Rock & Roll Politics with Steve Richards

The announcement that a national care service will be the subject of another review shines light on a government with a landslide majority, but that is reluctant to use it in order to achieve challenging but historic change. Plus, the Reform UK latest, and Musk disowns Farage.Rock & Roll Politics is live at Kings Place on the 3rd of February for the first live show in what will be a wild political year. Tickets here.Subscribe to Patreon for live events, bonus podcasts, and to get the regular podcast a day early and ad free. Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Steve Richards for a special end of year political deep dive - straight from the Rock & Roll Politics Patreon vaults.In a bumper double episode Steve looks at the careers of Enoch Powell and Tony Benn - on the face of it, two very different figures. Yet the pair remain connected by their capacity to play the role of political troublemaker - a theme to be explored by Steve in a forthcoming new book.Thanks to all the listeners in the Rock & Roll Politics co-operative for your support in 2024, and stay tuned for more in the new year.Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• Give or get 20% off a year’s Patreon support for the pod in our Black Friday sale. Here’s a recording of the final live show of 2024, recorded at Kings Place, where we tried to make sense of the epic politics of 2024. Including excellent questions from the Rock & Roll Politics co-operative.Subscribe to Patreon for live events, bonus podcasts, and to get the regular podcast a day early and ad free. Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• Give or get 20% off a year’s Patreon support for the pod in our Black Friday sale. Farage is a formidable campaigner but the UK has a party based system, and running a party is a nightmare after the early euphoria of making waves has passed. Here’s why.Plus, the co-operative’s never ending debate on assisted dying, the future of Starmer and much more.Subscribe to Patreon for live events, bonus podcasts, and to get the regular podcast a day early and ad free. Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• Give or get 20% off a year’s Patreon support for the pod in our Black Friday sale. What happens if thousands flee Syria? Where do they go? Can borders be ‘closed’ when asylum demands rise? The movement of people is the second crisis of the global economy after the financial crash, but there has been no global response. Plus brilliant questions from the Rock & Roll Politics co-operative and important assembly notices.Subscribe to Patreon for live events, bonus podcasts, and to get the regular podcast a day early and ad free. Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• Give or get 20% off a year’s Patreon support for the pod in our Black Friday sale. Keir Starmer will make a big speech on Thursday that is being perceived as a ‘relaunch’, though Number 10 are keen to insist it is nothing of the sort. But is this a government with a clear sense of purpose? And if so, do voters know what that purpose is?Plus brilliant questions from the Rock & Roll Politics co-operative and important assembly notices.Subscribe to Patreon for live events, bonus podcasts, and to get the regular podcast a day early and ad free. Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• Give or get 20% off a year’s Patreon support for the pod in our Black Friday sale. The government is advertising for a senior civil servant to work on a detailed ‘reset’ of the UK’s relations with the EU. Can the changes be of any significance? Will Trump be a factor in limiting the government’s ambitions? And how far will the government dare to go?Plus brilliant questions from the Rock & Roll Politics co-operative and important assembly notices.Rock & Roll Politics is live at Kings Place this Wednesday 27th of November for the last show of 2024. There’s only a handful of tickets left, get yours here. Subscribe to Patreon for live events, bonus podcasts, and to get the regular podcast a day early and ad free. Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• Give or get 20% off a year’s Patreon support for the pod in our Black Friday sale.Wes Streeting has enjoyed a high profile under Keir Starmer so far. Recently he made a significant intervention in the debate over assisted dying, while announcing the first Alan Milburn inspired NHS reforms. What will the consequences be?Plus brilliant questions from the Rock & Roll Politics co-operative – and important assembly notices.Rock & Roll Politics is live at Kings Place on November 27th for the last show of 2024, the year of Trump, Starmer and Badenoch. There’s a lot to make sense of.  Tickets here.• Subscribe to Patreon here for bonus podcasts and much more.Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Voters are increasingly feeling disconnected from politics, creating a vacuum for populism. The discussion digs into how leaders like Keir Starmer can engage with those who feel left out. It also examines the impact of recent Labour victories and the societal divisions they reveal. Celebrity influences on politics, especially figures like Trump, are scrutinized for shaping voter perceptions. Finally, the challenges of legislative timing and the potential for Labour's budget to reshape their image create a compelling landscape for contemporary leadership.

The podcast dives into the turbulent waters of Conservative leadership, exploring Kemi Badenoch's potential to uplift the party. It critiques a recent UK budget and discusses Labour's taxation strategies amidst public service implications. Historical parallels are drawn, comparing Badenoch's dilemmas to past leaders like Neil Kinnock. The conversation also touches on party dynamics, shifting Tory loyalties, and the impact of satire in politics, while encouraging audience participation and insights.