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Since Attlee & ChurchillWhich foreign leaders should be invited to address Parliament?Since the end of WWII, an increasing number of foreign leaders have been invited to address MPs and peers - whether in Westminster Hall, the Royal Gallery or elsewhere in Parliament. In 2017 and again today, a debate raged about whether Donald Trump should be among them. Lee and Richard look back on the history of foreign leaders addressing Parliament and consider whether it would be reasonable for Trump to be prevented from making an address to Parliament.in this episode, the following books are mentioned:'Vassal State: How America Runs Britain' by Angus Hanton. Available...2025-05-0559 minSince Attlee & ChurchillAre prime ministerial resignation honours an embarrassment?Prime ministerial resignation honours - first used in 1895 and regularly issued since - have been a perennial embarrassment for outgoing prime ministers. In this episode, Richard and Lee look back on the post-war lists, from Churchill to Sunak, Attlee to Brown, and consider who they chose to honour, why, and whether it harmed their reputation and legacy.In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'Priests de la Resistance!: The loose canons who fought Fascism in the twentieth century' by The Revd Fergus Butler-Gaillie. Available at: https://amzn.to/42xHFRq'Polarized by Degrees...2025-04-271h 03Since Attlee & ChurchillCould 'English Socialism' save the Labour Party?The ideas underpinning English socialism go back to before the Norman Conquest, but they have been strangely absent from the Labour Party in recent years. In this week's episode, Lee and Richard discuss the concept of English socialism - what it is, where it comes from, how its distinct (but compatible) with British socialism, and why its values could be a recipe for the rejuvenation of the Labour Party today.In this podcast, the following articles and books are mentioned:'An American Sissy' by Gore Vidal. Available at: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1981/08/13/an-american-sissy/2025-04-2056 minSince Attlee & ChurchillErnest Marples MP - a visionary, a scoundrel, or both?Few people today can recall the man who launched premium bonds, gave us the motorway network, or invited Dr Beeching to swing his axe on the United Kingdom's railway network. It was Ernest Marples, a post-war Conservative MP and ally of Harold Macmillan. Marples has a claim to be one of the most consequential ministers of the 1951-64 Conservative governments, but his personal immorality and financial failings left him off the frontbench, out of the Commons, and soon fleeing the taxman in Monaco. Lee and Richard discuss his sensational but consequential political career in this podcast.In...2025-04-1352 minSince Attlee & ChurchillWhat is the socialist case for monarchy?For the past century, many of the most prominent left-wing politicians in Britain, especially Labour leaders, have judged that the institution of monarchy is compatible with their vision of a more equal Britain. Why? In this episode, Richard and Lee discuss the socialist case for monarchy, from the earliest days of the Labour Party right up to the present day. Richard, a socialist himself, makes the fascinating argument that the monarchy is a pre-capitalist institution which sits outside of what socialists want to achieve.In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'Britain in Pictures...2025-04-0658 minSince Attlee & ChurchillWas this the most explosive Tory conference ever?In 1963, Harold Macmillan resigned as prime minister and triggered one of the most dramatic fights for the Tory leadership in modern history. Four men jockeyed for position at the party's annual conference in Blackpool, with an unassuming fourteenth earl eventually coming out on top. Why did Macmillan resign? Who should have succeeded him? And did the 1964 general election, which brought Harold Wilson to power, get decided by these combustible events a year earlier? That's the theme of this week's podcast.In this podcast, the following talks and books are mentioned:'The Rule of Law: at...2025-03-301h 01Since Attlee & ChurchillWhat lessons can be learned from a political maverick?For almost 40 years, Austin Mitchell was a staple of the House of Commons. At the beginning of his career, he was an up-and-coming star with a successful media career. Yet for the vast majority of his time as an MP, he was overlooked by successive leaders and confined to the backbenches. In this episode, Richard and Lee look back on Mitchell's career and consider what lessons can be learned from the life of a political maverick.In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'Could it Happen Here? The Day a Prime Minister Refuses to...2025-03-2356 minSince Attlee & ChurchillDid Edward Heath deserve the name 'The Incredible Sulk'?Edward Heath spent more time in the House of Commons after he was Conservative leader (1975-2001) than beforehand. This long period, in which he was a frequent thorn-in-the-side of Margaret Thatcher and critic of her legacy, has become known as 'The Incredible Sulk.' But is that title fair? Why did Heath stick around for so long? What did he hope to achieve? And was he successful? That's the topic of this week's episode. In this episode, the following books and articles are mentioned:'Strengthening the Political Constitution' edited by Richard Johnson, published by Police E...2025-03-1657 minSince Attlee & ChurchillWho was Labour's greatest champion of overseas aid?The government recently made headlines with its decision to reduce overseas aid to 0.3% of national income. In this episode, we cast our eye back to Labour's most vocal supporter of overseas development and international aid, Judith Hart. Based on her years as a minister in both Harold Wilson and Jim Callaghan's governments, we ask: What was her approach to international aid? What did she manage to achieve in office? And what would she have made of what Keir Starmer and Labour are doing in office today?In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'Deep...2025-03-0956 minSince Attlee & ChurchillHave confidence votes been a disaster for the Tory party?After years of tumult at the top of the Conservative Party, the method by which it removes its leaders has rarely been far from the headlines. In this podcast, Lee and Richard discuss how 'confidence votes' have been used to test the levels of support for Tory leaders among their MPs. It's a dramatic story - from Iain Duncan Smith's downfall in 2003, to Theresa May and Boris Johnson's near misses in 2018 and 2022, respectively.In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'Revolt on the Right: Explaining support for the Radical Right in Britain' by Matthew...2025-03-0258 minSince Attlee & ChurchillWhat use is the House of Lords, anyway?For longer than it's been possible to talk about British politics, the House of Lords has played an essential role in how this country has been governed. But the 20th century saw their Lordships subordinated to the Commons and many of the peers, known as hereditary peers, stripped of their membership of the upper house. In this episode, Lee and Richard chart the history of the House of Lords and consider how it got to where it is today and ask: what use is the House of Lords in modern Britain? In this episode, the following books a...2025-02-231h 01Since Attlee & ChurchillWho are the best political heroes?Most politicians have at least one hero, someone in whose footsteps they hope to walk and whose achievements they hope to emulate. In this episode, Richard and Lee discuss whom senior Conservative and Labour politicians have named as their heroes - from the sublime to the occasionally ridiculous - and also share their own political lodestars.In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'Loyalists and Loners' by Michael Foot. Available at: https://amzn.to/3CUo9of'A Fabulous Failure: The Clinton Presidency and the Transformation of American Capitalism' by Nelson Lichtenstein & Judith...2025-02-1651 minSince Attlee & ChurchillWhatever happened to Labour Zionism?For much of its history, Labour was Britain's most pro-Zionist party - with MPs on the left of Labour the most supportive of the Jewish state. But from the 1960s, things began to change and, ultimately, the factional dynamics reversed. In this episode, Richard and Lee discuss how Labour went from being an enthusiast for Israel to being fiercely divided about the existence, and actions, of the world's only Jewish state.In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'The Betrayal of Anne Frank: Less a Mystery Unsolved Than a Secret Well Kept' by Rosemary...2025-02-091h 06Since Attlee & ChurchillHow did Margaret Thatcher take over the Conservative Party?February 2025 marks fifty years since the election of Margaret Thatcher as leader of the Conservative Party. To mark this anniversary, Lee and Richard discuss the blockbuster leadership contest that elevated her to the top of the Tories, the first woman to lead a British political party. It’s a story that is full of drama: from the stubbornness of Ted Heath to the rebelliousness of Conservative MPs, right up to the moment that Thatcher wins and a new age in British politics begins. In this episode, the following books are mentioned:‘Kingmaker’ by Graham B...2025-02-0245 minSince Attlee & ChurchillWhy did Soviet premier Nikita Khruschev say, if he were British, he'd vote Conservative?1956 was the year that saw the Suez crisis and the brutal suppression of the Hungarian uprising. But before either of those events, Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev made a nine day visit to the United Kingdom. Included on a packed agenda, which saw the Soviet delegation tour the country, was a dinner with the Labour Shadow Cabinet. Almost immediately, the set-piece between Britain's left-wing party and the Russian communist leader got off to an awkward start - and ended with shouts of 'God forgive you!' across the dinner table. In this episode, Lee and Richard mention the f...2025-01-2642 minSince Attlee & ChurchillWhich U.S. Presidents were the favourites of British monarchs?In a special episode recorded in Palm Beach, Florida, Lee and Richard interview presidential historian Alvin S. Felzenberg about two centuries of relations between American Presidents and British monarchs. Topics include: who was the first President to meet a monarch - before, during, and after their presidency? And who did the late Queen Elizabeth II like most of her American counterparts?In this episode, we mention the following books:'American Psychosis: A Historical Investigation of How the Republican Party Went Crazy' by David Corn.'The Leaders We Deserved (and a Few We Didn't...2025-01-1949 minSince Attlee & ChurchillWhat happened to the grace and favour house for women ministers?From 10 Downing Street to Chequers, Bute House to Dorneywood, senior British politicians love grace-and-favour homes. They are the properties made available to the prime minister and other senior government figures during their period of public service. In this episode, we recall the forgotten story of a woman who tried to leave her estate to the nation for the benefit of the most senior woman in government, only to find her plans frustrated. In this episode, we mention the following books:‘The Time of My Life’ by Denis Healey. Available at: https://amzn.to/406riJi‘Ho...2025-01-1237 minSince Attlee & ChurchillWho was the Macmillanite in the Thatcher Cabinet?Few people remember Peter Walker today. But for more than a decade he was one of the most important figures in Margaret Thatcher's government - in spite of the fact he styled himself as an Macmillanite and not a Thatcherite. In this episode we discuss Walker's career, the role he played in 1980s Britain, and whether or not he was able to exercise much influence as a Cabinet minister.In this episode, we discuss the following books:'Taken as Red' by Anushka Asthana. Available here: https://amzn.to/4fI2k8T'Strange Days...2025-01-0543 minSince Attlee & ChurchillWhy did the 1964 Labour government get off to such a bad start?An incoming Labour government gets off to a difficult start, taking tough and unpopular decisions which they say are necessary because of the inheritance left by the Conservatives. It's not Keir Starmer in 2024, but Harold Wilson six decades ago. In this episode, we consider Wilson's tricky start as prime minister, how a controversial and sensational by-election crystallised the issues facing Britain and its government in the mid-1960s, and the ways Wilson tried to recover ahead of the 1966 election.In this episode we discuss the following programmes, articles and books:'Lucan' on BBC iPlayer. Available...2024-12-2944 minSince Attlee & ChurchillChristmas Special: Did the late Queen secretly reference a Prime Minister's illness in her Christmas speech?If you're British or live in a Commonwealth realm, the Sovereign's Christmas message is synonymous with Christmas. And it's one of those broadcasts that we're talking about in this festive special of 'Since Attlee & Churchill'. In particular, Richard and Lee ask whether, in her 2013 Christmas message, Elizabeth II made a covert reference to the illness of one of her former prime ministers.In this episode, we mention the following books/articles:'The Queen' by Ben Pimlott. Available here: https://amzn.to/41JdDKx'The Way the Wind Blows' by Alec Douglas-Home. Available here: https...2024-12-2626 min