David and Helen talk to Nick Timothy, former chief of staff in Downing Street under Theresa May, about the future for Boris Johnson's government. Is he now safe from leadership challenges? Can he hold together the coalition that won the 2019 election? Is Keir Starmer the one under pressure? Plus we discuss where the next big destabilising threat to this government might come from: Scotland, Northern Ireland, the EU, China?
Talking Points:
Is Johnson’s political position more secure now?
Boris probably doesn’t want to be an austerity prime minister.
Starmer still faces serious structural problems: Labour is in trouble in Scotland and the increasing importance of cultural issues create problems for Labour in the Red Wall.
Who is in the biggest trouble in Scotland?
The Tories are worried about the union, but there aren’t obvious solutions.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Further Learning:
And as ever, recommended reading curated by our friends at the LRB can be found here: lrb.co.uk/talking
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/talkingpolitics.
Rating the Government on Covid
The Coup in Burma
What is the Union?
History of Ideas S2 E1 : Rousseau on Inequality
Germany, Italy, Coalitions and Vaccines
Biden Begins
The Long-term Legacy of Brexit
Jill Lepore on the Insurrection
New Year, New World?
How to Fix British Democracy?
Did Covid Kill the Climate?
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Where is the Opposition?
What's Next for France and Italy?
From Brexit to Scottish Independence
Young People vs Joe Biden
James O'Brien
Post-Covid Economics
War: What Is it Good For?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free