Rifkind joins Armando for a chat about the religious language in politics.After a quick detour round the far side of the moon, we find out Trump's favourite bible passage (sort of), why the Pope…
Deep Disillusionment in This Country (with Stewart Lee)
This week, Armando is joined again by Stewart Lee to look at how political actors use language.Wes Streeting says there is a 'deep disillusionment in this country', and says there is a “growing sense…
That's a Great Question (with Stewart Lee in Laugharne)
Stewart Lee joins Armando at the Millennium Hall in Laugharne.Is AI too sycophantic? Should we worry about how military-grade AI is being sold in start-up jargon? Let's ask the best AI there is,…
We're Here to Listen (with Stewart Lee in Laugharne)
Armando is joined by Stewart Lee at the Millennium Hall in Laugharne.Taking the audience's most loathed political soundbites, we discuss 'existential threats', 'let me be clear', and 'we're working…
You Don't Have to Worry (with Marina Hyde)
Marina Hyde returns to join Armando for a positive look at some positive language.Pete Hegseth tells us not to worry about the Strait of Hormuz, Trump tells us the 'war' is 'already won' - is this…
I Understand the Anxiety (with Ria Lina and Coco Khan)
Armando is joined by Ria Lina and host of Pod Save the UK, Coco Khan, to look at the political language around anxiety.How do we engage with difficult headlines? Can we switch off an just read about…
Get Real (with Hugo Rifkind)
Journalist and Times Radio presenter Hugo Rifkind joins Armando this week.In another breakneck week, we look at the language of reality in politics. Are plumbers more 'real' than economists? Can…
History Will Judge You (with Stewart Lee)
Stewart Lee joins Armando again this week. With a by-election on, we look away from the present day and think about how history will judge politicians.Some of the language in the recent Tony Blair…
For the Sake of Transparency (with Natalie Haynes and Michael Gove)
Armando is joined by Natalie Haynes and Michael Gove to discuss the true meaning of transparency.With his experience as both a politician and a journalist, Michael Gove gives his insight into how…
Psychodrama (with Stewart Lee)
Stewart Lee joins Armando to examine the language around political pyschodramas. We've discussed political language becoming maximalist, but it also gone into warp speed?Looking at whether…
You've Let Your Country Down (with Emily Maitlis)
Has a man once described as 'teflon' finally run out of spin? Peter Mandelson suggests he needs to run an investigation into himself, but to do an investigation into his language, Armando is joined…
Frequently Asked Questions
Strong Message Here has published 85 episodes since October 2024, covering topics in Comedy.
Strong Message Here is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 31m.
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