The Peter McCormack Show – PMQs #004

"I'm Withdrawing My Consent from the British State"

Host: Peter McCormack
Guest: Connor (Bedford Crew)
Date: December 15, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Peter McCormack has a candid and passionate discussion about his growing disillusionment with the British political system, the failings of democracy, and the broader generational despair afflicting British youth. After a pivotal week of reflection—sparked by watching the Piers Morgan interview with Nick Fuentes—Peter announces a fundamental shift in his own approach: he is "withdrawing consent" from the British state by refusing to participate in or legitimize a system he believes is irreparably broken. The episode delves into themes of institutional decay, generational betrayal, youth disenfranchisement, political media spectacles, and the urgent need for systemic change and limitations on government power.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Inflection Point: Peter's Change of Heart

• Peter's week of intense reading and writing led to a breaking point regarding faith in political institutions. The catalyst was watching Piers Morgan's combative interview with Nick Fuentes.
• Peter expresses disillusionment with "left vs. right" politics, culture wars, and government decay, recognizing that underlying incentives in government doom it to failure (00:20–05:40).
• Quote (Peter, 02:24): "I'm done pretending that what we have here, this democracy... works anymore. I'm done. I'm over it."

2. The Futility of Voting and Structural Disenfranchisement

• Peter and Connor agree that voting for different parties changes little; all parties ultimately maintain the decaying status quo (02:49–06:54).
• Peter argues that not voting is itself a form of protest and "a vote of no confidence" (06:54–07:18).
• Quote (Peter, 06:58): "I think not voting is a vote. Spoiling your paper is a vote. You're making a point."

3. The Piers Morgan vs. Nick Fuentes Interview: A Generational Lens

• Peter’s perception shifts after seeing the reactions of younger viewers online. Initially, he supported Piers Morgan's performance, but backlash reveals a generational disconnect (08:57–11:46).
• Connor explains that online discourse is driven by "games of memes and clips," not direct debate victories (11:02–11:46).
• Quote (Peter, 11:46): "Our generation had Eminem... It was the same shock factor."

Examining Cultural Outrage and Youth Alienation

• Peter analogizes the Fuentes broadcast to generational reactions to Eminem, noting shock value is a form of rebellion.
• After a second viewing, he gains empathy for youth anger—many feel betrayed by a rigged system (12:05–14:58).
• Quote (Peter, 13:35): "Why do so many people tune in to [Fuentes'] livestream every night and love what he's saying? ...Who are these people who are nodding along and agreeing? That's the bigger issue."

4. Critique of Media and Generational Outrage

• Peter reflects that mainstream figures (like Piers Morgan) remain trapped in 'regime' thinking, expressing prescribed moral outrage rather than addressing real generational grievances (19:20–21:26).
• He notes the necessity of moving past moral outrage towards actionable change, highlighting how expressing outrage accomplishes nothing for disenfranchised youth (21:26–25:18).
• Quote (Peter, 21:26): "Your moral outrage is not getting rid of Nick Fuentes... So what are you going to do about it?"

5. The Lost Opportunity and Intergenerational Betrayal

• Peter and Connor discuss how their generation enjoyed far more opportunity and hope—and how these have been taken from today's youth through policy choices, debt, and economic stagnation (25:18–27:00).
• Quote (Peter, 26:00): "We’ve sold the opportunity and the hope of the younger generation to not have recessions. It’s as simple as that."

6. Institutional Collapse and Legitimacy Crisis

• Increasing loss of trust in all institutions (politics, media, finance, and more).
• Both left (Greens) and right (Reform) surges are seen as symptoms of a systemic collapse, not ideological shifts; trust in the machinery of democracy is broken (30:36–36:36).
• Quote (Peter, 30:40): "The rise of Reform and the rise of the Greens are the same movement... It's a collapse in trust in the state."

7. Parallels on Despair: Grace Blakeley's "Generation Despair" Article

• Peter draws direct connections between his own views and Grace Blakeley’s recent writing, showing broad agreement across ideological divides on diagnosis of youth despair (35:25–39:44).
• Quote (Grace Blakely, read by Peter): “For decades, capitalism in Britain has survived on the basis of an implicit intergenerational bargain… That bargain has collapsed and young people know it.” (36:04)
• Connor and Peter note the only divergence is in proposed solutions—socialist policies vs. systemic overhaul.

8. Systemic Focus: Beyond Policy to Limitations on Power

• Both hosts argue that no party—be it Greens, Reform, or Labour—can fix the root issues; the system itself incentivizes short-termism, power retention, and generational theft (42:36–44:00).
• Peter advocates for fundamental change: constitutional limits on power, not just swapping rulers (44:00–50:00).
• Quote (Peter, 44:01): “If you were deliberately designing a system to hollow out the next generation, it would look exactly like this.”

9. The Solution: Cultural (and Constitutional) Revolution

• Peter sees only a new cultural revolution—uniting left and right to constrain government power—as viable (44:00–51:00).
• He challenges listeners to identify any improvement from government in the last 30 years, inviting debate (50:00–51:48).
• Quote (Peter, 50:00): “If you can't give me a good answer, you are just selfish... If you want that better world for our kids, you have to do this—you have to be like me and go, okay, we got to change this.”

10. Media Approaches: Patrick Bet-David vs. Piers Morgan

• Peter points to Patrick Bet-David’s more empathetic, 'adult in the room' interview style with Nick Fuentes as the model for meaningful conversation with figures outside the mainstream (52:11–56:37).
• Quote (Patrick Bet-David, 52:18): “For a person who knows how to communicate as well as you do, when you use those words, you get an average person to question your intelligence. And you don’t need to do that.”
• Peter praises Bet-David for “respecting the guest” and trying to effect responsibility in a younger generation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Political Disillusionment & Not Voting

• Peter (06:58): "I think not voting is a vote. Spoiling your paper is a vote. You're making a point."

On Generational Betrayal

• Peter (26:00): "We've sold the opportunity and the hope of the younger generation."

On Cultural Outrage

• Peter (21:26): "Your moral outrage is not getting rid of Nick Fuentes... So what are you going to do about it?"

On Comparative Movements (Left & Right)

• Peter (30:40): "The rise of Reform and the rise of the Greens are the same movement... It's a collapse in trust in the state."

On Systemic Change vs Party Politics

• Peter (44:01): "If you were deliberately designing a system to hollow out the next generation, it would look exactly like this."

On Solutions

• Peter (50:00): “If you can't give me a good answer, you are just selfish... If you want that better world for our kids, you have to do this—you have to be like me and go, okay, we got to change this.”

Key Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------------|------------| | Peter’s Inflection/Self-Reflection | 00:20–05:40| | Voting Disillusionment; Political Incentives | 02:49–07:18| | Piers Morgan vs. Nick Fuentes Segment | 08:57–14:58| | Peter’s Reading of Audience Backlash | 09:36–11:46| | Generational Anger / Opportunity Lost | 25:18–27:00| | Institutional Collapse – Left/Right Movements | 30:36–36:36| | Grace Blakeley Article Comparison | 35:25–39:44| | Institutional Limits / Call for Revolution | 44:00–51:00| | Patrick Bet-David vs. Piers Morgan Interview | 52:11–56:37|

Tone & Style

• The episode is blunt, introspective, and impassioned.
• Peter’s personal frustration and moral urgency are at the fore, alternating between exasperation, self-examination, and sharp criticism.
• Language moves from conversational banter with Connor to intense, almost manifesto-like declarations.

Conclusion

Peter McCormack uses this episode as a public reckoning, declaring a withdrawal of consent from what he sees as a broken, unfixable system. He urges his listeners—across the political spectrum—to do the same, focusing not on party politics, but on instituting structural limitations to fix the root causes of generational decline. He calls for unity, honesty, and an unprecedented cultural revolution to restore hope for the youth and repair the nation’s future.

Closing line (Peter, 56:37): "This is my commitment now. I am laser focused—this is all you’re going to hear me talk about now: limitations on power.”