Tell Me Why

Tell Me Why… The preppers were right all along

Sales of tinned food and radios have rocketed. But is the UK really prepared for a crisis?

October 29, 2026
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Sales of tinned food and wind-up radios have rocketed since the government announced that UK families should prepare for potential crises. But preparedness advocates—or “preppers”—have been saying this for years.

In this episode, Imaan and Alona are joined by Prospect editor Philip Collins. They discuss the “Cassandra effect”, how government should communicate in a crisis and whether our supply chains are too vulnerable. Plus, is Wes Streeting the new Churchill—and can Putin be defeated by beans?

And they discuss listener feedback, including from Chris who suggests an innovative way of weeding out writers who falsely claim to be AI-free… and from Leila who sent in this article on the bystander effect.

Send us an email at tellmewhy@prospectmagazine.co.uk