Best Vote Common Good Podcasts (2026)

In the final instalment of their miniseries on the Heath vs Wilson elections, Lee and Richard look back on the October 1974 contest. After a frantic six months in office, Labour's Harold Wilson goes back to the country in search of a majority and a mandate to govern. Everything seems to be going well for him, but has enough changed since the people…

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Matters of Interest: Looking Back, Looking Ahead 52:46

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5d ago52:46

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Richard and Lee mark the new year by looking back on the key events of 2025 that they expect to influence what happens in the year ahead. From Keir Starmer's decision to stick by Rachel Reeves to the removal of the hereditary peers from the House of Lords - via Nigel Farage's continuing centralised leadership style, Kemi Badenoch's growing confiden…

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2025 A Nightmare Year in Review & The Brave Responses 1:19:33

7d ago1:19:33

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2025 A Nightmare Year in Review & The Brave Responses On this episode of The Common Good Podcast, Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse reflect on what this year reveals, what it has cost the country, and why people committed to democracy, faith, and the common good cannot look away. This year unfolded as a steady reminder of how damaging the Trump administr…

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The Heath vs Wilson Elections (Episode 3 of 4): The February 1974 General Election 1:12:36

9d ago1:12:36

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In the latest instalment of their miniseries on the Heath vs Wilson elections, Lee and Richard consider Edward Heath's gamble on a general election in February 1974. Having u-turned on the policy agenda that got him elected in 1970 and run into intractable issues with the trade unions - leading to a state of emergency and energy rationing - Heath c…

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Matters of Interest: Our Politicians at Christmas 34:49

13d ago34:49

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In a special Christmas edition of Since Attlee & Churchill, Lee and Richard have been searching through diaries, memoirs and other historical sources to find out how our politicians spend Christmas - and what some of them have contributed to our understanding of a traditional British Christmas. Featuring Ramsay MacDonald, Winston Churchill, Harold …

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Shocking Epstein File Release About Trump 1:21:44

14d ago1:21:44

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In this episode, with Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse, we dive into the shocking and disturbing details surrounding the latest Epstein file release. Newly surfaced documents include a deeply troubling letter from Jeffrey Epstein to Larry Nassar, raising urgent questions about power, protection, and the systems that allowed abuse to persist for so long.…

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Alternate Realities: Double or Nothing 31:07

14d ago31:07

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As soon as Alternate Realities publishes, Zach Mack calls his dad to hear his reactions to the series. The conversation takes an unexpected turn, launching them into another year-long experiment. To listen to this series sponsor-free and support NPR, sign up for Embedded+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choice…

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The Heath vs Wilson Elections (Episode 2 of 4): The 1970 General Election 1:15:53

15d ago1:15:53

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In part two of their miniseries on the Heath vs Wilson elections, Lee and Richard delve into the second of the contests fought between the pair. In May 1970, incumbent Prime Minister Harold Wilson asked the Queen for a dissolution of Parliament, judging it was his best opportunity to win a third successive election for Labour. Almost everyone expec…

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Podcast Short - We’re pastors. The fight against MAGA Christianity starts locally. 24:47

16d ago24:47

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In this video, Doug Pagitt of Vote Common Good is joined by Rev. Lori Walke for a conversation about the context, urgency, and lived experiences behind their recent Guardian op-ed, “We’re pastors. The fight against MAGA Christianity starts locally.” 🗣️ What They DiscussDoug Pagitt and Rev. Lori Walke reflect on:•Why they felt compelled, as pastors,…

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Matters of Interest: Burnham's Path to Parliament & Do Parties Need to Make Pacts? 48:27

20d ago48:27

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In this week's Matters of Interest, Richard considers whether the Labour Party's internal rules - especially the power of the National Executive Committee over Parliamentary selections - could stand in the way of Andy Burnham's triumphant return to Parliament. And Lee considers whether the changing electoral landscape of Britain means parties no lo…

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Trump Can't Lead Especially in Tragedy - His supporters know it 1:13:01

21d ago1:13:01

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In moments of national crisis, leadership is revealed—not by strength of ego, but by depth of empathy. In this episode of The Common Good Podcast, Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse discuss Donald Trump’s repeated inability to lead during moments of struggle and tragedy. From public disasters to personal suffering, we examine how a lack of empathy and a p…

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The Heath vs Wilson Elections (Episode 1 of 4): The 1966 General Election 1:08:00

23d ago1:08:00

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Lee and Richard are starting a brand new mini-series looking at some of the most dramatic and consequential general elections in post-war history: the four contests fought between Conservative leader Edward Heath and Labour leader Harold Wilson between 1966 and 1974. In this episode, they discuss Wilson's gamble on a snap election in March 1966. Bo…

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Matters of Interest: Expelling Peers & the Lib Dems 50:30

27d ago50:30

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In this Week's Matters of Interest, Richard suggests that the use of the royal prerogative to deprive Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his titles of nobility might have inadvertently set a precedent for allowing prime ministers to eject troublesome members from the House of Lords without legislation. And Lee raises the strategy and success of the Lib …

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Ep 232: US Meddling, the Limits of 'Agency' Discourse and How Media Chooses Which 'Voices' To Center 1:29:03

27d ago1:29:03

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In this episode, we discuss the uses and misuses of liberal standpoint theory to promote US meddling, sanctions, and bombing. With guest Vincent Bevins.

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“Fear, Force, and the Erosion of Freedom: Trump’s Disastrous Week in Power 1:33:50

28d ago1:33:50

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In this week’s episode, Doug and Robb dig into one of the most alarming stretches of the Trump presidency so far. From Trump’s dehumanizing attacks on Somali immigrants to a pair of lethal boat strikes in the Caribbean now raising war-crime concerns, the administration is leaning hard on fear and force while dodging accountability. We unpack Trump’…

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How did Jeremy Corbyn win the Labour leadership? 1:14:27

30d ago1:14:27

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In this week's episode, Lee and Richard discuss one of the most dramatic events in Labour history: the emergence of Jeremy Corbyn, a man who had never before sat on the front bench, as the landslide winner of the party leadership. It's a story that covers the fallout of the Iraq war and reforms to Labour's leadership rules, Ed Miliband's decision t…

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State Crimes - Sex Crimes - War Crimes - The Trump Administration in 2025 1:50:42

1M ago1:50:42

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What happens when a presidential administration treats law as optional and accountability as a threat? In this episode, we take a clear-eyed, fact-based look at the cascading legal, moral, and political crises emerging from the Trump Administration in 2025. Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse break down the three arenas where these dangers are most urgent:…

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Matters of Interest: Grounds for Resignation & Badenoch's Big Week 45:54

1M ago45:54

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Richard kicks off this episode by looking at the reasons why ministers have resigned historically and what has prompted people to leave government since Labour came into office last year. Lee and Richard then debate whether politicians should rethink what constitutes grounds for resignation - either to make it more, or less, likely. Next, Lee discu…

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News Brief: BBC's Gaza Double Standard and Western Liberalism's Crisis of Legitimacy 44:48

1M ago44:48

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In this News Brief, we interview journalist Daniel Trilling and discuss his investigation into the BBC's systemic anti-Palestinian bias.

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The Harvard Plan: The Endless Frontier 50:00

1M ago50:00

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Universities were not always so vulnerable to the whims of politics. The whole system of taxpayer-funded, university-led scientific research came about at the end of World War II, and was the brainchild of a man named Vannevar Bush. He felt the partnership of government and academics had to be equal in order to yield breakthroughs. Today, the Trump…

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Did the 1981 Budget really transform Britain's economy? 1:01:11

1M ago1:01:11

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As we've just had a Budget in the UK, Lee and Richard look back to one of the most famous - and controversial - Budgets in post-war British politics: the 1981 Budget delivered by Geoffrey Howe in Margaret Thatcher's first term as Prime Minister. This Budget provoked a furious backlash among some Conservatives as well as most of the economic establi…

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Ep 231 - How To Oppose Genocide Without Opposing Genocide (Part 2): AIPAC Dems' Fake Israel Criticisms 1:17:44

1M ago1:17:44

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In this episode, we detail the buyers' market for superficial Gaza critiques that permit ambitious Democrats to look pro-Palestine without the downside of actually being so. With guest Tariq Kenney-Shawa.

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Matters of Interest: Removing the Labour Leader & Volatile Local Elections 51:07

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This week, Richard delves into the Labour rulebook to explain the latest rumours of an attempt to remove Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader; and Lee looks at the extraordinary volatility of local by-election results which offer good news - and bad - for all of the parties, depending on where you look! Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill …

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Unprecedented Corruption - Unprecedented Opportunity for Democracy and Faith, Hope & Love 1:09:28

1M ago1:09:28

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In this episode of The Common Good Podcast, we dig into the documented scandals and alleged corruption that defined the Trump administration and why so many Americans see this moment as unprecedented in modern political history. We reflect on what these past years have revealed about our democracy, the stakes of integrity in public office, and why …

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The Harvard Plan: Jay & Alan 51:11

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Harvard president Alan Garber and National Institutes of Health head Jay Bhattacharya are two main characters at the heart of the national fight over the future of academia. Alan Garber has been cast as the defender of academic freedom and democracy; Jay Bhattacharya is Donald Trump’s pick to lead the NIH, the agency withholding billions of dollars…

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How did Neil Kinnock defeat Militant? 1:06:13

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Neil Kinnock’s showdown with Militant Tendency at the 1985 Labour conference is one of the standout moments of his Labour leadership - and of the entire history - of the Labour Party. In this week's episode, Lee and Richard explore the history of ginger groups in the Labour Party; how Militant established themselves in Liverpool in the early 1980s;…

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Matters of Interest: Refurbishing Number 10 & The Crisis of Reading 42:55

2M ago42:55

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In the latest Matters of Interest, Richard tears apart the complaints made by some employees in government about the condition of Number 10 Downing Street, opening up a discussion about the refurbishments of the building over the years and the power of Number 10 versus other government departments. Then Lee takes issue with a recent report about di…

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Ep 230 - How To Oppose Genocide Without Opposing Genocide (Part 1): Biden World's Reputation Laundering PR Tour 1:41:11

2M ago1:41:11

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In this episode, we detail recent attempts by former Biden officials to rewrite history and absolve themselves of responsibility for the horrors of Gaza, and lay out the emerging Dem-aligned media industry of vibing past Democrats' lockstep support for genocide.

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The MAGA Collapse… and Why Hope Still Has the Final Word 1:49:30

2M ago1:49:30

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In today’s episode of the Common Good Podcast, Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse dig into the growing rift inside MAGA world — the public break between Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump. What does this split really mean? Why is it happening now? And how does it fit into the larger pattern of Republicans, conservatives, and former loyalists quietly …

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The Harvard Plan: And so it begins… 46:55

2M ago46:55

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The Harvard Plan, a collaboration between On the Media and The Boston Globe, is about the fight for the soul of America’s oldest and most prestigious university. In the new season, they explore what has unfolded at Harvard since Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2025. Three main characters, inside Harvard, tell the story from their perspective: politi…

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Who achieved 'the most significant by-election success ever’? 54:23

2M ago54:23

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In this week's podcast, Richard and Lee are joined by historian Tom Chidwick to discuss the life and times of Dick Taverne. In the early 1970s, the Labour MP for Lincoln was deselected by his party over Europe; in response, he resigned his seat and stood in a spectacular by-election. When voters went to the polls, Taverne achieved what John Curtice…

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Matters of Interest: BBC Neutrality & Net Zero 43:08

2M ago43:08

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In their regular mid-week episode, Lee and Richard clash on the current scandal engulfing the BBC before Richard shares some anonymous correspondence from the heart of Whitehall, exposing some of the challenges we face in being an effectively-governed nation. Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful …

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Shutdown is done, now what? 1:00:21

2M ago1:00:21

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This is The Common Good Podcast — where faith, politics, and the fight for the soul of our country come together. With Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse talking about the rising resistance to the MAGA movement — a resistance that’s growing stronger in every corner of society. Now that the shutdown is finally over and we’re less than a year from the midte…

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Citations Needed Live Show Beg-a-Thon: MAHA, TikTok and the Rise of Health-Branded Fascism 54:40

2M ago54:40

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In this Live Show Beg-a-Thon from 10/13, we are joined by Justin Feldman to discuss the rise of MAHA, the broader Granola-to-Fascist Pipeline and how corporate-written food policies and our shitty for-profit medical system fuel hucksterism.

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How did war shape our politicians? 1:08:58

2M ago1:08:58

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In this episode, released on Remembrance Sunday, Lee and Richard discuss four titanic politicians of the twentieth century shaped by their experience of war. Clement Attlee and Harold Macmillan both served with distinction in the First World War, and Denis Healey and Edward Heath in the Second. This podcast looks at what their contribution to the w…

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Blue Wave Democratic Wins and the Road Ahead | Vote Common Good: Good Politics Podcast 1:27:45

2M ago1:27:45

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Voters sent a clear message in yesterday’s elections: Trumpism is losing its grip, and Democrats have the wind at their backs. In this episode of Good Politics, Doug Pagitt and Robb Ryerse break down the results, the trends, and the growing movement of voters choosing hope, compassion, and democracy over fear, lies, and extremism. From local races …

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Matters of Interest: Politicians Changing Names & Funding Political Parties 45:08

2M ago45:08

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In this week's Matters of Interest, Richard shares some remarkable examples of leading British politicians who have chosen not to go by the name they were given at birth. Who did it? And why? Then Lee discusses the recent reforms to political donations in Australia, with a lively discussion about the need for - and the pitfalls of - reforming the w…

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Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism with Holly Berkley Fletcher and Doug Pagitt 1:39:51

2M ago1:39:51

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Author and scholar Holly Berkley Fletcher joins Doug Pagitt to discuss her new book The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism. Together, they explore how the experiences of missionary kids reveal deeper truths about faith, power, race, and identity within the evangelical movement. A thoughtful conversation about the cost of c…

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How did the MPs' expenses scandal unfold? 1:12:21

2M ago1:12:21

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In this week's episode, Lee and Richard discuss the biggest political scandal of a generation: the publication of MPs' expenses in 2009. Reported on by the Daily Telegraph after the sensational leak of over a million and a half documents from Parliament, the scandal captured the attention of the nation. From duck houses to moat cleaning, phantom mo…

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Matters of Interest: The size of the Civil Service, Digital ID & Compulsory Voting 44:19

2M ago44:19

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In this week's Matters of Interest, Richard reflects on the historic size of the Civil Service and considers whether Reform's plan to reduce it is really the solution to getting things done in Britain. Lee thinks back to the noughties when Labour last tried to introduce ID cards and asks what Keir Starmer could learn from Tony Blair. And the pair d…

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News Brief: As Trump Attacks Venezuela, Media Takes His Absurd "Drug War" Pretext at Face Value 22:49

2M ago22:49

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In this News Brief, we detail how the AP, Atlantic, Washington Post and New York Times are accepting Trump's framing that his attacks on Venezuela and Colombia are about "going after drug cartels" when it's clear they are—based on Trump's own words—about controlling Venezuela's oil.

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Prices Up. Democracy Down. But There’s Hope from Evangelicals 1:14:25

2M ago1:14:25

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In this episode, we talk about what’s happening right now in America — prices for everyday essentials like gas, groceries, and housing have gone up since last year, and Donald Trump is doing nothing to help everyday Americans. Instead, he’s busy tearing down not only the East Wing of the White House in his bizarre plans, but also the foundations of…

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Why was Britain absent from the EU's beginning? 1:01:38

2M ago1:01:38

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In this week's podcast, we discuss one of the most important forks in the road in Britain's post-war history: when Clement Attlee's Labour government refused to take part in discussions on the Schuman Plan, which would become the European Coal and Steel Community and ultimately evolve into the European Union. What motivated their decision? Was it G…

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News Brief: Media Helps Sell ICE Raids with Zero Dark Thirty Ride-Along Schlock 31:29

3M ago31:29

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In this News Brief, we are joined by Matthew Cunningham-Cook to discuss his recent media analysis of "embedded reports" of ICE raids that prime the public for brutal crackdowns on undocumented immigrants.

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Matters of Interest: 'Are the old Political Parties over?' & Thatcher's Legacy 45:28

3M ago45:28

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Richard kicks off this week's 'Matters of Interest' episode by discussing whether the old political parties in Britain - the Conservatives and Labour - are dying, changing, or simply finding they have new competitors vying for power. Lee focuses on the question of Margaret Thatcher's legacy, one he is keen to defend - and Richard even keener to con…