Tough Decisions

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

This week, as Rachel Reeves delivers the first Labour budget in 15 years, we’re talking about ‘tough decisions'.

What’s a tough decision? Why is language around budgets so slippery? And why doesn’t anyone drink at the dispatch box anymore?

A longer version, where Armando recalls making The Thick of It during austerity, and discuss whether Ed Miliband was really ’toss enough’ is available on BBC Sounds.

Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio certified production.

In this new series, Helen Lewis and Armando Iannucci investigate which political buzzwords are strong and stable and which are a crock of covfefe.

Each week Helen and Armando will crack open the political phrasebook and attempt to decode the doublespeak. Why does everything now have to be 'turbo-charged'? What's the difference between a 'pledge' and a 'mission'? Why has my local MP been 'weaponised' and should I be worried?

You'll be treated to a crash course in the dark arts of political language from two people both baffled and beguiled by it. They'll walk you through the various verbal fiascos of the modern political lexicon so that by the end you'll be oven-ready for an appearance on Newsnight.

Warning: this podcast features strong political language that some listeners may find nonsensical.

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.

• No. of episodes: 28
• Latest episode: 2025-05-01
• Comedy

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