I'm a staunch Labour voter, but Stewart is one Tory I have real respect for. Tragic that decent people like him tend not to rise to the top.

Rory Stewart; the best Prime Minister we’ve never had. Intelligence, integrity, a thoroughly decent human being.

Rory - it's highly probable that more people have heard of and are influenced by you through your podcast than when you were an MP. And people will be more genuinely informed about the world of politics.

Why oh why isn't this guy running or guiding the country through a new system of election of government of this country? Honest, honourable and smart. 3 words I cannot use for 99 percent of politicians today from any party. Keep stating how it is Rory. You are a breath of fresh air.

It sounds exactly like being a consultant in Emergency Medicine for the last 10 years. The sense of despair and absolute hopelessness. The only difference being that my colleagues in the ED are wonderful, kind people. I'm from a working class background, have been a doctor for 25 years a life long, left wing, labour voter. Despite this, I absolutely admire Rory Stewart. I'm a huge fan of his podcast and wish he was leading our country. He's the best prime minster we never had.

Excellent interview. I'm halfway through Rory's book and I think it highlights that the people's instincts about politicians and the institutions are correct. Rotten indeed. Such a shame the system rejects decent capable people and rewards liars and frauds.

Rory is brilliant. Unlike so many politicians he has integrity.

What a decent and intelligent man Rory is!!!

I yearn for.a government that has moral integrity, and always aims to work for the best interests of the country and all its people (not just the ones with money). It's more important to me than whether they're moderately left or moderately right (although I've always voted labour), but we're so far away from that, I despair that it would ever be possible. Rory seems like a man with integrity, I wish there were more like him in politics.

Rory is the best PM we never had. He is also an excellent writer, there are 127 reservations for the 15 copies of his new book held by West Sussex libraries.

I have such respect for this man - I think he is basically honest and cares about what he does and its consequences for us all. If only he had stayed and reached Prime Minister, I think we would all have benefitted and the country would be a very different and better place now than it is.

Rory - given how important being an MP is, should there be a prerequisite degree course ? I'd like to see an MP course involving 6 weeks as a learning support in a state school, or as a hospital porter, or in a refugee centre or 6 weeks on universal credit... PS do not underestimate the power of your podcast. I know it is affecting politics more than you think. PPS I just ordered your book from the library. 79 reservations before mine! For a book on politics that's unheard of!

Interviews with Rory and James O'Brien. Excellent stuff.

Rory Stewart has amazing intelligence, understanding and knowledge. It would be great if the politicians of today would have even half of Rory in them. Very interesting interview.

Rory, you are a good human and you can do more good on the edge of politics.

I recently discovered The Rest Is Politics KZfaq channel and have been thoroughly impressed with Rory, in particular, and Alastair. As an American, I find myself fascinated by the democracy in Great Britain in comparison with the Trumpian shitshow we have here in the US. What I see sadly is that there are many similarities. Rory has some great ideas for reform, but none of it will pass without help. Great interview here!

It’s interesting that Rory still feels he has and wants, at some level, a future in British politics. For me, I think he is now doing far more good for our politics on the outside looking in than being in the House of Commons. I just hope that those in power recognise his views.

Rory might be howling at the moon but there are many of us listening.

The book had me gripped (and appalled in equal measure from start to finish. Thank you Rory Stewart. I was so relieved when you became i/c prisons - at LAST, competence, hope and determination to mend this broken system, then whoops you were whisked off somewhere else. What a truly mad system of politics we have. Jane Soole, 80 years, Dorset.

I'd vote for somebody like Rory Stewart and I'm an English ex-pat living in Scotland who votes SNP/Green! What a refreshing breath of air this man is.

One can see that Rory believes what he says, and what he says has a strong moral streak. It almost seems that his type of politician is a throw-back to a golden age of honest politicians, except of course that there never was a golden age of honest politicians. Rory's value system is needed now more than ever.

I could just listen to Rory all day his humanity humility real sense of duty just shines through hes a credit to all that is right about Politics and Britain ... Im an unashamed Rory Stewart addict but no fear its without sychophantism or obsession

I, for one, would love to see you back in government as well - specifically I would love to see you as Foreign Secretary.

A tory with honesty and integrity is a very rare thing indeed. Rory is one of the very few.

That was fascinating. Thank you. I find it very interesting that Rory, like so many of us, has found that his loyalty has not survived disillusion upon the discovery of how badly government actually works, and the effective impossibility of changing things for the better. It is a broken rotten system.

Please read these comments Rory. What makes you different and appealing is your authenticity. That is what we need more of. You have so much to offer the British public. Go to Labour on the right of the party and let's bring centrist back!

Excellent interview, Rory's book is fascinating, James - your comments were spot on.

The Tories have trashed this country over the last 13 years.

Great interview, thanks for posting

I love that you have principles, morals and that you care. We need people like you in politics. I think reformation is on the agenda for all institutions and systems of man on the face of the earth.

I’m not convinced Rory would find it any easier representing another political party given that the system itself is so rotten. I hope he finds a representative role where he can put his immense knowledge and experience to use once again. James asked really thoughtful questions. Brilliant podcast.

I signed up for local politics in 1983 but decided volunteering was the rewarding way to contribute actively in society.

When you are fundamentally a good person, as Rory is, then your political affiliations become far less important. I wish more people like you would step up, because otherwise the void gets filled by very unsavoury characters.

As always, Rory Stuart is erudite, engaging and entertaining. And he is correct when he identifies the problems that face liberal democracies. But the elitist system that made him is part of what he wants to preserve, and I feel he has to come to terms with dismantling the institutional past in order to shape a fairer future.

Admirable person. Gentleman. Thinks. Rationalises. Passionate. Visionary.

I do find myself liking you Rory for many reasons ,I like and admire your honesty empathy kindness , obviously I admire your intelligence and even handedness, your knowledge of global events and of history ! Ican see you have a keen idea of many much needed things to do to right social injustice , I think we have and I hope I'm proved later to be wrong lost the chance of a great leader of any political party who had the common sense to let you join them ? So good luck in anything you choose to do !

He has just discovered what many of us knew half a century ago.

Rory is amazing. Keep observing, keep speaking about this - Britain needs you.

Please do more recordings for KZfaq like this. This was brilliant.

I have just started reading your book. Thank you for sharing

What a brilliant man and such a shame he couldn’t be PM! Oh well Parliaments loss is our gain! Love hearing him talk on these issues!

This deserves watching all the way through. It is really very interesting and inspiring.

Ive just discovered this podcast. Love this style of detailed analysis..Now subscribed

Rory, your book is gobsmacking. I am disappointed that you did not get the opportunity to lead us; I am sure there are plenty who feel the same. Thank you for your service. Best wishes for your future.

The people who can change organisations often have to leave those organisations before they themselves are destroyed...basic psychology. Rory is a good man in a rotten system...so he now has to protect himself...whilst still having a yearning to serve

Old school Tory, even as a labour member these are the people we need.

Even though living in South Africa, i am fascinated by Rory and The Rest is Politics podcast as they display such an honest reflection on issues - amazingly, although based in the UK, almost every session holds extremely important lessons on a global basis - yes Rory, your current situation may have its personal frustrations but you are contributing HUGELY to support and lead meaningful understanding and debate on politics everywhere - really far more impactful than is perhaps first realized.

Rory Stewart is probably the only Tory that I'd every consider voting for. I hope that he returns to politics in the future because we need decent people like him on all sides of the debate.

The Tory party should split and Rory Stewart should lead the centre Right of the party while Farage should lead the Fascists. However, it would be very dangerous as it wouldn’t surprise me if England voted for Farage and his fascists.

Well done Rory for speaking out. We will sort it out. Richard

Such a lovely personality (besides making a lot of sense). Keeps me having faith in this country of yours.

Thanks you. Ross

Rory will represent the people and the county better than anyone else regardless of a party label. How can we get this man back as an MP ASAP.

There is only one solution - the Rory Stewart Party. Thank you so much Rory for what you achieved and tried to achieve.

I think STewart is absolutely right iun that the institutions should reflect our best values and the political divisions should be secondary. He provides a glimpse of what a Britain minus its disfunction and tribal blinkers could be like. I have never voted Conservative but Rory Stewart has always stood out to me as a thoughtful decent man and politics has been poorer for his absence. ... If more conservatives were like him the world would be a better place. .... and now there's a brain worm at work -> Stewart v Starmer ... Who'd have thunk it?

What an interesting and intelligent man Rory is What a pity he did not become the PM

The first past the post election system is what leads to all the issues in U.K. politics. It’s a failed system, and needs to be changed. Coalition Governments work better than a single ideological party bringing in laws to punish one or other sector of the population. We need fairness, compassion, intelligence, honesty and accountability in politics, everything we don’t have currently, ad will never have under the current electoral system.

I've never voted Tory but I've read his book....give this guy a 5 year term as PM and I think we would have a country to be proud of again!

WE NEED PR!!!

There are comments here stating "Rory is the best PM we never had". Whilst I understand the sentiment the reality is that he wouldn't last five minutes. He doesn't fit with any major political party, he would undermine the self interests of those hungry for power, his empathic nature doesn't fit in an increasingly shallow and toxic parliamentary environment and the tabloids would subject him to the ridicule to which they foisted Michael Foot many years ago.. Ironically, Rory seems to be more influential now he has left.

We need more people in politic and parliament like Rory Stewart, Jeremy Corbyn as an honest, descent person who try to work for public rather than corporations.

Rory you should have been Prime Minister.I have followed your career for years A true gent and totally decent.You leave the rest of them completelyin the shade.Your compassion for the people of Afghanistan shone through on your brilliant series.

Rory, a true political star.

*THE BEST PRIME MINISTER BRITAIN NEVER HAD*

Best man for Great Britain 🇬🇧

Wouldn't it have been good to put Caroline Lucas in the environment department

What a splendid person Rory is. We really need him to bring his vision to reality for the good of us all.

Rory, please call Kier! We need you in government. Love listening to you and Alastair. Thank you, Mark

Fascinating discussion I found myself in many many ways in sympathy wth Stewart’s perspectives and his criticisms of both Labour and Conservative Parties. (I am myself a lifelong Labour supporter now disenfranchised by the position Labour takes on Europe and much else.) I concur with Stewart that the political system here is actually rotten farther than merely broken and conclude that both Labour and Conservatives are content for the current system to persist and to accept the status quo where we flip-flop between Labour and Conservative administrations. I believe that nothing will change fundamentally until the electorate decide that the electoral system should change but neither Labour nor Conservatives parties will agree to pursue such a change while it does not serve their perceived interests. The stirring of opinion in favour of proportional representation in the Labour movement seems to have been stifled by the rekindling of support for Labour in Scotland and the potential for a Labour majority in the next UK parliament. I’m for voting Green next time. At least they have some principles.

I am no Tory, but Rory is always interesting to listen to. Sadly democracy does not encourage politics to be a meritocracy.

v interesting conversation

You are reaching more ordinary people through your podcast and giving them the sense of perspective that is needed to change the political system which is essential if we are going to manage to rebuild any of the other institutions as they need funding to achieve this. When you are employed as a politician you have no time to impact the grassroots and educate us all as you are too busy infighting to survive.

We need Rory back in government. I don’t care which party, I will vote for him over and above anyone else.

Would love to hear some of your solutions to fix this system!

Rory, i think we would all love to have you back in politics. We need honest, straight talking, intelligent, doers.

in an era of charlatans and demagogues, Rory would add so much credibility and competence to a centre left labour government. My dream come true.

This is a discussion i could have listened to at greater length, its a tragedy for our Politics that people like Rory can't get a Leadership role but the Johnson/Braverman/Truss self-servers and utter lunatics can.

There was a quote from someone quite a time ago that said that as a mechanism for keeping 600 odd people - some of them very odd indeed - off the streets, parliament can't be beaten.

Rory is too much of a honest, decent man with integrity and comittment for politics.

Rory to lead the labour party! Unstoppable!

I agree with most of what you say.

Missing the point of the party of law and order always talking about tougher sentences, and then being forced to tell judges that they have to put off sending people to prison because there isn't enough room. The point is not whether sending people to prison is right or not, it is that the Tories have manufactured another crisis everyone saw coming.

The wrong people are in power because the right people do not want to be. We need Rory and others like him to get in the ring to prove this to be wrong.

25:27 this statement from Rory is why i think i vibe with his views more, and if he were to be leader of the tory party i would vote for them.

Anyone who thinks seriuosly about the Bristish political systems will certainly come to the conclusion that the system is broken. The real question is why don't the British people want to change?

I cannot agree more with Rory about Prisons. They are disgustingly inhumane.

Rory Steward is the best Prime Minister we never had Exceptionally smart , decent and honest.

We need a swiss style government - Giving Referendums to the people on every big decision. The people need an easier way to get rid of bad players.

I’ll vote for him ANYDAY!

Very hard to create a vision that a majority of the country could support without it being so simplistic (vote leave! Save the NHS! Or whetever) that it is JUST a slogan. Life and government are messy and complex and integrated in weirdly hard ways - resolving this wickedly hard stuff is going to be massively hard and will take time but no one in the 'meeja' or in the general public has patience or understanding.

Good.show❤🇬🇧

Rory you're believable unlike most politicians who've lost public trust..no wonder!!

The PO scandal shows that a compelling exposé of the sickness, perhaps via a podcast is a GREAT way to do it. Why don’t we have people run as an independent

Parliamentary system isn’t broken, the majority of society is broken. The majority are hurting with a laser like self centred focus. The parliament of the day reflects the society of the day. We must look to ourselves.

Great interviewer. Got a lot out of Rory he hasn't said before.

You contributed to it.

I voted for him! He is brilliant.

With out a vision, the people perish.

BIG QUESTION - WHO BROKE IT ? NOT THE POLITICAL PARTY BUT WHO IS BEHIND THE POLITICAL PARTY. We need to hear journalism that has shed all these daft abstract terms - start talking facts - detail what is gojng on.

Love Jimes O Brien and Rory would be a great P/M