Ballot to Talk About

In the first of our April UK local elections series, this week's episode takes a look at the state of the main national UK political parties as they prepare to launch their 2021 election campaigns. It also includes a review of Scott Morrison and Mark McGowan's Cabinet reshuffles in Australia, as well as taking a look at the results of the Newfoundland and Labrador state elections over in Canada, as Justin Trudeau mulls over the idea of taking his country back to the polls soon.

Covid-19 may be keeping most things under lockdown, but the 2021 UK local and regional election campaign is about to get underway with just over one month until polling day. Sam and Chern take a look this week at the state of each of the main parties looking ahead to this electoral cycle, and consider what each of the leaders have to gain or lose. Boris Johnson will be facing the first electoral test after his Covid response, and Sir Keir Starmer will be facing his first polling day as leader of the Labour Party. Have Boris Johnson's Covid fortunes improved alongside the vaccine rollout? How has Keir Starmer's first year as leader been? Will both parties be entertaining reshuffles after this cycle is complete? They also look at how smaller parties might be faring in what is usually a fruitful cycle for them locally. All of these questions and more are answered in this week's edition.

As March election madness comes to an end, this week's episode takes a look at the results of last week's Israeli legislative election where it is currently looking once again difficult for any group to form a stable majority. Benjamin Netanyahu is looking to continue his now 12-year premiership, but the maths is looking challenging, and a potential fifth election in two years looms. It also includes an update on the state of Australian politics, as Liberal-led Governments in both New South Wales and South Australia lose their majorities following significant scandals surrounding Michael Johnsen and Fraser Ellis respectively. In the same month that Switzerland held their latest set of referenda, Sam and Chern also take a look at their unique form of governance and what the policy consequences may be.

Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party is looking ahead to another challenging coalition formation period, as their election leaves no party with a straightforward route to power. Anti-Netanyahu forces failed to gain the numbers in the Knesset to oust him comfortably, and the country is potentially looking at yet another unplanned election. Were there any surprises in the overall results? Which faction is likely to be able to form a Government, if any? What do anti-Netanyahu forces need to do in order to get the numbers to prevent the continuation of his premiership? And the lingering one for all Israelis: Will they be back at the polls again soon? All these questions and more answered in this week's episode.

March election madness continues! This week's episode takes a look at the results of last week's Dutch General Election where Prime Minister Mark Rutte looks set to lead his VVD back into a coalition Government on the back of national gains for his party and coalition partners. It also includes a preview of next week's Israeli General Election where Benjamin Netanyahu is looking to find a way out of the stalemate that has led to this fourth legislative election in two years. Sam and Chern also look back on the results of the German State elections in Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden Württemberg where Angela Merkel's CDU suffered setbacks ahead of the September federal election.

Mark Rutte is on the verge of becoming the Netherlands' longest-serving Prime Minister as his party looks set to lead coalition negotiations following their victory in last week's election. His VVD party and D66 made gains, whilst the Labor Party failed to improve at all on their poor 2017 performance and Geert Wilders' PVV lost seats to other emerging far-right parties. Why did the Dutch left fail to make any signficant gains in this cycle? Did the child benefit scandal, that led to the resignation of the Government earlier this year, play a role? What are Mark Rutte's coalition options? What role with Mark Rutte play on the European level as he looks set to become Europe's longest serving incumbent by the end of the year? All these questions, and more, answered in this week's edition.

March election madness continues! This week's episode takes a look at the results of this weekend's Western Australia State elections and the astonishing landslide victory for Mark McGowan's Labor Party, as well as a wider look at the current state of Australian politics. It also looks at some prominent inspirational women leaders in the political sphere in the week that saw International Women's Day. It discusses some trailblazing figures, break-out stars, and themes across the world. 

Mark McGowan has led his Labor Party to a record-breaking victory in the state of Western Australia, annihilating Zak Kirkup's Liberal Party and potentially looking at taking full control of both chambers of Parliament. Sam and Chern look at where these results came from, and what they could mean in terms of federal politics and whether Scott Morrison will opt to hold the upcoming federal election this year. Did Mark McGowan only benefit from Covid-19 or were other factors at play? Do the Liberals have the potential to recover within the next few election cycles? Why has the Labor Party nationally not seen a similar boost in support? And the killer question in terms of Australian politics - why does Australia cycle through so many Prime Ministers?

March election madness has begun! This week's episode takes a look at the upcoming Dutch General Election where Prime Minister Mark Rutte is hoping to lead his VVD party to a fourth straight election win. It also includes a preview of next week's Western Australia State Election and the upcoming elections in Baden Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate, where the race to succeed Angela Merkel continues to roll on.

Mark Rutte is potentially on the verge of becoming the Netherlands' longest-serving Prime Minister, his party is poised to win yet another election, and he is likely about to enter into another protracted set of coalition negotiations. With just over a week to go until polling day, Sam and Chern take a look at the state of play, what is at stake, and how the campaign has played out amidst the pandemic. The episode also takes a broader look at some longer-term themes in Dutch politics, including the fall of the PvdA (Labor Party) and extensive fragmentation. How was Mark Rutte managed to survive for such a long time, having experienced multiple scandals and setbacks? What caused the rapid decline of the centre-left? Is the electoral system an asset or curse when it comes to the formation of a stable government?

This week's episode takes a special deep-dive into Scottish politics in the week that Scottish Labour got a new leader and former First Minister Alex Salmond tesified before the Scottish Parliament inquiry. It also includes a look at broad themes in LGBTQ+ political history as the UK LGBT History Month comes to an end. 

Scotland is just two months out from its latest parliamentary election, so Sam and Chern take a look at the state of play in the Scottish party system, assessing where each party is and how their leaders are faring. The Sturgeon-Salmond partnership continues to break down in spectacular public style just as the SNP are looking ahead to regaining a Holyrood majority. Is Nicola Sturgeon's grip on the SNP and Scotland at risk as this saga unfolds? As the Labour Party gets its sixth leader in ten years in Anas Sarwar, and the Conservatives are still trying to work out who they are in a post Ruth Davidson era, they also look at what the Opposition may look like. What is to blame for Scottish Labour's decline? Will Douglas Ross be able to sustain the Davidson momentum from 5 years ago?

This week's episode takes a special deep-dive into Italian politics in the week it got a new Prime Minister, and discusses just what makes Italy so seemingly politically unstable. It also includes analysis of the election results in Catalonia and Kosovo, as well as a review of the second Donald Trump impeachment trial that resulted in him being acquitted 57-43 by the US Senate. 

This week's episode takes a special look at the course and legacy of the Arab Spring, as we reach 10 years on since Hosni Mubarak's removal from power and the height of the upheaval across the region. It also includes analysis of the Swedish Cabinet reshuffle and a review of the Ecuadorian presidential election results, that leave Andres Arauz facing either Yaku Perez or Guillermo Lasso in the second round in April.

This week's episode of this international politics podcast focusses on the newly inaugurated Biden administration as the Cabinet begins to form, and the legislative agends gets underway. It discusses the Biden Cabinet as a whole, and analyses the state of the Democrat party in the aftermath of them taking control of the trifecta. This episode also features a preview of the first round of the Ecuadorian Presidential Election, where Andrés Arauz and Guillermo Lasso are expected to advance to a second round. Chern and Sam look at the region of South America more broadly, and if any themes can be highlighted. 

Just over two weeks on from Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's inauguration, this episode looks at their Cabinet as Senate confirmations begin to roll in, and specifically talk about the last few nomination announcements - Gina Raimondo, Marty Walsh and Merrick Garland. Will any of Biden's nominees face issues in the Senate confirmation hearings? Why are there no Republicans in Biden's team? As the Democrats look ahead to at least two years in full control, the state of the party is also explored. Will the narrow majorities in Congress help quell ideological divides or embolden them? What will the party look like at the end of the Biden term? Will ideological divisions stall any flagship legislation? All these questions, and more, answered in this week's episode. 

The latest episode of this international politics podcast focusses on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on elections, governments and public policy around the globe. As we approach nearly one year of domestic restrictions and global travel restrictions, we look at how politics has been affected by the pandemic, and what the future may look like for governments. This episode also features a review of the Portuguese presidential election results, the new Estonian Government, and an update on the ongoing crisis of leadership for Giuseppe Conte in Italy.

Covid-19 has dominated everyone's lives for the past year, and has plunged every government in the world into a major public health crisis, dominating energy and time. In this episode, Sam and Chern look at how governments have fared in terms of approval ratings and electoral outcomes, as well as assessing the impact on election procedure and democratic engagement. Have incumbents received a polling boost for crisis management? Have party systems converged around single policy ideas for the long-term? What issues now dominate public debate? How long will Covid-19 have an impact at the ballot box? All of these questions, and more, in this week's special Covid-19 edition.