Debated Podcast

In this episode of the podcast Will is joined by David Laws, former Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil from 2001 to 2015 to discuss his new book Serpents, Goats and Turkeys: A Century of Liberal–Labour Relations. They discuss the original 1903 Liberal - Labour pact, known as the MacDonald/Gladstone pact, why the Liberals failed to make gains in 1945 whilst Labour won a landslide, the SDP - Liberal Alliance of the 1980s and the Liberal- Labour Pact of 1977 - 1978.

In this episode of the podcast Will is joined by Sean Woodcock, the newly elected MP for Banbury, to discuss the election campaign, what he hopes to achieve as the Member of Parliament for Banbury, his hopes for the new Labour government and the impact the new government is already making.

In this episode of the podcast Will speaks to Jo Phillips and David Seymour, authors of Why Vote How to make your voice heard in a world of broken politics about the book, the electoral system, why young people might be disengaged from politics, the past 14 years of Conservative government, Brexit and Covid.

In this episode of the podcast Will is joined by Daniel Smith-Christopher, Professor of Theology at Loyola Marymount College and author of Keir Hardie, the Bible, and Christian Socialism to discuss Keir Hardie's Christian faith, what Christian Socialism meant to the Labour Party and how Hardie's religious beliefs intermingled with his progressive politics.

In this episode of the podcast Will speaks to Wes Kussmaul about his book Quiet Enjoyment, the founding of his company Delphi, AI and its influence on the world around us, PKIs and internet security and the media's perception of technology.

In this episode of the podcast Will is joined by Philip Norton, Lord Norton of Louth, to discuss his recently published book on the 1922 Committee - The 1922 Committee: Power Behind The Scenes. They discuss how the committee was formed, its influence on the Conservative Party, the importance of its Chairman and Executive, the relationship it had with David Cameron and Margaret Thatcher and what the future holds for it.

In this episode of the podcast Will is joined by Jon Cruddas, the Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham and the author of A Century of Labour. They discuss the Labour Party's relationship to Ramsay MacDonald, Labour in the 1950s and 60s and the USSR, Keir Starmer's place in the ideological traditions of the Labour Party, the Attlee government's agenda and the mythologising of political figures.

In this episode of the podcast Will speaks to Denis MacShane, former Labour MP for Rotherham from 1994 - 2012 and Minister of State for Europe from 2002 to 2005 about his recently published diaries Labour Takes Power: The Denis MacShane Diaries 1997 - 2001. They discuss Denis' time working with Robin Cook, the preparedness of new Labour ministers at the start of the 97 Parliament, Milosevic and Kosovo, Labour and the trade union movement and the impact of William Hague's time as leader of the Conservative Party.