James O'Brien - The Whole Show Why back a deranged lunatic's war?
6 snips
Mar 6, 2026 
Calvin Bailey, former RAF pilot and current Labour MP, gives a concise military and Chilcot-informed perspective. Simon Marks, Washington-based journalist, analyzes US messaging and administration behaviour. They discuss media-driven hawkishness, why public support for intervention is low, legal and planning lessons from Iraq, and how US rhetoric and coalition politics shape the crisis.
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Caller Says Reform And Right Shift Act As A Smokescreen
- Caller Imi argues rightward shift and Reform's rise create a smokescreen to distract from domestic issues and attack Keir Starmer.
- She says media-driven culture wars conceal elite agendas funded by big donors and crypto money.
Grievance Language Explains Enduring Support For Populists
- Trump and Farage exploit grievance language: they speak to people's anger even as they don't actually improve lives.
- Diane (caller) and O'Brien explain grievance politics explains durable support despite corruption or violence.
War Creates Refugee Crises That Fuel Far Right Narratives
- War produces refugee flows that feed domestic far-right narratives; O'Brien warns pro-war voices ignore the direct consequence of more small boats and displacement.
- He frames refugees as a predictable outcome of bombing and regime collapse.
