I spoke to Michael Heseltine at the Cambridge Literary Festival about his remarkable career, how he would have changed the Tory party’s approach to Europe had he won the leadership contest in 1990, his reflections on Thatcher, his radical ideas if he were prime minister now… and much more.
The Cambridge Winter Festival is held on the 22nd and 23rd of November.
Rock & Roll Politics is live in the main concert hall at Kings Place on July 17th. Tickets here.
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Written and presented by Steve Richards.
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1:09:43
Can The Tories survive?
The Labour government has signed a deal with the EU that brings significant improvements to the agreement negotiated by Johnson and Lord Frosty Frost… their deal being a reminder of the many calamitous developments in the wild fourteen years of misrule. Can the Tory Party recover from such a record or is it doomed to be replaced by Reform?
Rock & Roll Politics is live in the main concert hall at Kings Place on July 17th. Tickets here.
Subscribe to Patreon for bonus podcasts, the main podcast a day early and ad free… plus special exclusive live events.
Written and presented by Steve Richards.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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1:06:02
Who will win the battle of the UK’s borders?
Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper have played their migration cards, but will they be enough to counter Farage’s populist policies? Will they work in practical terms? And if they do, what will be the impact on growth and any hope for the urgently needed National Care Service? So many questions erupt when moving on to this thorny terrain…
Subscribe to Patreon for bonus podcasts, the main podcast a day early and ad free… plus special exclusive live events.
Written and presented by Steve Richards.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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1:01:20
Do Starmer and co know what they mean by ‘change’ and ‘reform’?
Labour was elected to deliver ‘change’ but Starmer, Reeves and Morgan McSweeney have been cautious and vague about their ambition to move on from the recent past. Instead Labour communications use the term ‘reform’ as if it were a policy in itself.
Now Labour faces the Reform Party, the Greens, the SNP and Lib Dems, all pitching bolder versions of change. Yet in government Labour is trapped by fiscal rules, the power of the Office for Budget Responsibility and a lack of clarity and coherence at the top. Can Starmer become a clear-sighted political teacher?
• Rock’n’Roll Politics is live at Kings Place this Thursday, May 8th. Tickets available here.
• Subscribe to Patreon for live events, bonus podcasts and to get the regular podcast a day early and ad free.
Written and presented by Steve Richards.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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50:36
Is the Government moving closer to Europe?
There is a big UK/EU summit in May which ministers are confident will be a significant event – and not just a talking shop. Meanwhile Rachel Reeves has dared to state the obvious – that a deal with the EU is the biggest prize for the British government, as Trump oscillates wildly. Are these signs that a government so fearful of raising Brexit is beginning to turn towards Europe? And what would be the consequences?
Rock & Roll Politics is live at Kings Place on May 8th and streaming live, just days after the local elections and the Runcorn by-election. A new landscape? Tickets available here.
Subscribe to Patreon for live events, bonus podcasts and to get the regular podcast a day early and ad free.
Written and presented by Steve Richards.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Based on his live one-man show Rock & Roll Politics, the broadcaster and author Steve Richards takes a weekly behind-the-scenes tour of UK politics and the media that shapes the way we view the epic political dramas. The future is ridiculously unpredictable and the past is so easy to misread. Subscribe to your weekly guide through seismic times.
Ireland