Standard Issue Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Bush Telegraph: Hey, hey, there's no monkeys May 14, 2026

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With Labour suffering huge losses in last week’s local elections, Hannah and Jen look at the wholesale batshittery of the reaction to it, from the party itself and the media, as well as misinformation and the women (allegedly) begging Nigel Farage to “save them”. Thank God for the nuns, and the slightly safer territory of end-of-season football and tennis’s clay season.

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Rated or Dated: Mulholland Drive (2001) May 13, 2026

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Take off all your clothes and climb into bed with your female pal, as David Lynch’s twisty neo-noir nightmare-dream that tickles the seedy underbelly of Hollywood gets Rated or Dated. Join Mick, Hannah and Jen, as they ask questions, such as ‘what the fuck is happening?’, ‘who cares?’ and ‘WHY?’ about a film some regard as one of the greatest movies of the 21st century. Is that a dolphin? What’s in this Twinkie? WHO CARES.

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Exposing the cost of extreme porn May 12, 2026

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Professor Clare McGlynn is fighting the good fight when it comes to tackling the growing harms of extreme porn. She chats to Hannah about her new book, Exposed: The Rise of Extreme Porn and How We Fight Back, not being cool with the kids and how we're all having worse sex because of porn, whether we watch it or not.

* You can buy Clare's book here

* More info on ad-free listening and bonus content here: Standard Issue Podcast | creating a magazine for ears, by women for women | Patreon

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The Family Lawyer’s guide to courts, with Laura Naser May 11, 2026

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The family courts in England and Wales are going through some changes. In particular, a move to a 'child-focused' approach – designed to minimise trauma and cut a huge backlog of cases. But what does that really mean? Weren’t the family courts already child-focused? And will the changes really help victims of domestic abuse? Jen got on the Zoom with Laura Naser, award-winning partner in family law at Penningtons Manches Cooper, and author of The Family Lawyer’s Guide to Separation and Divorce.

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The Bush Telegraph: Are we all still going on a summer holiday? May 07, 2026

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Laura Jackson, Deputy Head of Travel at the Times and the Sunday Times, joins Hannah to talk about the very many questions facing us all right now when it comes to booking a holiday. Where is safe to visit? How are the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East affecting long-haul flights? Should we boycott America? What are the new rules at EU borders? Are anti-tourism protests in Europe here to stay? And are the price of jet fuel and mass cancellations by airlines going to make travel unaffordable? Plus there's some important, but maybe surprising, news about the expiry date on your passport.

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Rated or Dated: Barb Wire (1996) May 06, 2026

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Nineties Baywatch babe (don’t call her that) Pamela Anderson was ridiculed for her part in David Hogan’s adaptation of Dark Horse Comics’ Barb Wire. But was she unfairly scapegoated for the resulting box office flop? Does it have any feminist credentials? And will Hannah be as delighted as Jen by its unlikely holy matrimony of Diagnosis Murder and Shortland Street?

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Iron: the hill Rose Stokes won’t die on May 05, 2026

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Aged 38, journalist Rose Stokes felt not quite right, in fact, she felt not at all well. Doctors quickly dismissed her concerns as either exhaustion from the demands of her two young children, or – classic! – perimenopause, and it wasn’t until a blood test found Rose to be iron deficient that it all began to make sense. When Rose wrote about her experience for the Guardian, she was inundated with messages from other women who’d felt similarly dismissed.

Jen chats to Rose about her experience, why iron deficiency is a feminist issue, and why the growing conversation around perimenopause might now be tipping the balance when it comes to addressing women’s health.

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Discovering Paula Bartley’s trailblazing women May 04, 2026

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Dr Paula Bartley is a women’s historian and author of the new book, Trailblazers: The First Women Elected to Government, in which she uncovers some incredible stories about extraordinary women. She’s chatting to Mick about the (roller coaster) rise of women in global government, the boon of war and revolution when it comes to political equality, and a really impressive nun.

Trailblazers is published by Polity on May 8, but available for pre-order now.

Tickets for the launch event at Church of Saint Magnus-the-Martyr, London, on May 27 are available here.

As ever, there’s more chat available for our £5 and above patreons, so if you’re not already involved visit patreon.com/standardissue to find out more. We’ve a free trial period, if that tickles your pickle.

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Protecting our elderly, with Kate Snell May 01, 2026

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David Barton, a Southport-based care home owner who preyed on wealthy, elderly residents to fund a lavish lifestyle, was jailed for 21 years in 2018. In today's podcast, Hannah chats to Kate Snell about her new book, The Care Home Swindler, which recounts Barton's case, and why, at a time where we don't always respect the elderly, it remains important.

Kate's book is available to buy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-care-home-swindler/kate-snell/9781408723425

More about supporting Standard Issue here: Standard Issue Podcast | creating a magazine for ears, by women for women | Patreon

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The Bush Telegraph: The (G)rapes of wrath Apr 30, 2026

Show notes

If the thought of a rapist having his cock mangled by very sharp plastic teeth is your thing, have we got news for you. We have! In fact, Mick and Jen have got not one, but two positive stories about rape for you this week. Albeit served with a shit sorbet of some truly horrible stats around domestic violence and suicide.

In SOTW, Mick (49-year-old mother of none) is choosing not to judge Cameron Diaz and inviting you to join her, while in JOTB, Jen’s chatting darts, swooning at Allyson Felix and sharing the most Trumpesque demand not to be made by Trump.

Rape Crisis has a 24-hour support line: 0808 500 2222 or online https://247sexualabusesupport.org.uk/

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