Behind the surface frenzy of the Diane Abbott saga are two overlooked questions. Does a leader have a right to have a say who is selected as candidates? What is the role of an MP? The ambition of all candidates is to be an MP, but is there any clear sense of what's expected of an MP? In this case also there are questions about how Keir Starmer and his unelected allies manage or mismanage their party. Rock & Roll Politics: The Bonus Election Special is live at Kings Place on June 24th....

So far the Conservative campaign makes Labour’s in 1983 and Theresa May’s in 2017 seem slick and confident. Why does it seem so indisciplined and ill thought-through? The answer lies in the mind of Rishi Sunak. Rock & Roll Politics: The Bonus Election Special is live at Kings Place, London on June 24th. Tickets here. Rock & Roll Politics is live at the Edinburgh Festival in a new political landscape from Aug 11th. Tickets here. Back us on Patreon for bonus podcasts on all the recent...

Rishi Sunak surprised most of us by calling an election for July 4th. Why has he done it when he's 20 points behind? What will happen in the campaign and how will the parties handle the new levels of intense scrutiny? It’s time for the Rock N Roll Politics co-operative to gather more often than usual to make sense of the suddenly changed political context… The election is only six weeks away! Rock & Roll Politics is live at Kings Place on July 10th I'm also live at the Edinburgh Festival...

A familiar pattern forms again: scandals, cover up, victims struggling to prove the truth and an inquiry that reveals a dysfunctional state. Where does power lie in the UK? And what happens next? Rock & Roll Politics is live at Kings Place on July 10th I'm also live at the Edinburgh Festival from Sun Aug 11th with a new show every day. Get tickets here. Written and presented by Steve Richards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What a silly question. We all know the answer to that one. And yet that was what was asked of Starmer at a point of unusual distinctiveness. He reiterated his unqualified opposition to the Rwanda populism, but did so at that moment of ambiguity. Plus, the defection of Natalie Elphicke: there are many lessons, not least for the media asking the silly question. Rock & Roll Politics is live at Kings Place on July 10th. Tickets here. I’m live at the Edinburgh Festival with a different show...

After the elections, Sunak’s right wing dissenters called off their planned coup even though the results were disastrous for the Tories, while outlining their agenda for the future… which is similar to the one Sunak is pursuing. Do they know what they are doing? Plus, the dangers of Keir Starmer walking into traps in his attempt to avoid others, and brilliant questions from the Rock & Roll Politics Co-operative.  Rock & Roll Politics – The Pre-Election Special is live at Kings Place...

A First Minister and SNP leader falls after a short tenure. Like the Tory party’s problems in Westminster, does the SNP leadership crisis raise thorny questions well beyond the flaws of one leader? And with what implications? Rock & Roll Politics: The Pre-Election Special is live at Kings Place on July 10th. Tickets here Back Rock & Roll Politics on Patreon here to get exclusive live events, bonus podcasts, free entry to Steve’s local elections post-mortem, and much more. Learn more...

Nigel Lawson once noted that the party that wins the battle of ideas wins elections. He was right. Ideas matter and yet play little part in the contest between Sunak and Starmer. But the Right remain ideologically confident. Will a Labour government be able to counter the anti-state onslaught that is bound to happen? Plus exciting notices and brilliant questions from the Rock & Roll Politics co-operative. Rock & Roll Politics is live at King’s Place, London, on Wed 10 July for a...

In his last term as Prime Minister, Harold Wilson was seen as old, paranoid and ineffective… yet now we discover he was lively enough to be having an affair. This suggests the caricature might be wrong. What if Wilson was livelier politically too? And what if we choose to see other leaders as stereotypes which do not present anything like the full picture?  Support Rock & Roll Politics on Patreon for early episodes, exclusive merchandise and more.  PLUS get free admission to Steve’s Local...

The journalist and author Will Hutton has written an important new book on the eve of what’s likely to be a Labour government. The title is stark: This Time No Mistakes. But what mistakes were made? What are the lessons of the past? What are his hopes and fears for a Keir Starmer government? This Time No Mistakes is published on April 11th. Buy it through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund Rock & Roll Politics by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees...

A rare chance to hear a live show… this one recorded in the main concert hall at Kings Place, London. On the agenda: How do the dramas around the current government compare with other ‘fin de siecle’ administrations? How does Keir Starmer compare with Harold Wilson and Tony Blair when they were on the edge of power? Plus unreliable predictions… Question Time… and much more. Support the podcast Patreon for bonus editions, special merchandise and exclusive live events for subscribers. Our next...

Nigel Lawson once said a party that wins the battle of ideas wins the election... Rachel Reeves has started to engage in this battle of ideas during her Mais Lecture. Labour are way ahead in the polls, so is this a battle they can win? Support Rock & Roll Politics on Patreon for bonus podcasts, special events and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With polls suggesting a slaughter at the election will Tory MPs seek to replace Sunak … and should they? Tickets for the next Rock n Roll Politics Live: Kings Place on  26th March 2024  Support Rock & Roll Politics on Patreon and get exclusive benefits including bonus episodes and exclusive merchandise only available to subscribers. Buy Steve’s book Turning Points: Crisis and Change in Modern Britain, from 1945 to Truss through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by...

We are obsessed by the character of leaders, even if context, ideas and external circumstances can determine the fate of a government as much as character. Keir Starmer has been unusually hard to pin down, which is why I was keen to speak to Tom Baldwin. Although he has done many interviews to promote his new book on the Labour leader, I sensed there was more to explore – and we do. Plus, reflections on the challenge for Labour after the budget and major assembly notices for the...

The nightmare in Gaza triggers chaos in the Commons, a victory for George Galloway and apocalyptic warnings from Rishi Sunak… and yet there’s broad agreement in the UK about the need for a ceasefire. Meanwhile on most domestic issues where there should be an intense political battle, there seems to be a passive consensus. Rock & Roll Politics is live at the Ropetackle Arts Centre in Shoreham on Weds March 13. Steve is speaking at the York Literature Festival on Sat Mar 16. Tickets...

Amidst the delusional craziness of Liz Truss’s interventions, she raises one valid question: Does too much power lie in unelected institutions? Since 1979 a huge amount of power has been handed over by elected politicians, and only Truss explores the implications as she sees them. Time for the Rock & Roll Politics co-operative to step in and save an important question from the fleeting Prime Minister. Rock & Roll Politics is live at Kings Place London on March 26. Tickets here. Rock...

In Tom Baldwin's new biography of Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner describes the Labour leader as “the least political person I know in politics”. What does she mean? Is she right about Starmer? And what are the implications? Rock & Roll Politics is live in March: The Ropetackle, Shoreham, Wed Mar 13th: https://ropetacklecentre.co.uk/events/steve-richards-rock-n-roll-politics-2/ Kings Place, London, March 26th:...

Labour is way ahead in the polls and has dropped its most radical policy, the £28 billion green recovery plan. But in opposition, in the build up to the 1979 and 2010 elections, the Conservatives put forward radical right wing programmes – and won from opposition. They did not retreat. Why is Labour more cautious and less confident? Rock N Roll Politics is live at Kings Place on March 26th with a brand new show. Tickets here:...

Starmer and Reeves have got in a mess over their pledge to borrow £28 billion for a green recovery programme. The proposal has been marked by defensive ‘retreats’ when it would enable UK to compete with the US and EU and bring good news to every voter. Why has this happened, and what can be done about it? Plus, points from the Rock N Roll Co-operative on the return of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Lord Frosty Frost and more Back the podcast on Patreon for bonus editions and much more...

Attempted coups against PMs and leaders are becoming increasingly familiar. Will the current plot against Sunak succeed?  Support Rock N Roll Politics on Patreon to get bonus editions, merchandise and more.   Rock N Roll Politics is live with a brand new show at Kings Place on March 26th. Get in-person or streaming tickets here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s become a cliché that Keir Starmer's pitch lacks the clarity and sense of purpose that marked New Labour's victory in 1997. But Blair’s over-mythologised win was a lot lighter on specifics than we tend to remember, says Steve Richards. Support Rock & Roll Politics on Patreon and get exclusive benefits including bonus episodes and exclusive merchandise only available to subscribers: https://www.patreon.com/RockNRollPolitics Buy Steve’s book Turning Points: Crisis and Change in Modern...

Last week Steve Richards asked what the deeper lessons were from the Post Office scandal. The responses from the Rock N Roll Politics Co-operative suggests it merely reflects a much wider problem. How do we even begin to fix Britain? Or to be more precise; how does a future Labour government fix it?  Plus important notices on exclusive new content for Patreons, live events and brilliant questions. Support Rock & Roll Politics on Patreon and get exclusive benefits including a bonus series...

The indifference of ministers in the coalition government to the Post Office scandal is becoming a big story. But the indifference was not accidental, it was a deliberate act and part of a wider culture that is still pervasive: The state should step back and give 'operational independence' to non-elected figures. Steve Richards assesses how when things go wrong, as they often do in this culture, ministers become responsible, and whether these vague lines of accountability are part of the...

A bonus New Year episode for all in the Rock N Roll Politics Co-operative: With Keir Starmer following a Blairite pre-election strategy, Steve Richards thinks Rishi Sunak has only one route to reduce Labour's lead. But will he fail to take it?  Support Rock & Roll Politics on Patreon and get exclusive benefits including bonus episodes and exclusive merchandise only available to subscribers: https://www.patreon.com/RockNRollPolitics Buy Steve’s book Turning Points: Crisis and Change in...

It was a packed house at Kings Place this December for a live Rock N Roll Politics: The Festive Special. As a special Christmas gift from Steve Richards we have the live recording for those in the Rock N Roll Politics Co-operative who couldn't be there, and for those who could. Support Rock & Roll Politics on Patreon and get exclusive benefits including bonus episodes and exclusive merchandise only available to subscribers: https://www.patreon.com/RockNRollPolitics Buy Steve’s book...