How important are ideas to an opposition party seeking election? How has the Labour Party struggled to balance ideology and pragmatic politics? Dr Patrick Diamond of Queen Mary, University of London, joins us to discuss these and other issues. Patrick is a former adviser to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in 10 Downing Street, and has written extensively on the Labour Party. Presented by Dr Nigel Fletcher Research Assistant: Iman Abdel-Haq Theme Music: Tom Hector