You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/K-svfqmj8Rg

It's the summer break on Planet Normal and ordinarily your co-pilots take a look back at some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far, however with the very sad news of the death of columnist Rod Liddle, we have decided to take a little detour back to his finest appearances on the rocket.

Our first stop is back to 2021, when Rod explained why he believed Labour had lost touch with its traditional working-class base by prioritising identity politics over economic concerns. He also reflected on his decision to join the SDP, arguing it had become the natural home for voters who still valued patriotism, community and traditional social democracy.

Then we fast-forward to 2024, as Rod campaigned as the SDP candidate for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. With a general election under way, he assessed the mood of the country, explained why he believed support for the two main parties was ebbing away, and set out where he thought the SDP could fit into Britain's changing political landscape.

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Read Allison ‘The Cambridge fantasist is proof that stupid intellectuals are poisoning Britain‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/04/jason-arday-cambridge-stupid-intellectuals-poison-britain/ |

Read Allison ‘ My friend Rod Liddle was a great British freedom fighter‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/03/allison-pearson-friend-rod-liddle-great-british-freedom/ |

Read Allison ‘The school summer holiday should be capped at a month ‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/02/cap-school-summer-holiday-one-month/ |

Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |

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