NEW: Weekend News Agents Trump politicises a national tragedy within seconds. Why can he not help himself? Because it’s intrinsic to his politics of aggression and blame. PLUS you asked me why the Greens don’t get more coverage. We try and answer. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t... - ThreadSky

lewisgoodall.com • 95 days ago

NEW: Weekend News Agents

Trump politicises a national tragedy within seconds. Why can he not help himself? Because it’s intrinsic to his politics of aggression and blame.

PLUS you asked me why the Greens don’t get more coverage. We try and answer.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-news-agents/id1640878689?i=1000687552577

Comments

shedoverheels.bsky.social•94 days ago

There’s a point in your discussion where you and @jonsopel1.bsky.social touch on the zero-sum game Trump plays. It’s really nicely described and elaborated in this thread by David Honig https://bsky.app/profile/dbhonig.bsky.social/post/3lf6wvjrnqs2u

theciocoach.bsky.social•95 days ago

The greens are trying to do reasonable politics in an unreasonable climate, and that gives them zero profile. Having co-leaders also doesn’t help.

chriskeymc.bsky.social•95 days ago

Straight out oh the Johnson playbook, continuous campaigning even after you’ve “won” it exhausts the population

wilfieb.bsky.social•95 days ago

Instead of saying why they don't get more coverage, why don't you actually start giving them more coverage?

rosalynemf.bsky.social•95 days ago

Same goes for Scot Gov - or are only negative stories allowed?

peterdavieson.bsky.social•95 days ago

Because his paymasters are using him to destabilise the US.

Though he increasingly appears too demented to know what he's doing ... but his paymasters are OK with that because that destabises the US even more.

yatesy68.bsky.social•95 days ago

Also because he knows his actions of sacking FAA leaders and freezing recruitment makes a terrible situation worse. So he tries to change the narrative and ends up looking like a gibbering fool…. (As usual)

feelingantsy.bsky.social•94 days ago

1/ In a world where the Badenoch is the the right of Farage and where the Labour Party seems to have an exceptionalist view towards EU negotiations, my concern is that in a few years we’ll have a choice between a radical right and a disappointing Labour.

Amplify the Lib Dem’s please?

feelingantsy.bsky.social•94 days ago

2/ My hope would be a Lab / Lib Dem coalition.

I see getting back to a more centrist even keel a matter of national security/ importance

nazishmunch.bsky.social•95 days ago

Looking forward to listening.

cris143.bsky.social•95 days ago

Listened to this… Green Party guy… lovely I’m sure, but no Rottweiler. We can’t persuade an electorate fed on sound bites with reasoned argument. Get on the mat and [verbally] punch them in the face. There is a punchy point and evidence but you need to punch and do it in the right media…

konallis.bsky.social•93 days ago

Because he has the literacy level of a child and no filter? Not sure his actions need a deeper explanation.

gustapher.bsky.social•95 days ago

Calling Trump’s politics those of aggression and blame is to describe a tiger by its stripes and to omit its teeth and claws. He is dismantling American democracy and installing a brutal kleptocracy in front of our eyes.

dreamallam.bsky.social•95 days ago

Looking forward to hearing about the Greens.

catiomiles.bsky.social•95 days ago

He can’t help himself because his voters hate the liberals and minorities.

midlymannered.bsky.social•95 days ago

https://app.theneweuropean.co.uk/story/128203/content.html

martynomad.bsky.social•95 days ago

Of course he can stop himself, Lewis.
He chooses not to. He is reinforcing a trope to further justify his nonsense.

stariep.bsky.social•95 days ago

It’s not just ‘why don’t the Greens get more coverage’ but why don’t they get more representation on certain political programmes?

richycurtis.bsky.social•95 days ago

It’s not his politics. It’s pathology.

channingwalton.bsky.social•95 days ago

It’s intrinsic to his fragile narcissism, nothing more. To call it “politics of aggression” excuses his delinquent behaviour.

juditty.bsky.social•95 days ago

I was about to say the same. This is Trump’s intrinsic character - that of a narcissist. Someone who can’t take criticism, can never take responsibility, whose immediate instinct is to lash out. In short, someone completely unsuited for any role in public life.

tamlynpeel.bsky.social•95 days ago

On DEI - white guys subconsciously prefer to hire white guys, rather than purely on merit... Diverse management is _more_ likely to hire on merit, because it's less prone to that bias. Would be good for Jon to look into DEI, rather than just repeat Trump talking points.

tomadam.bsky.social•95 days ago

The idea that DEI = hiring worse people (but it's okay because diversity) seems to have taken hold.

When actually it's the opposite - casting the net wide to be get awesome people from all backgrounds rather than uniquely hiring white men [like me] (some of which will be great, and some less so).

unilecturerrob.bsky.social•95 days ago

Trumps MAGAt party is going to get the shellacking of the century in 2026 mid terms

regenbeen.bsky.social•94 days ago

Janey Godley was right.

freddy1138.bsky.social•95 days ago

debatingroom.bsky.social•95 days ago

Trump: "Inaugural address themes will be unity, strength and fairness."

The Telegraph: "Trump’s anti-woke onslaught is restoring unity to a nation divided by identity politics."

The right-wing clearly don't understand the meaning of "unity".

timeforheroes.bsky.social•95 days ago

The Greens politics represent a challenge to capitalist, neoliberal interests, therefore don't have the backing of powerful billionaires or lobby groups acting on their behalf nor does the media ecosphere relentlessly push their causes.

johnkb.bsky.social•95 days ago

The party that can best channel people’s anger will win. Reform are way out in front on that metric at the moment

johnkb.bsky.social•95 days ago

2/2
The far right have tapped into emotions which feels genuine despite the banal logic of their policies. The response if it’s not visceral will fail and the extreme right will win.

johnkb.bsky.social•95 days ago

Ok all of this was very good and many thanks for taking a step in the direction of people who have criticised your approach recently. What is clear from this interview is the utter lack of anger and passion from the Greens. They sound tepid and nice.

…….1/2

stevebyrneuk.bsky.social•95 days ago

He is out of control #theNewDictator

shelagh9.bsky.social•95 days ago

More here:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/01/trump-plane-crash-character-sidney-blumenthal?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

matt600000.bsky.social•95 days ago

Why don't the Greens get more coverage? Because the mainstream media won't stop until they get Farage elected as PM.

*shudders at the thought of this

andrewross.net•95 days ago

Because it’s intrinsic to his narcissism to avoid humiliation.

aralski.bsky.social•95 days ago

Why? Because he's a grubby narcissist, that's why.

catiomiles.bsky.social•95 days ago

But his politics is winning more and more votes.

That’s the issue.

It’s not Trump, is the voters who are encouraging Trump’s government behaviour.

richardfbourke.bsky.social•95 days ago

He won the popular vote, yes. From a UK pov, many voters are won by resentment, and they don't see medium-term consequences hidden behind complex systems. (eg for Brexit, customs, single market rules, gravity theory of trade). They manifest over time.
They will in the USA too, but probably quicker.

catiomiles.bsky.social•95 days ago

Trump got 63 million votes in 2016, 74 million in 2020 and 77 million in 2024

No, I don’t trust the American voters

richardfbourke.bsky.social•95 days ago

well, no, nor me. I mean voting for the guy who says "I'll be a dictator for one day" and tried to overturn fair election results from 2020? That's deeply stupid, and the consequences are coming.

eddiedolan.bsky.social•95 days ago

Yup. Vote for an insurrectionist authoritarian racist sexist, you get what it said on the tin. This time with much more effective protections and an engine of evildoers behind him driving things forward.

Term one was limited in effect by the clown shoes.

ladyboater.bsky.social•94 days ago

Nope, the Farage stunt was a step too far unsubscribed from News Agents.

jonnymain.bsky.social•95 days ago

Was fairly struck by the dismissive way you treated your interviewee. Can't imagine you'd be taking the same approach with the far right.

br1mcg.bsky.social•95 days ago

Not just me then. This pod has lost its way these last few months.

jonnymain.bsky.social•95 days ago

Seems they'd be more inclined to cover them if they had fatuous policies rather than actually trying to save the planet. Dreadful.

lhepalmy.bsky.social•95 days ago

I listened to this and was disturbed that despite the criticism of Trump there seemed to be an acceptance that a focus on DEI lowered standards - particularly from Jon Sopel. I would like to see you address this with facts and reference to studies which show diverse teams make better decisions.

lavieenrouge.bsky.social•95 days ago

Yes, I felt this too. Even Lewis stating being opposed to DEI was a ‘perfectly respectable’ position..ahhhh..is it though?

debatingroom.bsky.social•95 days ago

Indeed. Everyone working for American authorities with a disability knows that Trump will automatically scapegoat them for anything that may go wrong in their workplace (or elsewhere for that matter).

If air traffic control over there already had a problem recruiting, this certainly won't help.

michael-kay.bsky.social•95 days ago

I noticed this too. Does nobody ever think for example that inferior candidates were ever, or for that matter still are, favoured simply because they were male, white, and under 50?

debatingroom.bsky.social•95 days ago

Or sometimes over 50... 👇

ladylordy.bsky.social•74 days ago

The morning hear from Sopel the more I disagree with him. Some of his takes are bordering on far right. His take on the excellent bbc drama about Gaza for example.

jingscrivvens.bsky.social•95 days ago

He's the Richard Madeley of 'Merica. Very similar people. Very very similar.

s54e30.bsky.social•95 days ago

Hi Lewis. Thanks for giving them some time. It’s a shame it was “why are you so boring/that’s why you get no attention/you should glue yourself to the runway at Heathrow/be more Ed Davey”. Looking forward to future interviews and coverage where you look at their policies

johnkb.bsky.social•95 days ago

Im not. Where is their anger? Where is their passion? These public school boy idealists are just turning people off as the interview demonstrated.

Perhaps Just Stop Oil and the Greens need to have an offsite with some working class people to formulate an affective approach

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