Sweeney Talks

Alan Johnson: Orphan, postman, politician like no other


Listen Later

To many, he’s the greatest Prime Minister we never had. Born into post-war poverty, Alan Johnson’s childhood was tough. Alan was orphaned when he was 12 and brought up by his sister, Linda. They fought to stay together and escape the slums. Alan became a postman at the age of 18 before becoming a politician, holding a range of ministerial posts including Home Secretary. He tells John Sweeney what it was like to be grindingly poor in 1950’s Britain and what he loves and loathes about the Labour Party.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Sweeney TalksBy Global

  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2

4.2

220 ratings


More shows like Sweeney Talks

View all
Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,052 Listeners

Simon Marks Reporting by Simon Marks Reporting

Simon Marks Reporting

28 Listeners

Where Politics Meets History by Global

Where Politics Meets History

75 Listeners

Cross Question with Iain Dale by LBC

Cross Question with Iain Dale

20 Listeners

Iain Dale's Book Club by Global

Iain Dale's Book Club

20 Listeners

The Nick Abbot Habit by LBC

The Nick Abbot Habit

29 Listeners

Full Disclosure with James O'Brien by Global

Full Disclosure with James O'Brien

288 Listeners

Eddie Mair - The Whole Show by Global

Eddie Mair - The Whole Show

4 Listeners

James O'Brien - The Whole Show by Global

James O'Brien - The Whole Show

233 Listeners

Iain Dale All Talk by Global

Iain Dale All Talk

38 Listeners

Nick Ferrari - The Whole Show by Global

Nick Ferrari - The Whole Show

21 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

763 Listeners

Iain Dale - The Whole Show by Global

Iain Dale - The Whole Show

9 Listeners

The High Performance Podcast by High Performance

The High Performance Podcast

622 Listeners

The Daily Beast Podcast by The Daily Beast

The Daily Beast Podcast

8,295 Listeners

What Next? with Lionel Barber by Global

What Next? with Lionel Barber

3 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

14,680 Listeners

Crime Analyst by Laura Richards

Crime Analyst

1,887 Listeners

Clive Bull - The Whole Show by Global

Clive Bull - The Whole Show

0 Listeners

Common Ground with Nimco Ali by Global

Common Ground with Nimco Ali

0 Listeners

Rachel Johnson's Difficult Women by Global

Rachel Johnson's Difficult Women

26 Listeners

Uncanny by BBC Radio 4

Uncanny

850 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,088 Listeners

The News Agents by Global

The News Agents

1,070 Listeners

The News Agents - USA by Global

The News Agents - USA

390 Listeners

The Rest Is Entertainment by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Entertainment

990 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics: US by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics: US

2,220 Listeners

Money with David Buik and Michael Wilson by Global

Money with David Buik and Michael Wilson

0 Listeners

The Session with Tom Swarbrick by Global

The Session with Tom Swarbrick

3 Listeners

Unprecedented by Global

Unprecedented

8 Listeners

Clear The Air with Sadiq Khan by Global

Clear The Air with Sadiq Khan

3 Listeners

The Rest Is Classified by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Classified

1,018 Listeners

Help! My Child's Anxious by Global

Help! My Child's Anxious

3 Listeners

Chasing Ghislaine by Audible

Chasing Ghislaine

15 Listeners