The American view of politics tends to be insular, with little emphasis placed on countries that do not directly impact the U.S. or its economy. This often can create an echo chamber and an inaccurate perception of world affairs and views.
As a British person, I find the echo chamber here particularly dismaying. For somebody particularly interested in politics and the global order, it can be difficult to find interesting and accurate information about international affairs.
To prevent myself from having an Americanized view of politics, I have made a deliberate effort to seek out media outside of my direct sphere. This is where the podcast “The Rest Is Politics” came into my purview.
“The Rest is Politics” is a twice-weekly podcast with former British Conservative Member of Parliament Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell, the former communications strategist for ex-prime minister Tony Blair. Their dynamic, with one being slightly conservative and the other slightly liberal, allows for a diverse conversation.
Now I do see an argument for a “British-sized” view of the world; however, I tend to believe, due to the nature of Brits, we often have a desire to know more about the world than our own communities.
In their conversations, the hosts often debate on policy and end up — as they call it — “disagreeing agreeably.” This means that although they often disagree, they are able to accept each other’s opinions and recognize the importance of diverse points of view. This dynamic creates a great listening experience for those with liberal, centrist or conservative views.
Each week, two episodes are released. One is their regular episode, and the other is “question time.” In their regular episode, they discuss topics of politics and international affairs, which range from British political policy to Tuvalu’s economic climate.
As they are both British, there is a particular emphasis on British internal policy; however, they still spend at least half of the episode discussing international politics.
They also have their second weekly episode, which is question time. In question time, people submit questions through social media to ask Rory and Alastair. For example, just recently, somebody asked a question about Equatorial Guinea. Even though both had very little knowledge about the political situation, the hosts and their team researched and spoke coherently about Equatorial Guinea’s ongoing presidential sex scandal.
In a world so divided, “The Rest is Politics” provides a breath of fresh air and glimmers of hope. Next time you’re searching for a new way to find your political news, maybe throw “The Rest is Politics” into your podcast rotation.
