Political Currency

International politics can disrupt the best laid plans of any government, and this week was no different. Ed Balls and George Osborne delve into a week that has been dominated by the war in Ukraine, and how Andy Burnham has chosen to navigate it. Donald Trump has made a deal with Russia on diesel, which Zelenskyy said was a betrayal. Burnham has to walk a careful line to side with Ukraine, but not anger the President. Has his diplomacy worked?An attack in Saudi Arabia at the weekend only highlights how precarious the whole Middle East is, which draws attention back to the price of oil. This is a tough background for John Healey, with the budget less than two weeks away. Healey is attempting to spin the positive message, but is this the right strategy? Ed feels the messaging needs to be tough, and that selling hope won’t help with heating costs.Of course, one way to counterattack the challenges Healey and Burnham face with growth is establishing closer ties to Europe. Burnham has continued to make those gestures this week, while also suggesting Russia interfered with the results of the EU referendum. After revising and walking back the statement all week, this is the latest in a series of off the cuff remarks from the PM. Is he going for a Trumpian approach of speaking freely? Is this the right approach for a British leader? Can Andy be Andy, without needing to issue so many corrections?We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency.co.uk and make sure to include a voice note of your question or send a question to our social media handles:👉 X👉 Instagram👉 TikTokThanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Production: Sam Burton & Annie AckermanProducer: Caillin McDaidVideo Editor: Oliver Geraghty & Sam GruetExecutive Producer: Henrietta HarrisonPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

Money saving expert Martin Lewis sends in a question for Ed Balls and George Osborne this week, all about the tiny fixes. He tasks the pair with contributing to his new Small Ideas Initiative, proposing their own solutions to the most annoying problems in Britain. Ed goes for football tickets, while George hits on driving tests.They then turn to a former FT colleague of Ed’s, who asks whether the biggest decisions a chancellor makes happens between budgets. They weigh up the case for and against this, hitting on some of the biggest economic moments in recent decades.A fan from Instagram then asks if Andy Burnham has failed the Makerfield test, with George feeling his constituents wouldn’t be taken by PR or rejoining the EU. Fellow podcaster Abbie Bennington then asks them about wine and Brexit, off the back of George appearing on her show.Finally, they reveal their experience with war gaming. How much does the government prepare for the worst? Does it work in the end? Ed reveals one instance that left the government much more prepared for the financial crisis than they otherwise would have been…Make sure to listen to George’s appearance on Vintage Politics here:👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/george-osborne-candid-conversations-on-brexit-ai-the/id1881977789?i=1000793761417 We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency.co.uk and make sure to include a voice note of your question or send a question to our social media handles:👉 X👉 Instagram👉 TikTokThanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Production: Sam BurtonProducer: Caillin McDaid Video Editor: Louis Norris & Sam GruetExecutive Producer: Henrietta HarrisonPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

Party conference season is over, and it went out with a bang. The Greens have been engulfed by controversy over Zionism, and the Tories have been repositioning as the leading party on the right. Ed Balls and George Osborne delve into what the troubles for the Greens means for Labour, who now couldn’t do a deal in the event of a hung parliament. George argues the Greens are now diminished post-Starmer, and have lost their purpose amidst various controversies. Fortunes are higher for the Tories, with Kemi Badenoch cementing her control over the party. The pair praise their mock Bayeux Tapestry, and their sense of confidence, and the new strategy Badenoch has taken on Reform. With Burnham moving back the 70s in his rhetoric, they observe that Badenoch will feel comfortable fighting the next election on a Thatcherite economic message.Finally, prompted by the new book ‘Generation Maybe’, the pair touch on the declining birth rate worldwide. The book is written by Camilla Cavendish, ex-Cameron policy adviser and colleague of Ed’s at Harvard, and looks at this tough area with no easy answers. Is it the government's place to act on this issue? Do measures tackling the birth rate ever really succeed?If you want to read Ed’s new Harvard paper on AI in policymaking, you can find the link here: 👉 Exploring the Role and Limitations of Generative AI in Policymaking: Initial Findings and Next StepsWe love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency.co.uk and make sure to include a voice note of your question or send a question to our social media handles:👉 X👉 Instagram👉 TikTokThanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Production: Sam BurtonProducer: Caillin McDaid Video Editor: Louis Norris & Sam GruetExecutive Producer: Henrietta HarrisonPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

A questioner from Instagram takes Ed Balls and George Osborne back 20 years in this week’s EMQs, reminiscing on fringe events at party conferences that drew no audience. They reflect on how to handle hosting a sparsely attended event, and the awkwardness George got into when asked a question about his childhood.Natalie Livingstone, author of the new book The Nuremberg Women, then asks how we can ensure young people continue to learn about the Holocaust and Nuremberg trials. The pair share the importance of incorporating the Holocaust into the curriculum. George also informs Ed of a viral TikTok on the price of coffee at Auschwitz. A fan from YouTube then proposes a star chamber of ex-chancellors & economists as a measure John Healey should take. George explains how he did something similar whilst in No. 11, but why it shouldn’t be a public group. Finally, the pair recall impromptu run-ins with famous people, which spurs Ed to explain how he played football with the captain of the England team, and how George introduced Boris Johnson to Monica Lewinsky…We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency and make sure to include a voice note of your question or send a question to our social media handles:👉 X👉 Instagram👉 TikTokThanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Production: Sam Burton & Nina MarinkovicProducer: Caillin McDaid Video Editor: Louis Norris & Sam GruetExecutive Producer: Henrietta HarrisonPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

The dust has settled on Andy Burnham’s conference speech, and the verdict is positive. However, there are lingering questions. Ed Balls and George Osborne, fresh off their Hot Take, set out to answer the most pressing ones. Is the PM moving too early on the triple lock? Has the National Care Service been thought through? Should he be taking inspiration from George on Brexit? Does all of this play into Reform’s hands?The Tories will be laying the groundwork for their conference this weekend, with Kemi Badenoch attempting to rain on Burnham’s parade. But can she? George lays out the tough position she’s in, with no clear lane for the party to stake out, she still risks being outflanked by both Labour and Reform. Can she create a strong position on the economy, the EU, and immigration? Or will the message to voters be ‘vote Tory, get Farage’.Finally, the beginning of the week was dominated by the uncertain headlines surrounding the potential attack on RAF Fairford. But what actually happened? Is this part of a larger proxy war, with states like Russia and Iran targeting Europe? How should Britain respond? Is Wes Streeting right to say we’re closer to war with Russia than any point in the last 50 years?We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency and make sure to include a voice note of your question or send a question to our social media handles:👉 X👉 Instagram👉 TikTokThanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Production: Sam Burton and Nina MarinkovicProducer: Caillin McDaid Video Editor: Louis Norris & Sam GruetExecutive Producer: Henrietta HarrisonPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

Andy Burnham’s first Labour conference speech was pitched as a break from your standard conference speech, but did it deliver? Ed Balls and George Osborne went live earlier this afternoon to give their verdict on the speech.How will reform of the triple lock work? Has he sewn up a coalition with the Lib Dems? Is his social care plan too ambitious? All of this and more is answered on this Hot Take episode.We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency and make sure to include a voice note of your question or send a question to our social media handles:👉 X👉 Instagram👉 TikTokThanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Production: Sam BurtonProducer: Caillin McDaid Video Editor: Louis Norris & Oliver Geraghty Executive Producer: Henrietta HarrisonPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

In a star studded edition of EMQs, Sky News political editor, and rival podcaster, Beth Rigby asks Ed Balls and George Osborne for their biggest party conference cock-ups over the years. George takes us behind the scenes and back to 2007 to a moment that could have ended his and David Cameron’s careers, while Ed recounts the moment that changed British political history.Labour’s party Chair, Bridget Phillipson, asks a more upbeat conference themed question: Which are Ed and George’s favourite speeches? This takes them from Thatcher’s triumphant defence of her policy in 1980, to Tony Blair in the wake of 9/11. Elsewhere they discuss measures to combat inflation and the far-right in France working with Reform. Plus ex-MP Robert Buckland asks if a decisive win for Labour, in the Holborn and St. Pancras by-election, could prompt Andy Burnham to call an early election. We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency.co.uk and make sure to include a voice note of your question or send a question to our social media handles:👉 X👉 Instagram👉 TikTokThanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Production: Sam BurtonProducer: Caillin McDaid Video Editor:Louis Norris & Oliver Geraghty Executive Producer: Henrietta HarrisonPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

Andy Burnham has finally met Donald Trump, and George Osborne concludes it went as well as it possibly could. He and Ed Balls delve into the two leaders’ meeting in New York this week, and just how Britain navigates the rising tensions around AI in the wake of Australia’s health data breach. George also proposes Trump’s meeting with President Xi could be the start of a global consensus forming on AI regulation. The walls could close in very quickly on Trump, however, as we race towards the midterms in November. Heavy losses could see him lose both chambers of Congress, and render his last two years in office a lame duck. The pair cast ahead to some key races, including a potential future President in Jon Ossoff.While fortunes are rising for the US Democrats, the Liberal Democrats are in a tough spot. Their party conference was overshadowed by Royal controversy, and increased pressure on Ed Davey. Is his strategy working? Would a Charles Kennedy-esque leader make a bigger impact? How prepared are they for a coalition after the next election?We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency.co.uk and make sure to include a voice note of your question or send a question to our social media handles:👉 X👉 Instagram👉 TikTokThanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Production: Sam BurtonProducer: Caillin McDaidVideo Editor: Louis Norris & Oliver GeraghtyExecutive Producer: Henrietta HarrisonPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.