Since Attlee & Churchill

• Was Eden right about Suez after all?

  The 1956 Suez Crisis has gone down as one of the most shameful events in modern British history. After Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal, part owned by the United Kingdom, the British government desperately sought to re-assert its authority. A conspiracy developed with France and Israel to intervene and strike a blow against Nasser. Yet the events ended in disaster, with Britain's reputation in tatters and Prime Minister Anthony Eden's political career cut short. But is our conventional understanding of the Suez crisis correct? Or was Eden right after all? In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'Between Extremes: Seeking the Political Center in the Civil War North' by Jack Furniss. Available at: https://amzn.to/43BjuSE'Write to the Point: How to be Clear, Correct and Persuasive on the Page' by Sam Leith. Available at: https://amzn.to/4mNOoyVSupport 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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• Did 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 the Labour Party in opposition.In this episode, the following books are mentioned:'Ed: The Milibands and the making of a Labour leader' by James Macintyre and Mehdi Hasan. Available at: https://amzn.to/4mJcNFN'Steeple Chasing: Around Britain by Church' by Peter Ross. Available at: https://amzn.to/4mCBYJYSupport 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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• How 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 Benn, for other peers, and for British politics.In this episode, the following articles and books are mentioned:'Labour must learn to love Brexit' by Richard Johnson in The Spectator. Available at: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/labour-must-learn-to-love-brexit/'These are the British' by Drew Middleton. Available at: https://amzn.to/3ZAOQq3'Britain’s Conservative Right since 1945: Traditional Toryism in a Cold Climate' by Kevin Hickson. Available at: https://amzn.to/4k5LFikSupport 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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• Does 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 since 1945' by Luca Trenta.'The Conservative History Journal'. Find out more: https://conservativehistory.wordpress.com/journal/'The Life and Legacy of Michael Foot' by Richard Johnson, as published in Tribune. Available here: https://tribunemag.co.uk/2021/07/the-life-and-legacy-of-michael-foot Support 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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• Do 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' by Liz Truss.'Active and Passive Citizens' by Richard Tuck.If you are interested in learning more about clubs, we also recommend:'Behind Closed Doors' by Seth Thévoz.Support 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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