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Political Currency
Election Hot Take: Can Sunak save his campaign?
Rishi Sunak is facing dismal polling and Nigel Farage out on manouevers. In our first Election Hot Take, George Osborne reveals the sense of resignation that has set in among Tory MPs. Is the only thing that can save the Tories now a massive policy play? George thinks they may be working something up on inheritance tax.
Meanwhile in Labourland, the fall out from the Diane Abbott saga continues. Angela Rayner has stepped in to defend her, opening the door for the long-time Hackney MP to stand again. What does it reveal about the power Rayner holds in the party?
And the TV debates are imminent. What must the leaders convey about themselves if they want to win the keys to No.10?\
We just can't get enough of the election, so we've launching this extra HOT TAKE. Become a member of theš POLITICAL CURRENCY GOLD party, to get the episodes a day early, on Monday. As well as EMQs on a Friday and every episode ad-free!
Executive Producer: Ellie Clifford
Technical Producer: Oliver Geraghty
Political Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.
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102. Which Tory will get the Boris blessing?
01:03:00||Season 1, Ep. 102Whoās hungry enough to seize the Tory crown? As the Conservative Party Conference nears, the leadership contest is heating up. Of the four hopefuls, who will get the backing of the partyās elder statesmen Michael Gove and Boris Johnson? George knows who Boris wants as leader, and that person isnāt currently in the raceā¦Ā Labourās wrapped up its party conference, which was light on announcements and heavy on gloom. Both George Osborne and Ed Balls are wondering why so sad? A trip to the UN seems like a break at this point for Keir Starmer, so what can they do to turn those frowns upside down?And across the Atlantic, it's a story of Trumpās tariffs and Kamalaās capitalism ā with the US presidential race reaching the pointy end, how much is the economy playing a role in the campaign?Ā Become a member of POLITICAL CURRENCY GOLD š to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to all our episodes and receive early access to EMQs.Subscribe now: patreon.com/politicalcurrency or on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/politicalcurrencyProduction support: Caillin McDaidProducers: Rosie Stopher and Miriam HallTechnical producer: Ollie GeraghtyExecutive Producers: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.Ā101. CONFERENCE HOT TAKE: Protestors disrupt Rachel Reevesā speech
34:50||Season 1, Ep. 101Rachel Reeves took to the stage at the Labour Party Conference in a wet and gloomy Liverpool, hoping to brighten her partyās fortunes. After a tumultuous few weeks for the new government with rows over āKeirās gearā, Sue Gray and the Winter Fuel Payment, the new chancellor hoped to prove that after 14 years of the Tories, Labour were all set to deliver a bright new future. But it was a speech that was heavy on rhetoric, light on policy and disrupted by a pro-Palestine protestor.Ā Has she done enough to shake off accusations that sheās the next āausterity chancellorā? Ed Balls and George Osborne pick over her speech and ask whether sheās managed to convince voters theyāve made the right choiceā¦Ā Our next episode of EMQs will be a Labour Party Conference special - Political Currency Gold subscribers get first dibs on questions. Become a member of POLITICAL CURRENCY GOLD š to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to all our episodes and receive early access to EMQs.Ā Subscribe now: patreon.com/politicalcurrency or on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/politicalcurrencyProducer: Rosie StopherExecutive Producers: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.100. EMQs: How to give a GREAT conference speech
38:03||Season 1, Ep. 100Rachel Reeves takes to the Labour party conference stage today, but hopefully not before she has chance to listen to Ed Balls and George Osborneās sage advice on how to give a great conference speech. We take a stroll down memory lane and reflect on some of the most rousing speeches in British party conference political history ā from the funny to the formative.Ā Which MPs have tattoos? Ed and George list out the candidates most likely, bu have either of them got a decorative dolphin or butterfly somewhere discreet?!And does anyone in the Treasury actually read budget representations? Or is it a huge waste of time and effort?You could have been listening to this episode of EMQs early and ad-free!Become a member of POLITICAL CURRENCY GOLD š to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to all our episodes and receive early access to EMQs.Subscribe now: patreon.com/politicalcurrency or on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/politicalcurrencyProduction support: Caillin McDaidProducer: Rosie Stopher and Miriam HallĀ Technical producer: Danny PapeExecutive Producers: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.Ā99. Starmerās big Sue Gray problem
54:11||Season 1, Ep. 99As Labour feels the heat over Keir Starmerās freebies scandal, there's a sense of glee in Tory party circles now the "holier-than-thou" party has something of a mess to clean up. Ed Balls and George Osborne mull how the government can reset their image, especially now the Sue Gray pay row is also threatening to rain on Starmer's conference parade ....Across the benches they reflect on the celebratory Liberal Democrat conference and whether the party has finally gotten over Nick Clegg. Could they be a thorn in the side for Labour and the Conservatives?Plus, amid the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery they examine the dilemma Energy Secretary Ed Miliband faces in appeasing Labourās Scottish vote and upholding their climate pledges.Ā Become a member of POLITICAL CURRENCY GOLD š to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to all our episodes and receive early access to EMQs.Subscribe now: patreon.com/politicalcurrency or on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/politicalcurrencyProduction support: Caillin McDaidProducers: Rosie Stopher and Miriam HallTechnical producer: Danny PapeExecutive Producers: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.98. EMQs: Media spin, middle classes and memories of conferences past
28:41||Season 1, Ep. 98Are eloquent middle class people hogging valuable public service resources? Ed Balls and George Osborne debate the case for co-payments to ease the burden. How can both Ed and George be correct on their analyses of the 2010 financial situation? And why do politicians continue to trot out their media spin lines when itās clear to everyone that theyāre not answering the question?Plus, Ed and George share their favourite conference memories as party conferences get underway.Ā You could have been listening to this episode of EMQs early and ad-free!Become a member of POLITICAL CURRENCY GOLD š to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to all our episodes and receive early access to EMQs.Subscribe now: patreon.com/politicalcurrency or on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/politicalcurrencyProduction support: Caillin McDaidProducer: Rosie Stopher and Miriam HallĀ Technical producer: Will Gibson SmithExecutive Producers: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.97. Can Starmer really fix the NHS?
52:21||Season 1, Ep. 97The NHS must āreform or dieā, says Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Is he channelling his āinner Tony Blairā in a gutsy move on our health service or is this another policy which will end in controversy, much like the winter fuel allowance or early prison releases?Ā Across the pond, the US Presidential TV debate gave Kamala Harris an edge as she took on Donald Trump for the first time. But perhaps even more of a win was Taylor Swiftās endorsement, which soon followed. But do celebrity supporters make any real difference in politics?Ā And, back in Europe, George gives us the inside track on the effect his former counterpart, Franceās new Prime Minister Michel Barnier, will have on future relations with our neighbours across the Channel.Ā Become a member of POLITICAL CURRENCY GOLD š to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to all our episodes and receive early access to EMQs.Subscribe now: patreon.com/politicalcurrency or on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/politicalcurrencyProduction support: Caillin McDaidProducers: Rosie Stopher and Miriam HallTechnical producer: Will Gibson SmithExecutive Producers: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.Ā96. EMQs: Should you pay if you miss an NHS appointment?
35:57||Season 1, Ep. 96Booking an appointment with your GP can feel harder than getting your hands on Oasis tickets. So should those who miss their slots be made to pay? Would it create a barrier to entry for vulnerable people in society, or could it open the door to millions more people who are sick of getting stuck in the queue?Ed and George also bring you inside the world of becoming an MP and they top up their summer reading list with some international big-hitters.Ā Plus - now back from holiday - Ed reveals whether he caused any diplomatic incidents over a sun loungerā¦You could have been listening to this episode of EMQs early and ad-free! Become a member of POLITICAL CURRENCY GOLD š to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to all our episodes and receive early access to EMQs.Subscribe now: patreon.com/politicalcurrency or on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/politicalcurrencyProduction support: Caillin McDaidProducer: James Shield and Miriam HallĀ Technical producer: Will Gibson SmithExecutive Producers: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.Ā95. Will Rachel Reeves be forced to U-turn on winter fuel payments?
51:07||Season 1, Ep. 95Ed and George are reunited to mull over whether Rachel Reeves should make a U-turn on the winter fuel payment furore. Is there an "escape route" she can take?And they examine the governmentās decision to suspend some arms shipments to Israel. Was it really āa legal decision, not a policy decisionā, as the PM has claimed?Finally, we ask whether central bankers deserve the credit for falling inflation ā or if they simply got lucky. And Ed and George issue a mea culpa for some slightly inaccurate predictions about the Tory leadership contest, as Priti Patel tumbles out of the race at the first hurdle.You could have been listening to this episode of EMQs early and ad-free! Become a member of POLITICAL CURRENCY GOLD š to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to all our episodes and receive early access to EMQs. Subscribe now: patreon.com/politicalcurrency or on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/politicalcurrencyProduction support: Caillin McDaidProducer: James ShieldTechnical producer: Will Gibson SmithExecutive Producers: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.Ā94. Summer EMQs: Where are all the great parliamentary orators?
31:07||Season 1, Ep. 94Where are all the great parliamentary speakers like Gordon Brown, Robin Cook, and William Hague? Ed Balls and George Osborne reflect on fond memories within the chambers like Cookās resignation. Will the Tory leadership contest bring in any new contenders?Plus, what determines seating order in commons? Can live fact checking during PMQs work? What actually is a three line whip? And how risky is it to defy one?Ā Please keep sending us your questions to questions@politicalcurrency.co.ukYou could have been listening to this episode of EMQs early and ad-free!Become a member of POLITICAL CURRENCY GOLD š to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to all our episodes and receive early access to EMQs.Subscribe now: patreon.com/politicalcurrency or on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/politicalcurrencyPlease keep sending us your questions to questions@politicalcurrency.co.ukAssistant Producer: Caillin McDaidProducer: Rosie StopherTechnical Producer: Will Gibson SmithExecutive Producers: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.Ā