167 | Constitutional Breakdown

We ask whether the UK constitution is cracking up - and if so, where's the breakpoint going to come?  Is Brexit at the heart of the current crisis or does it go deeper than that?  What's the role of the Supreme Court?  And the Queen?  Could the Bank of England play a part? And where does Scotland fit in?  We try to piece it all together with Helen Thompson, Chris Bickerton and Kenneth Armstrong.

167 | Constitutional Breakdown
Talking Politics Podcast

165 | Split Down the Middle

David and Helen catch up with the European election results and the Tory leadership race - there's lots to talk about.  How can the Tories compete with the Brexit Party?  Are the Liberal Democrats a real threat to Labour?  What does it all mean for Ireland?  And for Scotland?   Plus, is the surge in support for Greens across Europe a signal that it's time to take environmental politics seriously?

165 | Split Down the Middle
Talking Politics Podcast

35 | Scotland and the Union

This week we focus on what the general election in Scotland might mean for the rest of the UK.  Does a Tory revival in Scotland spell the end of Indyref 2?  Does Labour's collapse chime with what's going on in the rest of Europe?  Plus we explore whether a thumping majority for Mrs May would strengthen her hand in the Brexit negotiations.  In the first in a series of historical comparisons, we also ask whether this election has echoes of what happened when Ted Heath called a snap poll in 1974.  Is Tony Blair now the Enoch Powell of British politics?  You heard it here first.

35 | Scotland and the Union
Talking Politics Podcast

20 | Jill Lepore

We speak with New Yorker writer and historian Jill Lepore about Trump, the Tea Party and the Constitution. She tells us how they go together, and how they don't. This conversation was recorded on the day of Trump's inauguration and we also have some voices and sounds from the event in Washington. Plus we try to make sense of what the Supreme Court verdict about Article 50 means for the sovereignty of the UK parliament, and what it means for Ireland and Scotland.

20 | Jill Lepore
Talking Politics Podcast