Snapshot · The Rest Is Politics
The Makerfield by-election constituency that Andy Burnham won voted approximately 65% for Brexit — underscoring the tension between his pro-European instincts and his new electoral base.
Where this was said
At 53:19 · chapter starts 52:00
The conversation turns to the geopolitical landscape that any incoming Prime Minister will have to navigate, and it is formidable. On Russia, Stewart argues the entire defence procurement strategy depends on whether you think the threat materialises by 2030 or 2035. On China, the point is less discussed but arguably more consequential: a cheap currency, state subsidies, and a sophisticated technology strategy have hollowed out European and American industry. On the US, Stewart raises the Malcolm Turnbull framework of capacity versus intent — even if Trump's America does not intend to weaponise Britain's dependency on American cloud computing, AI, and payment systems, the capacity exists and a future president might use it. Campbell adds the Russia-MAGA nexus: Trump's crowing about Starmer's resignation was almost immediately reposted approvingly by Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's key envoy. Stewart lands on the conclusion that the honest answer to all these dependencies is closer strategic alignment with Europe — a conclusion that circles back to Brexit and the constituency Burnham has just won, which voted 65% Leave.
Britain's entire AI infrastructure is built on an American technology stack, leaving the country dangerously exposed if a future US administration decides to weaponise access to frontier AI models.
Britain has built its entire AI stack on American foundations. If access is cut off, the country has nothing. Rory Stewart lays out four options: double down on the US, hedge with Chinese open-source, buy chips and host weights domestically, or launch a multi-country Manhattan Project for sovereign AI. All are expensive. Doing nothing is the most expensive of all.
A total of 8 states have filed lawsuits against social media platforms, including an ongoing case in Tennessee, using product liability and public nuisance theories to seek accountability.
France built 56 nuclear plants in the 1970s and now has the cheapest energy in Europe, making it independent of Russian or Middle Eastern energy geopolitics.
Estonia has a single tax form, a law preventing the government from asking citizens for the same information twice, and a flat rate of tax — enabling competitive taxation.
Portugal's Lisbon, once a city with a major heroin problem, legalised drugs and redirected enforcement spending into rehabilitation and housing, dramatically reducing crime.
The first Boland Amendment banning CIA and Defense Department funds for the Contras passed the House unanimously — yet the Reagan administration ignored it.
Over just two years, Saudi Arabia alone donated $32 million to the Contra rebels, giving loosely affiliated factions millions they had no way to spend on arms.
The National Endowment for the Preservation of Liberty raised $6.3 million for the Contras but only $3.3 million reached them — a shockingly low 52% program expense rate.
Richard Secord and Albert Hakim marked up their arms shipments to the Contras by as much as 300%, making enormous personal profits from the covert operation.
Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, tapped to run the entire covert Contra support operation, had no prior experience in covert operations whatsoever — he was learning as he went.
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