A real missed opportunity…
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“The beauty of the USA original, Pod Save America, is that the hosts are genuine insiders who happen to be entertaining. For the UK version they’ve just gone for entertaining and forgotten to find presenters who know very much about how government and politics actually works. The concept is just fundamentally flawed.
Having worked in Westminster and then journalism I find PSA must-listen material, it’s great. But PSUK is maddeningly light-weight by comparison. You can’t just spent every episode telling us how much you hate the Tories and think that will be enough and now you’ve earned our subscribe. Everyone hates the Tories. The Tories hate the Tories! You need to deliver way more.
And laugh-lines aside I don’t learn anything. The PSA formula worked because you’ve got Jon Lovett AND Dan Pfiefer. We want depth as well as lols. Though to be fair, Lovett can be profound AF into the bargain!
And this is an issue because we need people to understand politics if they’re going to change politics. Rishi isn’t Trump, and the Conservatives aren’t the GOP. Can we stop pretending they are? Yes, they’re truly truly awful but the PSUK style of commentary is so divisive yet superficial that it becomes almost Trumpian itself. This extreme black and white-ness is what’s ruining America, so I can’t understand why Crooked would want to introduce it into our own political ecosphere. It’s already eating up the far left and right of both Labour and the Tories, why aren’t we trying to counter this? Like, actually what’s the point?
I’m not looking for FT style balance, but this is so weirdly and fiercely one sided yet shallow as to be incapable of imparting any real understanding or changing minds.
I realise I’m going on here, but there’s a very serious point to this. The US version is entertaining and fascinating as a podcast, but the real value is in its ability to turn that into a tangible campaigning force. There is very little chance that Nish and Coco, fun and lovely as they are, will be able to motivate people to go and knock on doors, raise money or shift the political dial in the UK. This is such a missed opportunity.
As a bare minimum the show needs a third character who has worked in government. Ideally it requires a complete reboot with an altogether new cast and a genuine mission. It could be transformative.”
PJEC via Apple Podcasts ·
Great Britain ·
11/02/23
More reviews of Pod Save the UK
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“Coco and Nish you are hilarious”
crystallites via Apple Podcasts ·
Great Britain ·
05/12/23
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“I enjoyed this so much I had to review it right away. Looking forward to your first official episode, but I must say I LOVED the five of you together - what great energy!”
npc10202001 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
05/05/23
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“I love Pod Save America and Pod Save World because current issues are discussed in an insightful and calm manner, without partisan politics. With Pod Save the UK there are too many snide anti-coronation, anti-monarchy, anti-Conservative Party comments that turned me off. There seem to be a...”Read full review »
BirdtheBird via Apple Podcasts ·
Canada ·
05/12/23
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