And Richard Johnson - Podcast Details

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Since Attlee & ChurchillWhy did Stanley Baldwin secretly donate 20% of his wealth to the nation?In 1919, a remarkable letter appeared in The Times. The author had estimated the value of his estate and decided to give 20% of it to the government as a 'thank offering' for the sacrifices made in the First World War. The letter was simply signed 'F.S.T.'. It would be several years before people discovered that the letters stood for 'Financial Secretary to the Treasury', the job held by future Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin. In this podcast, Lee and Richard ask how and why Baldwin made this staggering yet secret gift and what it tells us a...2025-06-221h 04

Split Zone Duo: College Football PodcastCFB Lunch Break: Off, Wisconsin?This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comIn this week’s CFB Lunch Break, Alex and Richard answer live questions from Split Zone Duo subscribers:* What to make of Luke Fickell’s mediocre first two years at Wisconsin and a challenging situation in Year 3* Ohio State/Texas scheduling fight* Florida’s upside this fall* What Penn State actually needs from Drew Allar* The cloudy landscape of G5 position player talent* What’s behind TNT’s weird College Fo...2025-06-0314 min

Since Attlee & ChurchillDid Labour choose the wrong Miliband brother?After 13 years in government, the 2010 general election saw Labour ejected from office and on the hunt for a new leader. Curiously, two brothers - David and Ed Miliband - stood against each other in a five-way battle to lead the party. This divisive leadership contest led to accusations of fratricide and, when Ed won, many in Labour conclude that the party had chosen the wrong brother to lead it. Is that fair? In this episode, Richard and Lee look back on the 2010 leadership election and interrogate the decision made by MPs, members and trade unions about who would lead...2025-06-011h 14

Since Attlee & ChurchillHow did Viscount Stansgate become Tony Benn MP?In 1961 and 1963, two by-elections took place that changed British politics, and the fortunes of Tony Benn, forever. The first came after Benn was removed from the House of Commons following the death of his father. This elevated Benn to the peerage as the second Viscount Stansgate and meant, although Benn won the by-election, he was denied his seat in the Commons. After years of political and legal battles, Benn fought a second by-election and became an MP once more. In this week's podcast, Richard and Lee chart this dramatic time in British political history and discuss the consequences for B...2025-05-251h 02

Since Attlee & ChurchillDoes Michael Foot deserve a kinder verdict from historians?From 1980-1983, Michael Foot led the Labour Party through a disastrous and divisive period in its history, culminating in the famous landslide defeat of 1983. That result has marred how people think of Foot ever since. But Richard believes that Foot's long and remarkable career - as a journalist and a politician - deserves a more generous appraisal from historians. Is he right? In this episode we look back at Foot's long life to find out.In this episode, the following books, journals and articles are mentioned:'The President's Kill List: Assassination and US Foreign Policy...2025-05-181h 06

Since Attlee & ChurchillDo private members clubs still matter in British politics?Private members clubs once played a crucial role in British politics, even acting as the organising hubs of the Conservative and Liberal parties. For centuries, politicians of every shade have drunk, dined and gossiped together behind the closed doors of London clubs. But do they still? And do clubs still influence our politics? In this week's episode, Lee and Richard tackle that question and identify the one post-war prime minister who, it seems, has never been a member of any club.In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'Ten Years to save the West...2025-05-111h 02

Split Zone Duo: College Football PodcastOffseason Vibe Checks 2025: The Mountain WestRichard Johnson and Alex Kirshner close out SZD’s Offseason Vibe Check series with the Mountain West. How has everything gone for this conference and its teams between the end of the regular season and now? Let’s discuss:* The state of the Mountain West’s squabbling with the Pac-12* New Mexico’s new head coach, Jason Eck, has been an FCS lifer* Utah State’s Bronco Mendenhall hire could be one of the best moves any team made all offseason* Fresno State gets Matt Entz, formerly of NDSU, and tries to find ta...2025-05-0840 min

Split Zone Duo: College Football PodcastHow Big a Deal is Bill Belichick's Mess?This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comBill Belichick’s relationship with Jordon Hudson is the stuff of sports gossip legend, but we are most interested in what it says about Belichick’s ability to run an ACC football team. Alex and Richard discuss in this subscriber episode:* How Jordon filled a vacuum in UNC football communications* Why Alex thinks UNC should look for a way out of this marriage* Why Richard thinks that could be a substantial overreaction* What Urba...2025-05-0610 min

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 min

Since 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 03

Since 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 min

Split Zone Duo: College Football PodcastWhat We Think (And Don't) About Nico IamaleavaThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comAlex and Richard react to Nico Iamaleava’s split from Tennessee. We’re less interested in where he plays next (UNC? UCLA? Elsewhere?) and more interested in talking through his last few months as a Volunteer:* The job done by Tennessee’s football staff* The way Iamaleava is doing business* How the state of Tennessee helped bring about this moment* Freedom to move around and live with the consequences* The idea of Iam...2025-04-1612 min

Since 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 min

Split Zone Duo: College Football PodcastInterview: App State Coach Dowell Loggains on a Unique CFB JobAlex interviews Dowell Loggains, the recently hired Appalachian State head coach who was most recently at South Carolina after a long run as an NFL assistant and coordinator. After Alex and Richard talk a bit about App State’s last 20 years, Loggains joins (17:10) to discuss:* Why he moved from the NFL to college football at a time when coaches are getting a lot of attention for doing the opposite* Why he isn’t worried about spring games turning into roster poaching showcases for rival schools* The concept of “fit” at a distinct school like App...2025-04-0737 min

Since 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 min

Split Zone Duo: College Football PodcastCFB Lunch Break: The Big East is a Window Into the FutureThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comThis episode is for paid subscribers, but everyone can hear a preview. If you’re not a paid subscriber, you can get a weeklong free trial.Alex Kirshner and Richard Johnson take a bunch of live questions from Split Zone Duo subscribers and discuss college football offseason news: * Maryland losing a basketball coach to the Big East is a sign of what’s coming in college sports’ new economy * Is the SEC the next flashpoint for in...2025-04-0219 min

Split Zone Duo: College Football PodcastOffseason Vibe Checks 2025: The Big TenRodger Sherman joins Alex and Richard for a checkup on all 18 teams in the beefy Big Ten, as our Offseason Vibe Check series rolls on:* Ohio State won the national championship. That’s pretty good! Both the team and coaching staff are about to look a lot different.* Penn State faces its "national championship or go away” season* Washington is very hard to figure out* Michigan might have had the best non-OSU run of any team in the country from Thanksgiving through Signing Day* Purdue welcomes Barry Odom to a di...2025-03-311h 09

Since 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 min

Split Zone Duo: College Football PodcastDid Oregon Just Make Itself Poach-Proof?This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comDan Lanning signed an extension with Oregon that makes it impossible for all but a few teams to hire him away, and most of them aren’t college. Steven Godfrey, Richard Johnson, and Alex Kirshner discuss what his contract says about the evolved pecking order in the coach carousel. After losing both Willie Taggart and Mario Cristobal to Florida schools, has Oregon now ascended to be poaching-proof from everyone except the NFL, Ohio State, and Georgia? We run down some hypotheticals ab...2025-03-1910 min

Since 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 min

Split Zone Duo: College Football PodcastCFB Lunch Break: ACC Settlement, Eddie George, and MoreThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comAlex and Richard take subscribers’ college football questions in this live recording, conducted on the Substack app on Tuesday. We call it CFB Lunch Break, because we’re taking CFB questions at lunchtime:* How we feel about player wearing #0 and single-digits* The winner and loser from the ACC’s settlement with Clemson and FSU, which keeps the ACC together for at least a bit* What’s the real reason that spring games are on the decline...2025-03-1219 min

I Dare You PodcastEpisode 163: Dad Advice on How to Find Live an Extraordinary Life with Richard JohnsonToday's episode is going to shift your mindset because we're diving DEEP into longevity, healthspan, and the secrets to living your BEST LIFE! I am so excited to introduce you to someone very special - my dad, Richard Johnson - an incredible 86-year-old US Navy veteran, retired corporate warrior, and successful entrepreneur. Not only did Richard dedicate 32 years to Otter Tail Power Company, but he ALSO built his own business - Loon Bay Hardwood Floors - which he ran for 15 years! And get this - he's been married to his amazing wife, Sonja,(my mom) for 62 YEARS...2025-03-0439 min

Since 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 min

Since 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 01

Split Zone Duo: College Football PodcastAnatomy of a Coaching Carousel: 2001This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comThe coaching carousel before the 2001 season transformed college football. Some programs set themselves up for national championship (or even dynastic) runs. Some screwed themselves. Some set the stage for the next several decades of the top tiers of the SEC and Big Ten. In this episode, Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson, and Steven Godfrey take a fine-toothed comb through the consequential coaching cycle at the end of 2000: * The hires that worked really well (Gary Patterson to TCU, Pete Carroll to...2025-02-1830 min

Since 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 min

Since 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 06

Split Zone Duo: College Football PodcastThe Gump Report: Angst and Opportunity in AlabamaThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com2024 was a weird (read: bad) year for a lot of college football teams in the state Alabama. Justin Ferguson, publisher of the Auburn Observer and all-purpose ball-knower in the state, joins Alex and Richard to discuss:* How everyone’s feeling after the two Iron Bowl teams went a combined 7-9 in the SEC, tied for their worst joint record of the century* Why this will be an offseason of hope for Auburn, and why Hugh Freeze will ha...2025-02-0615 min

Since 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 min