Shows / Rock & Roll Politics with Steve Richards
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve Richards
Based on his live one-man show Rock & Roll Politics, the broadcaster and author Steve Richards takes a weekly behind-the-scenes tour of UK politics and the media that shapes the way we view the epic political dramas. The future is ridiculously unpredictable and the past is so easy to misread. Subscribe to your weekly guide through seismic times.
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Episodes
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWhat does Sarah Vine’s book tell us about the crisis in the Conservative Party?
Sarah Vine, the journalist and former wife of Michael Gove, has written a book that partly chronicles their lives in the court of David Cameron and the Notting…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWhat is the key ingredient that makes a leader stronger?
Keir Starmer is an evasive leader but on one point he is clear: he is a pragmatist, has no time for ideology and there will be no ‘Starmerism’. But without…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsAre there dark echoes from a distant Labour government?
While researching the 1929 Labour government for a new book I found myself thinking repeatedly “this reminds me of now”. The yearning to follow economic…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsIn conversation with Michael Heseltine
I spoke to Michael Heseltine at the Cambridge Literary Festival about his remarkable career, how he would have changed the Tory party’s approach to Europe had…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsCan The Tories survive?
The Labour government has signed a deal with the EU that brings significant improvements to the agreement negotiated by Johnson and Lord Frosty Frost… their…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWho will win the battle of the UK’s borders?
Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper have played their migration cards, but will they be enough to counter Farage’s populist policies? Will they work in practical…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsDo Starmer and co know what they mean by ‘change’ and ‘reform’?
Labour was elected to deliver ‘change’ but Starmer, Reeves and Morgan McSweeney have been cautious and vague about their ambition to move on from the recent…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsIs the Government moving closer to Europe?
There is a big UK/EU summit in May which ministers are confident will be a significant event – and not just a talking shop. Meanwhile Rachel Reeves has dared…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWhy are the right targeting Ed Miliband?
The right are obsessed with Miliband and his zeal for net zero policies, but is there any basis for the argument that his net zero policies threaten economic…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWith Farage backing steel nationalisation, is public ownership back in fashion?
For decades nationalisation was the great taboo in British politics, while privatisation was deemed the great triumph of Thatcherism. Blair and Brown were…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWill Brexit Britain flourish in the New World Order?
Is there a hint of British exceptionalism in the early days of the Trump-induced economic crisis? Apparently the UK got off lightly, while Keir Starmer can be…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsHow long will Trump’s ‘love’ of tariffs last?
Trump has said ‘tariff’ is his favourite word, but will US consumers agree with him when prices rise? Plus - does the UK need a Department for Economic Growth?…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsIs Rachel Reeves trapped by her fiscal rules?
This week Rachel Reeves announces more spending cuts in order to meet her fiscal rules, and the OBR’s verdict on her ‘fiscal headroom’. But what was the…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsIs Wes Streeting taking back control?
The decision to scrap NHS England is a rare example of clear thinking in relation to delivery of public services. Can such clarity be applied more widely or…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsCan Rachel Reeves slash welfare spending?
Rachel Reeves is looking to save billions from the welfare budget. What are the lessons from New Labour’s attempts to cut welfare and what is the purpose of…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWhat will it mean to have ‘boots on the ground’?
Keir Starmer is enjoying his best media coverage since the election – but the UK commentariat always hails the appearance of ‘strong leadership’ during the…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsCan Keir Starmer be the ‘bridge’ between Europe and Trump?
The moving parts in the international crisis continue to move. Macron and Starmer in Washington, a new government to form in Germany and Trump never far away…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsIs Europe heading for war with Russia?
Trump has instigated peace talks with Putin. The UK, France and Germany are alarmed, but what did they expect? And in their responses are they making a war…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWho are the ‘incumbent disrupters’ in Keir Starmer’s government?
The new fashionable term in politics is ‘disrupter’ or ‘insurgent’. Morgan McSweeney briefs that the government must be insurgents, but does he mean it? The…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsIs Rachel Reeves an accidental risk taker?
The chancellor hails her fiscal rules and iron resolution, but in her search for stability is she taking routes that are riskier than they appear to be? Plus…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsCan a cautious government achieve economic growth?
Rachel Reeves is going for growth, but will she succeed? Plus, as Channel 4 screen James Graham’s new drama on Brian Walden’s last interview with Margaret…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsTrump is back. What are the lessons for Starmer?
Trump has won again as a disruptor, reflecting the mood of an impatient electorate aching for change. Starmer won the election last year arguing for ‘change’ –…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsShould the Liberal Democrats be getting more media attention?
Nigel Farage commands the airwaves with only four MPs – and the two bigger parties obsess about the threat posed by Reform. Yet it’s the Lib Dems that made…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsIs the government wasting a landslide majority?
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…
- Rock & Roll Politics with Steve Richards
Rock & Roll Politics Special: The Troublemakers
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…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsRock & Roll Politics Live at Kings Place - The final show of 2024
• 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…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWhy Nigel Farage is not as formidable as he appears to be
• 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…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWhat happens if thousands flee Syria?
• 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…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWill Keir Starmer’s ‘relaunch’ make a difference?
• 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…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsIs Starmer Moving Closer to Europe?
• 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…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWhat’s Wes Streeting up to?
• 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…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsCan Starmer connect with “the left behind”?
• Give or get 20% off a year’s Patreon support for the pod in our Black Friday sale.. Increasing numbers of voters feel disconnected from what happens in…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsCan Kemi Badenoch revive the Tories?
The Conservatives have elected yet another leader in yet another challenging context. Does Kemi Badenoch have the epic qualities required to revive the party’s…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWill the budget be a historic turning point?
This week Rachel Reeves will deliver the most anticipated budget in modern times. Can she significantly change the UK’s economic prospects and the course of a…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsAre some chancellors more powerful than their prime ministers?
Some chancellors determine the fate of their governments with their budget – and Rachel Reeves may do so on October 30th. But prime ministers have no…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWhat is the most underrated quality in a leader?
I am obsessed by the qualities required to be an effective leader, as members of the co-operative know. On reflecting on the death of Alex Salmond I discovered…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWill the departure of Sue Gray boost Starmer’s government?
Sue Gray has gone and Morgan Mcsweeney is in charge. Where does this leave Keir Starmer and his confused and confusing government? Plus brilliant questions…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWhy Are The Conservatives Still Talking To Themselves?
The Conservatives were slaughtered at the latest election, and yet its leadership candidates are still singing the same old tune. Is the party weaker now than…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsCan Labour recover from its wobbly start?
The first Labour conference after a landslide win should be celebratory, but in Liverpool the mood is uncertain. Can Keir Starmer give his government a clearer…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsCan the Lib Dems Make Any Impact on a Landslide Government?
The Lib Dems won 72 seats at the election. While this is an epic achievement, it will have little influence over a government with a commanding majority. But…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsDoes the government need to be unpopular?
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are refusing to budge over the winter fuel payment saga – and both argue they are willing to be unpopular if the decision is the…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWill the next Tory leader ever be prime minister?
Whoever wins the Tory leadership contest will face a titanic task. Are any of the six candidates up to it? And can Labour make the most of the political space…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsDo things have to get worse?
In Keir Starmer’s first major speech as Prime Minister he argues things will get worse before they will get better… Is this the right message and approach? Why…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsThe briefings against Sue Gray
The macho briefings against Sue Gray have echoes with those against Marcia Williams in the Harold Wilson era, and could have disruptive consequences. Plus…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsAre the Tories doomed whoever is the next leader?
With Reform breathing down their necks should the next Tory leader seek to work with Farage or try to destroy him? Either route is fraught with explosive…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsAre the riots more than a law and order issue?
There are attempts to elevate the activities of criminal thugs by suggesting that they are “on to something”. Are they? Plus brilliant questions on the riots…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsHas Rachel Reeves won the case for tax rises?
Labour was not candid about the state of public finances before the election. Can it be so now, without losing public trust? Back us on Patreon to join the…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWhy do doomed leaders struggle to quit?
President Biden will not fight a second term… but it's taken him a long time to reach an obvious conclusion that was right in front of us. And he’s not alone…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWhere next for the ‘Special Relationship’ amid US turmoil?
The attempted assassination of Donald Trump is a symbol of a disturbed democracy and will be another destabilising factor for the US. UK Prime Ministers choose…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsHas Keir Starmer won the political space to be daring?
Keir Starmer is only the third Labour leader to enter Number 10 having won a landslide. Only Attlee and Blair achieved similar results. Starmer has the bonus…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWhat have we learnt from this strange election?
Labour's mammoth lead has been virtually unchanged from the start of the campaign six weeks ago. Despite this the election has been full of surprises and if we…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsRock & Roll Politics Live – The election bonus
A special bonus episode! We recorded the Rock & Roll Politics live show at Kings Place in London on the 24th of June for all to listen back to. It’s the only…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWill Labour get the economic growth they need?
Most Labour leaders have argued that economic growth is the key to improving public services but will the distinct policies of Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsHow will the Tory media deal with a Labour landslide?
The Tory papers and their online equivalents are used to setting the agenda, having played their part in successive election victories for the Conservatives…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWhy is the election 'tax and spend' debate dangerous and bonkers?
Look at the government's own figures and it's obvious that taxes and borrowing will have to rise or else there will be further cuts to the UK's decaying public…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsWhat are the deeper lessons of the Diane Abbott saga?
Behind the surface frenzy of the Diane Abbott saga are two overlooked questions. Does a leader have a right to have a say who is selected as candidates? What…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsThe Tory Campaign – Why is it the most calamitous start in modern times?
So far the Conservative campaign makes Labour’s in 1983 and Theresa May’s in 2017 seem slick and confident. Why does it seem so indisciplined and ill…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsThe Election Bonus
Rishi Sunak surprised most of us by calling an election for July 4th. Why has he done it when he's 20 points behind? What will happen in the campaign and how…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsContaminated Blood – Will the familiar lessons ever be learnt?
A familiar pattern forms again: scandals, cover up, victims struggling to prove the truth and an inquiry that reveals a dysfunctional state. Where does power…
Rock & Roll Politics with Steve RichardsCan Keir Starmer stop the boats?
What a silly question. We all know the answer to that one. And yet that was what was asked of Starmer at a point of unusual distinctiveness. He reiterated his…