Since Attlee & Churchill

Matters of Interest: Gaming Devolution & Streeting’s Strategy

Lee opens up this mid-week episode by looking at the way politicians increasingly flitter between the Westminster Parliament and devolved bodies. Most prominently at the moment, Andy Burnham - who had 16 years experience as an MP under his belt before becoming Mayor of Greater Manchester - is seeking a return to the Commons. But also in Scotland, Stephen Flynn has traded being an MP to become an MSP. What do these transitions tell us about the way British politics works? Next, Richard interrogates the actions of Josh Simons and Wes Streeting and considers whether more is going on than meets the eye with the former Health Secretary’s strategy to win the Labour leadership. BOOK NOW: Tickets are available for our live event in Manchester. Find out more here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/since-attlee-churchill-live-in-manchester-tickets-1989814631126 [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/since-attlee-churchill-live-in-manchester-tickets-1989814631126]  PRE-ORDER: Lee’s book, ‘Coronations & Defenestrations: Choosing (and losing) Tory Leaders’, is now available for pre-order (released 30 June 2026). Save 30% by using the code AGENDA30 on IndiePubs: https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340 [https://indiepubs.co.uk/products/coronations-and-defenestrations-1760081414340]  Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill Buying books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Strikes of the 20th Century: Heath vs The Miners (1972-4)

In this episode, Richard and Lee fast forward almost half a century from the General Strike to the next time mineworkers walked out across the country. Twice in two years, Conservative Prime Minister Edward Heath went to war with the National Union of Mineworkers (or as he saw it, they went to war with him) and Heath came out the worst on both occasions. He appeared to learn the wrong lessons from, and over-correct for, the mistakes of the past - and was thoroughly bested by his opponents. But was Ted Heath just really unlucky? In this episode, the following books are mentioned:  'The Royalist Revolution: Monarchy and the American Founding' by Eric Nelson. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780674979772 'Edward Heath: A Biography' by John Campbell. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781845952051 [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781845952051] Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill Buying books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Strikes of the 20th Century: The General Strike (Part 2)

In this second instalment looking back at the General Strike of 1926, Lee and Richard pick up the story with millions of workers on strike and parts of the country brought to a standstill. To begin the episode, they debate the role of Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin - with Lee making a much more positive case for his role - before Richard explains how the only General Strike in British history came to its murky conclusion. Was it a betrayal by the unions? Or were the unions duped into surrendering? And what were the long-term consequences of the strike? In this episode, the following books are mentioned: 'The Edge of Revolution: The General Strike that Shook Britain' by David Torrance. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781399423595 [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781399423595] 'English History 1914-1945' (Oxford History of England) by A. J. P. Taylor  Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill Buying books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Matters of Interest: Losing (and choosing) Party Leaders

With the country gripped by speculation over Keir Starmer’s future, Lee and Richard look back on the way recent prime ministers have fallen and how the next prime minister may be chosen. Lee begins by considering what stands out from the downfall of Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and Liz Truss - focusing particularly on the difference between losing the authority to govern and then subsequently losing the status of prime minister. Next, Richard exposes some of the ambiguities in the Labour rulebook and urges people to think through how, if Starmer is felled, the next Labour leader will be decided.  Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill Buying books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Strikes of the 20th Century: The General Strike (Part 1)

Richard and Lee kick off a new miniseries on the strikes that shaped the 20th century by looking back one hundred years to the first, and so far only, General Strike in British history. When a slump in the profitability of coal met with the demands of the mineworkers, few could see a peaceful way out. At first, the government provided the money to bridge the gap between what coal paid and what the miners needed. But in April 1926, the subsidy ran out and the scene was set for a showdown involving Stanley Baldwin’s government, the mine owners, the miners, and the trade unions. This episode takes us up to the outbreak of the strike and the government’s efforts to make sure it wouldn’t cripple the country. Episode two will be released on Tuesday. Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill Buying books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review! *** Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.