In a State

Fion Cudmore and Tom Turner

For young people in the UK, ‘political stability’ is an oxymoron. Our generation has grown up alongside a series of so-called ‘once-in-a-generation’ crises, and many hear the phrase ‘British Government’ and immediately think of a controversial policy choice, a frontline politician, or a scandal dominating the news. This series, however, takes the long view of British politics and aims to gain a clearer understanding of how and why British politics has changed in the 21st century, by interviewing 4 people who have each worked in and around the heart of Government during this time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

  1. 2 days ago

    Baroness Catherine MacLeod

    For young people in the UK, ‘political stability’ is an oxymoron. Our generation has grown up alongside a series of so-called ‘once-in-a-generation’ crises, and many hear the phrase ‘British Government’ and immediately think of a controversial policy choice, frontline politician or a scandal which is dominating the news.  This series, however, takes the long view of British politics and aims to gain a clearer understanding of how and why it has changed in the 21st century by interviewing 4 people who have each worked in and around the heart of Government during this time.  In this episode, Tom speaks to newly appointed member of the House of Lords, Baroness Catherine MacLeod, about her career as a journalist and how it influenced her experience as political adviser to Alistair Darling during the financial crisis. This episode was recorded a few weeks ago before recent developments in Number 10. (00:00) - (04:28) Intro (04:28) - (08:18) Parliament’s Lobby – being a political journalist in the noughties (08:18) - (11:43) The most memorable media trips with prime ministers. (11:43) - (13:00) From the Lobby to the Treasury (13:00) - 1(5:17) How a change of Chancellor leads to a change of dynamic within the Treasury.  (15:17) - (17:33) Inside the Treasury during the Financial Crisis (17:33) - (22:39) Catherine’s role in the Treasury – adding perspective to policymaking (22:39) - (24:38) What it was like working during crisis (24:38) - (26:22) Advising the Chancellor on communications + Darling’s way of working (26:22) - (27:5): Darling’s legacy and reputation (27:57) - (30:07) The relationship between Gordon Brown and Alastair Darling (30:07) - (32:31) The long shadow of the financial crisis (32:31) - (34:37) Evaluating Starmer’s Government’s communications, some even better ifs…  (34:37) - (36:44) How social media is impacting political communication (36:44) - (39:52) Catherine’s route into the ‘ludicrous’ Lords (39:52) - (43:32) Catherine’s evaluation of the Lords as it stands (43:32) - (46:03) A brief explanation of the Lords and how it works (46:03) - (47:02) Book recommendation (“read as much as you can”) (47:02) Outro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    48 min
  2. 17 Jun

    John Rentoul

    In this episode, Tom talks to John Rentoul, the Chief Political Commentator at The Independent. Rentoul enjoyed a front row seat to the New Labour project, writing one of the very first biographies of Tony Blair, co-authoring an analysis of Blair’s premiership with Prof. Jon Davis, and teaching on the ongoing ‘New Labour Years’ module at King’s College London. During the interview, Rentoul points out that, in just 4 years, Keir Starmer tried to do what Neil Kinnock, John Smith and Tony Blair did over 14 years: rebrand the Labour Party and prepare it for government. As a leadership election looms, this is crucial food for thought. If we keep changing prime minister every 2 years (let alone 49 days), is it any wonder that the newcomer struggles to implement their agenda (assuming they have one)? (00:00) - (02:45) | Introduction  (02:45) - (08:34) | John’s time at uni and his route into journalism. (08:34) - (10:18) | Comparing the British press at the beginning of John’s career and now. (10:18) - (16:30) | Why Tony Blair? And the process of writing a biography. (16:30) - (20:18) | Why John progressively became more of a fan over time.  (20:18) - (21:20) | On a spectrum from Corbyn to Blair, where would Keir Starmer be?  (21:20) - (23:10) | Rebranding the Labour Party. Why the New Labour brand was more successful than the post-Corbyn brand change. (23:10) - (25:23) | Starmer and Blair’s similar majorities, but different power. Could Starmer learn any lessons from Blair’s leadership of the party? (25:23) - (26:19) | Starmer has tried to do what Kinnock, Smith and Blair did over 14 years in just 4.  (26:19) - (27:18) | The consequence: Starmer was not focused on preparing for government.  (27:18) - (28:47) | Will there be a party with a stable political base again? Why John thinks MPs should choose their party’s leader. (28:47) - (30:04) | Of Blair’s successors, whose reputation will grow over time? (30:04) - (33:49) | What being a Chief Political Commentator involves and advice for budding political journalists.  (33:49) - (35:34) | “Questions to which the answer is no.” (35:34) - (37:28) | Book recommendation to aid understanding of New Labour. Perhaps unsurprising: Blair’s memoir, A Journey. (37:28) | Outro Fion Cudmore - https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionnuala-cudmore-293089269/ Tom Turner - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomturner04/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    38 min
  3. 9 Jun

    Ed Balls

    For young people in the UK, ‘political stability’ is an oxymoron. Our generation has grown up alongside a series of so-called ‘once-in-a-generation’ crises, and many hear the phrase ‘British Government’ and immediately think of a controversial policy choice, frontline politician or a scandal which is dominating the news.  This series, however, takes the long view of British politics and aims to gain a clearer understanding of how and why it has changed in the 21st century by interviewing 4 people who have each worked in and around the heart of Government during this time.  In this episode, Tom speaks to ex-Shadow Chancellor and King's College London Professor Ed Balls about the nature of crisis, the Treasury, and the changing media landscape. (00:00) - (03:05) | Introduction (03:05) - (07:32) | Ed’s own university days and how he ended up at KCL. (07:32) - (11:06) | KCL’s module partnered with HM Treasury. (11:06) - (16:50) | Crises: the 21st century’s reinforcing turbulence. (16:50) - (23:30) | No.10 and the Treasury: searching for the right dynamic. (23:30) - (26:20) | How the media makes political lifespans shorter – ‘bad decisions get found out faster’. (26:20) - (29:30) | Modern governments are too short term-ist. Why long term messaging and narrative is more important than ever in a faster-paced media environment. (29:30) - (33:45) | Improving government communication: the media round as a case study. (33:45) - (39:00) | Ed talks drumming in the Centrist Dad band. (39:00) - (41:51) | Book and TV series recommendations. (41:51) > | Outro. Fion Cudmore - https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionnuala-cudmore-293089269/ Tom Turner - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomturner04/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    42 min

About

For young people in the UK, ‘political stability’ is an oxymoron. Our generation has grown up alongside a series of so-called ‘once-in-a-generation’ crises, and many hear the phrase ‘British Government’ and immediately think of a controversial policy choice, a frontline politician, or a scandal dominating the news. This series, however, takes the long view of British politics and aims to gain a clearer understanding of how and why British politics has changed in the 21st century, by interviewing 4 people who have each worked in and around the heart of Government during this time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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