Since Attlee & Churchill

In this special live episode, recorded at the Buckinghamshire History Festival, Lee and Richard explore the history of Chequers, the Buckinghamshire country house that has served as the official country residence of Britain's Prime Ministers for more than a century. Along the way, we discover why David Lloyd George thought the house was haunted, how Neville Chamberlain found solace in photographing its trees, why Churchill decided to improve a Rubens painting, and how Harold Wilson used it to plot the strategy of both his party and the government. But beyond the stories and personalities, what does Chequers actually mean to Britain's Prime Ministers? And has it served the purpose intended by Arthur and Ruth Lee, who gifted it to the nation back in 1917?

You can now get your own Since Attlee & Churchill mugs here: https://www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com/

Attend the Since Attlee & Churchill book club meeting later this month by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon as a 'Right Honourable Friend of the Show': https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill

Buying books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac

Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!
***
Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this mid-week episode, Richard and Lee discuss their latest 'Matters of Interest' from contemporary British politics. First, Richard shares some new polling of voters in Burnham's own constituency to consider whether transferring more policy powers to Brussels would pass the 'Makerfield test'. He finds overwhelming support for the principle that decisions on everything from food standards to employment law should, in fact, be made by the UK government alone. Then, Lee turns his attention to the Government's decision to scrap the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which had helped thousands of historic churches and other religious buildings reclaim VAT on essential repairs. With the replacement fund reaching just a fraction of the buildings previously supported, is this a false economy that puts Britain's architectural and religious heritage at intolerable risk? Lee makes the case that it is.

Attend the Since Attlee & Churchill book club meeting later this month by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon as a 'Right Honourable Friend of the Show': https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill

You can now get your own Since Attlee & Churchill mugs here: https://www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com/

EVENT: Come along for a live version of Since Attlee & Churchill at the Buckinghamshire History Festival on 14th November in High Wycombe. Find out more here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/since-attlee-churchill-live-chequers-confidential-tickets-1993124324508?aff=oddtdtcreator

Buying books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac

Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!
***
Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2024, Labour won seats it hardly ever wins, and some of its new MPs may not expect to be back after the next election. So what should you do if you think you’ll only get one term? In this episode, Richard tells the story of one such MP from the class of 1945: Tom Skeffington-Lodge. He was a High Church Christian socialist from a wealthy Yorkshire family, and he unexpectedly took Bedford in Labour’s landslide victory. He used his five years in the Commons to take up causes nobody else would: dirty cafés, mock-Tudor pub carriages on the railways, imported marble headstones, and American content filling British magazines. He even fought to keep the university seats, the only Labour MP to do so. But none of it saved him; he lost his seat in 1950 and never made it back into Parliament. What lessons should today’s Labour MPs take from his example?

In this podcast, the following books are mentioned:

'The Great Gatsby', available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780198864400
'Congress Overwhelmed: The Decline in Congressional Capacity and Prospects for Reform'

Attend the Since Attlee & Churchill book club meeting later this month by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon as a 'Right Honourable Friend of the Show': https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill

You can now get your own Since Attlee & Churchill mugs here: https://www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com/

Buying books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac

Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!
***
Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this mid-week episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Richard and Lee discuss 'Matters of Interest' from across the Atlantic and the other side of the world. First, Richard turns his attention to the American midterm elections and the implications of the Democrats' remarkable victory. Does this really represent the end for MAGA politics? Or is it premature to write off a political movement that has transformed the Republican Party and still seems to hold the affection of many Republican primary voters? Then Lee looks ahead to the general election in New Zealand, where a debate about tactical voting has thrown the country's electoral system into the spotlight. With voters being encouraged to split their votes, has New Zealand's Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system lost credibility? And what impact will this have on Saturday's election?

You can now get your own Since Attlee & Churchill mugs here: https://www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com/

NOW OR NEVER! BOOK LAUNCH: Sign up for the book launch of 'Now or Never!' here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/now-or-never-the-first-scottish-referendum-and-its-legacy-1979-2026-tickets-2001527671144

EVENT: Come along for a live version of Since Attlee & Churchill at the Buckinghamshire History Festival on 14th November in High Wycombe. Find out more here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/since-attlee-churchill-live-chequers-confidential-tickets-1993124324508?aff=oddtdtcreator

Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill

Buying books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac

Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!
***
Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode of Since Attlee & Churchill, Lee and Richard travel back 70 years to Harold Macmillan's only Budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the controversial introduction of Premium Bonds. Was this an ingenious way of encouraging saving, or an immoral state-sponsored lottery? They explore the centuries-old history of state-sponsored lotteries, Macmillan's determination to present Premium Bonds as a respectable form of saving, and the furious reaction from Labour politicians and religious leaders. Harold Wilson denounced the scheme as a 'squalid raffle', while Clement Attlee and the Archbishop of Canterbury were among those who questioned its morality. But with millions of people enthusiastically buying bonds, was Labour fighting a losing battle? And how did Macmillan ultimately get the last laugh?

In this podcast, the following books are mentioned:

'The Macmillan Diaries: The Cabinet Years 1950-57'. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780230768437
'Social Europe, the Road not Taken: The Left and European Integration in the Long 1970s' by Aurelie Dianara Andry. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780192867094

You can now get your own Since Attlee & Churchill mugs here: https://www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com/

EVENT: Come along for a live version of Since Attlee & Churchill at the Buckinghamshire History Festival on 14th November in High Wycombe. Find out more here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/since-attlee-churchill-live-chequers-confidential-tickets-1993124324508?aff=oddtdtcreator

Enjoy ad-free listening, bonus episodes and show your support for the podcast by joining the Since Attlee & Churchill Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SinceAttleeAndChurchill

Buying books via the Since Attlee & Churchill Bookshop is a great way to support the podcast. Click here to visit the shop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac

Enjoy listening to the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast? If so, we would be very grateful if you could leave us a 5 star review!
***
Since Attlee & Churchill is a podcast about post-war British politics - since Attlee & Churchill - and is hosted by Lee David Evans, an historian of the Conservative Party, and Richard Johnson, an historian of the Labour Party.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.