The Two Matts

The Matts explore how French philosopher Jean Baudrillard was right about the nature of warfare in the 21st century - especially when applied to the unprecedented chaos unfolding in the Middle East. It is, we hope, a thought-provoking conversation which tries to make some sense of what seems utterly senseless. Also - the Matts react to the bombing of Jewish ambulances in North London and ask: why is nobody stating categorically that this is terrorism? Finally, they ask you, dear listener, to do something you almost certainly hadn’t been planning on doing - watch GB News. Why? Tune in and find out! Enjoy!Produced by Matt WithersOFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/

The Matts answer listeners' questions including whether or not Donald Trump has lost control of the war in Iran, why the BBC isn't covering The New World’s GB News investigation, how Tony Blair can still believe war in Iraq was right, whether we have learned nothing from Covid, if Angela Rayner is the next PM and how to keep sane in a world of dreadful news. Enjoy!Produced by Matt WithersOFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/

Alan Rusbridger joins the Matts to discuss The New World’s investigation into GB News’s persistent breaches of Ofcom’s code on impartiality and accuracy. Get the inside track on the story from an editor who has led some of the most consequential newspaper investigations of our age. They discuss what happens next and what Ofcom should do to fix the reality of a TV channel out of control and basically operating as Nigel Farage’s Reform TV. Enjoy!Produced by Matt WithersOFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/

The Matts answer listener questions including on Isabel Oakeshott’s hypocrisy, China’s century, the death of centrism, the rule of law, the future of the Telegraph and their tips for tonight’s big Oscar night in Hollywood. Enjoy!Produced by Matt WithersOFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/

This Matts ad hoc pod episode takes stock of the first days of Operation Epic Fury and wonders if this is the war when it’s going well (as Donald Trump insists) what does it look like when it’s going badly? Oil through the roof, stock market crashes, service personnel coming home in coffins, regional allies being drone-attacked and now a new Supreme Leader who hates America even more than his dad did. Also - can Keir Starmer take Tony Blair’s rebuke and turn it into electoral advantage? And are we seeing the emergence of a Trump dynasty that will influence global politics for decades to come? Enjoy!Produced by Matt WithersOFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/

The Matts again respond to your queries. They discuss whether we are on the verge of World War III, why Mark Carney endorsed Donald Trump’s actions and why Dubai-based expats don’t pay their own way home. Plus they talk about whether political defectors should trigger a by-election, why they are so harsh on Keir Starmer and how he can save himself and and which artists they love and hate.Produced by Matt WithersOFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/

The Matts unpick the events of the past week and are intrigued by the internal Labour Party politics that created a sense of chaos around the UK’s response to the war. They are also staggered - and not a little bit ashamed - of the UK’s humiliating lack of preparedness for events that were wholly foreseeable. Has this all just confirmed what many suspected - that these isles are wholly ill-equipped to defend themselves? And what role will China play as what was billed as a four- or five-day conflict now looks to be a much longer-term affair? Lots of moving parts this week - the dynamic is as fascinating as it is terrifying.Produced by Matt WithersOFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/

The Matts do their level best to make sense of the last three days - events which make little sense in isolation, but once a wider spectrum of factors comes into play, does a sinister strategy emerge? Donald Trump is defying the US electorate just at a time when he needs to be rebuilding support. Why doesn’t he care? Was the suspected aspiration for a short four- or five-day conflict, followed by a swift return to the negotiating table, as insane as it seems? And how does this affect the UK economy and Keir Starmer’s government? We are in the foothills of this crisis - so no better time to get the map out and try to work out which way we’re headed. Join The Two Matts as they pore over the contour lines of a very rocky landscape. Enjoy!Produced by Matt WithersOFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/