The Rest Is Politics – Episode 450: Question Time: How Gen Z Took Down the Government

Date: September 17, 2025
Hosts: Alastair Campbell, Rory Stewart
Theme:
This episode tackles seismic international developments, with focus on new UN findings on Israel in Gaza, the Gen Z-led revolution in Nepal, Russia's aggressive posture with NATO, sexual violence at UK universities, and the nature of modern “crisis” in politics and society. Campbell and Stewart blend insider insight and lively, nuanced debate.

1. The UN’s Genocide Report on Gaza and the Israeli Offensive

Timestamps: 02:22–12:57

Key Points:

• UN Inquiry: UN declares Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Israel refutes, claims bias; UN likely “putting down a marker” for potential future legal proceedings.
• Escalation: Major Israeli military operation underway, the largest since the October 7, 2023 attack—displacing hundreds of thousands.
• Internal Israeli Doubt:
  • Military leaders are skeptical the operation will bring victory:

    "The military is doing it...reluctantly because they're under orders...without really believing they're going to be able to win the war in this way." — Rory Stewart [03:51]

• International Perception:
  • Actions put remaining hostages at risk, destroy residential blocks with claims of Hamas connection, but likely radicalize a new generation, damaging Israel’s own future.

    "They're radicalizing a new generation in a way that ultimately is going to damage Israel."
    — Alastair Campbell [05:02]

• Israeli vs. International Narrative:
  • Stewart recounts an Israeli friend’s pain, who feels global media does not highlight Hamas's atrocities. Stewart pushes back, noting lack of transparency and questioned motives behind attacks (notably against Qatar).
  • The attack on Qatar alienated even friendly Arab states; UAE flew to Qatar in solidarity, seeing Israel as unpredictable.

    "Why can the Israeli government not see that this is so provocative, so unnecessary, achieves nothing tactically?"
    — Rory Stewart [08:36]

• US–Israel Relations:
  • Netanyahu enjoys strong, almost unconditional support from the US (and by extension, Trump). Stewart likens this "immunity" to how Russia is treated.
• A Humanitarian Catastrophe:
  • Describes worsening conditions for aid, surging malnutrition, and targeting of Gaza aid operations.

    "They have never, ever, ever seen anything quite as bad and quite as difficult as Gaza."
    — Alastair Campbell [10:01]

Notable Quote:

"If there's no real internal reckoning with what's happened, it's going to be very difficult to move on."
— Rory Stewart [11:47]

2. Nepal’s Gen Z Revolution: Why It Mattered

Timestamps: 12:57–21:16

Key Points:

• Background:
  • Nepal, sandwiched between India and China, endured monarchy, Maoist insurgency, and years of unstable coalition governments.
  • Stewart recounts personal recollections: knowing Prince Dipendra, the Crown Prince who infamously killed his family in 2001.
• Gen Z Uprising:
  • Triggered by anger at “Nepo babies” and blatant elite privilege—catalyzed by images of ruling class children with luxury goods, in a nation where the average income equals $1,400/year and one-third of GDP is remittances.

    "They originally started with a campaign against what they called Nepo babies... It's a very poor country..."
    — Rory Stewart [15:09]

• Government Clampdown:
  • Attempted to restrict Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, angering not just activists, but remittance families who rely on those networks.
• Protests Escalate:
  • Peaceful marches turn to violence: burning, destruction, police shooting protesters, dozens dead. Prime Minister resigns within 48 hours.
  • Gen Z protesters help select the new PM, ex-Supreme Court Justice Sushilo Kharki, through the Discord app—a sign of new, tech-enabled democratic engagement.

    "It's a revolution. A very Gen Z revolution... she was chosen...partly through the Discord app..."
    — Rory Stewart [19:02]

• Symbols & Globality:
  • Protesters used One Piece pirate flags, symbolizing a shared, globalized youth protest culture.
  • Campbell highlights grim stories of burn victims, drawing historical parallels with other South Asian uprisings.

Notable Quote:

"What starts as idealistic student demonstrations—suddenly people with masks on, motorbikes start ramming police... within 48 hours, the Prime Minister... had resigned."
— Rory Stewart [17:05]

3. Regional Implications and the ‘South Asian Spring’

Timestamps: 21:16–23:25

Key Points:

• China and India on Edge:
  • Both neighboring powers keen to avoid chaos; Nepal’s turmoil could destabilize regional arrangements.
  • Nepal’s protests compared to past uprisings in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka—each toppling leaders under accusations of corruption.
  • Pattern: Military and security forces initially back regimes, then flip and install caretaker governments—a unique feature among rising middle-income South Asian democracies, driven by social media-fueled unrest.

    "Social media has become a tinderbox, which is why people are talking about...a South Asian spring." — Rory Stewart [23:25]

4. Social Media’s Double-Edged Role

Timestamps: 23:25–25:05

• Links Nepal’s Gen Z movement to the pressures on Western and UK democracy:
  • Social media is making governance within democracies “much harder...than it used to be.”
  • Plug for Stay at School Nepal charity.

5. Russia, NATO, and Trump: "Industrial Scale Gaslighting"

Timestamps: 25:05–32:47

Key Points:

• Russian Drone Strikes:
  • Recent Russian drone attacks on Poland and Romania—widely seen as deliberate, probing NATO’s resolve.
  • Trump’s response: minimizing seriousness. Campbell lambasts Trump’s “I’m not happy but it was probably a mistake” comment as wildly insufficient.

    "Trump's response to this was just extraordinary. It was like, I'm not happy with it, but it was probably a mistake." — Alastair Campbell [24:27]

• US Allies’ Trust Eroded:
  • Trump now seen by allies as unreliable; global adversaries (Russia, Israel) feel emboldened by perceived impunity.
• Trump's Media Manipulation:
  • Trump blames Europe for not sanctioning China, claims “I’ve done enough”—a narrative British press uncritically repeats.
  • Stewart:

    "Every single month he has done something which has strengthened Putin and weakened Ukraine and weakened NATO." [28:34]

• The UK Media and Trump:
  • Comment on how the UK media frames Trump as tough on Russia, despite reality.
  • Channel 4’s plan to debunk “over 100 lies from Trump” during his state visit.

Notable Moment:

"It's kind of industrial scale gaslighting." — Alastair Campbell [29:09]

6. Sexual Violence at University – What’s Changed?

Timestamps: 34:24–44:52

Key Points:

• The Question:
  • Worried parent concerned about shockingly high rates of sexual violence during UK ‘freshers week’.
• Current Campaigns & Tools:
  • "Enough" campaign distributing DNA swab kits at campuses, enabling survivors to preserve evidence if not ready to report immediately.
  • Most incidents unreported—5 in 6 women and 90% of students do not report rape or sexual assault.

    "A woman today is twice as likely to be raped as to get cancer."
    — Alastair Campbell [36:12]

• Causes and Solutions:
  • Cites rise of sexual violence; speculation that increased porn consumption is distorting young men’s understanding of sex and consent.
  • Stewart calls for explicit, scenario-based consent education, including modeling respectful conduct.
  • Stat: 8% of women at university estimated to be raped, 62% to experience sexual violence.
  • Many universities still don’t treat the issue with sufficient seriousness; police and reporting structures fail women.
• Political Weaponization:
  • Ties wave of hard-right rhetoric (e.g., Tommy Robinson invoking rape as an immigrant crime issue), with reminder that high-profile rapes are also perpetrated by white Britons—recent example in West Midlands.
  • Sexual violence weaponized for culture war politics.
• Effectiveness of New Measures:
  • Debate if swab kit deterrence works—Stewart skeptical, given many perpetrators do not believe they’re committing rape due to poor education and social norms.
  • Both agree: real change is through sustained cultural shift and involving men more deeply in education and prevention.

    "Education is absolute key to this." — Alastair Campbell [41:05]

Notable Quote:

"Many of the men committing these things do not think they're raping someone and therefore the fact that someone has a rape test kit I don't think is going to make, I'm afraid, as much difference..." — Rory Stewart [43:23]

7. Modern Crisis: What Does It Really Mean?

Timestamps: 44:52–49:06

Key Points:

• Definition of Crisis:
  • Stewart: original meaning is “decision” from Greek—decisive moment.
  • Campbell:

    "My definition of crisis is an event, set of events, or situation which threatens to overwhelm the organization unless the right decisions are made." [45:43]

• Media Overuse:
  • Modern media and politics overuse “crisis”—Campbell claims there were only about six true crises during the Blair years.
• Starmer’s Predicament:
  • The current UK government’s situation is tough, but not an existential crisis yet. Starmer’s main missteps: ruling out tax rises, failing to capitalize on global defense shifts post-Trump.
  • To escape crisis: “Be a good, strong, solid Labour government.”
• Media and Politics Interface:
  • Discussion closes with Stewart revealing Campbell advised making David Miliband ambassador to the US—a rare inside scoop.

Memorable Quotes and Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote / Moment | |------------|----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:51 | Stewart | "The military is doing it...reluctantly because they're under orders...without really believing they're going to be able to win the war in this way." | | 05:02 | Campbell | "They're radicalizing a new generation in a way that ultimately is going to damage Israel." | | 08:36 | Stewart | "Why can the Israeli government not see that this is so provocative, so unnecessary, achieves nothing tactically?"| | 10:01 | Campbell | "They have never, ever, ever seen anything quite as bad and quite as difficult as Gaza." | | 11:47 | Stewart | "If there's no real internal reckoning with what's happened, it's going to be very difficult to move on."| | 17:05 | Stewart | "What starts as idealistic student demonstrations...within 48 hours, the Prime Minister...had resigned."| | 23:25 | Stewart | "Social media has become a tinderbox, which is why people are talking about...a South Asian spring." | | 29:09 | Campbell | "It's kind of industrial scale gaslighting." | | 36:12 | Campbell | "A woman today is twice as likely to be raped as to get cancer." | | 41:05 | Campbell | "Education is absolute key to this." | | 43:23 | Stewart | "Many of the men committing these things do not think they're raping someone and therefore the fact that someone has a rape test kit I don't think is going to make, I'm afraid, as much difference..." | | 45:43 | Campbell | "My definition of crisis is an event, set of events, or situation which threatens to overwhelm the organization unless the right decisions are made." |

Podcast Takeaways

• The world’s geopolitical fabric is under stress: entrenched conflicts, a new wave of youth-led revolutions, and political leaderships unwilling or unable to adjust.
• The transformative—and destabilizing—power of social media, especially among younger generations, is now challenging old power structures.
• Sexual violence persists as an under-addressed societal crisis, easily politicized but requiring deep structural and cultural change.
• The language and perception of “crisis” in media and politics is both overstated and misunderstood—decisions matter as much as circumstances.
• Throughout, Campbell and Stewart demonstrate how debate can remain sharp but civil, with humor and candor even in the most serious topics.

For Further Information:

• “Enough” campaign: myenough.com/kit
• Stay at School Nepal charity
• Discord’s political use in Nepal (and elsewhere)

This summary provides a clear, comprehensive account of the episode’s arguments, debates, and insights—capturing both hosts’ distinctive approaches and the relevance of the issues covered for listeners interested in UK and global politics.