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Since Attlee & Churchill
Matters of Interest: Grounds for Resignation & Badenoch's Big Week
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Richard kicks off this episode by looking at the reasons why ministers have resigned historically and what has prompted people to leave government since Labour came into office last year. Lee and Richard then debate whether politicians should rethink what constitutes grounds for resignation - either to make it more, or less, likely. Next, Lee discusses the most important week so far of Kemi Badenoch's leadership of the Conservative Party and considers what it means for the Conservatives, their fight for survival, and how they will try to return to government.
Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!
Buying your books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac
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Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - literally since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party.
Got a question or comment? Get in touch!
Richard: richard.johnson@qmul.ac.uk
Lee: l.d.evans@qmul.ac.uk
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51:07|This week, Richard delves into the Labour rulebook to explain the latest rumours of an attempt to remove Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader; and Lee looks at the extraordinary volatility of local by-election results which offer good news - and bad - for all of the parties, depending on where you look!Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!Buying your books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saacHow did Neil Kinnock defeat Militant?
01:06:13|Neil Kinnock’s showdown with Militant Tendency at the 1985 Labour conference is one of the standout moments of his Labour leadership - and of the entire history - of the Labour Party. In this week's episode, Lee and Richard explore the history of ginger groups in the Labour Party; how Militant established themselves in Liverpool in the early 1980s; and how their high-stakes fight with Thatcher's government became a totemic moment for Kinnock and his leadership.In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'The Smallest Room in the House: 50 political oddities to read in more than one sitting' by Philip Cowley. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781785909702'Rust Belt Union Blues: Why Working-Class Voters Are Turning Away from the Democratic Party' by Lainey Newman & Theda Skocpol. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780231218795Matters of Interest: Refurbishing Number 10 & The Crisis of Reading
42:55|In the latest Matters of Interest, Richard tears apart the complaints made by some employees in government about the condition of Number 10 Downing Street, opening up a discussion about the refurbishments of the building over the years and the power of Number 10 versus other government departments. Then Lee takes issue with a recent report about different types of 'reading' - including digital reading and audiobooks - and makes the case for books as the pinnacle of literacy.Buying your books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit our store: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saacWho achieved 'the most significant by-election success ever’?
54:23|In this week's podcast, Richard and Lee are joined by historian Tom Chidwick to discuss the life and times of Dick Taverne. In the early 1970s, the Labour MP for Lincoln was deselected by his party over Europe; in response, he resigned his seat and stood in a spectacular by-election. When voters went to the polls, Taverne achieved what John Curtice has called 'the most significant by-election success ever’. Why was he deselected? How did he win? And what were the longer-term consequences for Taverne - and British politics? In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'Can the Welfare State Survive?' by Andrew Gamble. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780745698748'Gladstone' by Roy Jenkins. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781509868292Matters of Interest: BBC Neutrality & Net Zero
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