Fiddling with Gherkins whilst the Grid Burns

You can watch this episode in full on YouTube:The rocket of right thinking is back for a crucial Budget Special as Chancellor John Healey delivers his low-key first budget amidst mounting economic pressure.Joining the co-pilots to unpack the reality behind the numbers is the brilliant Telegraph columnist, Roger Bootle, who assesses Britain's fragile fiscal health, rising bond yields, and the hidden costs of net-zero policies.Liam dives into the underwhelming fiscal statement, the reality of soaring debt interest payments, and the political calculations behind a potential early general election.Meanwhile Allison and Roger dissect the widening gap between official economic forecasts and the harsh daily struggles of hardworking taxpayers, alongside updates on Allison’s survivalist prepping.HighlightsPlanet Normal: Budget reaction specialAllison and Liam are joined by Telegraph columnist, Roger BootleSign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘The horror of Aberfan will never die, but neither will the humanity’: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/21/horror-aberfan-never-die-neither-humanity/ |Read Allison ‘Labour is forcing me to prepare for a disaster of its own making’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/27/labour-forcing-me-prepare-disaster/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |Read Liam ‘No time for schadenfreude if French bonds blow up first’:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/10/25/no-time-for-schadenfreude-if-french-bonds-blow-up-first/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.