253 | Britain Wrestles with its Past

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We talk with the writer and political commentator Fintan O'Toole about how British politics can and should deal with its imperial past in the age of Brexit.  From battles over statues to fights over nationalism we explore whether history has become the new democratic divide.  Why does Churchill loom so large over our politics?  Can Labour reclaim the mantle of patriotism?  Will the Union survive the history wars?  Plus we ask whether there has been a generational shift in attitudes to race and identity.  With Helen Thompson.

200 | One Election or Many?

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We have a first look at what's happening in the election campaign by asking whether it's really one election or many. Do national vote shares mean much any more, given all the regional variations? How is the Remain Alliance meant to work? Is this a Brexit election? And is 2015 or 2017 (or neither) a better guide to 2019? Plus we discuss the recent election in Spain and explore parallels between gridlock there and possible gridlock here. With Helen Thompson, Chris Bickerton and Mike Kenny.

123 | America First?

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We talk to the historian Sarah Churchwell about the origins of some of the ideas churning up politics in the age of Trump: 'America First', 'Make America Great Again', 'Fake News'. Where do these phrases come from and what do they mean? We try to unpick the racism from the isolationism and the anti-immigrant from the anti-elitist sentiment. Plus we discuss whether fascism in America was a real threat in the 1930s and whether it's a real threat today. With Andrew Preston, historian of US foreign policy. Next week: the midterms!

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62 | Where is the Centre?

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Jeremy Corbyn claims that Labour now represents the political mainstream.  Is that really true?  Where does it leave the Tories?  What can Theresa May do about it?  We trawl the data to try to find the elusive centre ground of British politics.  Plus we ask whether mainstream regional politicians like Ruth Davidson and Sadiq Khan can speak for the whole of the UK.  If they can't, who on earth can?  With Mike Kenny, Professor of Public Policy at Cambridge, and Helen Thompson.
 

37 | Thomas Piketty

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We're joined by internationally best-selling economist Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century, to talk about the French elections and what inequality is doing to democratic politics.  Recorded a few days before the 2nd round of the French presidential vote, we discuss Macron vs. Le Pen, the failure of mainstream social democracy, and why Brexit was such a gamble.  We also talk about what needs to be done to reform the EU.  With Hugo Drochon.