Planet Normal

You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lq-8ZhnYjjkThe 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…HighlightsPlanet Normal: The Social media ban will free our kids from the addictive and toxic smartphoneBernie 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.

Book your tickets for Planet Normal: LIVE on the 24th February: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive |You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LFlJivPsT9AFollowing a scorching column by their colleague Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, co-pilots Pearson and Halligan discuss whether Britain is becoming "ungovernable" as sovereign bond yields spiral and the Prime Minister appears increasingly held hostage by the hard-Left of his own party.Allison questions the mandate of a leader facing internal coups, and a looming wipeout in the upcoming May elections.Liam warns of a looming correction from the bond markets if the government doesn't get a grip on public spending.Making a return trip to the rocket is actress and campaigner Sophie Window (nee Winkleman) to share some of her findings in the campaign to keep children off screens and social media.Book your tickets for Planet Normal: LIVE on the 24th February: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormallive |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 |Read Allison ‘Anyone who thinks Rayner is the answer to Britain’s problems needs their head examined’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/10/angela-rayner-answer-britain-problems-head-examined/ |Read Allison ‘Labour says it is cutting NHS waiting lists. That is just a lie’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/11/labour-cutting-nhs-waiting-list-lies/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Japan’s spendthrift Iron Lady has dangerous plans’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/02/08/japans-spendthrift-iron-lady-has-dangerous-plans/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |  Read Ambrose Evans-Pritchard ‘The Starmer palace coup is a national disgrace’https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/02/10/the-starmer-palace-coup-is-a-national-disgrace/ |         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.

You can watch this episode of Planet Normal on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/4f7eZbkA91QIt's been a week of defections, rejections and tantrums in the world of politics, and your co pilots are here to wade through the madness. After the Telegraph published an article outlining the role Starmer took in prosecuting soldiers your co-pilots speak to General Sir Peter Wall to delve deeper into the scandal.Allison thinks Starmer ‘isn’t for Britain’ and his human right activism undermines the important role the British Army plays in the defence of our Country.Liam thinks as China starts to overtake the US economically the West will have to deal with them, but at what cost will this be to British business and values?Planet Normal Live! You can purchase your ticket here: telegraph.co.uk/planetnormalliveSign 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 |Read Allison ‘Suella Braverman has been vilified for telling the truth’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/27/suella-braverman-has-been-vilified-for-telling-the-truth/ |Read Allison ‘Never again’ feels like an increasingly hollow promise’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/28/holocaust-survivors-anti-semitism/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Peace may be coming but Ukraine has changed the world forever’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/01/25/peace-may-be-coming-but-ukraine-changed-the-world-forever/ |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.

The winter break continues on Planet Normal! In this, the third and final part of the three part best of the rocket series, our co-pilots take a look back at some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from 2025, before our intrepid co-pilots return next week!Back in November Liam spoke to Scottish born Rosie Kay who enjoyed a highly successful international career as a performer and choreographer, and in 2004 established the Rosie Kay dance company. Rosie tells the co-pilots how she was ousted from her own company following controversy of her ‘gender critical views’.We also feature a special report not from Planet Normal, but Planet Earth, when back in October, Co-Pilot Pearson joined the Pink Ladies Protest in Westminster. The Pink Ladies formed a network to take a stand against the impact of illegal migrant hotels on the safety of women and girls and communities up and down the country. And finally we hear from Tory heavyweight Suela Braverman who tells out co-pilots what she thinks Conservative party policy should be towards the ECHR.Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Allison 'Twitter makes Two-Tier Keir look ridiculous, so of course he wants to ban it' : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/14/two-tier-keir-ban-twitter/ |Read Allison 'The West Midlands police chief represents everything that’s wrong with Britain': https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/13/west-midlands-police-chief/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |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.