Standard Issue Podcast
Standard Issue Podcast
Standard Issue
The Bush Telegraph: “He would make outrageous claims, like he invented the question mark”
27 minutes Posted Aug 6, 2026 at 2:00 am.
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Show notes
Is there a new grifter on the scene? Hannah’s been nose to the ground around the ever-growing tall tales of Jason Arday, the University of Cambridge’s youngest ever black professor with a very impressive CV. Too impressive? Weeeelllll.
There’s definitely an old grifter on the scene, as Mick’s been nose to the ground around the ever-growing “joke” candidate list for next week’s Clacton-on-Sea’s byelection, with spam-faced clown Nigel Farage the biggest joke of all. 
There’s also chatGPT, a stopped clock in a memorial pool, and, what’s that, a glimmer of hope for England’s maternity system? Could it be true? IS ANYTHING TRUE ANYMORE?
And here are those links Hannah promises:
"Maybe I flew too close to the sun": https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2026/aug/01/playbooks-plagiarism-pigs-head-new-claims-surrounding-cambridge-professor-jason-arday
"It's very rare that academics refuse to talk to the press": https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/04/journalist-questioned-by-police-for-investigating-cambridge/
Charity casts doubt on volunteering record: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08/03/cambridge-professor-accused-plagiarism-loses-key-ally-uk/
"We're talking about academia here. I didn't murder somebody”: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78gmp7zylvo
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