Polanski, Macron & al-Sharaa: The Best & Worst Politicians of 2025

Episode Overview

• The hosts conduct a "Best of the Year" review, selecting their top and bottom picks for UK and international politicians, speeches, and major political moments.
• A central theme is the differentiation between a politician's technical effectiveness and personal political agreement, as exemplified by discussions on figures like Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch.
• The conversation contrasts different perspectives on the year's most consequential events, weighing symbolic moments like Zelensky's US visit against fundamental policy shifts like the imposition of new tariffs.
• The episode concludes by highlighting critical under-appreciated issues, including a burgeoning Special Educational Needs (SEND) funding crisis in the UK and the geopolitical implications of the rapid rise of AI technology.

Key Concepts

• Best & Worst UK Politicians: Selections included Zack Polanski (for growing the Green Party), Ed Miliband (for resilience), and an honourable mention for Al Caan (for real-world experience). The worst politician was cited as Nathan Gill for a bribery conviction, with Nigel Farage named as a "supporting actor."
• Worst International Politician: Emmanuel Macron was heavily criticized for a "catastrophic failure" to live up to his potential, attributed to "sheer vanity and ineptitude."
• Speech of the Year: Choices varied significantly, from JD Vance's speech on US foreign policy and Kemi Badenoch's budget response for their political impact, to Pep Guardiola's speech on Gaza for its humanity, and Stephen Miller's for its "terrifying" rhetoric.
• Biggest Political Moment: The hosts debated between two key events: Zelensky's difficult visit to the Oval Office, symbolizing waning US support for Ukraine, and the imposition of "liberation day tariffs" by the Trump administration, signaling a major shift in the global economic order.
• Under-Appreciated Issues: Domestically, the focus was on the UK's £14 billion SEND funding crisis and the failure to get people back into the workforce post-COVID. Internationally, the discussion covered the rise of AI (symbolized by Nvidia) and the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

Quotes

• At 4:22 - "I feel a little bit vindicated... Best UK politician does not mean I support Nigel Farage... I'm talking here about technical skills." - Rory Stewart defends his previous year's choice, emphasizing the difference between political effectiveness and personal agreement.
• At 6:32 - "I'm therefore going to pick Ed Miliband... I like resilience, I like persivilience, I like people who just keep going." - Alastair Campbell explains his choice for Best UK Politician, valuing perseverance in politics.
• At 12:29 - "I think it's foolish if we don't realize that there is a lot more to this story than is yet known." - Alastair Campbell comments on a bribery case involving Nathan Gill, suggesting deeper corruption has yet to be uncovered.
• At 23:53 - "I think Macron has absolutely demonstrated the most catastrophic failure of what could have been the incredible potential of a highly intelligent, centrist politician." - Rory Stewart delivers a sharp critique of French President Emmanuel Macron, his choice for Worst Politician of the Year.
• At 27:37 - "This was at the point at which America's real foreign policy intentions were laid bare." - Alastair Campbell explains why he chose JD Vance's speech at the Munich Security Conference as the year's most consequential.
• At 31:05 - "'We are the light, they are the darkness'... and the implication here... it is about white European civilization." - Rory Stewart quotes from a Stephen Miller speech, which he found to be the most revealing and terrifying of the year.
• At 42:28 - "This year it's projected at 0.3%... So massive consequences for the global economy." - Rory Stewart highlights the dramatic fall in global trade growth to justify his choice of US tariffs as the biggest political moment.
• At 47:01 - "[SEND] is now a 14 billion pound black hole... And this is where there has been this thing called the 'override' where debts that the local authorities are building up and building up, they've not been going on the books." - Alastair Campbell details the scale of the UK's under-discussed Special Educational Needs funding crisis.
• At 52:51 - "Here is something which, in technology terms, potentially could change the world more than the industrial revolution and far more quickly." - Rory Stewart emphasizes the significance of the AI revolution, arguing it's the most under-discussed international issue.

Takeaways

• When evaluating political figures, distinguish between their technical skill and effectiveness versus whether you personally agree with their ideology.
• Pay close attention to seemingly "boring" or under-reported domestic issues, such as the SEND funding crisis, as they often represent systemic problems with vast future consequences.
• Analyze political speeches not just for their surface-level message, but for what they reveal about underlying ideologies and potential future policy shifts.
• Recognize that major geopolitical changes can be signaled both by symbolic acts, like a high-profile diplomatic visit, and by technical policy decisions, like the implementation of tariffs.
• The rapid advancement of technologies like AI is a world-altering force that current political discourse is largely failing to comprehend or address adequately.