Strong Message Here - We Can't Go On Like This (with Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ayesha Hazarika)

Download We Can't Go On Like This (with Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ayesha Hazarika)

This week, we look at the language of embattled leaders, and some triumphant ones.

Joined by Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ayesha Hazarika, we pore over the speech of Starmer's life - the third such event we have covered on this programme. Is rhetoric the right tool in his father's hand-me-down toolbelt for him to deploy in times of crisis?

He says he gets it, but do we believe him? We look at the paralysing effect of message discipline on political figures, and why it's so refreshing to hear a more genuine message.

We also examine Rhun ap Iorwerth's oratory skills (borrowed from the skinny kid with a funny name), screaming penguins and ask: who is the modern "Mondeo man"?

Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

Sound editing: Chris Maclean

Production Coordinator: Giulia Mazzu

Executive Producer: Pete Strauss

Recorded at the Sound Company

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

Published on Thursday, 14th May 2026.

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