Talking Politics

03/03/2022

NEW EPISODE! David, Helen and Catherine get together for our final episode, to reflect on podcasting through six extraordinary years of politics, and what it means to be ending at the beginning of a war. We talk about the current crisis, how it connects to the crises of the past, and where it might fit in to the crises of the future. This episode is dedicated to Finbarr Livesey and Aaron Rapport →https://shows.acast.com/talkingpolitics/episodes/finale

24/02/2022

NEW EPISODE! For our penultimate episode, David talks to Helen about her new book Disorder: Hard Times in the Twenty-First Century. It’s a conversation about many of the themes Helen has explored on Talking Politics over the years, from the energy transition to the perils of QE, from the travails of the Eurozone to the crisis of democracy, from China to America, from the past to the present to the future. In this book, she brings all these themes together to help make sense of the world we’re in → https://shows.acast.com/talkingpolitics/episodes/helenthompsondisorder

https://www.waterstones.com/book/disorder/helen-thompson/9780198864981

17/02/2022

NEW EPISODE! David talks to Shahin Vallee and Chris Bickerton about the upcoming French presidential elections. Can anything or anyone stop Macron? Why has French politics moved so far to the right? And what do left and right still mean in the absence of economic disagreement? Plus we discuss what the Macron years - the five that have gone and the five probably still to come - have taught us about the changing character of European politics → https://shows.acast.com/talkingpolitics/episodes/the-meaning-of-macron

10/02/2022

NEW EPISODE! The Meaning of Boris Johnson
David, Helen and Chris Brooke have one more go at making sense of the tangled web that is British politics. Can Johnson really survive, and even if he does, can his brand ever recover? Is this a scandal, is it a crisis, or is it something else entirely? Does history offer any guide to what comes next? Plus we explore what might be the really big lessons from the last two years of Covid-dominated politics. https://shows.acast.com/talkingpolitics/episodes/the-meaning-of-boris-johnson

09/02/2022

The TP Shop is OPEN for one final time!

We have just 15 KeepCups remaining, so if you're a long time fan of the podcast and have always wanted one (or know someone who'd love one) this is your *very last chance*. We'll even throw in a TP badge, and perhaps even a sticker or two...

Shop now or forever hold your peace: https://www.talkingpoliticspodcast.com/shop/the-talking-politics-keepcup ☕

03/02/2022

After six years and more than 300 episodes, we’ve decided to wind down Talking Politics.

It’s been fascinating for us to cover such a tumultuous time in politics, and to have had such wonderful engagement from our listeners. There’s never a good time to end - we are all very aware that British politics is in the middle of another convulsion - but we are all increasingly busy with other projects, and we wanted to finish this podcast on a high note.

We still have episodes to come on the French presidential elections, on Boris Johnson, and, most importantly, on Helen's new book, Disorder. Our last episode will go out on 3rd March, and our archive of past episodes and our website will remain accessible for the long term.

We want to thank our friends at the London Review of Books for their support and say thank you to our listeners: we do hope you have enjoyed and valued listening to our podcast as much as we've enjoyed and valued creating it.

03/02/2022

David and Helen talk to Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor of the Economist, about what Vladimir Putin hopes to get out of the Ukraine crisis and what anyone can do to stop him. Is some sort of invasion inevitable? Is Russia’s goal to sow dissent or to achieve regime change? What leverage does the rest of world have over Putin and his allies? Plus we explore where the roots of the crisis lie: in 2014, in the end of the Cold War, or even earlier still? →

Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor of the Economist on the Ukraine crisis.

27/01/2022

NEW EPISODE! David talks to John Naughton about what’s coming next in the tech revolution and where it’s taking us. From quantum computing to cryptocurrency, from AI to the Internet of Things: what’s hype, what’s for real and how will it shape our politics. Plus we discuss what China understands about technology that the rest of the world might have missed.
→ https://shows.acast.com/talkingpolitics/episodes/the-next-big-thing

20/01/2022

NEW EPISODE! One year on from Joe Biden’s inauguration David and Helen talk with Gary Gerstle about what’s gone wrong. What is the strategy behind this presidency? Has it tried to do too much or too little? And are the dark warnings of another American civil war really plausible? Plus we discuss whether the original American Civil War should really be used as the template for political breakdown → https://shows.acast.com/talkingpolitics/episodes/american-civil-wa

06/01/2022

NEW EPISODE! Two Topics for 2022. To kick off the new year David and Helen are joined by historian Robert Saunders to talk about two possible trends for the next twelve months. Could Labour and the Lib Dem’s really find electoral common ground to defeat the Tories? And is Netzero scepticism about to become a serious force on the British right? A conversation about history, coalitions, energy prices, populism and the return of Nigel Farage. Coming up on Talking Politics: Biden one year on. → https://open.acast.com/public/streams/6195701f2eacc3a36070252a/episodes/61d612ba1d51f10012c0430e.mp3

01/01/2022

Need a New Year's resolution? Catch up with both seasons of History Of Ideas: a series of talks by David Runciman exploring some of the most important thinkers and prominent ideas lying behind modern politics – from Hobbes to Gandhi, from democracy to patriarchy, from revolution to lockdown.

Listen now wherever you find podcasts, or tap below to get started ↓

History Of Ideas is a podcast sharing talks by David Runciman in which he explores some of the most important thinkers and prominent ideas lying behind modern politics – from Hobbes to Gandhi, from democracy to patriarchy, from revolution to lockdown. 

24/12/2021

We're signing off for a few days: wishing you all a relaxing festive break!

Don't forget the TP archive is on hand for wintery walks: search "Talking Politics" wherever you find podcasts to rummage through past episodes. And if you've exhausted our back catalogue, our friends at the London Review of Books have lots of further reading to keep your mind busy...

Thank you for listening – see you in 2022! TP

23/12/2021

NEW EPISODE! Boris: The Ghost of Christmas Present
David and Helen talk through what’s going on with the prime minister, the pandemic and the state of British politics. Is Johnson still in touch with public opinion on Covid? Why is hypocrisy more toxic than lying? What are the historical parallels - if any - for the Tories recent by-election disasters? Plus we try to decide what 2021 will be remembered for politically in the years to come → https://shows.acast.com/talkingpolitics/episodes/boris-the-ghost-of-christmas-present

16/12/2021

NEW EPISODE! David and Helen talk to historian Chris Clark about the 1848 revolutions and what they teach us about political change. What explains the contagiousness of the revolutionary moment? Is it possible to combine parliamentary reform with street politics? Where does counter-revolution get its power? A conversation about political failure and the possibilities of success → https://www.talkingpoliticspodcast.com/blog/2021/334-1848-and-all-that

06/12/2021

Last week to shop! We have a very limited number of TP tote bags and reusable KeepCups available: the perfect festive gift for a podcast fan. All orders get posted out on 11 December: tap through now to start your shopping! https://www.talkingpoliticspodcast.com/shop

Love Talking Politics? Browse our small but perfectly formed store to purchase our podcast's splendid merchandise.

05/12/2021

Enjoying Talking Politics and History of Ideas?

Become part of TP+ and you'll not only get a version of Talking Politics without adverts in the middle – you'll also be helping to support our podcasts, all for less than one coffee per month...

Learn more and join us → plus.acast.com/s/talkingpolitics

03/12/2021

The Talking Politics Shop is open! ↓

We have a very limited number of TP tote bags and reusable TP KeepCups available: the perfect festive gift for a fan of our podcast. All orders will be posted out on 11 December: tap through to start your shopping!

talkingpoliticspodcast.com/shop

Love Talking Politics? Browse our small but perfectly formed store to purchase our podcast's splendid merchandise.

02/12/2021

NEW EPISODE! In a special episode recorded live at the Bristol Festival of Economics, David and Helen talk to Ed Conway, Economics Editor at Sky News, about the biggest challenges facing the global economy. How will the supply chain crisis be fixed? Is inflation the threat it appears? Can the world economic system really wean itself off coal? Plus we discuss whether Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse will ever escape the brute facts of economic material reality → https://shows.acast.com/talkingpolitics/episodes/supply-chains-inflation-the-metaverse