The Progressive Britain Podcast

Progress Chair Alison McGovern and political commentator Tris Brown talk through what could happen when Chancellor Philip Hammond gives the 2018 Budget on Monday, and whether the Tories can produce a progressive budget or deliver on the "end of austerity". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do young people see themselves as feminists – and do they have different attitudes to society as a whole? 100 years after the first women got the vote in Britain, what are the next big goals for fighting feminism? And what is the latest in the campaign to legalise abortion in Northern Ireland? The Fawcett Society’s Doris Amankwaah talks to Alison McGovern, Stephanie Lloyd and Conor Pope. Further r...

With Brexit talks being put off due to lack of progress, how many political solutions are there to the Brexit deadlock? Why was Angela Merkel so dumbfounded by Theresa May’s speech? And which politicians are the most likely to be chessmasters? Conor Pope and Joe Cox look at the big issues in politics this week.   Demand a say: * Join the Labour bloc at the People’s Vote march in London on Sat...

Summer holiday hunger. The universal credit saga. Why do we see more people facing acute poverty and hunger, and what can we do to tackle it Alison McGovern and Stephanie Lloyd are joined by Garry Lemon director of policy, external affairs and research at the Trussell Trust to discuss the reality of food poverty in Britain today. Further reading: * Financial insecurity, food insecurity, and disabi...

The Conservatives have woken up to the problems around universal credit – but will they do anything about it? (No.)  And a year on from when the #MeToo movement started, why does it seem as though the initial hope of a societal shift has fallen away? Conor Pope and Stephanie Lloyd discuss. Further reading: * Sign the petition to stop the universal credit rollout * Women have been lulled into...

Should the government ensure that everyone in the country receives a basic, non-taxed income regardless of the work they do? How would it work? Would it alleviate poverty? And could it destroy the working class? Conor Pope, Richard Angell and Henna Shah discuss the topic with UBI proponent Anthony Painter, director of the Action and Research Centre at the RSA. Further reading: * A radical new stat...

Conor Pope and Stephanie Lloyd on how Labour came out top in conference season, whether Theresa May’s speech means anything at all, and if austerity is actually over. Further reading:  * Tories squabble over ‘chuck Chequers’ badges * Theresa May dancing to Thomas the Tank Engine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's going on at Tory party conference? Will this Brexit mess ever end? These questions and others discussed by Chair of Progress, Alison McGovern, with Frank McKenna and Tris Brown. Further reading: * We are internationalists or we are nothing, by Richard Angell at Progress . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conor Pope speaks to Richard Porritt, political editor of the New European, about Labour conference 2018 and the party’s new approach to Brexit. Further reading: * Labour conference was a big win for a People’s Vote and the party’s moderates – Richard Angell in the New European * The members triumph: Conor Pope why the Brexit motion matters so much Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i...

A change in Brexit policy will be voted on at conference, but how did it get there – and what are its effects? Is Labour now committed to single market membership? Does the party support a People's Vote? And is a 'deal or no deal' referendum really on the table? Conor Pope, Alison McGovern, Richard Angell and Stephanie Lloyd work out what matters. Further reading: *' We all must be better' –...

Conor Pope and Richard Angell discuss what issues will come up at Labour conference this year – including Brexit, the democracy review, and mandatory reselection – as well as the biggest question of all: what on earth is compositing? If you want to know how the conference works, this is what you need. Further reading: * All the Progress events at Labour conference * How to get Brexit discussed at...

 Labour and the Tories have been neck and neck in the polls since the 2017 election. Can Labour do anything to get ahead? Conor Pope, Richard Angell and Stephanie Lloyd talk to Britain Thinks’ founding partner Deborah Mattinson about their new research into the question. Further reading: * Breaking the Deadlock – read the Britain Thinks report   * Britain Thinks’ Ben Shimshon and Cordelia Ha...

Conor Pope and Richard Angell discuss the IPPR Prosperity and Justice report, the archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby’s intervention, and the upcoming Progress interview with Ed Miliband. If you want to receive Progress magazine every month, sign up here:  prog.rs/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After major shifts in the 1940s and 1980s, is it time again for a major overhaul of how our economy functions? That’s the argument in the new major report from the IPPR’s Commission on Economic Justice, Prosperity and Justice.  Catherine Colebrook talks to Conor Pope, Richard Angell and Alison McGovern about the report’s findings, and what it might mean for the economy of the future. Further...

Conor Pope and Richard Angell discuss the way communication strategies played out in the NEC elections, and reflect on Michael Foot's wit. Further reading: Full Labour NEC election results. Further watching: Jack Straw recites Michael Foot's 'magician' speech. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Social media has changed the way we talk to each other, changed the way we read, the way we work, changed the way we consume news, music, sport, television and art. It has even changed the way we think. What does this mean for politics, and how parties, campaigns and activists communicate with voters – and how voters communicate with politicians? Conor Pope discusses that with Richard Angell and j...

How important is the upcoming Trades Union Congress? Conor Pope and Richard Angell discuss how important the trade unions will be for Brexit, the single market and freedom of movement when they meet ahead of Labour conference next month. Further reading: * What are Labour’s new immigration divides? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Clancy, general secretary of the trade union Prospect, speaks to Conor Pope, Richard Angell and Henna Shah about how to reverse the decline in trade union membership and make unions more relevant in modern workplaces. Further reading: * Emma Reynolds MP on why it’s time for workers on boards * Trade unionist Kate Dearden on how the trade union movement should respond to automation and globali...

The Progress team recommend their favourite books to read before the summer’s over. The recommended reads: Things Can Only Get Better by John O’Farrell Ugly by Constance Briscoe  The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud by Ben Sherwood  A Vindication of the Rights of Women Labour’s Failure and My Small Part In It by Martyn Sloman Why Fonts Matter by Sarah Hyndman The War On Women by Sue Ll...

How have major recent scandals affected perception of international development, does Brexit suggest a turning of opinion against it, and is this an opportunity to change how aid works? Conor Pope, Stephanie Lloyd and Henna Shah discuss with Kathryn Llewelyn, the CEO of aid charity United Purpose. Further reading: * Brexit will harm our ability to help poorer nations, writes Alison McGovern * Find...

Conor Pope and Henna Shah discuss the best books – politics and otherwise – to read on the beach. Want to recommend us a book? Email us at  office@progressonline.org.uk Further reading: * Podcast: Philip Collins on political oratory * Podcast: John O’Farrell on being a Labour activist * Danielle Grufferty on Punch and Judy Politics * Richard Angell on Militant * Conor Pope on the French Excep...

Since 1997, the number of women councillors in the country has barely risen, falling far behind the proportion of female MPs. How do we improve that? Conor Pope asks Katie Curtis and leader of Waltham Forest Clare Coghill. They also discuss what new polling means for the debate around Brexit. Further reading: * Clare Coghill: What works in London does not always work elsewhere * More than 100 seat...

Will the Tories have the principles to hold Boris to account for his comments on the burqa? Could it trigger a proper investigation into Islamophobia in the Tory party? And is Jean-Luc Melenchon a crank? Conor Pope and Henna Shah discuss. Further reading: * Antisemitism in Labour: symbolism is not a solution   * A Waco week, as Corbynistas do politics in paranoid style * Who will challenge Bo...

Brexit could increase the cost of European holidays by 31 per cent, cost thousands of jobs, and take a billion pounds out of the exchequer in lost tax revenue. Conor Pope speaks to Richard Angell, Henna Shah and the Seasonal Businesses in Travel organisation’s Charles Owen about the risks to the holiday economy. Further reading: * How Brexit will change summer holidays * Find out more about SBiT *...

What does Tommy Robinson's release from jail mean for the far right? How different is British fascism to five years ago? And what were your first protests? Conor Pope and Henna Shah discuss. Further reading: * How to beat Farage if he comes back * Let's remember the role Labour activists played in beating the BNP Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.