
With just days remaining until Australia’s federal election, who better to talk with than Scottish author and social researcher David F Porteous? Well, lots of people, but here we are.
In this episode we do talk about the impending election, and quite a bit about sausages. But we also discuss important issues about transubstantiation, whether Princess Diana went straight to hell, why heaven is awash with bears, TV ratings, the taste of tuna, and for some reason the attraction of group face-licking.
There’s also quite a bit about genitals. And it’s the final episode in the summer series.
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Episode Links

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The official website of Scottish Author David F Porteous
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Author. Podcaster. Social researcher. Karaoke superstar. New novel ‘The Wicker Man Preservation Society’ is out 21 June 21.
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[26 April 2025] Some, especially within the US, see the conclave as an opportunity to establish a more conservative leader.
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[22 April 2025] Let's unpack how a pope is chosen and look at some of the people Vatican researchers reckon could be contenders for the position.
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[22 April 2025] The pope, up in heaven, with Princess Diana and Paddington.
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Paddington Bear (though his name is just Paddington; the "Bear" simply serves to confirm his species) is a fictional character in British children's literature.
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Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her activism and glamour, which made her an international icon, earned her enduring popularity.
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[21 April 2025] Beyond the church, some will remember Pope Francis for a more lighthearted reason: his affinity for whiskey.
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Transubstantiation (Latin: transubstantiatio; Greek: ??????????? metousiosis) is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, "the change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and of the whole substance of wine into the substance of the Blood of Christ". This change is brought about in the eucharistic prayer through the efficacy of the word of Christ and by the action of the Holy Spirit.
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Trumpet of Patriots (TOP) is an Australian political party that is contesting the 2025 federal election. It is registered with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), as well as in New South Wales for local government elections and the Northern Territory for parliamentary elections.
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Titanic II is a planned passenger ocean liner intended to be a functional modern-day replica of the Olympic-class RMS Titanic. The new ship is planned to have a gross tonnage (GT) of 56,000, while the original ship measured about 46,000 gross register tons (GRT).] The project was announced by Australian billionaire Clive Palmer in April 2012 as the flagship of the proposed cruise company Blue Star Line Pty. Ltd. of Brisbane, Australia.
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[We spoke at length about the economics of working on public transport. If I find a good source on that, this is where it will go.]
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A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: Senatus), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: senex meaning "the elder" or "old man") and therefore considered wiser and more experienced members of the society or ruling class. However the Roman Senate was not the ancestor or predecessor of modern parliamentarism in any sense, because the Roman senate was not a de jure legislative body.
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The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest extant institutions in the world, its origins lie in the early 11th century and the emergence of bicameralism in the 13th century.
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The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives.
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On the white Senate ballot paper, you need to either: 1. number at least six boxes above the line for the parties or groups of your choice, or 2. number at least 12 boxes below the line for individual candidates of your choice.
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[18 January 2022] Ahead of the 2022 Federal election, respected ABC Election Analyst Antony Green explained the statistical processes used to call Australian elections. What is the available data, what assumptions are made to predict results, and how is the Australian process more robust than in the United States?
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In the field of political science, civics is the study of the civil and political rights and obligations of citizens in a society.
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[25 April 2025] The Supreme Court’s decision in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers will mean changes in how trans people in the UK access services and single-sex spaces.
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Democracy sausages are sausages wrapped in a slice of bread, bought from a sausage sizzle operated as a fundraiser at Australian polling places on election day, often in aid of the institutions that house the polling place.
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[15 April 2025] A humble sausage, local camaraderie, and complex psychology blend into Australia’s uniquely relaxed voting culture.
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[27 April 2025] As Aussies debate whether onions should go under or over the beloved democracy sausage, the PM may have accidentally revealed his answer ahead of election day.
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[19 August 2024] The day has finally come. Science has failed us, with food experts saying that cream should be applied to a scone before jam.
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[26 September 2018] Dylan says ‘potato cakes’. Brooke says ‘potato scallops’. Georgie from Adelaide says ‘potato fritter’.
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A soft bread roll, originally from Scotland.
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These are the most watched films by total number of viewers (dates are when the films were broadcast, not necessarily when they were produced)... 5. Crocodile Dundee, 21.75 million viewers, 25 December 1989, BBC1.
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[16 December 2024] The AFL Grand Final was a standout, amassing a total TV audience of 4.06 million and a national reach of 6.24 million.
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The following is David Dale's approximate ranking of the most-watched television shows of all time in Australia using data from Nielsen Corporation and OzTAM.
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An oblivious idiot. Someone who stops in the middle of the aisle in the supermarket blocking the way with their trolley so nobody can get past and not even realise it. Can be applied to many similar situations.
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“The Second Coming” is a poem written by Irish poet William Butler Yeats in 1919, first printed in The Dial in November 1920 and included in his 1920 collection of verses Michael Robartes and the Dancer: "The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity."
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[22 April 2025] A lifetime of carefully selecting the finest tuna has given Yukitaka Yamaguchi a superpower — he can tell where a fish has come from simply by its taste.
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[24 April 2025] Gwyneth Paltrow said she has returned to eating food she previously restricted, including sourdough bread, pasta and cheese, having been on a strict paleo diet for several years.
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CONVERSATION TOPICS: Andrew Best, Gay Rainbow Anarchist, Paul McElwee, and two people who choose to remain anonymous.
THREE TRIGGER WORDS: Bernard Walsh, Joanna Forbes, kofeyh, Mark Newton, Paul Williams, and two people who choose to remain anonymous.
WE WILL, WE WILL JUDGE YOU: David Porteous, John Lindsay, Peter Wickins, and Trent Yarwood. This is one of the two new rewards for Another Untitled Music Podcast with Snarky Platypus, two pilot episodes of which we’ll produce very soon. Send us your three-song playlist and we’ll play a bit of each one and judge your taste.
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RECOMMEND A SONG TO US: Kimberley Heitman and Rhydwyn. This is the other new reward linked to the Another Untitled Music Podcast. In 25 words or less tell us why we should like a song and we’ll play it and tell you what we think.
PERSONALISED VIDEO MESSAGE: kofeyh.
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Series Credits
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