The Rest Is Politics – Question Time: Andrew’s Disgrace, Newsnight, and a Centrist Win in the Netherlands

Podcast: The Rest Is Politics
Episode: 465
Hosts: Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart
Date: November 6, 2025

Overview

In this lively Question Time edition, Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart tackle topical questions from listeners, dissecting the media storm around Prince Andrew and the monarchy, the Dutch election’s rejection of far-right populism, Trump’s meeting with President Xi, campaign strategies, and more. The hosts highlight cultural blind spots, interrogate the British media’s obsessions, and bring their trademark blend of candor, disagreement, and wit.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Fallout of Prince Andrew & the Monarchy

• The Newsnight Interview & Media Focus

  • Rory recounts his frustration with being invited to discuss his book on Newsnight, only to be ambushed with Prince Andrew questions. He describes the experience:

    “I developed a very, very strong frustration. Now, on the record, it is horrifying what happened to Virginia Giuffre and others... But... I’m very conscious. There is Trump, there is Xi, there is the British economy, there’s the debt getting out of control. And I sort of felt... we were back in a kind of world of British newspapers wanting for their entire headlines for two weeks to talk about what happened 25 years ago.” — Rory Stewart [03:38–05:06]

  • Alastair empathizes with Rory’s irritation, noting he himself advised Rory not to go on the show under manipulated pretenses. [06:31–06:44]

• Elite Accountability & Public Avoidance

  • Rory suggests the British public and media use figures like Prince Andrew as lightning rods to avoid confronting larger, structural failings:

    “We like a villain, going after a particular individual rather than looking at the big, knotty, deep issues... The British press loves the idea we’re holding powerful people to account—but we’re not really.” — Rory Stewart [05:23–06:13]

  • Both hosts agree, however, there’s a broader issue of the elite being seen as “above public scrutiny.” [08:08]

• Double Standards & Cultural Comparisons

  • Rory invokes Senator George Mitchell, noting he was accused by the same victim but not hounded by the media:

    “Why is the British media not talking about this?” — Rory Stewart [09:17]

  • Alastair speculates on cultural factors:

    “The three people most identified with Epstein are Ghislaine Maxwell, Peter Mandelson, and former Prince Andrew—all Brits. Is there something about American culture that says we care less about this?” — Alastair Campbell [10:41]

• Broader Abuse and Hypocrisy

  • Rory calls out societal hypocrisy and the prevalence of abuse beyond elites:

    “Hundreds of thousands of men in this country who pay for sex... are absolutely embroiled in... vulnerable, trafficked women, who get to feel good about themselves getting cross with somebody else.” — Rory Stewart [09:58–10:39]

2. Dutch Election: Centrist Resurgence and Fragmented Politics

• Results & Context

  • Rory summarizes the complex Dutch parliamentary results and fragmentation:

    “D66, equivalent to Lib Dems, got 26 seats; PVV (Wilders’ far right) 26; VVD (right-wing liberals/Tories) 22; Green Labour (Timmermans) 20…” — Rory Stewart [13:23]

  • Alastair and Rory agree the result is a fracturing of both left and right, making coalition-building difficult, but with a centrist victory from Rob Jetten.

• Analysis of Far-Right and New Leadership

  • Alastair notes:

    “Historically, what happens with the far right is that when they get anywhere near power, they tend to fail with power.” [14:09]

  • Rory highlights the effect:

    “...If you combine, compared to 2023, the far right got 41 seats. This time they've got 42.” [13:58]

  • The new centrist face, Rob Jetten, is discussed as youthful, charismatic, and proposing bold policies like “building 10 new cities.” [16:34–17:00]

• Broader Implications for Democracy

  • The hosts relate Dutch fragmentation to the UK:

    “Tories might literally disappear as a party... The right is now fractured, the left is fractured, and we still have a voting system... for the big two.” — Alastair Campbell [17:07] “What was a two-party system is now a five-party system, at least.” — Rory Stewart [17:43]

3. Trump, Xi, and Geopolitics

• Trump’s ‘12 out of 10’ Meeting

  • The hosts lampoon Trump’s penchant for exaggeration:

    “Part of Trump's inability to say anything without it being untruthful, exaggerated and hyperbolic.” — Alastair Campbell [22:16]

• Tariffs, Trade, and China’s Strategy

  • Rory deciphers tariff-speak:

    “He just cut the fentanyl tariff from 20% to 10%... the average tariff on China has gone down from 57% to 47%.” [22:45]

  • Discussion of China's dominance in rare earths:

    “They control 85, 90% of the world's processing of copper, nickel, lithium, cobalt and the rare earths. By cutting them off...he essentially shuts the world down.” — Rory Stewart [24:12]

• Shifting Alliances & The US as a Threat

  • Rory relays remarks from a Dutch official:

    “The country that’s done the most damage to the European Union... is not actually China or Russia, it's the United States.” [25:36]

• Survey of America vs. China

  • Alastair brings up a Dublin anecdote:

    “The numbers on which is the greatest threat to global stability were quite extraordinary. 80% said America.” — Alastair Campbell [26:52]

  • Rory notes Trump targeted Canada with punitive tariffs over an ad aired in Ontario, impacting the entire Canadian economy. [27:18]

4. Campaigning: Door Knocking vs. Social Media

• Effectiveness of Door Knocking

  • Rory’s reflection:

    “You’re knocking on 40,000 doors... team of eight people…80% nobody’s in…the ones who answer say, ‘I’m never voting Tory in my life.’” [28:35]

  • Modern data-driven tactics—like flagging “edamame bean buyers” as Lib Dems—didn’t prove effective. [28:56]
  • Both hosts remain skeptical of the old school campaign but admire grassroots, village-hall style politics working for anti-Orbán forces in Hungary. [29:40]

• Peter Hyman’s Social Media Advice for Keir Starmer

  • Alastair highlights Hyman’s ideas: “Keir Unfiltered,” a Keir Starmer podcast, PMQ-prep behind the scenes, etc. [32:10–33:06]
  • Rory doubts if Starmer can convincingly pull off ‘fireside chat’ style content:

    “He doesn’t really Kick back, does he? He’d be like, ‘I had fish fingers for dinner tonight.’” — Rory Stewart [33:21]

  • Both endorse multiple campaign methods—a blend is needed.

5. Rest Is Politics Listener Demographics

• The hosts speculate on the age, gender, and nationality of their listeners:

  “We’re very, very heavily slanted...towards people under 30.” — Rory Stewart [34:44] “I’d say probably more male than female…quite a lot of youngish men, 30s.” — Alastair Campbell [35:03] “Just over half of our listeners are British…large number now in Ireland, Australia, quite a lot in the US, Germany, France, New Zealand, Netherlands.” — Rory Stewart [35:40]

6. Book Recommendations & Personal Moments

• Alastair recommends “The Bagpipes: A Cultural History,” while Rory mentions “Notebooks of a Wandering Monk” by Matthieu Ricard and “Finest Hotel in Kabul” by Andrew North.
• The segment closes with a lighter exchange about bagpipes in history and Rory’s appreciation for Alastair reading from his late father’s will in the previous episode.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On cultural scapegoating:

  “It’s more convenient to find somebody who is…eighth in line to the throne, hasn’t had a public office for 15 years…This whole thing takes all the oxygen.” — Rory Stewart [05:49]

• On campaign grunt work:

  “I found even 2010, 2015, 2017…when I was running, that door knocking, leafletting was a very, very strange activity.” — Rory Stewart [28:33]

• On young, centrist leaders:

  “Rob Jetten…very young, very charismatic, very handsome young guy. So people are looking for something different.” — Alastair Campbell [16:34]

• On Western dependence on China:

  “We’ve lost the technological capacity to do this because we’ve had China doing it for us for the last 10, 20 years.” — Rory Stewart [25:07]

• On survey results about global stability:

  "80% said America [is a greater threat than China].” — Alastair Campbell [26:52]

• On ‘banging on’:

  “What would Keir bang on about?” — Rory Stewart [34:09]
  “He bangs on about his dad’s job—Toolmaker.” — Alastair Campbell [34:15]

Key Timestamps

• 03:38 — Rory explains his frustration with Newsnight and the Prince Andrew controversy
• 08:08 — Alastair discusses power, transparency, and the lasting damage to the monarchy
• 13:23–17:00 — Detailed breakdown of Dutch election results and implications
• 22:02–24:12 — Trump’s Xi meeting, tariffs, and global trade maneuvering
• 28:33–34:27 — Campaign methods: door knocking, social media, and Hyman’s strategy suggestions
• 34:44–35:56 — Listener demographic discussion and international audience
• 36:07–37:44 — Book recommendations and personal/friendly banter

Concluding Tone

Throughout, Campbell and Stewart play off one another’s perspectives with self-deprecating humour and intellectual honesty, never shying from disagreement but always returning to substance and the bigger picture.

This summary captures the episode’s major themes, key arguments, and memorable exchanges, giving listeners an engaging snapshot of UK and world affairs, media culture, and the evolving landscape of politics—delivered with intelligence, wit, and a dose of scepticism.