The Monocle Daily – September 25, 2025

Main Theme

A global overview of major news stories:
This episode brings insightful reporting and sharp panel analysis on the day's top international stories. The central theme is Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas’s address (via video) to the UN General Assembly and its broader diplomatic context. The show also covers Russian drone activity in European airspace, a look at Donald Trump's new 'Walk of Fame' at the White House, a quirky social story from Seoul, and an interview with Evan Osnos about the psychology and impact of the ultra-wealthy.

Key Discussion Points

1. British Domestic Politics – The Labour Party's Troubles

[01:28–03:21]

• Host Andrew Muller and guest Carol Walker discuss turmoil within the UK Labour government just over a year into its majority win.
• Labour faces criticism for its lack of policy progress, notably around the two-child benefit cap.
• Andy Burnham is floated as a possible challenger to Keir Starmer’s leadership.
• Labour’s new compulsory digital ID card proposal is met with skepticism.

Quote – Carol Walker [01:54]:
"Keir Starmer basically doesn't seem to do anything right. They're facing a huge problem of trying to make the sums add up..."

2. Mahmoud Abbas’s UN General Assembly Speech

[04:00–10:26]

• Abbas was refused entry to the US and addressed the assembly by video, repeating familiar themes: calls for Palestinian statehood, condemnation of Israeli actions, and ruling out Hamas’ role in Gaza governance.
• His statements, especially the condemnation of Hamas and calls for disarmament, are controversial among Palestinians, even critics of Hamas.
• Abbas remains deeply unpopular; Julie Norman notes his "abysmal" approval ratings.
• US visa ban for Abbas and delegation is viewed by panel as a gesture of US support for Israel.
• Big week for Palestinian state recognition: several major Western countries (UK, France, Australia, Canada) shifted positions, though symbolism outweighs immediate tangible effects.
• Significance: Recognition increases diplomatic pressure for more substantial policy stances from those countries.

Quote – Julie Norman [05:54]:
"If there's any word to say how poorly a politician is doing – Abbas is at that level... extreme disillusionment, extreme frustration with Abbas."

Quote – Carol Walker [06:44]:
"...a further gesture of continued support for Benjamin Netanyahu, who clearly does not want to see any legitimate role for any kind of Palestinian state."

Quote – Julie Norman [09:24]:
"Just because something is symbolic doesn't mean it's not meaningful... It opens the door for more meaningful policies."

3. Russian Drones & Escalating Tensions in Europe

[10:26–17:42]

• Danish airports (Copenhagen, Aalborg, Billund, and smaller airfields) closed due to "professional" drone incursions; Russia preemptively denies responsibility.
• Episode fits a broader pattern of Russian airspace provocations in NATO countries, testing NATO’s resolve, according to the panel.
• Debate: Should NATO shoot down drones, risking escalation and setting an expensive precedent?
• Drones are cheap and hard to counter; shooting them down could be wasteful and provoke Russia.
• NATO must develop a broader strategy to deter and respond without being drawn into direct confrontation.

Quote – Carol Walker [11:19]:
"President Putin clearly is testing NATO's resolve..."

Quote – Julie Norman [14:11]:
"It's a challenge... there's not a very good defense system for [drones]. States are still using their much more expensive weapons... drones, meanwhile, are extremely cheap to produce."

4. Trump’s “Walk of Fame” at the White House

[17:42–24:03]

• President Trump installs a “gold-framed” presidential portrait gallery outside the West Wing, but represents Joe Biden only as an auto-pen, mocking Biden’s alleged use of signing devices.
• Panel sees humor and trolling in the move, noting its effective play to Trump’s base (and potential for viral memes).
• Question: Should Biden’s team acknowledge or ignore the trolling? Panel notes the past success of Democrats reclaiming memes (e.g., "Dark Brandon").
• Discussion of Trump’s increasing taste for “gilded” surroundings in the White House.

Quote – Julie Norman [19:28]:
"If you're like in on the joke and if you also thought the same things about Biden... it's antics like this that they find very appealing."

Quote – Carol Walker [19:34]:
"He's somebody who’s in touch with the way other people communicate, a little bit of humor... this is probably one of the slightly more imaginative little devices that Trump has done."

Quote – Julie Norman [23:38]:
“It is getting a bit cartoonish… I’m waiting for, like, gold garden gnomes out in the Rose Garden or something like that. The gold everywhere is definitely a new look… some imperial palatial themes going on.”

5. Seoul Restroom Codes — Social Media Subterfuge

[24:03–27:43]

• A Taiwanese social media user uploads bathroom access codes for Seoul shopping centers, usually reserved for customers.
• Panel muses on the logic and consequences of restricted lavatories in major cities.
• Discussion touches on reasons for such restrictions — keeping out those who might misuse the facilities.
• The general sentiment is sympathy for anyone needing the restroom and support for sharing codes or scrapping restrictions.

Quote – Carol Walker [24:48]:
"If everybody just had decent bathroom facilities and opened them up to everybody, there wouldn't be a problem, would that?"

Quote – Julie Norman [26:00]:
"I'm not going to like buy a toaster just because I need to pee or something... If you need to go, you need to go."

6. Evan Osnos on the Ultra-Rich: Interview Segment

[28:39–37:37]

• New Yorker staff writer Evan Osnos discusses his new book, The Haves and Have-Dispatches on the Ultra Rich.
• Psychological effects: Great wealth creates an echo chamber of privilege and detachment (“compounding power” of isolation).
• Personalities like Mark Zuckerberg attempt to remain relatable, but end up seeming “like a Martian” among ordinary people.
• Social impact: The billionaire class exerts disproportionate influence; addressing it means talking “intelligently about tax” and reconsidering cultural attitudes toward wealth.
• Public frustration is rising with extreme wealth gaps—inequality now rivals or surpasses historical extremes.
• Osnos not personally envious, but found the world of the ultra-wealthy fascinating, anthropologically.

Quote – Evan Osnos [29:26]:
"...it's quite easy to drift off from...the terrestrial experience of the rest of us and end up in a self justifying, self reinforcing realm."

Quote – Evan Osnos [33:23]:
"You simply can't talk about this topic intelligently without talking about tax and...culture is upstream of politics...this celebration of unbounded wealth accumulation...people are getting quite fed up."

Quote – Evan Osnos [35:21]:
"We are living in a period of inequality that is, as one archaeologist put it to me, perhaps greater than it was during the age of the building of the Egyptian pyramids."

Quote – Evan Osnos [36:49]:
"It was almost anthropological...we are living through something really strange by historical standards... I wanted to describe it as evocatively and as detailed as possible..."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Julie Norman on Abbas’s Legitimacy [05:54]:
  “Abysmal...extreme disillusionment, extreme frustration with Abbas.”

• Carol Walker on UK Labour [01:54]:
  “Keir Starmer basically doesn't seem to do anything right...”

• Evan Osnos on Zuck’s Outreach [30:23]:
  “...it had the feeling of a Martian who was coming to meet these people...”

• Andrew Muller on Trump’s Gilded Decor [23:05]:
  “...reminded more and more of the interiors, weirdly specifically the bathrooms of Saddam Hussein’s palaces...”

Summary Timestamps

• British Labour Politics: [01:28–03:21]
• Mahmoud Abbas at the UN / Palestine Recognition: [04:00–10:26]
• Russian Drones Over Denmark / NATO Response: [10:26–17:42]
• Trump’s White House “Walk of Fame”: [17:42–24:03]
• Seoul Bathroom Codes: [24:03–27:43]
• Interview – Evan Osnos on the Ultra-rich: [28:39–37:37]

Tone & Style

The style is insightful, dryly humorous, and occasionally irreverent—staying true to Monocle Daily’s blend of worldly analysis and wry commentary. The panelists offer expertise with wit, and the interview segment adds a reflective depth on contemporary class society.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode delivers wide-ranging, sharp, and often entertaining insights on global politics (Palestine’s status at the UN, Western recognition, and the crisis in UK Labour), security (Russian drones), pop-political culture (Trump’s trolling and White House aesthetics), social quirks (bathroom codes in Seoul), and sociology (the psychology of the ultra-rich). Notable analysis connects hard news to broader trends and human behavior—making it a valuable listen (or recap) for international affairs devotees.