Politically

The American presidential election in November 1956 coincided with two of the greatest crises of the postwar era: Suez and Hungary.
In July of that year, the Suez Canal had been nationalised by Egypt’s President Nasser. It provoked alarm and outrage in Britain and France and it led to a joint Anglo-French-Israeli invasion of Egypt that in turn produced an international outcry. Meanwhile, in October an uprising in Hungary against Soviet rule prompted an invasion by the Red Army and a brutal campaign of repression.
This series is about the interplay of these three overlapping dramas – the Suez crisis, the Hungarian revolution and the American presidential election – and their consequences for the world. Between them these events shattered the illusions of the postwar world: about British power, about Soviet tolerance of dissent, about American commitment to democracy, about European solidarity, about the future of the Middle East and about the power of international institutions.
Seventy years on David Runciman explores how these events in late 1956 represent a watershed in twentieth-century history.

The former Green Party leader speaks to James Naughtie about her years in Parliament, and how it feels to see her party thrive just as she stands down.
In fourteen years, Caroline Lucas never held ministerial office and so had to find other ways to exercise power and influence. She discusses working with others, listening to people you disagree with, and getting arrested for your beliefs.
Producers: Giles Edwards and Najiba Feroz.

The former Chancellor reflects with James Naughtie on tough choices and political resurrection.
Jeremy Hunt held four Cabinet jobs - including almost six years as Health Secretary, and then Foreign Secretary under Theresa May. After he was defeated by Boris Johnson in their battle for the Conservative leadership, he thought his ministerial career was over, only to be called back by Liz Truss after her mini-budget.
In this episode of Reflections he discusses all that with James Naughtie, as well as a famous radio moment the two shared.
Producers: Giles Edwards and Joel Massey.

The former Governor of California oversaw the world's fifth largest economy for sixteen years, ran three times for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, and over the course of his public life has known every president from John F. Kennedy to Donald Trump.
In this interview with James Naughtie, Jerry Brown reflects on the importance of limits in the Jesuitical and Buddhist traditions, and how he took that idea into politics; on how his views on forgiveness informed his decisions to commute the sentences of people on California's Death Row; and on why if, in his words, you believe that inclination of the soul is to sin "you have to be somewhat sceptical about politics".
Producer: Giles Edwards.

There’s no doubting just how divisive Brexit was. Whatever side of the debate you sat on, the strength of feeling ran high. It split opinion, ruptured political parties and toppled Prime Ministers. In the years after the referendum the country watched while Westminster was dominated by intense wrangling , and much of Whitehall’s bandwidth was focused on Brexit. New political identities emerged - leavers and remainers - and in 2019, an entire General Election was dominated by Brexit.
Alex Forsyth speaks to Paula Surridge, Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Bristol and Rob Ford, Professor of Political Science at the University of Manchester, about the political climate pre and post-Brexit, and what we can learn about how it continues to shape our politics today.
Presenter: Alex Forsyth
Producers: Ben Carter and Mhairi MacKenzie
Editor: Richard Vadon
Studio engineer and sound mix: James Beard
Production co-ordinator: Tim Fernley