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The Heath vs Wilson Elections (Episode 2 of 4): The 1970 General Election
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In part two of their miniseries on the Heath vs Wilson elections, Lee and Richard delve into the second of the contests fought between the pair. In May 1970, incumbent Prime Minister Harold Wilson asked the Queen for a dissolution of Parliament, judging it was his best opportunity to win a third successive election for Labour. Almost everyone expected Wilson to triumph. But when the votes were cast, Edward Heath and the Conservatives came out on top. How did it happen? And why did the polls and political commentators misjudge the views of the British people?
In this episode, the following books are discussed:
'Downing Street Downfalls: The Misadventures of Britain's Prime Ministers Since Thatcher' by Mark Garnett. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781788218696
'Original Sin: President Biden's decline, its cover-up, and his disastrous choice to run again' by Alex Thompson & Jake Tapper. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781529155488
Tickets are now available for the 1st Birthday Party of the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast, featuring a live recording. Find out more here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/since-attlee-churchills-1st-birthday-party-tickets-1978627898307
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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.
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The Heath vs Wilson Elections (Episode 3 of 4): The February 1974 General Election
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01:14:27|In this week's episode, Lee and Richard discuss one of the most dramatic events in Labour history: the emergence of Jeremy Corbyn, a man who had never before sat on the front bench, as the landslide winner of the party leadership. It's a story that covers the fallout of the Iraq war and reforms to Labour's leadership rules, Ed Miliband's decision to resign the leadership straight after election defeat and Andy Burnham's following of the Labour whip on Tory welfare measures. So, how did it unfold - and what were the consequences?In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'A Scandal in Konigsberg' by Christopher Clark. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780241767887'The House of Lords' by John Wells. Available at: https://amzn.to/3XIWGN4Matters of Interest: Grounds for Resignation & Badenoch's Big Week
45:54|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/saacDid the 1981 Budget really transform Britain's economy?
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