Frank, Jim and Jo, look back on some of the highlights from their involvement with politics throughout the years, answer listeners questions and put together their Fantasy Cabinets.
Welcome to the latest episode of the Downtown Den Politics Podcast, that is going to try and makes sense of what has been a turbulent year in the world of politics.
Today on the Downtown Den, it’s just Frank and Jim as they discuss Rachel Reeves’ budget, Kemi Badenoch’s response, and Your Party’s Conference in Liverpool.
In this week’s blog, Jo looks at how a new wave of leaders — from New York’s Zohran Mamdani to the Netherlands’ Rob Jetten and the Greens’ Zack Polanski — are connecting with voters through energy and optimism, while Labour seems stuck in the November gloom.
A peace deal for the Middle East. Kemi Badenoch’s maiden speech as Leader to the Conservative Party. Potential problems for Labour with a China crisis and a deputy leadership contest, which seems to be getting a little bit spicy.
Kemi Badenoch finds herself less than a year into the job, fighting to retain the leadership of the Tory party. Can she survive?
This week it was the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, and it was badged as the conference that was make or break for Keir Starmer.
Jim identifies three examples of potential overreach by politicians in recent weeks. Nigel Farage on right to remain,Andy Burnham’s leadership ambitions and the Prime Minister’s attack on Reform UK.
Donald Trump’s state visit, the Labour Party’s deputy leadership contest, a Liberal Democrat conference and the meltdown of ‘Your Party.’
Jim Hancock and Jo Phillips discuss the future of the Prime Minister, the defection of another Conservative MP to Reform and look ahead to Donald Trump’s state visit.
Despite Reform’s rather eccentric conference in Birmingham last week – it is time to start to take Nigel Farage and his party seriously.
Simple slogans such as ‘Stop the Boats’, ‘Smash the Gangs’, and ‘Just send them Back’ are no substitute for a serious debate on the pros – and cons – of immigration. This complex area of policy has been weaponised by Nigel Farage – and sadly some within the official opposition have jumped on the populist bandwagon too – despite several of them being, at least in part, responsible for the mess immigration policy finds itself in the UK. Frank McKenna offers his thoughts on an issue that attracts many slogans – but few practical solutions.
