The History of Bad Ideas: Party Members Choos...

Today’s bad idea is one the United States has been stuck with for a long time: David talks to historian of America Adam Smith about the damage done by the idea of the electoral college. Why was it thought necessary by the Founders to have special electors between the voters and t ...  Show more

Today’s episode in the history of bad ideas is about one of the central ideas in modern philosophy: utilitarianism, or the view that what matters is the greatest happiness of the greatest number. David talks to philosopher Nikhil Krishnan about how something that sounds so intuit ...  Show more

A short trailer to introduce a new series of talks by David Runciman. In a series of twelve podcasts, he explores some of the most important thinkers and prominent ideas lying behind modern politics – from Hobbes to Gandhi, from democracy to patriarchy, from revolution to lock do ...  Show more

Why did Suella Braverman’s speeding ticket take up so much oxygen, and who did it serve? Nish and Coco discuss whether the leaks against the Home Secretary are symptomatic of a party that’s heading into yet another bout of self-destructive psychodrama. As if that’s not enough, Bo ...  Show more

Does David Davis still think Brexit has been a success? Was he wrong on gay marriage and the death penalty? Is meritocracy in Britain now a thing of the past? Alastair and Rory are joined by former Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, Davis Davis, to discuss all th ...  Show more

From inaccurate polls to soundbites, from going early to biscuits being thrown on the campaign trail - what lessons can Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer learn from electoral history? Matt is joined by Lara Spirit and Jack Kessler to delve into the archives.

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