103 | The Next Referendum?

With more Brexit chaos on us, we cut through some of the noise to talk about a new report on the future of referendums.  How can we run them better in future?  When is it appropriate to have a second referendum?  What else can we do to reconnect democratic politics with the voters?  With Gisela Stuart, former Labour MP and Chair of Vote Leave; Jenny Watson, former Chair of the Electoral Commission; and Alan Renwick of the Constitution Unit at UCL.  Plus at the end some thoughts from David on where we are now.  You can read the full report here: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/research/electionsandreferendums/icreferendums
 

84 | ​Italy, Germany and the Future of Europe

ermany finally has a government, while Italy has none.  We try  to make sense of the latest twists in European politics, including the extraordinary results of the Italian elections.  Why is social democracy is such trouble everywhere?  Can Merkel's grand coalition survive?  What
is Italy for anyway?  With Chris Clark, Helen Thompson and Chris Bickerton.

80 | The Fundamentals

 With stock markets swooning and financial volatility back, we talk about the deeper trends underpinning our politics and our future.  Why have British governments never managed to fix the housing crisis?  What does the state of the American economy mean for Trump's long-term prospects?  And will a period of economic growth make our politics more stable, or are the wild times set to continue?  These are the fundamentals.  With Helen, Chris Brooke and Aaron.

79 | A Second Referendum?

This week David and Helen chew over the big issues of British politics.  How vulnerable is Theresa May?  What is Philip Hammond playing at?  What would be the point of a second referendum on Brexit?  Lots of questions, lots of answers, not so much agreement on which answers are the right ones.  You decide!

54 | What a Year!

A mash-up of some of the best bits of the last year.. as we look back on an unbelievable period of politics. With clips from TP guests: Mary Beard, Yuval Noah Harari, Pankaj Mishra, Thomas Piketty, Jill Lepore, and Michael Gove.. and of course featuring David Runciman and some of the panel. It ends with Judith Butler and one of our favourite ever moments on the podcast.

41 | The Who, The What, The How

We recorded this week in the aftermath of the Manchester terror attack, with the election campaign temporarily suspended.  We take a step back to review some of the broad themes of the campaign so far and talk about how the main parties have been presenting themselves and what they are trying to achieve.  We reflect on the importance of leadership style - what makes Theresa May different from Tony Blair? - and we ask why so little of the election has been about Brexit.  With Helen Thompson, Glen Rangwala and Chris Brooke.