The podcast about post-war British politics - since Attlee & Churchill. Hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, ...
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: The Conservative Party (122) by Nigel Birch.'The First Brexiteer: The Diaries of Sir Neil Marten, 1970-79' edited by Tim Aker. Available at: https://amzn.to/4lyqbfkSupport the showSince Attlee & Churchill is the podcast all about post-war British political history, hosted by:Lee David Evans is an historian of the Conservative Party and the John Ramsden Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary, University of London. He is on social media @LeeDavidEvansUK. Richard Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and among his other areas of expertise is an historian of the Labour Party. He tweets at @richardmarcj.
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58:48
Was 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 home, abroad – and in Westminster' by Lord Wolfson. Available at: https://policyexchange.org.uk/events/the-rule-of-law-at-home-abroad-and-in-westminster/ 'People Without Power: the war on populism and the fight for democracy' by Thomas Frank. Available at: https://amzn.to/43yImuS'Public Servant, Secret Agent: The elusive life and violent death of Airey Neave' by Paul Routledge. Available at: https://amzn.to/4hRXZ3GSupport the showSince Attlee & Churchill is the podcast all about post-war British political history, hosted by:Lee David Evans is an historian of the Conservative Party and the John Ramsden Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary, University of London. He is on social media @LeeDavidEvansUK. Richard Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and among his other areas of expertise is an historian of the Labour Party. He tweets at @richardmarcj.
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1:01:45
What 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 Resign' by Peter Hennessy and Andrew Blick. Available at: https://amzn.to/4iTyD6N'Trump, the Administrative Presidency, and Federalism' by Frank Thompson, Kenneth Wong, and Barry Rabe. Available at: https://amzn.to/4iBbhD1Support the showSince Attlee & Churchill is the podcast all about post-war British political history, hosted by:Lee David Evans is an historian of the Conservative Party and the John Ramsden Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary, University of London. He is on social media @LeeDavidEvansUK. Richard Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and among his other areas of expertise is an historian of the Labour Party. He tweets at @richardmarcj.
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56:36
Did 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 Exchange. Available here: https://policyexchange.org.uk/publication/strengthening-the-political-constitution/'Why a media savvy British politician-ambassador may be just what the US-UK relationship needs' by Richard Johnson, published by the LSE Blog. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2025/03/11/the-2024-elections-why-a-media-savvy-british-politician-ambassador-may-be-just-what-the-us-uk-relationship-needs/'The Road to Inequality: How the Federal Highway Program Polarized America and Undermined Cities' by Clayton Nall. Available at: https://amzn.to/43OnQGs'Bloody Panico! or Whatever happened to the Tory Party?' by Geoffrey Wheatcroft. Available at: https://amzn.to/4iyeMtTSupport the showSince Attlee & Churchill is the podcast all about post-war British political history, hosted by:Lee David Evans is an historian of the Conservative Party and the John Ramsden Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary, University of London. He is on social media @LeeDavidEvansUK. Richard Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and among his other areas of expertise is an historian of the Labour Party. He tweets at @richardmarcj.
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57:15
Who 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 Roots: How Slavery Still Shapes Southern Politics' by Avidit Acharya, Matthew Blackwell, and Maya Sen. Available at: https://amzn.to/4hkRA0G'Frustrate their knavish tricks' by Ben Pimlott. Available at: https://amzn.to/4kB3xSTSupport the showSince Attlee & Churchill is the podcast all about post-war British political history, hosted by:Lee David Evans is an historian of the Conservative Party and the John Ramsden Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary, University of London. He is on social media @LeeDavidEvansUK. Richard Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and among his other areas of expertise is an historian of the Labour Party. He tweets at @richardmarcj.
The podcast about post-war British politics - since Attlee & Churchill. Hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party. Since Attlee & Churchill is also available as a Substack, which includes special bonus podcast episodes for premium subscribers. Visit www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com to find out more. Got a question? You can contact Richard and Lee on sinceattleeandchurchill@substack.com.
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