Modern British Political History: Recent Episodes
Harry White
This podcast is for anyone interested in modern British political history from 1945-2010. The focus is generally going to be looking at the different governments that have come and gone during this period and I plan to typically use a book, documentary or other piece of material as a prompt each episode for discussion. My personal interest in this comes from being a longstanding modern British history enthusiast and having consumed numerous books, documentaries and newspaper articles on the subject over the years! Also my day job is working as a civil servant in government, so I have quite a keen interest in the history of modern policy-making and recent governments.
This one covers BBC election night broadcasting from 1922 all the way up to the present day. It's a crossover episode with Paul Kerensa of The British Broadcasting Century Podcast and we were joined by Gary Rodger, author of the book Swing: A Brief History of British General Election Night Broadcasting.
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"In stage one, we say nothing is going to happen. Stage two, we say something may be about to happen, but we should do nothing about it. In stage three, we say that maybe we should do something about it, but there’s nothing we can do.
.....Stage four, we say maybe there was something we could have done, but it’s too late now.”
I'm joined by 'my right honourable member' Gareth Allen from the British Sitcom History Podcast constituency to dissect the interminable obfuscations and myriad machinations of this early 1980s gem of political satire: 'Yes Minister'.
We hope you enjoy the podcast!
What are the common myths about the conflict in Northern Ireland? Is understanding history a barrier to peace building in the country, or a vital part of it? And finally, what are the prospects for Irish unification in future?
I was joined by Dr Thomas Leahy, Dr Eleanor Leah Williams and Dr Jonathan Kirkup for a full roundtable conversation on all these questions and many more. We hope you enjoy the discussion.
John Major was prime minister for longer than the last five we've had in the UK. What were his politics? Were they little more than Thatcherism with some of the hard edges taken off; or did he represent a more significant shift of the political dial.
Thanks to Dr Ben Williams for joining me on this one to unpick these questions (and a few more besides!) Ben co-wrote the edited book John Major: An Unsuccessful Prime Minister? Reappraising John Major with Dr Kevin Hickson.
Both Smith and Gaitskell died suddenly and never gained political office. What do they tell us about how the Labour party remembers its lost leaders? What might have happened if they had both lived? And finally, where are they best placed on the spectrum of political opinion in the Labour Party?
In this episode I'm joined by Dr Martin Farr, Senior Lecturer in Contemporary British History at Newcastle University, to take on all these questions and many more.
We hope you enjoy the podcast.
What is the often overlooked role that the EU played in Northern Ireland peacebuilding? What were the challenges of the EU getting buy-in from the Northern Irish community and how were these tackled? What lessons can be learnt from this for other peacebuilding initiatives?
For this episode I was very grateful to be joined by Dr Giada Lagana, lecturer in politics at Cardiff university, to discuss all the above and more!
Sources highlighted in the episode for those interested to learn more:
- https://www.iaces.ie
- https://peaceplatform.seupb.eu/en/
- https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/wales-governance-centre/publications
Why are by-elections called; what myths and misconceptions surround them; and how much do they shed light on the national political picture?
I was grateful to be joined by Marc Collinson for this episode - lecturer in contemporary politics and history at Bangor University - to tackle these questions and many more.
Hope you enjoy the discussion!
Recommendations:
- Chris (Lord) Rennard, Winning Here: My Campaigning Life: Memoirs Volume 1 (2018).
- David Butler, 'By-Elections and their Interpretation', Chris Cook and John Ramsden (eds), By-Elections in British Politics (1973): 1-13.
- Peter Sloman, '"Take Power - Vote Liberal": Jeremy Thorpe, the 1974 Liberal revival, and the politics of 1970s Britain', English Historical Review, 137 (2022): 1462–1492.
- T.G. Otte and Paul Readman (eds), By-elections in British Politics, 1832-1914 (2013).
I'm very grateful to Ieuan Franklin - lecturer in History and Politics at Bournemouth University - for joining me on this one. In this episode, we talk about the Rock Against Racism movement of the late 1970s.
- What was the National Front and why did its followers join it?
- How did Rock Against Racism get started and challenge the National Front's rhetoric of intolerance and exclusion?
- And finally, what have been the enduring legacies of the movement?
We discuss all this and more (whilst also dropping in some late 70s punk and reggae music recommendations to add to your playlist!)
Suggestions for further watching and reading:
- White Riot: https://player.bfi.org.uk/rentals/film/watch-white-riot-2019-online
- Huddle R. & Saunders, R. (2021). Reminiscences of RAR: Rock Against Racism (1976-1982), Bookmarks
- Rachel, D. (2016). Walls Come Tumbling Down: The Music and Politics of Rock Against Racism, 2 Tone and Red Wedge, Publisher.
- Renton, D. (2018). Never Again: Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League 1976-1982 (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315145037
I'm delighted to be joined on this one by Ollie Webb-Carter, host of 'The Aspects of History Podcast'. In this crossover episode, we take on the hefty topic of The Falklands War.
How did Britain get drawn into a war on a small set of islands 8000 miles away? How did the conflict play domestically in Britain - both in the House of Commons, the media, and the wider public?
We chat about all this and much more, touching on the major milestones of the war whilst stitching our own reflections into the narrative as we go.
Why did the Labour Party lose the 1983 election and what changes did the party make to put itself back on the path to recovery?
We're joined by another real expert on the period for this episode - associate professor Danny Rye from Liverpool Hope University - to tackle these questions and more!
Reading Suggestions
Drucker, H.M., (1979) Doctrine and ethos in the Labour Party (Vol. 12). Routledge.
Hayter, D., 2005. Fightback!: Labour's Traditional Right in the 1970s and 1980s. Manchester University Press.
Panitch, L. and Leys, C., 2001. The end of parliamentary socialism: from new left to new labour. Verso.
Pugh, M., 2010. Speak for Britain!: A new history of the labour party. Random House.
Russell, M., 2005. Building New Labour: The politics of party organisation. Springer.
Shaw, E., 2002. The Labour party since 1979: Crisis and transformation. Routledge.
Ever wonder how political campaigns have transformed over the years?
Discover how political marketing has embraced corporate strategies, as we analyse the image management and PR tactics of iconic leaders like Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. Learn about how the introduction of television altered politicians' presentations and the roles played by public relations experts like Tim Bell in shaping campaigns.
Finally, we explore the professionalisation of modern political campaigns and ponder the future of this ever-changing landscape, including the greater use of voter profiling and data-driven campaigns.
For an overview of the air war:
Rosenbaum, M. (2016). From soapbox to soundbite: Party political campaigning in Britain since 1945. Springer.
Developments in the ground war in the later years are documented in:
Denver, D., & Hands, G. (2013). Modern constituency electioneering: Local campaigning in the 1992 general election. Routledge.
One of the best studies of the influences of marketing and public relations is:
Scammell, M. (2016). Designer politics: How elections are won. Springer.
For an overview of the psychology of campaigning see:
Lilleker, D. (2014). Political Communication and Cognition. Springer.
Finally, a work on spin and New Labour from an ex-BBC journalist:
Jones, N. (2000). Sultans of spin: the media and the New Labour government Orion Books.
What if we told you that the often overlooked aspect of party finance plays a critical role in shaping British politics? As we dive into the historical landscape of political funding, our guest Justin Fisher from Brunel University brings his 35 years of expertise in political science to help us unravel the complexities and motivations behind political donations.
Throughout the episode, we examine the roles of trade unions, businesses, and individual contributions in shaping the political landscape and highlight the major differences between how the Conservative and Labour parties have been financed over the years. Furthermore, we tackle the subject of transparency in political finance and its implications on public trust.
In the final part of our conversation, we venture into the topic of greater state funding for political parties, weighing the pros and cons of such a model and how it could be implemented.
To learn more about Justin and his research you can find him at Professor Justin Fisher | Introduction | Brunel University London.
We hope you enjoy the podcast!
“Economics are the method, the object is to change the soul” - Margaret Thatcher (1981)
What were the various tensions and contradictions between free markets and social conservatism in the 1980s? How did these manifest in the culture, music, and media of the time?
In this episode, I’m joined by author and historian Alwyn Turner to ponder these questions amongst many others. In this wide-ranging discussion, we run the gamut from monetarism and Milton Friedman to Band Aid, Only Fools and Horses and much more.
We hope you enjoy the podcast!
In this episode we hear from Dr Athanassios Gouglas on the subject of special advisors. Dr Gouglas is a politics lecturer at the university of Exeter and you can find out more about his research here: https://politics.exeter.ac.uk/staff/gouglas/
In the coversation we cover why special advisors came into being, the benefits and tensions they produce in the system, and more!
Dr Gouglas kindly supplied the following reading suggestions for those keen to go deeper into the topic:
United Kingdom
- Blick, A. (2004). People who live in the dark. The history of the special adviser in British politics. London : Politico's, 2004.
- Yong, B. & Hazell, R. (2014). Special Advisers: Who they are, what they do and why they matter. Oxford and Portland, Oregon: Hart Publishing.
- Orchard D, Gouglas A, Pickering H (2023). Life after Whitehall: the career moves of British special advisers. British Journal of Politics and International Relations Abstract. DOI.https://doi.org/10.1177/13691481221144228
Internationally comparative
- Shaw, R. (eds) (2023) Handbook of Ministerial and Political Advisers. Edward-Elgar. https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/handbook-on-ministerial-and-political-advisers-9781800886575.html
- Gouglas, A. (2023). The story so far: what we know (and don’t know) about ministerial advisers. In Richard Shaw (eds) (2023) Handbook of Ministerial and Political Advisers. Edward-Elgar. https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/handbook-on-ministerial-and-political-advisers-9781800886575.html
- Gouglas, A. (forthcoming). Political Advisers in Modern Democracies. Dark Masters? Edward-Elgar.
- Meert, A., Pickering, H. Brans, M. Gouglas, A. (2023). ‘Systematic literature reviews: opportunities and limits in ministerial adviser research’. In Richard Shaw (eds) (2023) Handbook of Ministerial and Political Advisers. Edward-Elgar. https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/handbook-on-ministerial-and-political-advisers-9781800886575.html
This episode has Dr Chris Kirkland joining the podcast to speak on crises in the 1970s, with a particular focus on their link to the Labour Party. Chris is a lecturer in politics at York St John University and has published monographs comparing crises in modern British Politics and exploring how crises have shaped the UK Labour party’s economic ideology.
We had a really fascinating conversation and below are some reading recommendations for those interested to learn more. For those wanting something for the general reader there's:
- Beckett, A. (2009) When the Lights went Out: Britain in the Seventies Faber and Faber: London
- Sandbrook, D. Seasons in the Sun: The Battle for Britain, 1974-1979.
And for those wanting a more academic perspective:
- Brittan, S. (1975) The Economic Consequences of Democracy (1977) Temple Smith: London
- Kirkland, C. (2022) Labour’s Economic Ideology: Developed Through Crises Bristol University Press: Bristol
- Lopez, T. M. (2014) The Winter of Discontent: Myth, Memory and History Liverpool University Press: Liverpool
This episode takes a look at a few aspects of Margaret Thatcher: her personality, her philosophy, her approach to tax and spend and the poll tax.
Links to research materials used in the making of this one:
- Sections of Part 1 of Charles Moore's biography on Thatcher: https://www.wob.com/en-gb/books/charles-moore/margaret-thatcher/9780140279566
- Sections of Part 2 of Charles Moore's biography on Thatcher: https://www.wob.com/en-gb/books/charles-moore/margaret-thatcher/9780140279627
- Robin Harris' biography of Thatcher: https://www.wob.com/en-gb/books/robin-harris/not-for-turning/9780552155793
- Prime Ministerial podcast from the New Statesman on Thatcher: https://www.newstatesman.com/podcasts/new-statesman-podcast/2022/01/was-margeret-thatcher-a-good-prime-minisiter
- The Presidents & Prime Ministers with Iain Dale - episode on Thatcher: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/margaret-thatcher/id1535436589?i=1000538154746
In this episode, we take a deep dive into John Major the man, Major's overall vision for the country and his approach to the economy and public services.
Time stamps:
0-18:20 - John Major the man, his vision for the country and differences to Margaret Thatcher
18:20 - 28:27 - How the Major government managed the economy
28:27 to end - Public services and the Major Government
For this episode my main sources of inspiration were:
· John Major's Autobiography - my personal rating: 8/10
· John Major: An Unsuccessful Prime Minister? - book by Kevin Hickson. My personal rating: 9/10
· The Major Years - documentary from the BBC. My personal rating: 7/10
· The Presidents & the Prime Ministers with Iain Dale Podcast- John Major episode - my personal rating: 8/10
· Prime Ministerial, from the New Statesman Podcast - John Major episode - my personal rating 9/10
I'd really recommend all of these to anybody who enjoys the subject matter!
In this episode, my girlfriend Alice quizzes me on all things John Major! She's coming at this as a relative newbie to British political history and asks some both thought provoking and gossip-based questions! Hopefully, both novices and experts on the topic should find this a great listen!
I'm also planning to do a 'part 2' to this podcast where I go deeper into the policies of the Major government and their impacts at the time and more lasting impressions on politics today.
For this episode my main sources of inspiration were:
· John Major's Autobiography
· John Major: An Unsuccessful Prime Minister? - book by Kevin Hickson
· The Major Years - documentary from the BBC
· The Presidents & the Prime Ministers with Iain Dale Podcast- John Major episode
· Prime Ministerial, from the New Statesman Podcast - John Major episode
I'd really recommend all of these to anybody who enjoys the subject matter!
In this episode, my girlfriend Alice quizzes me on all things John Major! She's coming at this as a relative newbie to British political history and asks some both thought provoking and gossip-based questions! Hopefully, both novices and experts on the topic should find this a great listen!
I'm also planning to do a 'part 2' to this podcast where I go deeper into the policies of the Major government and their impacts at the time and more lasting impressions on politics today.
For this episode my main sources of inspiration were:
- John Major's Autobiography
- John Major: An Unsuccessful Prime Minister? - book by Kevin Hickson
- The Major Years - documentary from the BBC
- The Presidents & the Prime Ministers with Iain Dale Podcast- John Major episode
- Prime Ministerial, from the New Statesman Podcast - John Major episode
I'd really recommend all of these to anybody who enjoys the subject matter!
This episode discusses Gordon Brown's time in office through two main questions:
Was Gordon Brown's premiership a step change from Tony Blair's, or more of the same? (First 20 minutes)
From the perspective of hindsight, how might we rate Gordon Brown's policies? (second half)
Reading, watching and listening that went into making this podcast (recommended):
- My Life, Our Times by Gordon Brown
- The End of the Party by Andrew Rawnsley
- Blair and Brown the New Labour Revolution on the BBC
- Was Gordon Brown a good prime minister? New Statesman Podcast
- Gordon Brown The Presidents and the Prime Ministers with Iain Dale
In this episode, we look at Tony Blair’s New Labour Government. We mainly focus on his first few years of government, drawing on Andrew Rawnsley’s great book about this period: ‘Servants of the People: The Inside Story of New Labour’. I also take some inspiration from the BBC documentary ‘Blair & Brown: The New Labour Revolution’. The main questions I consider in this episode are what did New Labour achieve and to what extent could it have achieved more in government.
Recommendations:
- Servants of the People: The Inside Story of New Labour by Andrew Rawnsley
- Blair & Brown: The New Labour RevolutionBBC iPlayer
- Labour: The Wilderness Years
- I can’t fully endorse Tony Blair’s biography as it’s a little bit self-justifying and not reflective enough in my opinion; there’s quite a lot of Tony Blair asserting ‘I did x because I just thought it was the right thing to do’ and not really allowing himself too much deep reflection. No doubt this confidence was part of what made him an effective leader but in an autobiography you hope for a bit more introspection and self-awareness. With all that said, if you want to understand the psychology of Blair, this is a good one to read (with a critical eye).
In this first podcast I talk through Andrew Hindmoor's book '12 Days that Made Modern Britain' (see link below) giving my thoughts on the days he's chosen as key turning points in modern British history.
The 12 days from the book which I discuss are:
- The 28th of September 1976. The day Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan renounced Keynesian economics.
- The 4th of May 1979. The day Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female prime minister.
- The 3rd of March 1985. The day the miners' strike ended.
- The 20th of September 1988. The day of Margaret Thatcher's 'Bruges speech'.
- The 18th of May 1992. The day the television rights for the Premier League were sold to BskyB.
- The 22nd of April 1993. The day that young black teenager Stephen Lawrence was murdered by racist thugs.
- The 10th April 1998. The day of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland.
- The 11th of September 2001. The day of the Al Qaeda attacks on the United States.
- The 5th of December 2004. The day Chris Cramp and Matthew Roche became the first gay couple in the UK to become civil partners under the Civil Partnership Act.
- The 13th of September 2007. The day the BBC reported that the Northern Rock bank was in trouble.
- The 8th of May 2009. The day The Daily Telegraph began to publish details of MPs' expense claims.
- The 1st of February 2017. The day the House of Commons voted to invoke Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union.
At the end of the podcast, I also indulge in giving a few of my own suggestions of days that made modern Britain.
https://www.waterstones.com/book/twelve-days-that-made-modern-britain/andrew-hindmoor/9780198831785
Links to two books I recommend during the podcast:
https://www.wob.com/en-gb/books/dominic-sandbrook/who-dares-wins/9780141975283
https://www.waterstones.com/book/broken-heartlands/sebastian-payne/9781529067361