logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2019
20m 31s

Things fall apart: Britain’s fading cent...

The Economist
About this episode
Parliament is suspended for weeks. The Conservative party has been hollowed out. The prime minister’s hopes for an election have been dashed, twice. What does all this portend for the Tory party? And a special election in a solidly Republican district in North Carolina may shed light on President Donald Trump’s re-election chances. Also, a look at the unsung human superpower of language.

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

Up next
Today
Kyiv brawl: Ukraine’s top general fired
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has fired the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Oleksandr Syrsky. That follows days of protests at his sacking of the defence minister. Our correspondent analyses the fallout. America’s murder rate is falling, so why are cops killing m ... Show More
21m 34s
Yesterday
Hard cedar: Lebanon seeks Trump’s help
Today, Lebanon’s president Joseph Aoun visits the White House to ask for Donald Trump’s help rebuilding the country. Our correspondent reports from his recent trip to Lebanon on the challenges it faces. Threats to Red Bull’s magnificent marketing machine. And why the age gap betw ... Show More
22m 24s
Jul 20
A firm Andy: what are new British PM’s plans?
Andy Burnham faces tough challenges as Britain’s new prime minister, both within his party and the country at large. Our correspondent analyses his prospects. After years of strife, how can Syria be rebuilt? And food markets have changed New York.Guests and host:Hugo Gye, Britain ... Show More
26m 19s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2023
Are the Tories heading for extinction?
Two massive by-election losses in Tory heartland. Are Rishi Sunak's hopes of holding onto his premiership next year in tatters?They may still win Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire back in next year's general election, but that doesn't arrest the growing expectation that there is a di ... Show More
48m 36s
Mar 2025
Canuck of the draw: Canada’s election campaigns
<p>The Conservative Party, led by a Trump-tinged populist, once had the polls locked up. That is <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/2025-canada-election?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr ... Show More
18m 45s
Feb 2022
Why it is not new for progressive parties of the centre-left to work together
<p>Parliament may have been in recess this week but the political action hasn't&nbsp;stopped. We&nbsp;discuss our significant story about the next election featuring Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Not since the days of Paddy Ashdown's ultimately unproductive courtship of Tony ... Show More
27m 33s
Jul 2019
Going the way of the dodo? The decline of Britain's two main parties.
Recent polling data and election results paint a picture of woe for Britain's two main political parties. Of course both Labour and the Conservatives have suffered periods of decline throughout their history. But arguably never before have both parties been so riven by internal d ... Show More
28m 22s
Jun 2019
It's Boris vs Hunt and Labour gently shifts towards Remain
Four candidates were knocked out of the Conservative party leadership race this week: Michael Gove, Sajid Javid, Rory Stewart and Dominic Raab. Does the foreign secretary have any hope of beating the frontrunner? Plus we discuss whether Jeremy Corbyn is finally moving Labour towa ... Show More
37m 53s
Oct 2022
Misplaced Truss? Britain’s ruling party meets
<p>Prime Minister Liz Truss has had a bruising first few weeks in office. Amid <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2022/10/03/kwasi-kwarteng-reverses-course-on-the-top-rate-of-tax?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discover ... Show More
25m 32s
Jun 2024
ELECTION EXTRA: Manifestos, Macron and Money Problems
<p>Have the wheels well and truly fallen off the Conservative election campaign? After a dismal D-Day debacle and news that social media campaigning is suspended, Ed Balls and George Osborne question whether Rishi Sunak is just giving up.</p><br><p>Regardless, it’s manifesto laun ... Show More
31m 17s
Jul 2024
UK elections herald return to tarnished stability
Polls suggest voters will hand Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party a historic defeat. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists discuss how a new government might pick up the pieces amid the legacy of a now-immutable Brexit and political turmoil engulfing global peers. Vis ... Show More
23m 14s
Jul 2024
What is the future of the Tory party?
A tale of two thinktanks - you lucky things. Jon has spent the day at the Tony Blair Institute and Emily has been with the Popular Conservatives (PopCons), Liz Truss' former parish. After the worst result in their history, how does the Conservative party rebuild?And what lessons ... Show More
38m 57s
Jan 2022
The row over Number 10 parties during the 2020 lockdown
<p>This week we’re devoting the episode to the “partygate” row which has blown up in Westminster. After the prime minister revealed he attended a party, calls for his resignation grew in and outside of the Tory party. Can he survive? Does his fate lie in the hands of a senior civ ... Show More
35m 9s