Political Currency

This week, George Osborne and Ed Balls consider: should economic decisions be confined to the Treasury and the Prime Minister? Or is the room for wider cabinet discussion? 

Meanwhile, Lyanne Nicholl, the CEO of 50:50 Parliament – an organisation dedicated to driving more female representation in government – asks Ed and George to share their most positive words of wisdom for someone weighing a career in politics. The pair reveal the women they’ve encouraged to go into the government game, and where they think barriers persist. 

They also mull the costs Britain would face were it to join the customs union – and is a Welsh referendum ever going to be a reality? 

Plus, they share when mishearing something has led to some political awkwardness all round … 

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Keir Starmer is working hard to shift the narrative on his government from gloomy tax raiders to optimistic change makers. Ed Balls and George Osborne asses whether he’s leaning too hard into blame. Does he need to stop the finger pointing and get on and deliver?

Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria collapsed this week — a sudden, stunning end to the Assad family’s five-decade reign. Ed and George reflect on the Syrian civil war and its impact on their time in politics. What is going on in Downing Street right now, and how should the UK proceed? David Cameron’s deputy security adviser Hugh Powell makes a guest appearance to advise on how to stop the country from descending into conflict. 

Plus, Emmanuel Macron is dealing with a frozen French parliament and under mounting pressure to appoint a new Prime Minister. After a spectacular Olympics and the grand reopening of Notre Dame, he should be riding high – but are his days in politics now numbered? 

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Production support: Caillin McDaid

Technical producer: Oliver Geraghty

Producers: Miriam Hall and Rosie Stopher

Executive Producer: Ellie Clifford

Political Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

Who are the individuals who’ve influenced elections in the same way as Elon Musk? Ed Balls and George Osborne run through some of the great drivers of political results over the years - from people on the street to press barons. 

Plus, with our Inside The Room miniseries with Nicola Sturgeon now wrapped up, George and Ed take listener questions on the matter of the 2014 referendum and the ongoing, simmering tensions around Scottish independence. Would England be economically better off without Scotland – and why are English politicians so keen to cling to it? Are there parallels between the Scottish independence movement and Brexit – and if so, why won’t the nationalists admit it? 

You could have been listening to this episode of EMQs early and ad-free!

Become a member of POLITICAL CURRENCY GOLD 🏅 to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to all our episodes and receive early access to EMQs.

After helping to secure a victory for Donald Trump in the US election Elon Musk is seemingly setting his sights on the UK and Reform. Ed Balls and George Osborne take stock of whether Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch should be worried. Is this another sign of the end of the two-party system?

The historic vote on assisted dying last week has brought a whole new set of questions and challenges for the government. How Labour will balance its plans for the NHS with this potential landmark legislation? And does Keir Starmer support this? Can the cabinet divisions on the bill be overcome?

Meanwhile, the government’s main focus is a relaunch to help set the agenda for the rest of the parliament. Not, of course, that they're calling it that. But do government relaunches ever work? And how can this one successfully reset the narrative? 

Become a member of POLITICAL CURRENCY GOLD 🏅 to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to all our episodes and receive early access to EMQs. You'll also get EXCLUSIVE access to Ed and George's Inside The Room: The Scottish Independence Referendum debrief conversation.

Subscribe now: patreon.com/politicalcurrency or on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/politicalcurrency

Production support: Caillin McDaid

Technical producer: Oliver Geraghty

Producers: Miriam Hall and James Shield

Executive Producer: Rosie Stopher

Political Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

A decade ago, the Scottish people went to the polls for a referendum vote to make a choice: should the country break free of the United Kingdom? Ultimately, they voted to stay by a resounding margin – crushing the hopes of the Scottish National Party and soothing the fears of the British government of the day. But the issue of Independence continues to divide, and in this special miniseries, George Osborne and Ed Balls are joined by the former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon to take a fresh, forensic look at the forces, decisions and party politics that drove the independence movement. 

With just weeks to go, polling suggested the ‘Yes’ campaign had it, and Scottish voters were going to vote to leave. Nicola Sturgeon reveals the sense of jubilation inside the SNP when the tide began to turn their way, and fear the British establishment was only set to become more ferocious. If the poll had come just a little later, could the ‘Yes’ side have been triumphant? Did the “Vow” – a promise for more devolution powers – make a difference? Who was convinced Rupert Murdoch was going to use his tabloid to support their interests? 

Remember to send us your questions in for our special Inside The Room: The Scottish Independence Referendum episode of EMQs. You can send them to [email protected]

Political Currency Gold subscribers have exclusive access to Ed and George's debrief chat.

POLITICAL CURRENCY GOLD 🏅

Become a member of Political Currency Gold to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to all our episodes, receive early access to EMQs and Inside The Room, and more. 

Subscribe now: patreon.com/PoliticalCurrency or on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/politicalcurrency

Producers: Rosie Stopher and John Rogers

Technical Producer: Oliver Geraghty

Production Support: Miriam Hall

Executive Producers: Ellie Clifford and Dino Sofos

Archive: BBC News, EuroNews and Sky News.

Political Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network

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