Since Attlee & Churchill

In this episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Lee and Richard are joined by Nigel Fletcher, author of 'Churchill's Queen: The Remarkable Friendship That Shaped Our Age', to explore the fascinating relationship between Winston Churchill and Elizabeth II. In his new book, Nigel explores how their relationship developed even before Elizabeth's accession in 1952, with Churchill playing an influential role in her early life. This episode also explores the personal relationship between the two as Prime Minister and Sovereign, their very different ways of understanding the decline of the British Empire and the emergence of the Commonwealth, and the disagreements that punctuated their relationship – including about the Royal Family's name and their London home. The episode ends by reflecting on how different the beginning of Elizabeth II's reign might have been if Clement Attlee had remained Prime Minister instead.'Churchill’s Queen: The Remarkable Friendship That Shaped Our Age' by Nigel Fletcher is available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781529977257Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available. Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchillBuying 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/saacEnjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

In this episode of the Since Attlee & Churchill Summer Book Club, Lee and Richard are joined by Nan Sloane, author of 'Margaret Bondfield: The Life and Times of Britain’s First Female Cabinet Minister', to discuss the extraordinary life and career of one of the pioneers of the Labour movement. Bondfield was the first woman to speak from the despatch box in the House of Commons, the first woman Privy Counsellor and the first woman Cabinet Minister. But her life is much more than a series of remarkable firsts. In this episode, Lee, Richard and Nan look at Bondfield's difficult childhood and early working life through to her rise through the trade union movement, as well as her Christian faith and likely lesbianism. Finally, they explore her controversial time as Minister of Labour during the economic crisis of 1929–31, her relationship with Ramsay MacDonald, and the reasons why her reputation subsequently faded from view.'Margaret Bondfield: The Life and Times of Britain’s First Female Cabinet Minister' by Nan Sloane is available here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781350513655Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available. Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchillBuying 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/saacEnjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

Andy Burnham has been Prime Minister for a month, but how good a start has he made? Lee and Richard debate Burnham’s first weeks in Downing Street, with Lee arguing that the new Prime Minister has so far offered little more than Martin Lewis-style tinkering to save people a few quid instead of the genuinely bold programme the country needs (and he promised). Meanwhile, Richard argues that Burnham has already delivered a surprisingly substantive programme of policies. Next, Richard turns to the United States to discuss the fascinating history of the American states that were once, at least in some sense, independent countries – from the Republic of Texas and the Kingdom of Hawaii to the short-lived California Republic and independent Vermont. What does the history of these former independent states tell us about how and why the United States has generally been more muscular in maintaining its union than other states?Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available. Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchillBuying 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/saacEnjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

Benjamin Disraeli remains one of the most influential figures in Conservative history – but how much of the Disraeli we think we know was created after his death? In this episode, Lee and Richard are joined by Emily Jones, author of 'The Disraeli Myth: The Making of a Conservative Tradition'. They discuss how successive generations were inspired by Disraeli and reinvented him to suit their own political purposes, from Tory Socialists and Edwardian tariff reformers to One Nation Conservatives. What made Disraeli such a compelling figure in Tory history? How important was his Jewish identity to the mythmaking? And does 'political bodysnatching' – the appropriation of historical figures by later generations – help or hinder the way we think about politics?'The Disraeli Myth: The Making of a Conservative Tradition' by Emily Jones is available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780691246314Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available. Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchillBuying 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/saacEnjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

In this episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Lee and Richard consider the argument that supporting North Sea oil and gas extraction is an “extremist” position. How useful is it to label political opponents in this way? And has it been a mistake to reduce Britain's environmental policy to what is essentially a spreadsheet exercise in calculating carbon emissions? They then turn to a new article exploring the relationship between politicians and their constituents through the letters and emails that MPs receive. Drawing on the correspondence of politicians including Tony Benn and Enoch Powell, Richard and Lee consider what politicians can really learn from their postbags – and whether the rise of email, social media and now AI is changing the relationship between voters and their representatives.Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available. Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchillBuying 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/saacEnjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

In this episode, Lee and Richard discuss the remarkable life of James Douglas-Hamilton, the Scottish Tory politician who had the rare distinction of serving in three legislative chambers: the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the Scottish Parliament, earning a reputation in each for courtesy and quiet effectiveness. Born the grandson of two Dukes and educated at Eton and Oxford, Douglas-Hamilton spent most of his life in politics. What motivated him? What did he achieve during his long career in public service? And why did he become the last MP to disclaim a hereditary peerage? These questions, and more, are explored in the episode.In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'After you, Prime Minister' by James Douglas-Hamilton'Stuck: How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congress' by Maya Kornberg. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781421454580Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available. Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchillBuying 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/saacEnjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

In this episode, Lee and Richard discuss the controversy over whether the Conservative Party is still the home of One Nation Conservatism. Drawing on the long history of One Nation ideas, stretching back to Benjamin Disraeli in the Victorian era, Lee argues that the tradition has become confused in recent decades with liberal conservatism - and makes the case for reclaiming its original emphasis on national cohesion, social responsibility and patriotism. Next, Richard examines what Prime Minister Andy Burnham meant when he suggested that his devolution reforms could lead to a written constitution. Does Britain actually lack one? What would be different about a codified constitution? And would it strengthen, or weaken, British democracy?Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available. Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchillBuying 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/saacEnjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!

Ann Clwyd spent her political career on the Labour left. She marched with the miners, opposed nuclear weapons, rebelled against her own party, and was sacked from Labour's front bench more than once. Yet she also became one of the strongest supporters of the Iraq War. How? In this episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Richard and Lee explore the life of one of Labour's most independent-minded MPs. They discuss Clwyd's Welsh upbringing, her route into Parliament, the battles she fought with her own party on everything from welfare to devolution, and the convictions that led her to champion military intervention in Iraq.In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'Rebel With a Cause' by Ann Clwyd. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781785901140And also the upcoming books for our Summer Book Club:'The Disraeli Myth: The Making of a Conservative Tradition' by Emily Jones. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780691246314'Churchill’s Queen: The Remarkable Friendship That Shaped Our Age' by Nigel Fletcher. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781529977257'Margaret Bondfield: The Life and Times of Britain’s First Female Cabinet Minister' by Nan Sloane. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781350513655Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available. Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchillBuying 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/saacEnjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!