Labour is way ahead in the polls and has dropped its most radical policy, the £28 billion green recovery plan. But in opposition, in the build up to the 1979 and 2010 elections, the Conservatives put forward radical right wing programmes – and won from opposition. They did not retreat. Why is Labour more cautious and less confident?

Rock N Roll Politics is live at Kings Place on March 26th with a brand new show. Tickets here: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/steve-richards-presents-rock-n-roll-politics-march-2024/ 

Support the show on Patreon for bonus podcasts, live events and much more: https://www.patreon.com/RockNRollPolitics
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Why are the Tories bolder when on the verge of power?

Based on his live one-man show Rock & Roll Politics, the broadcaster and author Steve Richards takes a twice-weekly behind the scenes tour of UK politics and the media that shapes the way we view the epic political dramas. The future is ridiculously unpredictable and the past is so easy to misread. Subscribe to your weekly guide through seismic times.

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A First Minister and SNP leader falls after a short tenure. Like the Tory party’s problems in Westminster, does the SNP leadership crisis raise thorny questions well beyond the flaws of one leader? And with what implications?
Rock & Roll Politics: The Pre-Election Special is live at Kings Place on July 10th. Tickets here
Back Rock & Roll Politics on Patreon here to get exclusive live events, bonus podcasts, free entry to Steve’s local elections post-mortem, and much more.
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Has the SNP become impossible to lead?

Nigel Lawson once noted that the party that wins the battle of ideas wins elections. He was right. Ideas matter and yet play little part in the contest between Sunak and Starmer. But the Right remain ideologically confident. Will a Labour government be able to counter the anti-state onslaught that is bound to happen? Plus exciting notices and brilliant questions from the Rock & Roll Politics co-operative.

Rock & Roll Politics is live at King’s Place, London, on Wed 10 July for a pre-election special. Get tickets here. 

Back Rock & Roll Politics on Patreon and get FREE access to Steve’s 2024 Local Elections Post-Mortem live on Zoom, 5pm on Friday 3 May. Analysis, projections and your questions – all free to Patreon people. 

Written and presented by Steve Richards
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Who is Winning The Battle of Ideas?

In his last term as Prime Minister, Harold Wilson was seen as old, paranoid and ineffective… yet now we discover he was lively enough to be having an affair. This suggests the caricature might be wrong. What if Wilson was livelier politically too? And what if we choose to see other leaders as stereotypes which do not present anything like the full picture? 
Support Rock & Roll Politics on Patreon for early episodes, exclusive merchandise and more. 
PLUS get free admission to Steve’s Local Elections 2024 Post-Mortem, live on Zoom at 5pm on Friday 3 May.
https://www.patreon.com/RockNRollPolitics
See Rock & Roll Politics live at King's Place on the 10th of July. 
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Harold Wilson’s affair and how we misread leaders

The journalist and author Will Hutton has written an important new book on the eve of what’s likely to be a Labour government. The title is stark: This Time No Mistakes. But what mistakes were made? What are the lessons of the past? What are his hopes and fears for a Keir Starmer government?
This Time No Mistakes is published on April 11th. Buy it through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund Rock & Roll Politics by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.
Support Rock & Roll Politics on Patreon for early episodes, exclusive merchandise and free admission to Steve’s Local Elections 2024 Post-Mortem, live on Zoom at 5pm on Friday 3 May.
https://www.patreon.com/RockNRollPolitics
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This Time No Mistakes – In Conversation with Will Hutton

A rare chance to hear a live show… this one recorded in the main concert hall at Kings Place, London. On the agenda: How do the dramas around the current government compare with other ‘fin de siecle’ administrations? How does Keir Starmer compare with Harold Wilson and Tony Blair when they were on the edge of power? Plus unreliable predictions… Question Time… and much more.
Support the podcast Patreon for bonus editions, special merchandise and exclusive live events for subscribers. Our next one will be the day after the May local elections so sign up to find out first. 
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Why are the Tories bolder when on the verge of power?

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