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Armando Iannucci: Is politics just a game to today’s leaders?

Politicians seem more interested in scoring points than actually trying to govern better.

By Armando Iannucci and Anoosh Chakelian

The renowned satirist and broadcaster Armando Iannucci returns to the New Statesman Podcast to co-host five more special episodes. In these shows Iannucci, explores the parts of British public life that he believes are broken, and he will be joined by guests from both inside and outside Westminster to discuss how politics could be better.

In this episode, Iannucci and Anoosh Chakelian examine whether Westminster politics has just become a game to most politicians.  

They are joined by special guests James Graham, writer of the political plays This HouseBrexit: The Uncivil War and Labour of Love, and Chris Hanretty, a professor at Royal Holloway University who studies pork barrel politics.

They discuss whether how the whipping operation in parliament reduces politics to point scoring, how the government is getting more blatant about only distributing money to its own MPs’ seats, and whether blowing the lid on whipping tactics will actually change anything.

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.

How to listen to Westminster Reimagined

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