House of Comments

Episode 72 - Summer Special - Emma talks to Iain McNicol

August 18, 2013 22:21 - 22 minutes - 15 MB

Emma and Labour Party General Secretary Iain McNicol discuss the party and their strategy going into the next general election.

Episode 71 - Summer Special - Mark talks to Caron Lindsay

August 11, 2013 22:44 - 53 minutes - 39 MB

Mark and Caron Lindsey talk all things Lib Dem (note from Emma - bet there'll be PR talk ;-)).

Episode 70 - Summer Special - Emma talks to Isabel Hardman

August 03, 2013 16:55 - 27 minutes - 20.2 MB

Emma Burnell talks Tory politics with editor of the Spectator Coffee House blog Isabel Hardman. We discuss all things polling, leadership and 2015.

Ep 69 - The Politics of Racist Vans

July 28, 2013 15:08 - 47 minutes - 33.3 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss the politics of the "Racist Van" "Pilot", misogyny online in the wake of the threats received by campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez, internet filtering and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby's comments about Wonga and payday lending.

Episode 68 - Summer Special - Mark talks to Ian Collins

July 21, 2013 08:39 - 54 minutes - 43.7 MB

Mark Thompson talks to LBC presenter and lobby journalist Ian Collins about the current state of politics and the prospects for the next two years in the run up to the 2015 general election.

Episode 67 - Funding Farrago

July 15, 2013 10:42 - 37 minutes - 26.7 MB

This week Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss party funding in the light of Ed Miliband's recent announcement on union funding, the immigration backlog and Post Office privatisation.

Episode 66 - Falkirk Fallout

July 08, 2013 21:46 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MB

This week Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell are joined by Liberal Conspiracy's Sunny Hundal to discuss the fallout from the Falkirk selection debacle, how Ed Miliband's proposals to respond to this might affect the future of the Labour Party and the further recent discussions about an EU referendum.

Episode 65 - The Spending Review Review

July 01, 2013 11:18 - 48 minutes - 34.2 MB

This week Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell are joined by Bright Blue's Kate Maltby to discuss the spending review and the related fortunes of the parties in its wake, the double dip that never was, royal spending, ministerial no shows and violent porn.

Episode 64 - The Alternative Queen's Speech

June 24, 2013 20:18 - 41 minutes - 29.9 MB

This week Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss "The Alternative Queen's Speech", domestic violence, the behaviour of MPs in the chamber of the House of Commons and whether benefit claimants should have their addresses published.

Episode 63 - Making the Grade

June 16, 2013 22:01 - 50 minutes - 35.2 MB

This week Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell are joined by Conservative activist and blogger Nick Denys to discuss Michael Gove's education reforms, The Morrissey Report into the Lib Dems in the wake of the Lord Rennard allegations and Sarah Woolaston's interview with the Guardian about how having won an open primary to become MP for Totnes, the political system has treated her.

Episode 62 - Taking an Interest

June 10, 2013 16:45 - 51 minutes - 38 MB

This week Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell are joined by author Carl Packman to discuss payday lenders and what can be done to provide loans from alternative sources, the US PRISM scandal and how it relates to privacy questions in the UK and Labour's repositioning on pensions policy.

Episode 61 - Total Recall

June 03, 2013 20:59 - 31 minutes - 22.3 MB

This week Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss the latest parliamentary scandal and ask whether we need a clampdown on lobbying and also the ability for MPs to be recalled as well as Labour's latest announcement on means testing pensioner benefits.

Episode 60 - The Woolwich Aftermath

May 27, 2013 20:51 - 54 minutes - 38.3 MB

This week Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell are joined by parliamentary lobby correspondent and host of the "Hear Hear" podcast Sean Dilley to chew over the week in politics. They discuss various aspects of the aftermath of the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich including the political and media responses. They also cover whether David Cameron should be able to take a holiday and touch upon the recent fortunes of the Conservative Party more widely.

Episode 59 - Five Days in May

May 20, 2013 20:55 - 46 minutes - 33.8 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they are joined by Labour activist and blogger Hopi Sen to discuss Andrew Adonis' "5 Days in May" about the coalition negotiations from Labour's perspective, Loongate and the Tories incipient nervous breakdown over Europe and equal marriage.

Episode 58 - Post Truth Politics

May 13, 2013 15:44 - 41 minutes - 29.6 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they are joined by Lib Dem activist Jennie Rigg to discuss "Post truth politics" in the wake of Iain Duncan-Smith having been caught out misusing statistics (again), Michael Gove's comments on the Lib Dem internal struggles, fish quotas and the ongoing effects of the bedroom tax.

Episode 57 - The Fruitcake Elections

May 06, 2013 17:54 - 51 minutes - 36.1 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they are joined by Labour activist and local government expert Laura Wilkes to discuss the recent local election results especially with respect to the continuing UKIP surge, David Cameron's old Etonian staffing tendencies, the decision by the government not to enshrine the 0.7% GDP level of foreign aid in law and anonymity for rape suspects.

Episode 56 - A Pretty Straight Sort of Guy

April 29, 2013 21:23 - 54 minutes - 38.6 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they analyse Tony Blair's latest comments about the UK political scene with respect to Labour in particular, Iain Duncan-Smith's suggestion that wealthy pensioners should hand back their universal benefits and they look ahead to the upcoming local elections.

Episode 55 - Paris Blues

April 22, 2013 21:52 - 54 minutes - 39.8 MB

Mark Thompson discusses recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week he is joined by Labour activist and councillor Grace Fletcher-Hackwood to discuss the case of Paris Brown the 17 year old who was forced to stand down from her position as youth advisor to a PCC due to her social media activities, Labour's position on public finances and looking forward to the local elections in a couple of weeks time they consider whether there is likely to be a UKI...

Episode 54 - We need to talk about Margaret

April 15, 2013 21:56 - 54 minutes - 35.6 MB

Mark Thompson discusses recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week he is joined by libertarian blogger Mark Wallace to discuss the impact and legacy of Margaret Thatcher in the wake of her death last week.

Episode 53 - Goodbye Mr Miliband

April 08, 2013 19:58 - 57 minutes - 40.3 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they discuss the departure of David Miliband from UK politics and the UK altogether, the welfare changes and the controversial use by some in the media and politics of the Mick Philpott case in the debate about benefits.

Episode 52 - The Meh Budget

March 25, 2013 22:57 - 53 minutes - 37.7 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they are joined by former Ed Miliband adviser Sonia Sodha to discuss the budget, Leveson and blogs, Workfare and JSA targets and immigration bonds.

Episode 51 - Theresa May, Afriyie Won't

March 19, 2013 06:39 - 51 minutes - 43.6 MB

Emma Burnell discusses recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week she was joined by Liberal conservative blogger and contributor to Platform 10 Nick Denys. They talked all things fiscal in advance of the budget and also covered the many (many) plots swirling around the Tory party and what that all means for their electoral chances.

Episode 50 - I'm a liberal and I'm against this sort of thing

March 11, 2013 23:03 - 52 minutes - 36.6 MB

Emma Burnell discusses recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week she is joined by Liberal Democrat Linda Jack and former Liberal Democrat Jo Shaw who had dramatically resigned from the party on the conference stage during a debate on Secret Courts on the day of recording. They discuss Secret Courts, party leaderships being out of touch with their members, the differences between Labour and the Lib Dems and how women in politics and public life are ...

Episode 49 - The Eastleigh Fallout

March 04, 2013 22:17 - 51 minutes - 38.2 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they are joined by Rafael Behr the political editor of the New Statesman to discuss the fallout from Eastleigh including the UKIP surge, John O'Farrell's comments about candidate "scrutiny" and murmurs from the Conservative Party about rowing back on human rights legislation.

Episode 48 - The Politics of AAA

February 25, 2013 22:19 - 42 minutes - 31.3 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they are joined by Isabel Hardman the editor of the Spectator Coffee house blog to discuss the AAA debacle and what it means for George Osborne and the government, the Eastleigh by-election and what Mark found out pounding the streets in South Hampshire at the weekend and finally the accusations against Lord Rennard and more generally women in public life.

Episode 47 - Whose Mansion Tax is it Anyway?

February 18, 2013 20:55 - 55 minutes - 39.8 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they discuss Ed Miliband's announcement of a mansion tax and a reintroduction of the 10p tax rate, the latest from the Eastleigh by-election, the court decision on workfare and the Sun's decision to publish a front-page bikini picture of the recently killed Reeva Steenkamp.

Episode 46 - The Future of the NHS

February 11, 2013 23:05 - 49 minutes - 34.3 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they are joined by Guardian writer Ellie Mae O'Hagan to discuss Chris Huhne's resignation and the ensuing Eastleigh by-election, the future of the NHS in the light of the Francis Inquiry into the failings at Stafford Hospital and the reduction in benefits based on rooms in houses that Mark refuses to call the "bedroom tax"!

Episode 45 - Europe - The Final Countdown?

January 28, 2013 22:25 - 49 minutes - 36.4 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they are joined by UKIP head of press Gawain Towler to discuss Cameron's announcement of an in/out EU referendum in 5 years time, the intemperate comments of Lib Dem MP David Ward about Israel and the blacklisting scandal.

Episode 44 - The Death of the High Street

January 21, 2013 21:16 - 44 minutes - 31.9 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they discuss the future of the economy in the context of the recently announced high street troubles for HMV, Jessops, Blockbuster and before them Comet and others. How will our country and its workforce adjust to the new realities and can the state plan for this future or should we just go with the flow? You won't be surprised to hear that Mark and Emma have somewhat ...

Episode 43 - The One with the Onesie

January 14, 2013 22:54 - 43 minutes - 30.5 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they are joined by Conservative activist and former PPC Charlotte Vere to discuss the government relaunch, childcare reform, Labour's proposals for regulating landlords and they all reveal whether or not any of them own a Onesie like Nick Clegg.

Episode 42 - The Shelf Stacker Reflex

January 07, 2013 21:10 - 50 minutes - 37.1 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they cover Labour's work guarantee, the coalition's mid-term review and they give their own assessments of how the government and coalition has worked thus far. Also, Emma takes Mark to task on his reflex for using shelf stacking as a catch-all way of describing entry level jobs!

Episode 41 - Why must you record my VOIP calls?

December 17, 2012 00:30 - 44 minutes - 27.2 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they are joined by the technical editor of PC Pro Magazine Darien Graham-Smith to discuss the recent joint committee report on the draft communications bill, gay marriage, gun control in the US and Maria Miller's expenses.

Episode 40 - Strivers vs Skivers

December 10, 2012 00:20 - 45 minutes - 26.9 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent political events in the House of Comments podcast. This week they discuss the Chancellor's Autumn statement and try to work out who the strivers and skivers are, whether Starbucks are a fair target for tax protests, pluralism with respect to the new "Labour for Democracy" movement and speculate on how the government will respond to the imminent Home Affairs Select Committee report on drug policy.

Episode 39 - Crossing the Rubicon

December 03, 2012 00:14 - 49 minutes - 29.6 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they are joined by libertarian blogger Mark Wallace to discuss the Leveson report and political reaction to it, the recent by-elections especially with respect to the UKIP surge and what they would like to see in the Chancellor's pre-budget statement this week.

Episode 38 - UKIP if you want to

November 26, 2012 09:29 - 52 minutes - 30.6 MB

Mark Thompson and Emma Burnell discuss recent events in politics in the all new revived House of Comments podcast. This week they cover the UKIP members Rotherham fostering case (and hypothesise about how it would have played out if they had been BNP members), sexism in politics following recent comments by Nadine Dorries and try to predict what the Leveson report on Thursday will recommend.

Episodes