About this episode
Hugo Rifkind joins Armando to discuss the implications of politicising issues and the role of journalism in political discourse.
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 weaponising? And does journalism have a role in fanning the flames, and prolonging political arguments? Elsewhere, Armando explains the power of the power nap, Pete Hegseth conflates D-Day with immigration, and we ask if Keir's curse is having an eminently rhyme-able name? Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk Sound editing: Rich Evans Production Coordinator: Asha Osborne-Grinter Executive Producer: James Robinson Recorded at the Sound Company Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.
People in this episode
Host: Armando
Guest: Hugo Rifkind
Topics covered
- politics
- journalism
- communication
- politicisation
- humor
- current events
Keywords
- fanning the flames
- politics
- journalism
- Hugo Rifkind
- Armando
- D-Day
- immigration
- Keir
- power nap
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BBC Radio 4, BBC Studios, Sound Company
More episodes of Strong Message Here
- There's Been An Under-Discussion (with Natalie Haynes) · June 3, 2026 · 36 min
- That's Not for Me to Say (with Munya Chawawa) · May 28, 2026 · 35 min
- A Febrile Atmosphere (with Tom Peck) · May 21, 2026 · 40 min
- We Can't Go On Like This (with Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ayesha Hazarika) · May 14, 2026 · 35 min
- Technological Republic (with Stewart Lee and Carole Cadwalladr) · May 7, 2026 · 34 min
- Game On (with Natalie Haynes) · April 30, 2026 · 28 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Strong Message Here podcast page.