The rest is politics - “The Taliban took over the country and it's much safer”

[HiggledyPiggledy33]

Just outraged at what I’ve just heard in the rest is politics.

They are discussing why aren’t we boycotting Afghanistan, and I can’t believe what Rory is saying.

“For the first time in over 20 years, you can travel safely through the country.”

Well maybe you can Rory, but I don’t think women can - is that fine? Throw half the population under the bus, as long as you’re OK.

“The Taliban have very repressive views on women, but they've also in other ways changed”
oh well that’s ok then.

“We're in a culture now where it really suits a lot of people, particularly on the far right, to emphasise Muslim countries where women are not treated correctly”
Women not being treated correctly is the problem. Once that’s sorted, let’s look at any sensitivity about muslims.

From The Rest Is Politics: Question Time: Assad’s People - Syria, Torture, and Justice, 9 Jan 2025

I know people have mentioned RS’s school. Having gone to a boarding school for a bit, I think it is relevant. Mine was co-ed but there was definitely a hierarchy from boarding boys to the lowest, being day girls. The boarding boys were in a different league. They created lots of social rules for others to adhere to and the bonds and ‘honour’ between them was strong. Good prep for the military I think. Emotionally I think they were different because we were going home to our families each night and they weren’t. There was no mum or dad to be there and do the caring day to day. Being in the cricket team was a substitute. I can see why RS thinks cricket should go ahead as in his type of school in would have taken on more importance.

There’s websites on how boarding schools screw people’s relationships and families up. It’s not a natural thing to do to children.

I quite like Political Currency despite not liking George Osborne much at all. It's patently a clone of the TRIP format but more UK focused.

They aren't anywhere near as smug as Alistair and Rory. The Guardian politics podcasts are also worth a listen imo.

There is a difference between being actively misogynistic e.g. the Taliban, and just not having a clue because you never stopped to think about it.

But would you say the same about someone being racist or homophobic in a similar way? Would you excuse them by saying they just don't have a clue because they've never stopped to think about it? Or is it just women that that applies to?

I don't see why an intelligent, educated, middle-aged man should get away with being a sort of passive misogynist because he's never stopped to think about women's lives. How has the existence of half the human race completely passed him by for over 50 years?

There is a difference between being actively misogynistic e.g. the Taliban, and just not having a clue because you never stopped to think about it.

It's the smug certainty and moral righteousness with which he pontificates on subject he has 'never stopped to think about' that's the issue.

Charles Spencer's book about his experience of boarding school is very good.

He talks about how in his class adults will talk about how 'my parents were the best possible parents' before saying those same parents sent them to boarding school age 7 ignoring any evidence of abuse.

Apparently he gets accosted at book fairs by toffs telling him he is a 'class traitor'.

I don't see why an intelligent, educated, middle-aged man should get away with being a sort of passive misogynist because he's never stopped to think about women's lives. How has the existence of half the human race completely passed him by for over 50 years?

Me neither. Depressing.

@EdithStourton I just can’t understand how you can set yourself up as an expert on Afghanistan and not stop to think about the plight of women there. I suspect if you stopped random people in the street and asked what they knew about Afghanistan, a healthy number would cite the shocking treatment of women as the first thing that came to mind.

They don't think women are people.

A person walked into a room = a man walked into a room. Women are somehow other and not equal

I don't think Rory Stewart is at all stupid and The Places in Between is beautifully written, but he has a blind spot that is common to lots of men of his background. The worst thing about it is that he could look at this if he chose to do so. He just doesn't think it's important. I can't listen to him any more.

I’ve switched to the News Agents. Good topics and a strong intelligent assertive Emily Maitlis takes centre stage and dominates the male presenters who defer to her. Much better vibe.

I used to like TRIP but will stop listening due to the smug passive misogyny displayed.

I enjoy the News Agents too, although it's a bit much when all three of them are in at the same time! Love Emily Maitlis

I haven't tried the News Agents yet. But I have dropped TRIP, so will replace I think

I can’t imagine in a million years Emily maitlis saying that about the Taliban.

I won’t listen to all male news / politics podcasts now have heard quite enough of
mens opinions over the last 50 years thank you very much

Genuine suggestion - have you considered making your own podcast? Really easy to do and you have opinions that you could share with the world. About TRIP or whatever you want.

I’ll be your first listener!

Ha thank you but too busy running round after teens and the clients of my business!

Will leave that to Emily Maitlis!

He thinks intending to rape a girl is cause for jokes?

In all honesty, I think sexism (if not misogyny) runs so very deep that society is saturated in it, and it is hard to see it. I'm not making excuses, I'm saying that it's like unpeeling an onion, and it takes time.

I think that's true.

It's unforgivable and as I said, I can't and won't listen to him anymore

What incident does this relate to, is it in that book mentioned

I think this is the incident the PP was referring to in The Places In Between.

Eventually and very reluctantly, he said goodbye and ordered two of his soldiers to accompany me to Maidan Shahr. My escorts were new to their jobs and far from their home villages. The older of them, Nasir, was seventeen and had just returned from six weeks in Tehran. His clean-shaven chin and his yellow-tinted aviator sunglasses were the legacy of this trip. Just outside Siahak we passed a girl who looked fourteen. She glanced at us as she was drawing water. ‘Shall we catch her and fuck her?’ he asked. His friend laughed loudly. Nasir asked, ‘How do you say “fuck” in English?’ and repeated my answer over and over again, laughing more each time. In Iran, people had often wanted to talk about the beauty of Persian girls, but Afghans, like Pakistani villagers, had never discussed women with me.

Fucking hell.

Well, yeah, you'd think.
It's not computing yet for RS, I suspect one day it will.

@HiggledyPiggledy33 I heard that and was absolutely shocked. Usually I’d tweet at them and tell them what I thought but I’ve given up on that one, tbh. They are two chaps talking, often very knowledgeably, about world politics but they simply don’t get women’s issues. Or they don’t rank very high for them.

When asked about their ‘parents’ some time ago, they both launched into descriptions of their fathers and the effects they’d had on them. I don’t know about AC’s mum but Rory’s is a personality in her own right, astonishing woman.

Having said that, I think they are trying to address women’s issues slightly more, Alastair particularly. I don’t know if Fiona has been having a go, or whether the Rest Is team has been seeing too much criticism of them on women.

They are of course unrepentantly ignorant of the effect of gender identity theory on women’s rights. I’ll never forget Rory’s excitement at travelling in a light aircraft in the US with Dylan Mulvaney.

They are also struggling to understand that one of the Democrats’ problems was their enthusiastic embrace of identity politics.

I’ll never forget Rory’s excitement at travelling in a light aircraft in the US with Dylan Mulvaney.

Whut? The miniscule drop of patience I had left for listening to RS has just evaporated completely.