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This week, we have an intriguing episode as we converse with acclaimed author Philip Augur, who brings to life the tale of John Stonehouse, the controversial Labour MP. We explore the remarkable and complex narrative depicted in the book ‘Agent Twister’, co-written with Keely Winstone. Discover Stonehouse’s tumultuous journey from political prominence to disgrace, marked by an infamous scandal that astonished the British public, a story truly stranger than fiction. Our conversation uncovers the
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Welcome to the Explaining History Podcast. In this episode, we dive into the American neoliberal counter revolution of the 1970s, a period of profound political and economic change that continues to shape the world we live in today.During this decade, a new political and economic philosophy emerged, driven by figures like Milton Friedman and the Chicago School of Economics, that sought to roll back the gains of the New Deal and reassert the power of the free market. This movement, called neolibe
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Neoliberalism in Britain has shaped the political, economic and social fabric of the nation in its entirety for almost half a century. As a cluster of ideological positions which evolved from the interwar years onwards, it existed as a fringe doctrine. Britain’s current economic and political chaos suggests that the ideology has finally reached its point of collapse, just as the UK’s new prime minister, Liz Truss has endorsed it in ever more radical and extreme ways. This podcast reflects upon N
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Two weeks ago Sinn Fein achieved something that had previously been considered politically impossible in Northern Ireland, it gained a majority in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections and is now likely to form a government. This edition of the update explores the ramifications for Northern Ireland, Britain, the Irish Republic and the EU of this momentous event and the ongoing problems caused by Brexit. Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and
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This is the third Ukraine update and in this episode, we look at the wider strategic and diplomatic realignments that are rapidly occurring, including China’s current strategic ambiguity and Britain’s growing diplomatic irrelevance under Johnson’s Brexit government.Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive Co
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In this episode of the Explaining History Podcast, I speak with journalist and media critic Mic Wright about the power of Britain’s media and its distorting effect on British politics Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory▸ Join the Community & Continue
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In the 1970s and 1980s two political figures came to define the polarisation of British politics and society and the end of political consensus between the Conservative and Labour Parties. This podcast explores the ideological worlds of Thatcher and Benn and their impact on the trajectory of both parties. Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and sh
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In 1973 the Conservative Party and the right of the Labour Party voted to join the European Economic Community or ‘Common Market’ as it was known. Despite opposition on the right and left, the decision to join was ratified by a referendum in 1975, but the political divisions foreshadowed endless political conflict over the issue of European integration in later decades. Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the
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In the 1930s, Ronald Reagan had been a Roosevelt Democrat supporter and had believed that the role of government in alleviating the crisis of the Great Depression was vital. By the early 1950s, Reagan, a failing actor was moving to the political right and had embraced the Hayekian obsession with reducing the size of the state. As a spokesman for the company GE he toured the USA, speaking to working class Americans who shared his views and in doing so, he prepared for his later political career.
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Fascist bombing campaigns and planned coups, leading up to a massacre in Bologna in 1980 brought the threat of splinter group fascism to the Italian government’s attention. The MSI (Italian social movement) attempted to broaden its appeal and mask its overtly fascist politics during a period where there was widespread revisionism about the legacy of Mussolini and an attempt to partly rehabilitate the fascist era in mainstream politics and discourse. Explaining History helps you understand the 20