TALKING POLITICS

TALKING POLITICS

Historian Tom McTague and Cambridge professor Helen Thompson discuss the origins of today's politics, exploring influential forces, ideas, and events shaping our world in Britain, US, Europe, offering insights for news understanding.

May 11, 2023

TALKING POLITICS

Producer Catherine Carr asks strangers 'Where are you going?' for bite-sized, unpredictable conversations in the new podcast 'Where Are You Going?' Published twice a week.

April 24, 2023

TALKING POLITICS

Weekly podcast 'Past Present Future' explores ideas from politics to philosophy, culture to technology with historians, novelists, scientists, discussing their origins and impact on shaping the future.

April 21, 2023

TALKING POLITICS

David, Helen, and Catherine conclude six years of podcasting amidst political crises, discussing past and future challenges while dedicating it to Finbarr Livesey and Aaron Rapport.

March 03, 2022

TALKING POLITICS

The podcast features a discussion between David and Helen about her new book that links several themes she's explored in her political career: energy policies, financial crises, Eurozone stability, global politics (US-EU, China), and democracy. Key points include the Suez canal crisis impact on Europe's energy strategy, the role of QE in the Eurozone, the influence of money in US elections, and China's increasing oil demand.

February 24, 2022

TALKING POLITICS

Discussion about the upcoming French presidential elections, potential roadblocks for Macron, shift of French politics towards right wing, and evolving definitions of left and right in light of minimal economic disagreements, along with insights into the impact of Macron's five-year term on European politics.

February 17, 2022

TALKING POLITICS

The podcast discusses if PM Boris Johnson can survive further scandals and whether he will be replaced by someone new in the Tory party. Strategic questions related to election prospects are raised. It also touches upon how the pandemic years may serve as a rehearsal for the politics of climate change, increasing generational divides.

February 10, 2022

TALKING POLITICS

David and Helen discuss Ukraine-Russia crisis with Shashank Joshi, discussing Putin's intentions (stopping Ukraine's westward shift), concern over UK naval base & troop training in Ukraine, and potential for invasion or regime change. They explore the historical context of the crisis, economic challenges in Ukraine, and changes in NATO allies' positions.

February 03, 2022

TALKING POLITICS

David discusses with John Naughton on future tech advancements, including the metaverse and blockchain, and their influence on politics & society, with an emphasis on what China understands about technology that the rest of the world might have missed.

January 27, 2022

TALKING POLITICS

Discussion between David, Helen, and Gary Gerstle about Biden's presidency one year after inauguration, including criticism of insufficient seismic shifts, analysis of political landscape, and debate on whether American civil war fears are overblown.

January 20, 2022

TALKING POLITICS

David and Helen discuss potential electoral alliances between Labour and Lib Dems to unseat Tories, and growing scepticism on the right against Netzero policies. Concerns regarding energy prices and green jobs are raised. Johnson's green-growth strategy and its effectiveness are questioned.

January 06, 2022

TALKING POLITICS

In this podcast, David and Helen discuss Johnsons touch with public opinion on Covid, why hypocrisy is more toxic than lying, the Tories recent by-election disasters, and potential historical parallels. They also speculate on what 2021 politically will be remembered for in the future.

December 23, 2021

TALKING POLITICS

Historian Chris Clark discusses the simultaneous uprisings across Europe in 1848 (the Spring Revolutions), including their causes, the struggle between liberal and conservative wings, the rise of counter-revolution, and their impacts on national orders. Key factors leading to these revolutions were an agrarian crisis, socio-economic downturn, and lack of efficient policing in certain countries.

December 16, 2021

TALKING POLITICS

David and Helen interview Ed Conway on global economy challenges at Bristol Festival of Economics; discuss fixing supply chain crisis, inflation threats, weaning world off coal, and the economic reality of Mark Zuckerberg's metaverse.

December 02, 2021

TALKING POLITICS

Helen and David discuss Chinese politics with Cindy Yu, focusing on Beijing's strategies for Hong Kong and Taiwan, Xi Jinping's ideology, China's financial companies not leaving despite political instability, and the potential domestic reason for Xi skipping COP. They also touch upon China's move towards 'common prosperity', a concept contrary to Western economic policies.

November 18, 2021

TALKING POLITICS

David and Helen talk to Jason Bordoff, Dean of the Columbia Climate School and former Special Assistant to Barack Obama, about climate, COP26 and the enormous challenges of the energy transition. How can we balance the need for energy security with the need to wean the world off its dependency on fossil fuels? Why is China still so reliant on coal? Who will pay for the energy needs of the developing world? Plus, just how scared are the oil companies of public opinion? You can read more of Jason’s work here.Talking Points:Energy transition will require a lot of capital investment.Clean energy tends to be more capital intensive in the short term; although the long-term operating costs are lower.Private capital needs to be mobilized to make this happen. Can large financial institutions forgo significant returns if oil prices go back up?  There is a clash between climate ambition and energy reality.The reality is that, despite tremendous advances in clean energy, oil and gas usage are still going up. The more the ambition is elevated, the bigger this gap becomes. During a lockdown that shut down half of the global economy, carbon emissions only fell 6%. To reach the 1.5 degree target, emissions need to decrease much more quickly.We might start seeing more disruptive and ambitious policies on the table in coming years. Or, maybe not. When questions of energy affordability, reliability, and security come into tension with climate ambition, there is a risk that climate ambition will lose. Is increasing efficiency enough, or will energy consumption also need to go down?In many parts of the world, energy use will actually need to increase in the coming decades. What is needed to make significant investments in clean energy in the developing world financially viable?Some people, like John Kerry, hoped that the U.S. and China might find a point of consensus on climate.In practice, that has not really happened.Could economic competition be a more effective driver than cooperation?If we always see high oil prices as a political problem that we can’t afford, then how will we get to the point at which we allow high prices to reduce demand?The United States is the world’s largest oil producer, but the U.S. government has much less control over American oil and gas producers than OPEC states do.Should we be talking more about energy and less about climate? Mentioned in this Episode: The Columbia Climate SchoolJason’s recent article in Foreign Policy on energy in the developing worldJason, on why everything you think about the geopolitics of climate change is wrongJason’s podcast, Columbia Energy ExchangeFurther Learning: How much will it cost the UK to reach net zero?<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/12/china-coal-fired-plants-uk-cop26-climate-summit-global-phase-out" rel="noopener...

November 04, 2021

TALKING POLITICS

Helen and David interview Hilary Mantel about power, monarchy, and political intrigue throughout history, discussing figures like Henry VIII, Boris Johnson, Thomas Cromwell, and Dominic Cummings.

October 28, 2021

TALKING POLITICS

Professor Lea Ypi discusses her memoir 'Free: Coming of Age at the End of History', a story detailing family secrets in Stalinist Albania and its transition from socialism. The conversation touches on political oppression, dissidence, concepts of freedom, paternalism, generational relations, moral agency, and human morality.

October 21, 2021

TALKING POLITICS

German elections saw Scholz, SPD candidate, as likely next Chancellor despite a shift to the left in their base. The larger CDU party was unstable and perceived Laschet as a poor candidate. The Greens & FDP, appealing more to younger people, might drive change from below.

October 07, 2021

TALKING POLITICS

David, Helen, and Adam Tooze discuss lessons learned from COVID-19's impact on politics, economics, and the new world order. Topics include 'lockdown', economic shutdown, central bank roles, political vacuum, democratic money, US-China competition, tech sanctions, and the Republican party.

September 23, 2021