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Rock & Roll Politics with Steve Richards — 434 episodes

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Title
1

Can Andy Burnham deliver a National Care Service?

2

Are we going back to the 1970s?

3

Will Andy Burnham’s new cabinet deliver the biggest change in 40 years?

4

Was Keir Starmer more of a change-maker than he seemed?

5

What are the lessons in the fall and rise of Louise Haigh?

6

Will a contest against Binface make Farage more prime-ministerial?

7

How much trouble is Nigel Farage in?

8

Eve of the Burnham era: Where does power really lie?

9

Will Andy Burnham’s big idea work?

10

Who should be Andy Burnham’s Chancellor?

11

What does Andy Burnham really think?

12

Andy Burnham wins - what follows?

13

What if Keir Starmer is right on defence?

14

What is the significance of John Healey’s resignation?

15

Does it matter any more if a by-election candidate is out of their depth?

16

Is Farage as formidable as he appears to be?

17

Labour’s battle of ideas - much needed or dangerous?

18

What does Tony Blair mean by the ‘radical centre’?

19

Do the fashionable assumptions about Andy Burnham make sense?

20

Is this the strangest leadership crisis in modern times?

21

Why is the phrase ‘Brexit Wars’ dangerous for Britain?

22

Can Andy Burnham win the by-election?

23

Who can lead the ‘people’s revolt’?

24

Election Special - Who can meet the voters’ hunger for ‘change’?

25

How will Reform and the Greens respond to electoral success?

26

Can or should a King change Trump’s view of ’the special relationship'?

27

Is Britain ungovernable?

28

How vulnerable is Keir Starmer?

29

Starmer/Mandelson - Does the plot ever really change?

30

Is there a danger the government will spend too much on defence?

31

The fall of Orban - How vulnerable is the populist right?

32

Are we seeing the return of Cabinet Government?

33

What next for the BBC?

34

Alan Johnson on Wilson, Blair and Starmer

35

The never-ending debate special

36

What is the ‘centre ground’?

37

Why are the right obsessed with Ed Miliband?

38

Why is the ‘cost of living’ almost impossible for the government to control?

39

Why did Starmer ignore the evidence against Mandelson?

40

Is Britain trapped by the "special relationship"?

41

Why we should welcome Stamer’s caution on Iran

42

Trump and Iran – Has Britain learned the lessons of Iraq?

43

The Greens win - What will be the consequences?

44

What will we learn from the Gorton and Denton by-election?

45

Will the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor undermine the Royal family?

46

Can the media cope with a government moving slightly to the left?

47

Rock & Roll Politics Live - How long will Starmer rule?

48

How will the government change in the post-McSweeney era?

49

Why did Mandelson wield so much influence over Starmer’s leadership?

50

Will tactical voting block Reform?

51

Has Kemi Badenoch taken a fatal wrong turn?

52

Burnham is blocked - What are the consequences?

53

Where does the never-ending Trump show leave Britain and its ‘special relationship’?

54

What are the differences between Reform and the Tories?

55

How big is the schism on the right?

56

What do U-turns tell us about a government?

57

Is Starmer’s focus on the cost of living more risky than it seems?

58

How long can Starmer claim he has no view on Trump and Venezuela?

59

The Defectors Part 3: A Festive Series - Carswell and Reckless (Tory to UKIP)

60

The Defectors Part 2: A Festive Series - Shaun Woodward (Tories to Labour)

61

The Defectors Part 1: A Festive Series - Reg Prentice (Labour to Tories)

62

What have we learnt at the end of 2025?

63

Why does a 'narrative' matter so much?

64

Rock & Roll Politics Live - How fragile is Keir Starmer?

65

What next as Trump turns away from Europe?

66

Brexit- is this the beginning of the end?

67

Why are newspapers still powerful?

68

Could The Conservatives Recover?

69

Has Rachel Reeves calmed the mood of restive Labour MPs… and disillusioned voters?

70

Rachel Reeves - and consequences

71

Nick Thomas-Symonds on Labour prime ministers, leadership threats and Europe

72

Will Mahmood’s asylum policies stop the boats… and the rise of Reform?

73

Is Starmer the biggest victim of the 'toxic culture'?

74

Why is the BBC so scared of the right wing media?

75

What do Labour's 'soft left' want?

76

Does Nigel Farage have a credible economic policy?

77

What will happen if Rachel Reeves breaks a manifesto pledge on tax?

78

Is the strange silence over Farage and Johnson's Brexit about to be broken?

79

Should transport be a top priority for Starmer? – in conversation with Christian Wolmar

80

What does the Maccabi Tel Aviv football ban tell us about who runs Britain?

81

What would you do if you were Rachel Reeves?

82

Why is Labour's deputy leadership contest more significant than it seems?

83

Are the Conservatives doomed?

84

Can Starmer beat Farage?

85

Are the Liberal Democrats a centre-left party?

86

What are the lessons of the Mandelson saga?

87

Will Keir Starmer's changes revive Labour?

88

Will Starmer's reset make a difference?

89

Rock & Roll Politics Live at the Edinburgh Festival

90

What's been happening at the Edinburgh Festival?

91

For all the storms, is Labour heading for a second term?

92

Is Labour Delivering on Transport?

93

What does Britain get from 'The Special Relationship' with the US?

94

Water Privatisation - why is Margaret Thatcher still deified?

95

Can the government find a more effective media strategy?

96

How deep a hole is Keir Starmer in?

97

Can Keir Starmer learn the lessons from the welfare shambles?

98

Trump strikes Iran – What will be the consequences?

99

How does a government communicate to disillusioned voters?

100

What does Sarah Vine’s book tell us about the crisis in the Conservative Party?

101

What is the key ingredient that makes a leader stronger?

102

Are there dark echoes from a distant Labour government?

103

In conversation with Michael Heseltine

104

Can The Tories survive?

105

Who will win the battle of the UK’s borders?

106

Do Starmer and co know what they mean by ‘change’ and ‘reform’?

107

Is the Government moving closer to Europe?

108

Why are the right targeting Ed Miliband?

109

With Farage backing steel nationalisation, is public ownership back in fashion?

110

Will Brexit Britain flourish in the New World Order?

111

How long will Trump’s ‘love’ of tariffs last?

112

Is Rachel Reeves trapped by her fiscal rules?

113

Is Wes Streeting taking back control?

114

Can Rachel Reeves slash welfare spending?

115

What will it mean to have ‘boots on the ground’?

116

Can Keir Starmer be the ‘bridge’ between Europe and Trump?

117

Is Europe heading for war with Russia?

118

Who are the ‘incumbent disrupters’ in Keir Starmer’s government?

119

Is Rachel Reeves an accidental risk taker?

120

Can a cautious government achieve economic growth?

121

Trump is back. What are the lessons for Starmer?

122

Should the Liberal Democrats be getting more media attention?

123

Is the government wasting a landslide majority?

124

Rock & Roll Politics Special: The Troublemakers

125

Rock & Roll Politics Live at Kings Place - The final show of 2024

126

Why Nigel Farage is not as formidable as he appears to be

127

What happens if thousands flee Syria?

128

Will Keir Starmer’s ‘relaunch’ make a difference?

129

Is Starmer Moving Closer to Europe?

130

What’s Wes Streeting up to?

131

Can Starmer connect with “the left behind”?

132

Can Kemi Badenoch revive the Tories?

133

Will the budget be a historic turning point?

134

Are some chancellors more powerful than their prime ministers?

135

What is the most underrated quality in a leader?

136

Will the departure of Sue Gray boost Starmer’s government?

137

Why Are The Conservatives Still Talking To Themselves?

138

Can Labour recover from its wobbly start?

139

Can the Lib Dems Make Any Impact on a Landslide Government?

140

Does the government need to be unpopular?

141

Will the next Tory leader ever be prime minister?

142

Do things have to get worse?

143

The briefings against Sue Gray

144

Are the Tories doomed whoever is the next leader?

145

Are the riots more than a law and order issue?

146

Has Rachel Reeves won the case for tax rises?

147

Why do doomed leaders struggle to quit?

148

Where next for the ‘Special Relationship’ amid US turmoil?

149

Has Keir Starmer won the political space to be daring?

150

What have we learnt from this strange election?

151

Rock & Roll Politics Live – The election bonus

152

Will Labour get the economic growth they need?

153

How will the Tory media deal with a Labour landslide?

154

Why is the election 'tax and spend' debate dangerous and bonkers?

155

What are the deeper lessons of the Diane Abbott saga?

156

The Tory Campaign – Why is it the most calamitous start in modern times?

157

The Election Bonus

158

Contaminated Blood – Will the familiar lessons ever be learnt?

159

Can Keir Starmer stop the boats?

160

Do the Tory Right know what they want?

161

Has the SNP become impossible to lead?

162

Who is Winning The Battle of Ideas?

163

Harold Wilson’s affair and how we misread leaders

164

This Time No Mistakes – In Conversation with Will Hutton

165

Rock & Roll Politics Live – The Easter Special

166

Can Rachel Reeves win the battle of ideas?

167

Is Sunak's time up?

168

From Johnson to Starmer – How much does character matter?

169

Where’s the passionate anger over the crisis in UK?

170

Has Liz Truss got a point?

171

Starmer and Rayner – What does she think of him?

172

Why are the Tories bolder when on the verge of power?

173

Labour’s £28 billion saga – Has an exciting policy become a threat?

174

Will Tory MPs dump Sunak?

175

The myths of Blair’s ‘97 campaign – and why Starmer is being judged unfairly.

176

How can Britain start working again?

177

The Post Office scandal-What are the deeper lessons?

178

How can Rishi Sunak cut Labour's lead?

179

Christmas Special: Rock N Roll Politics Live At Kings Place

180

Are you driving home this Xmas (because the trains are useless)?

181

Why is the Rwanda plan sucking up all political energy?

182

Are we heading for an early election?

183

Boris Johnson Vs. The Covid-19 Inquiry

184

Why Are Right Wing Populists Winning Again?

185

Why Tax Cuts Now?

186

Get Ready For Another Tory Psychodrama

187

Will Sunak's reshuffle improve the party's prospects?

188

Where does power lie in the UK?

189

The Covid Inquiry and The Fatal Chaos in Johnson's Number 10

190

Does Northern Ireland offer any lessons for the Middle East?

191

Will the Tories be wiped out?

192

Israel & Gaza: Is there space for nuance?

193

The Labour Party conference part 2: Keir Starmer makes his pitch

194

The Labour Party conference part 1: Labour moves closer to power

195

Sunak and the Tory Conference: Can Rishi Sunak be the candidate for change?

196

Sunak and the Tory Conference: Why has Rishi Sunak failed to learn the art of leadership?

197

Nick Thomas Symonds on Clem Attlee, Keir Starmer and Brexit

198

Is the UK On The Edge of An Historic Turning Point?

199

Has The UK got a foreign policy? If so, what is it?

200

When governments fall - plus Starmer's pre-election reshuffle

201

Who Does Rishi Sunak Rely On Most?

202

Summer Special - Prime Ministers and Their Special Confidants: David Cameron

203

Summer Special: The 1992 Election

204

Summer Special! Troublemakers: Enoch Powell

205

Question Time Special

206

A Revealing Twist in the Mad ’Tax and Spend’ Debate

207

The three by-elections and the consequences

208

Keir Starmer: Is he right to copy Tony Blair's language and ideas?

209

The BBC and The Sun – A dark dance

210

'Tax Burden' and 'Reform' part 2 - Where is the economic growth going to come from?

211

My Extinction: Climate Change Special

212

'Tax Burden' and 'Reform' - What Do These Ubiquitous Terms Really Mean?

213

Dirty Water – What Does It Tell Us About British Politics?

214

Where's The Hope?

215

Secret State? The pros and cons of freedom of information

216

Don't forget David Cameron and George Osborne

217

Being Privileged and on the Left - In Conversation with Polly Toynbee

218

Keir Starmer Moves Closer to Number 10

219

Will There Ever Be A National Care Service?

220

Can The Tories Recover While Boris Johnson Remains An MP?

221

The Transformation of the Conservative Party-In Conversation with Tim Bale

222

The Prime Ministers we never had: Why did they fail to seize the crown?

223

What is the ‘centre ground’? In conversation with Rafael Behr

224

Immigration: Will there ever be a grown up debate?

225

In Conversation with Sir Antony Seldon

226

The Tory Right Stir...Yet Again

227

In Conversation with Rob Burley

228

A Long Road To The Next General Election

229

Long Live The King

230

Who owns ‘Freedom’?

231

How Did Boris Johnson Last As Long As He Did?

232

What Makes a Bully?

233

Douglas Alexander in Conversation

234

Striking Nurses and The State We’re In

235

Northern Ireland, Then & Now

236

Labour's Attack Ads - Will They Work?

237

Question Time Special

238

Keir Starmer vs Jeremy Corbyn

239

Is The UK Economy Doomed? In Conversation with Danny Blanchflower

240

Can Rishi Sunak Win the Next Election?

241

Michael Cockerell in conversation

242

Tony Blair, Iraq.... and the Lessons for Labour Now

243

Winning and Governing - Can Keir Starmer be Bolder?

244

Gary Lineker and the BBC - Will the Lessons be Learnt?

245

Danny Finkelstein in conversation

246

Reflections on Leadership and the SNP Contest

247

Reviving New Labour: Starmer’s Only Path to Victory?

248

Can Labour Make Expensive Promises?

249

Bridget Phillipson: Preparing For Power

250

Can Brexit Ever Be 'Done?'

251

What the Butler Saw – Lord Butler on life in No.10

252

The BBC, Richard Sharp and ‘Impartiality’

253

Andy Burnham in conversation

254

Liz Truss and Her Tiny Target Audience

255

Christian Wolmar and The UK's Chaotic Railways

256

The Fatal Legacy of Boris Johnson

257

Nick Timothy on the modern Conservative Party

258

The Real Reason For the Return of 'Tory Sleaze'

259

Lisa Nandy on ‘Taking Back Control’

260

Brexit and Scotland: When Leaders Become Trapped

261

Keir Starmer and The Year Ahead

262

Rishi Sunak and The Year Ahead

263

Can we trust elected politicians?

264

What do Sunak, Streeting and everyone else mean by REFORM?

265

A Winter of Discontent... and Consequences

266

Keir Starmer and the Art of Winning

267

A Train Journey, the Exodus of Tory MPs and Hancock in the Jungle

268

Brexit: The Beginning Of The End?

269

BONUS PODCAST: Electoral Reform - The Question Time Special

270

Sunak, Hunt, and The Dangerous Allure of the Past

271

Has the Time Come For Electoral Reform?

272

How Rishi Sunak Can Win the Next Election

273

The Rishi Sunak Era

274

The Fall Of Truss: Emergency Podcast

275

Liz Truss and Consequences

276

The Next Labour Government and the Power of Markets

277

The Truss & Kwarteng U-Turn, and Political Space

278

The Revolutionary Conservative Party

279

The Return of The Truss Era

280

The Queen, The King – and How An Era Is Defined

281

Liz Truss is Prime Minister

282

The BBC and Bias - Plus a special bonus listeners' Question Time

283

Rock & Roll Politics: Live at the Edinburgh Festival

284

Reflections at the Edinburgh Festival

285

Energy prices… and Consequences

286

UK Economy Hurtling Towards the Cliff's Edge

287

Lessons for Keir Starmer in The Rise Of Liz Truss

288

Can Boris Johnson Make A Comeback?

289

The Tory Leadership Contest

290

The Conservatives Choose Another Prime Minister

291

Boris Johnson and Judgement

292

The Dangerous Allure of ‘The Centre Ground’

293

Who’s In Charge?

294

Cries For ‘Tax Cuts’ and a ‘Battle with Europe‘

295

Boris Johnson Limps On

296

The Jubilee and the State of England

297

Sue Gray… and Consequences

298

Brexit: Far From Done

299

Keir Starmer and 'Beergate' - What We Already Know

300

The lessons of Labour’s landslide win in 1997

301

When Prime Ministers Fall

302

The Return of Partygate

303

The long search for the BBC’s Political Editor

304

Cost of Living Crisis - How Should Labour Respond?

305

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak

306

Boris Johnson: A Columnist as Prime Minister

307

Boris Johnson, Ukraine and the Falklands Factor

308

Jonathan Powell on Ukraine, Putin and UK Foreign Policy

309

Views of the Past, National Identity… and War

310

Freedom

311

Global Britain’s Foreign Policy – Posturing And Weakness

312

Prime Ministers and Number Ten

313

Sue Gray Speaks Her Mind

314

Boris Johnson: Parties and Rules

315

Keir Starmer Makes His Pitch

316

Two Predictions for 2022

317

Lord Frosty Resigns

318

The ‘Freedom’ To Be Selfish

319

Rishi, Keir and the Times Newspaper

320

Keir Starmer Reshuffles His Shadow Cabinet

321

Trains, Dacre and Marr

322

A Shift In The Opinon Polls

323

Boris Johnson and 'Sleaze"

324

The BBC and 'Impartiality'

325

Rishi Sunak and Rachel Reeves

326

A Review: Blair and Brown-The New Labour Revolution

327

Brexit and Consequences

328

B Johnson and his Cabinet espouse the policies of Tony Benn

329

Keir Starmer Makes His Moves

330

Boris Johnson-The most powerful PM in modern times

331

Is Boris Johnson Moving The Conservatives To The Left?

332

Social Care and the Lack of Political Will

333

Prime Ministers We Never Had-Part 2

334

Prime Ministers We Never Had-Part One

335

Is Rishi Sunak the Next Prime Minister?

336

What should the state be doing and how?

337

'Freedom'

338

Boris Johnson's ' Freedom to Be Irresponsible Day'

339

K Starmer Needs To Change Labour Without 'Taking His Party On'

340

Matt Hancock-A Saga With Many Lessons And Consequences

341

The significance of a dramatic by-election result

342

Boris Johnson seeks to disown his chosen Brexit route

343

Lockdown 'Freedom' Day-A Familiar Pattern

344

Ed Miliband-Ideas and Leadership ..And Is D Cummings on the left?

345

The BBC In Crisis- A Familiar Pattern

346

Keir Starmer Gets Advice..From Virtually Everyone

347

Streaming live tonight...the historic finale

348

Labour turmoil

349

Does the 'centre ground' exist?

350

Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings

351

David Cameron and A Long Serving Government

352

Tonight's live show

353

A Prince Dies

354

Alastair Campbell On K Starmer, T Blair and the leadership of E Miliband

355

Salmond V Sturgeon-The Most Significant Twist So Far

356

Flying the Flag

357

A Quick Reminder

358

The Vaccine, Voters and a Reconnection With The State

359

Personalities or Policies-What Matters More?

360

Prime Ministers and Chancellors

361

The Bizarre Rise of Lord 'Frosty' Frost-an Emblematic Tale

362

A few words about tonight's Rock N Roll Politics live stream

363

Listening to Rock N Roll Politics while walking along rivers, canals, the sea..and eating scallops

364

Boris Johnson Takes Control of the NHS

365

Vaccines, Brexit and the Irish Question

366

Covid, Brexit And A Fear of Contemplating Consequences

367

B Johnson's Hair And The Other Big Issues Of Our Times

368

Trump and 'the Special Relationship'

369

Brexit Far From Done..And Another Late Lockdown

370

My favourite Political Interview..Ever

371

The No Deal/Bad Deal (but better than a no deal) Brexit Special

372

The Dangerous Self- Confidence of Etonian Prime Ministers

373

Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Rebel Tory MPs

374

Form A Square Around the Pritster

375

Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings and a Downing Street 'Reset'

376

Biden, Merkel, Macron....and Brexit Johnson.

377

Johnson and Lockdown; Starmer and Corbyn

378

Boris Johnson V Andy Burnham and Marcus Rashford

379

Covid Response in the UK and the Consequences of Devolution

380

Steve Richards Presents Rock n Roll Politics

381

Test and Trace-The Reasons for The World Beating Cock Ups

382

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak-Nothing is What It Seems

383

The Tory Papers Turn on Boris Johnson

384

Boris Seeks to Break the Law

385

Brexit is back (it never went away)

386

Prime Ministers and the Misery of Power

387

The most significant political year since 1945

388

Boris Johnson and A Fear of Scrutiny

389

Keir Starmer's 100 days and How to Challenge Rishi Sunak

390

Prime Ministers and the Favourite Special Advisers

391

Boris Johnson as Churchill, Roosevelt and Jose Mourinho

392

Will Boris Johnson be PM at the time of the next election?

393

The Virtual Live Show

394

Boris Johnson And The Question of Competence

395

Boris Johnson, the Scientists and 'the science'

396

Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings

397

Lockdown Special-The Sequel

398

Steve Richards Presents Rock N Roll Politics

399

B Johnson- A Curious Indifference to 'Bombproofing' a TV Address

400

Lockdown Special: The Lessons From Setting a Target For Tests

401

Rock N Roll Politics The Virtual Show-A Trail

402

Coronavirus-The daily press conferences v reality on the frontline

403

B Johnson- A PM in hospital ; An interview with T Blair on Labour

404

Virus: Powerless ministers in 'reformed' NHS and Keir Starmer

405

Johnson and The Virus; Starmer and Leadership

406

The State Is Back In Fashion

407

The Virus becomes political and the Budget changes politics

408

Steve Richards Presents Rock N Roll Politics

409

Steve Richards Presents Rock N Roll Politics

410

Steve Richards Presents Rock N Roll Politics

411

Steve Richards Presents Rock N Roll Politics

412

Steve Richards Presents Rock N Roll Politics-the Podcast

413

Steve Richards presents Rock N Roll Politics

414

Rock N Roll Politics

415

Steve Richards Presents Rock N Roll Politics

416

Steve Richards Presents Rock N Roll Politics

417

Steve Richards Presents Rock N Roll Politics

418

Episode 18

419

Rock N Roll Politics Episode 16

420

Rock N Roll Politics Episode 15

421

Rock N Roll Politics-- Episode 14

422

Rock N Roll Politics- Episode 13

423

Episode 12

424

Episode 11

425

Episode 10

426

Episode 9. Brexit Drama

427

Episode 8. Railway Chaos

428

Episode 7. Keir Starmer

429

Episode 6. Theresa May and Question Time

430

Episode 5. Brexit Latest and the World Cup

431

Episode 4. Reflections on Jeremy Thorpe... and Brexit

432

Episode 3. Rock N Roll Politics Live

433

Episode 2. Reflections on Labour and William Keegan

434

Episode 1. Theresa May, Brexit and a conversation with Andrew Adonis