TALKING POLITICS
411 episodes - English - Latest episode: 12 months ago - ★★★★★ - 619 ratingsCoronavirus! Climate! Brexit! Trump! Politics has never been more unpredictable, more alarming or more interesting: Talking Politics is the podcast that tries to make sense of it all. Every week David Runciman and Helen Thompson talk to the most interesting people around about the ideas and events that shape our world: from history to economics, from philosophy to fiction. What does the future hold?
Can democracy survive? How crazy will it get? This is the political conversation that matters.
Talking Politics is brought to you in partnership with the London Review of Books, Europe's leading magazine of books and ideas.
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Episodes
Paul Mason on the Human Future
April 25, 2019 00:00 - 57 minutes - 132 MBWe talk to Paul Mason about his new book Clear Bright Future - a radical defence of the human being in the age of digital transformation and a call to political action. The book covers a lot of ground and so do we: Trump and Nietzsche, machine learning and network effects, climate change and neoliberalism, secular humanism and Christian Enlightenment. But no Brexit! A conversation about the biggest political choices we face and the deep philosophical questions that lie behind them. With Hele...
The Copernican Principle
April 18, 2019 00:00 - 37 minutes - 86.5 MBDavid gives the third in his series of talks about the future of democracy. This one uses an idea from cosmology to work out where we might be in the story of democracy: are we at the beginning, in the middle or near the end? It all depends when and where we think the story starts. From Stonehenge to Les Miserables, from ancient Athens to Facebook, a simple idea turns out to have some surprising applications, and some important lessons for contemporary politics. Talking Points: The Coperni...
Brexit Lessons
April 10, 2019 22:43 - 43 minutes - 99.7 MBWe try to draw some wider lessons from the nightmare that the Brexit process has now become. What have we learned about the relationship between parliament and the executive? Is there any way that the Article 50 process could have worked? And what conclusions will other countries reach about how hard it is to leave the EU? Plus we talk about the recent report from the Hansard Society indicating that the British public is more open than ever to the idea of a 'strong leader'. With Helen Thomps...
Trump After Mueller
April 07, 2019 06:13 - 41 minutes - 94 MBWe catch up with Gary Gerstle in the US to assess where the Trump presidency stands after the Mueller report appeared to give him a pass. Are there more revelations to come once the full report is available? Can Trump take advantage of his good fortune? And who in the crowded Democratic field currently looks best placed to beat him in 2020? With Helen Thompson.
May Rolls the Dice
April 04, 2019 00:00 - 47 minutes - 109 MBDavid and Helen talk through the latest twist in the Brexit tale: Theresa May's offer to work with Labour to get some version of Brexit over the line. Can the two parties ever agree on what that version is? Could any agreement be made to stick? And if they can't agree, what happens next? Plus we talk about whether May's offer to stand down is still in effect and we ask what all this might mean for the ERG, the DUP, the SNP and the EU. Talking Points: On Tuesday night, Theresa May changed ...
Moment of Truth?
March 28, 2019 01:00 - 50 minutes - 115 MBAs parliament finally gets the chance to indicate its Brexit preferences - if it has any - we discuss the real choices now facing MPs and government. What is the sequence of events that would actually prevent a no-deal Brexit? Can the Withdrawal Agreement be separated from the Political Declaration? And if it can, will MPs eventually have to vote for it? Plus we ask how long we can avoid another general election and we discuss whether Theresa May's survival to this point tells us more about...
Uninhabitable Earth
March 24, 2019 01:00 - 37 minutes - 85.6 MBDavid talks to David Wallace-Wells about his bestselling - and terrifying - new book on the coming hellscape of climate change. When will it arrive? When will we face up to it? And what can we do about it now? ' We don't have time for a revolution.' https://www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk/
Italy vs France vs Brexit
March 21, 2019 01:00 - 42 minutes - 97.7 MBWe take the wider European view this week, catching up with the latest developments in Italy and France. A year on from the Italian elections, who is up and who is down in the coalition between the League and Five Star? What is China up to in Italy? Has Macron really got his mojo back? Plus we ask the big question: between chaos at Westminster, riots in Paris and rabble-rousing in Rome, whose democracy is in the biggest trouble? With Lucia Rubinelli and Chris Bickerton. Talking Points: Wha...
Can This Go On?
March 18, 2019 22:57 - 30 minutes - 70.4 MBAt the start of another momentous week, David catches up with Helen to explore some of the long term implications of the Brexit crisis. Is lasting damage being done to constitutional government in the UK? Can the Brexiteers still have their cake and eat it? And is the story of Theresa May ultimately a tragic one? You can also hear Helen and David this week on the 538 politics podcast https://53eig.ht/2FaPkJz *Recorded Monday the 18th March, before John Bercow's ruling on the 3rd meaningful ...
Impasse
March 13, 2019 23:11 - 50 minutes - 115 MBWe try to cut through the Brexit fog and see what's really out there, from new deals to no deal. Plus we ask some bigger questions: What is the true role of lawyers in politics? Does the EU want regime change? And how will future historians explain this extraordinary period? With Helen Thompson, Chris Bickerton and Kenneth Armstrong. Talking Points: The concessions Theresa May secured made some difference, but if the fear on the Conservative side was about remaining “trapped,” the ways out...
The Party Splits
March 07, 2019 01:00 - 40 minutes - 93.4 MBWe discuss the challenge posed by the Independent Group and by Tom Watson inside Labour to conventional two party-politics in Britain. Can the system hold together? If not, what might replace it? And where are the new ideas going to come from? Plus we talk about what the ERG wants on the Tory side: is it simply Boris? With Helen Thompson and Mike Kenny. Talking Points: The Independent Group is inching toward becoming a party. What will their platform be? The only thing they seem to h...
Endgame?
February 28, 2019 23:34 - 30 minutes - 69.2 MBWe weigh up where we've reached with Brexit, now that the big choices can't be avoided for much longer. Is a second referendum any more likely than it was a week ago? What terms will the EU demand for an extension of article 50? And can May finally prevail? With Helen Thompson and Chris Bickerton. Talking Points: Are we finally approaching the endgame on Brexit? The sequence became more clear this week: 1) a vote on May’s deal; 2) A vote on no deal; 3) A vote for an extension The case fo...
Best Political Novels
February 28, 2019 01:00 - 44 minutes - 101 MBA break from Brexit this week: we talk to the novelist Richard T. Kelly, author of Crusaders and The Knives, about what makes great political fiction. We discuss the research needed to make a political novel authentic, how to get inside the head of a politician and we ask whether May or Trump would make good fictional heroes. Plus we pick some of our favourite political novels, with literary critic Kasia Boddy. Don't worry: more Brexit soon! Talking Points: How does a novelist know what ...
Green New Deal?
February 21, 2019 01:00 - 49 minutes - 114 MBThis week we talk about another side of capitalism: the innovation economy. Can capitalism deal with climate change? How much depends on the role of the state? And who will pay? We compare the Green New Deal to FDR's original version: does history show us how to get this done? With Bill Janeway, author of Doing Capitalism in the Innovation Economy, Diane Coyle and Helen Thompson. Plus: David and Helen catch up with the latest comings and goings in British politics: are the two main parties s...
The Nightmare of Surveillance Capitalism
February 14, 2019 01:00 - 50 minutes - 115 MBWe talk to Shoshana Zuboff about The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, her game-changing account of what's gone wrong with the world of big tech and how to fix it. What is surveillance power and why is it destroying the things we value? How have we allowed this to happen? Where will the resistance come from? Plus we ask whether the real problem here is technology or capitalism itself. With John Naughton. Talking Points: In her new book Zuboff writes, “"surveillance capitalists know too much...
The Wall
February 07, 2019 01:00 - 42 minutes - 96.3 MBThis week David talks to John Lanchester about his new novel depicting Britain after a climate catastrophe and encircled by a vast wall that must be defended at all costs. Where does this nightmarish vision come from? How closely does it track what we know about climate change? And what does it tell us about our political choices now and in the future? Plus we discuss the relationship between climate and capitalism. https://amzn.to/2Sx7PAD
Back to Brussels
February 03, 2019 01:00 - 26 minutes - 61.6 MBAn extra episode as David and Helen try to work out where we've got to with Brexit after this week's votes in the Commons. Can Tory unity hold? Can EU unity hold? Something's got to give - but what? And when? Talking Points: Is there a contradiction in offering to renegotiate the backstop? If a no deal means a hard border and economic chaos, then maybe there is a good argument for reopening the backstop? If you’re sitting in Dublin right now, you might be nervous because the chance that...
The Problem with Political Leaders
January 31, 2019 01:00 - 41 minutes - 94 MBThis week marks the 100th anniversary of one of the most influential lectures ever given on politics: Max Weber's 'Politics as a Vocation', first delivered in Munich on 28 January 1919. David and Helen talk with Jonathan Powell, Tony Blair's former chief of staff, about some of its lessons for the age of Brexit. Where have all the good leaders gone? Is the party system to blame? Are we suffering from an excess of conviction or a lack of conviction? And who will be responsible if we see a ret...
Trump and the Shutdown
January 24, 2019 01:00 - 51 minutes - 117 MBWith the US government still shut, we compare this standoff to shutdowns of the past and try to work out what happens next. What is Trump's game? Can the two parties hold together? And why aren't the workers taking to the streets? Plus we weigh up where things stand with the Mueller investigation, the race for the Democratic nomination and Trump's shifting policy on Syria. It's all connected! With Helen Thompson and Gary Gerstle.
Adam Tooze on Europe
January 20, 2019 01:00 - 40 minutes - 93.6 MBA special extra episode for this week with Adam Tooze, author of Crashed and one of our most popular previous guests. He takes us through the wider political and economic context for Britain's Brexit crisis, from Italy to France to Germany, and beyond to China and the US. Plus he explains why Brexit is one of the great calamities of his lifetime.
What Now?
January 16, 2019 23:24 - 49 minutes - 114 MBAfter the crushing defeat for Theresa May's deal in the Commons, we try to work out where we go from here. How and when can Article 50 be extended? What would it mean for parliament to take control of the process? Do we need another general election? Can this government survive? It's all connected and we search for the path through the maze. With Helen Thompson, Chris Bickerton and Kenneth Armstrong.
Talking Politics Guide to ... Existential Risk
January 10, 2019 01:00 - 29 minutes - 68.3 MBDavid talks to Martin Rees about how we should evaluate the greatest threats facing the human species in the twenty-first century. Does the biggest danger come from bio-terror or bio-error, climate change, nuclear war or AI? And what prospects does space travel provide for a post-human future? Talking Points: Existential risk is risk that cascades globally and is a severe setback to civilization. We are now so interconnected and so empowered as a species that humans could be responsible fo...
Talking Politics Guide to ... Bretton Woods
January 06, 2019 01:00 - 33 minutes - 77.3 MBDavid talks to Helen Thompson about the economic order that was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. What was agreed at Bretton Woods, how did it work, why did it eventually fail, and can any of it be revived? Talking Points: The Bretton Woods system: Established a system of fixed exchange rates with the U.S. dollar as the international reserve currency (other currencies were pegged to the dollar, and the dollar was pegged to gold) Created the IMF and the World Bank Establ...
Talking Politics Guide to ... Deliberative Democracy
January 03, 2019 01:00 - 22 minutes - 52.1 MBDavid talks to Matthew Taylor about whether more deliberation could remedy some of the defects in contemporary democracy. What can deliberative democracy add to traditional forms of political representation and how might it actually work in practice? Talking Points: The key feature of deliberative democracy is the idea that in order to fully tap into citizens’ views of an issue, you need to give them the time, information, and range of opinion to make an informed choice. The deliberative...
Talking Politics Guide to ... Human Rights in the Digital Age
December 30, 2018 01:00 - 25 minutes - 58.5 MBDavid talks to Ella McPherson about whether digital communication is making it easier or harder to hold human rights abusers to account. What has been the impact of the social media revolution on reporting human rights violations and does anonymity help or hinder the pursuit of justice? Talking Points: Human rights activism is about analyzing information, processing it, and turning it into evidence. New technologies such as smartphones and messaging services have fundamentally changed the...
Talking Politics Guide to ... Facebook
December 27, 2018 01:00 - 28 minutes - 66.1 MBHow did Facebook get to be so powerful and what, if anything, can we do to take some of that power back? David talks to John Naughton about the rise and possible fall of Mark Zuckerberg’s social media monolith. Talking Points: Facebook is a data extraction company claiming to be a social network. If the service is free, your data is the product. Advertisers, not users, are Facebook’s real customers. How do we reconcile this reality with the fact that people value it as a public service...
Talking Politics Guide to ... Economic Well-being
December 23, 2018 01:00 - 25 minutes - 58.6 MBDavid talks to Diane Coyle about how we measure whether the state of the economy is actually doing us any good. Why is it so hard to capture well-being in economic statistics and what impact has the digital revolution had on our quality of life? Talking Points: What does it mean when there is a disconnect between conventional economic measures and life as it is experienced? Consider the United States: economic indicators such as GDP and unemployment statistics look good, but the social i...
Talking Politics Guide to ... the US Constitution
December 20, 2018 01:00 - 28 minutes - 65.7 MBDavid talks to Gary Gerstle about the history of the United States Constitution and its current role in American political life. Is it still fit for purpose in the twenty-first century and what could be done to change it? “American democracy is stuck, but because of the Constitution it also has a history of getting stuck.” Talking Points: The Constitution not only divided power between the federal government and the states; it also gave each level of governance a different theory of power...
The Fate of Theresa May
December 13, 2018 01:00 - 54 minutes - 126 MBThis week David and Helen try to make sense of everything that's going on: not just the Brexit drama, but its links to Macron's fate in France and Merkel's fate in Germany. How will history see this moment? Does Theresa May have any cards left to play? Plus David responds to some of the feedback from last week's episode about votes for children. Recorded on Weds morning before the result of the confidence vote, with a short update.
The Fate of Theresa May
December 13, 2018 01:00 - 54 minutes - 126 MBThis week David and Helen try to make sense of everything that's going on: not just the Brexit drama, but its links to Macron's fate in France and Merkel's fate in Germany. How will history see this moment? Does Theresa May have any cards left to play? Plus David responds to some of the feedback from last week's episode about votes for children. Recorded on Weds morning before the result of the confidence vote, with a short update. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out informati...
Democracy For Young People
December 06, 2018 01:00 - 41 minutes - 95.1 MBAs a follow-up to last year's How Democracy Ends lecture, David talks about how divisions between young and old are threatening representative democracy. He traces the story from Ancient Greece to Brexit and beyond, and asks how the age divide connects to the education divide in contemporary politics. Plus he offers some radical suggestions for what we might do about it.
Martha Nussbaum
November 29, 2018 01:00 - 38 minutes - 87.4 MBA break from Brexit! This week we talk to one of the world's leading moral philosophers Martha Nussbaum about the really big stuff: anger and disgust, trust and hope, childhood and experience. Can contemporary democracy cope with the growing fears of its citizens? What are we so afraid of? And what does Trump's election tell us about where we should look to rebuild faith in politics? Martha Nussbaum's latest book is The Monarchy of Fear https://bit.ly/2zwpLR9
Brexit Time
November 22, 2018 01:00 - 45 minutes - 104 MBAs Theresa May gets closer to putting her Brexit deal before parliament, we discuss the chances of success. Was this really the best deal available? What will MPs be weighing up when they get their chance to vote on it? Have its opponents missed their chance? Plus we try to make sense of the choices facing the DUP and we consider the larger question of what this version of Brexit would mean for the future of the Union. With Kenneth Armstrong, author of Brexit Time, Helen Thompson and Chris Bi...
Italy vs. Europe
November 15, 2018 01:00 - 43 minutes - 99.4 MBWe try to make sense of the big story in European politics this week: not Brexit (not yet!) but the high stakes standoff between the Italian government and the EU. Why has the proposed Italian budget produced this showdown? Who is really pulling the strings? And what does it tell us about the current prospects for populism in Europe? Plus we assess the ups and downs of the Macron project and ask what its fate means for the future of France and of the wider European project. With Helen Thompso...
What's happening in Brazil?
November 11, 2018 01:00 - 42 minutes - 96.7 MBWe try to make sense of the recent election of far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro as president of Brazil, with the help of three experts in Brazilian politics and society. Who voted for Bolsonaro and why? What role is being played by the army? Can he deliver on his promises? And what does his election tell us about the prospects for democracy in the country and the wider world? With Nadya Araujo Guimarães, Pedro Mendes Loureiro and Graham Denyer Willis.
Midterms special!
November 07, 2018 23:27 - 52 minutes - 120 MBIn a special episode recorded the morning after the midterms, we try to make sense of the results as they come in. How much trouble can a Democratic House cause for Trump's presidency? What will Republicans do with their new strength in the Senate? And when, if ever, will the South turn blue? Plus we ask what impact the Kavanaugh hearings had on the outcome and whether the Democrats have an economic message for 2020. With Helen Thompson and Gary Gerstle - in front of a live audience at Trini...
America First?
November 01, 2018 01:00 - 53 minutes - 123 MBWe talk to the historian Sarah Churchwell about the origins of some of the ideas churning up politics in the age of Trump: 'America First', 'Make America Great Again', 'Fake News'. Where do these phrases come from and what do they mean? We try to unpick the racism from the isolationism and the anti-immigrant from the anti-elitist sentiment. Plus we discuss whether fascism in America was a real threat in the 1930s and whether it's a real threat today. With Andrew Preston, historian of US forei...
How Bad Could it Get?
October 25, 2018 00:00 - 43 minutes - 98.6 MBAs crunch time approaches, we talk through some worst-case Brexit scenarios: for the government, for the economy, for Remainers, for Europe. Have the negotiations been a humiliation for Britain? Is the Tory Party facing an existential crisis? And what might go wrong if the marchers for a 'people's vote' got their way? Plus we speculate about what a no-deal Brexit would mean for Britain's service economy. With Diane Coyle, Helen Thompson and Chris Bickerton.
Gandhi's Politics
October 21, 2018 00:00 - 29 minutes - 68.2 MBDavid talks about the enduring influence of Gandhi with Ramachandra Guha, author of an epic new biography Gandhi 1914-194: The Years That Changed the World. A conversation about the politics of protest, the legacy of empire and the possibility of moral leadership. Plus, what was it like having Gandhi as your father? https://bit.ly/2OVe7VE
Francis Fukuyama
October 18, 2018 00:00 - 46 minutes - 106 MBDavid talks to the author of The End of History about his new book, Identity. Can 'identity politics' really make sense of everything from populism to #MeToo? Why are liberal democracies struggling to meet their citizens' desire for recognition? And what happened to the end of history anyway? Plus we discuss the Kavanaugh hearings, 'getting to Denmark' and the challenge of an ageing population. NB: This weekend there's a special extra edition of Talking Politics looking at the enduring leg...
Francis Fukuyama
October 18, 2018 00:00 - 46 minutes - 106 MBDavid talks to the author of The End of History about his new book, Identity. Can 'identity politics' really make sense of everything from populism to #MeToo? Why are liberal democracies struggling to meet their citizens' desire for recognition? And what happened to the end of history anyway? Plus we discuss the Kavanaugh hearings, 'getting to Denmark' and the challenge of an ageing population. NB: This weekend there's a special extra edition of Talking Politics looking at the enduring leg...
Democracy Hacked
October 11, 2018 00:00 - 43 minutes - 100 MBWe try to uncover the truth about fake news with Alan Rusbridger, former editor of the Guardian, and Martin Moore, director of the Centre for the Study of Media, Communication and Power. Why have elections around the world been so easy to hack? Can newspapers survive the age of 'free'? And is anonymity a friend or an enemy to democracy? Big questions, big answers.
Brexit Choices
October 04, 2018 00:00 - 49 minutes - 112 MBBack to Brexit: as decision-day approaches we try to work out what might happen next. Did Labour patch up its differences? Can anyone really start the negotiations again? And what would it take to get the EU to deviate from its script? Plus we explore some of the ideological roots of Tory opposition to Chequers and we ask what happened to the good old British bye-election. With Helen Thompson, Chris Bickerton and Waseem Yaqoob.
Moneyland
September 27, 2018 00:00 - 45 minutes - 104 MBWe talk to Oliver Bullough about his acclaimed new book Moneyland: Why Thieves and Crooks Now Rule the World and How to Take it Back. Where is Moneyland? How did London become its capital? And will Brexit, or a Corbyn government, or another financial crash change how it operates? A conversation about tax havens, money-laundering, the politics of corruption and the corruption of politics. With Jason Sharman, author of The Despot's Guide to Wealth Management, and Helen Thompson.
Dan Snow
September 20, 2018 00:00 - 42 minutes - 97.9 MBWe talk to the host of Dan Snow's History Hit, the no. 1 history podcast, about some of our favourite subjects. Does history help us understand the present state of politics, and which history? Are we closer to the 1890's, the 1930's, or the 1980's? How should we commemorate the aftermath of WWI? Plus we talk about whether Chinese politicians are really able to take the long view. With Helen Thompson. https://www.historyhit.com/podcasts/dan-snows-history-hit/
Dan Snow
September 20, 2018 00:00 - 42 minutes - 97.9 MBWe talk to the host of Dan Snow's History Hit, the no. 1 history podcast, about some of our favourite subjects. Does history help us understand the present state of politics, and which history? Are we closer to the 1890's, the 1930's, or the 1980's? How should we commemorate the aftermath of WWI? Plus we talk about whether Chinese politicians are really able to take the long view. With Helen Thompson. https://www.historyhit.com/podcasts/dan-snows-history-hit/ See acast.com/privacy for...
Taming Trump
September 13, 2018 00:00 - 36 minutes - 84.3 MBWe talk with Bronwen Maddox, Director of the Institute for Government and former Washington bureau chief of the Times, about the latest revelations from inside Trumpworld. With claims that the resistance has spread to the government, we ask whether it is ethical for administration officials to resist the elected president. Is this about Trump's personality or his policies? What precedent might be being set? And are Obama's interventions in the mid-term elections helping? Recorded at the Insti...
Labour's Fault Lines
September 06, 2018 00:00 - 45 minutes - 103 MBSummer's over: politics is back! This week we return to the mystery inside the enigma that is Brexit to ask where Labour now stands. What is the big divide in the Labour movement: Is it MPs vs leader? Members vs voters? Young vs old? And what could a second referendum achieve anyway? Plus we try to make sense of the fraught fight over the definition of anti-Semitism. With Helen Thompson, Chris Bickerton and Waseem Yaqoob.
Crashed
August 30, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 151 MBCrashed - Helen and David talk to historian Adam Tooze about his epic new book Crashed: How A Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World. Why did the crash of 2008 take so many people by surprise? How did it spread from the US around the world? Why was Europe so vulnerable? And how do the answers to these questions help explain Brexit, Trump and what's now going on in places from Hungary to China? Plus, as we approach the 10-year anniversary of the event that triggered the crisis, we explo...
Crashed
August 30, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 151 MBCrashed - Helen and David talk to historian Adam Tooze about his epic new book Crashed: How A Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World. Why did the crash of 2008 take so many people by surprise? How did it spread from the US around the world? Why was Europe so vulnerable? And how do the answers to these questions help explain Brexit, Trump and what's now going on in places from Hungary to China? Plus, as we approach the 10-year anniversary of the event that triggered the crisis, we explor...