logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
44m 41s

Is It 1974 All Over Again?

THE TIMES
About this episode

A Conservative prime minister, soaring inflation, strikes bringing the country to a standstill - and Britain hosting the Eurovision Song Contest. Welcome to 1974.


Matt looks at what happened when Ted Heath asked 'who governs Britain', and considers whether Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer could end up following the path of Heath and Wilson. 


Plus: Columnists India Knight and James Marriott discuss whether Zelensky should speak at Eurovision, Keir Starmer abandoning his autobiography, and who is Millennial Millie?


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
Not Your Traditional Socialist Government
With the public finances under pressure, the unions meet John Healey and make a series of demands ahead of the Budget. Can Andy Burnham avoid the sense that he's running a 'traditional tax and spend socialist government'?Hugo Rifkind unpacks the politics of the day with Sarah Dit ... Show More
32m 36s
Yesterday
Trusting The Tech Broligarchy
Open AI boss Sam Altman says people are "right to be afraid" of artificial intelligence but that firms like his can be trusted to "do the right thing" - so should we rely on Silicon Valley to regulate itself?Hugo Rifkind unpacks the politics of the day with Jane Mulkerrins and Ro ... Show More
31m 17s
Sep 15
Trump and the AI 'Hoax'
Donald Trump dismisses warnings about AI as a “hoax” by those who want to regulate the industry. But how worried should we be - and what happens if the president doesn’t take the threat seriously?Hugo Rifkind unpacks the politics of the day with James Marriott and Charlotte Ivers ... Show More
30m 35s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
417. Britain in 1974: State of Emergency (Part 1)
“Who governs Britain?” Britain in the early 1970’s was a state in crisis, and by 1974, things had never seemed bleaker. Held hostage by the Trade Unions, British industry was flailing. England’s sporting record was atrocious, the economy was tanking and the prospect of a miners’ ... Show More
57m 47s
Feb 2024
419. Britain in 1974: Countdown to a Coup (Part 3)
Following a tumultuous election in February 1974, Labour’s Harold Wilson has been re-elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Wilson, an unpretentious, kind man, has inherited a nation in crisis: train strikes in Norfolk, students fighting in Oxford, inflation, an ongoing oi ... Show More
1h 3m
May 2024
The Intelligence: Rishi Sunak’s report card
Ahead of a general election in July, we reflect on 14 years of Conservative rule. It’s not a great record, but will the prime minister be able to spin it on the campaign trail? Latin America is still being torn apart by some of the world’s worst gang violence. Why aren’t counterm ... Show More
27m 48s
May 2024
The Intelligence: Rishi Sunak’s report card
<p>Ahead of a <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/05/22/rishi-sunaks-election-call-makes-no-sense-but-is-good-news?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.l ... Show More
27m 48s
Feb 2024
420. Britain in 1974: Thatcher Enters the Ring (Part 4)
The horrific Guildford Pub Bombings of Saturday 5th October 1974 sent shockwaves through Britain, worsening the sense of crisis sweeping through the nation. It cast a dark shadow over the election campaign due to take place five days later. The future had rarely seemed grimmer, w ... Show More
49m 11s
Jun 2024
The Weekend Intelligence: The state of Britain
On July 4th Britain will have a general election, one in which is widely expected to result in dramatic losses for the ruling Conservative party. If so, it would bring to an end 14 years of Tory rule. It’s been a turbulent period; the twin catastrophes of Brexit and Covid, set to ... Show More
50m 33s
May 2019
May, EU live in interesting times: Brexit
<p>As party leaders grill Britain’s prime minister—and with a looming European election the country was due to avoid—we examine how the Brexit mess is dissolving party allegiances. Turkey was once seen as a success story in dealing with Syrians fleeing conflict, but as war has dr ... Show More
21m 16s
Oct 2021
No Raabs Before Marbs – or, Where In The World Is Boris Johnson?
As Britain surges forward into the 1950s, the Prime Minister goes on holiday – again. Will fuel costs, supply chains, staff shortages and reskilling just, you know, sort themselves out? Or do we need to reacquaint ourselves with stagflation? Plus, can the fallout from the sentenc ... Show More
59m 10s