Tag Archives: podcasts

Mathew Hulbert

Mathew on Monday: hatred against Jewish People and Muslims must be confronted – together

By Mathew Hulbert | Mon 23rd March 2026 - 5:00 pm

The shocking attack overnight on a Jewish volunteer ambulance service in London should horrify anyone who believes in a decent, civilised society. Four vehicles belonging to Hatzola, an organisation providing lifesaving emergency care, were deliberately set on fire in what police are treating as an antisemitic hate crime.

Let us be absolutely clear about what this represents. This was not just vandalism. It was not just criminal damage. This was an attack on a community, on people trying to save lives, on the very idea that we can live together in mutual respect. It must be condemned without hesitation or qualification.

But if we are serious about confronting hatred, we must also be consistent. Just as antisemitism must be called out wherever it appears, so too must the growing problem of anti-Muslim hatred in our country. Britain has also seen attacks on mosques and violence directed against Muslims in recent times, including incidents linked to rising Islamophobic rhetoric.

There is a dangerous temptation in politics and on social media to treat racism and religious hatred as if they are competing problems. As if acknowledging one somehow diminishes the other. As if we must choose which prejudice we take seriously. This is not just morally wrong. It is intellectually bankrupt.

Hatred is hatred. Whether it targets a synagogue or a mosque. Whether it is directed at a Jewish paramedic or a Muslim family. Whether it comes from the far Right, the hard Left, religious extremism, or conspiracy-fuelled online toxicity.

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Mathew Hulbert

Mathew on Monday: time to set Britain Free – and the Windsors too!

By Mathew Hulbert | Mon 27th October 2025 - 4:30 pm

For a country that prides itself on being a modern democracy, it’s remarkable (and very much not in a good way) that we still allow one family, by pure accident of birth, to sit at the apex of our constitutional system.

The United Kingdom (yes, we may need to think about what we call our country too) should be a place where every child grows up knowing that they could aspire one day to becoming our Head of State – not whew that role is reserved for one bloodline.

This isn’t about personal animosity towards the Windsors (though, it has to be said, no one surely any longer can really look up to them as in any way our moral superiors as has previously been inferred). In truth, they deserve to be freed from the absurd cage and set of expectations that is the modern monarchy just as the rest of us deserve to live in a fully democratic state. A life of ceremonial servitude (again albeit an extremely privileged and enriched one) isn’t freedom – it’s gilded captivity.

The late Queen, to be fair to her, was at least somewhat of a stabilising figure in turbulent times but such stability shouldn’t depend on the longevity or temperament of a single individual. It should come from strong democratic institutions, accountability, and respect for the will of the people. We don’t like unelected power in the Lords and rightly call for change – so why we should we accept it for the very highest role in the land?

Supporters of the status quo often argue that the monarchy is ‘harmless’ or ‘good for tourism’ (neither of which is actually true, by the way). But democracy isn’t a theme park attraction. The constitutional principle matters. Power – even largely symbolic power – should flow from the people, not be bestowed upon them by inheritance. We could, and should, have a Head of State chosen by us – one who represents the whole country, not a family line, just as the Republic of Ireland this past weekend elected left-wing candidate Catherine Connolly to be its President on a wave of popular approval (though, yes, many also spoiled their ballot paper… but even that sort of protest is an important part of a functioning democracy).

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Mathew Hulbert

Mathew on Monday: How do we respond to the Polanski Green surge?

By Mathew Hulbert | Mon 13th October 2025 - 4:54 pm

Folks, before I get into the thrust of my main item this week, a few readers got very hot under the collar in the comments section beneath last week’s column. So, if you’ll allow me, a few points.

Firstly, I now gather that the Lib Dem reshuffle was not triggered by Josh Babarinde stepping back from the front bench and had, in fact, been planned for a while. Happy to correct that.

Secondly, when I said I’d prefer just thirty Lib Dem MPs who were unashamedly liberal than scores more who sometimes appear very tentative, I was making a rhetorical point, of …

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NewsHound

Josh Babarinde talks to Nick Robinson about domestic abuse reform

By NewsHound | Tue 15th July 2025 - 7:28 am

One of the brightest stars on the Lib Dem front bench, Josh Babarinde, has been talking to Nick Robinson on this week’s Political Thinking podcast.

He described his ultimately successful tenacious pursuit of Labour ministers to get them to bring in a specific category of offence for domestic abuse. He saw the need for this when Labour released many prisoners early to make room in our crumbling and inadequate prison system. He was furious that Labour could not make good on its promise not to release domestic abuse perpetrators early because they couldn’t identify them all.

He talks about his own background and why this issue is so important to him.

He tells Nick about his early life, an inspirational teacher and his first job serving pizzas.

Luck played a huge part in his success and he describes his fight to “minimise the role of luck” in making sure other young people could fulfil their potential.

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Mathew Hulbert

Mathew on Monday – When is a campaign win not actually a win?

By Mathew Hulbert | Mon 9th June 2025 - 4:30 pm

As I type these words early afternoon on this fine June Monday, the big political story dominating the headlines and the airwaves is more details on the government’s at least partial u-turn on winter fuel payments for pensioners.

The top story on the BBC website as I write this is ‘More than 75% of pensioners to get winter fuel payments as Reeves confirms major u-turn.’ The sub-head reads, ‘Pensioners in England and Wales with an annual income below £35,000 will now be eligible, reversing one of the government’s first major policies.’

Liberal Democrats are claiming this as a campaign win, understandably given how often Ed Davey has spoken about the issue at PMQs, not to mention campaigners across the country raising this matter locally and having it raised with them on the doorstep. I myself have dutifully repeated the party line on this when doing political punditry on TV.

But here’s the thing: are we right on this or are we actually mistaken?

Consider this for a moment. The changes announced by the Chancellor today means that a pensioner couple on a combined £70,000 a year will now get the winter fuel payment. As the i paper’s housing correspondent Vicky Spratt has said on social media today,

This is going to become increasingly harder to justify when young adults in work who earn less receive no support at all despite having higher housing costs.

before going on to say,

Winter fuel changes (those originally announced last year) may be an example of a good policy that was communicated very badly by Labour. Why didn’t they consult properly and discuss thresholds before dropping the announcement? The whole thing is such an obvious own goal.

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Caron Lindsay

Alistair Carmichael on Iain Dale’s All Talk on 75th anniversary of Jo Grimond’s election

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 19th February 2025 - 3:13 pm

Every week I read Iain Dale’s weekly newsletter. Before you rush to judgement, there is always a picture of some very cute dogs at the end even if I often disagree with the political stuff. I often read people whose views are not the same as mine, especially if they are interesting as Iain usually is. When I was growing up, I used to read my Dad’s Telegraph every day. It horrified me so much that it made me a social liberal with a healthy respect for a strong public sector that knocks down the barriers of poverty and inequality  that hold people back.

It was on its pages that I remember reading an article from Jo Grimond lamenting the move to an increasingly litigious society. For me that was very prescient as we so often now see the rich and powerful beat progressive forces without such deep pockets into submission in the courts.

Anyway, going back to Iain’s newsletter, a few weeks ago, he mentioned he was recording an All Talk podcast with Alistair Carmichael. I’ve been waiting to listen to it ever since.

It’s finally come out today, as this week is the 75th anniversary of Jo Grimond’s first election as MP for Orkney and Shetland.  Jo had first fought the seat in 1945 and narrowly lost but was successful five years later.  He held it for 33 years, retiring in the 1983 election. He was succeeded by Jim Wallace who then stood down at the 2001 election as he had been elected as MSP for Orkney in 1999. Alistair tells the story of how he was selected for he seat. He also talks about the coalition years.

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Robin Stafford

Health Podcast – The Elephant in the Room

By Robin Stafford | Mon 22nd April 2024 - 5:45 pm

In the latest of the Green Book podcasts we’ve looked at health, not from the usual angle of the NHS itself but at the health of the UK population.  If you missed it last month, you can still catch up. 

Why is it that we have one of the unhealthiest populations amongst developed countries? What might that mean in terms of demand and costs in the NHS, apart from all the wider social and economic consequences?  

It’s not as if this is news, as it has been covered in detail by people like Sir Michael Marmot, with his reports going back to 2010, and others before that.  Is it just about more money and resources for the NHS – or are we missing something in how and where we tackle the problems?

Norman Lamb chaired the session, having been a Lib Dem MP and health minister as well as the current chair of a health trust.  Joining him was Wendy Taylor who was a clinical oncologist as well as a current councillor in Newcastle with a particular interest in public health. Joining them we had two guests who are currently writing a book on the subject, which they have loosely titled ‘The Elephant in the Room’.  Roy Lilley and Ed Smith both have business backgrounds but have led and worked extensively with health trusts and both public and private health bodies.  Whilst being strong supporters of the NHS, they see the impossibility of dealing with the ever-escalating demands of an unhealthy population.  

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NewsHound

LISTEN: Ed Davey talks about his life as a carer

By NewsHound | Sat 16th December 2023 - 12:01 pm

Ed Davey has given an interview to the Times Radio podcast What I Wish I’d Known. He talks about his life as a carer for his Mum, Nanna, son and wife.

The Times newspaper has a report on the podcast (£)

He describes how he was with his mother when she died of Cancer when he was 15, in his school uniform and how he felt afterwards:

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Caron Lindsay

LISTEN: Jim Wallace on his long career

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 14th November 2023 - 8:57 am

Jim Wallace, who as Scottish Lib Dem Leader served as Deputy First Minister from 1999-2005 and then as Advocate General for Scotland during the Westminster Coalition years, has done an interview for the BBC Podlitical podcast, available here on BBC Sounds or wherever else you get your podcasts.

The programme synopsis says:

The Lib Dem peer and former Deputy First Minister shares thoughts from his career. Lord Wallace talks to Lucy Whyte and Kirsten Campbell about the early days of Scottish Parliament, his conversations with First Minister Donald Dewar and Prime Minister Tony Blair, and his role as acting First Minister. Wallace shares his thoughts Brexit and Independence, as well as the UK Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition of 2010, and why he thinks political parties have a problem with offering things that aren’t possible.

It’s a great listen.  Jim talks about how he was willing to walk away during the 1999 coalition negotiations, but that the deal was done due to him and Donald Dewar’s willingness to work to find a way through the difficulties. He describes receiving a phone call from Tony Blair in the middle of it all, and hearing Donald Dewar in the next room speaking to our Paddy on the phone.

He talks of his pride at introducing Freedom of Information legislation, something that had long been a passion, and his delight when the Act was praised.

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Robin Stafford

The Green Book returns – the podcast goes live

By Robin Stafford | Wed 25th October 2023 - 4:36 pm

As trailed here, the team who gave us the Green Book some 10 years ago is launching a new podcast series, starting with an episode on the economy.

This is hugely important as concerns about the economy, be they low paid jobs, insecurity or our apparent inability to fund decent public services and infrastructure, are at the top of most people’s concerns.

We’re all well aware of the lack of investment in this country, both public and private which has led to this situation. However, the standard answer from most of our politicians has been ‘but there is no money’ – the excuse for the austerity of the last 13 years – which has only made things worse.  Meanwhile our debts, both personal and public, have just got bigger.

What’s needed is a different approach and a new way of thinking about political economy. So in this episode of Green Book Pod, we look at what has been done differently elsewhere, in particular in the USA where Biden is turning the economic approach of the last 20-30 years upside down, and we ask where the money might come from.

Joining us are three great guests:

Vicky Pryce who is a very well-known economics commentator, regularly on TV, radio and in the media. She is the Chief Economic Adviser at the Centre for Economics and Business Research and was joint head of the Government’s Economic Service.

Max von Thun was economic advisor to the party when Vince Cable was leader and is now the European director for the US based Open Markets Institute.  He brings good insights into what is happening in the US with Bidenomics, which is a real challenge to the economic assumptions of the last 20-30 years.

Richard Murphy who was one of the creators of the original Green New Deal and also the tax justice movement. He is a very active blogger on political economy, and has thought long and hard about government funding and where the money could come from.

Chairing the session is me,  Robin Stafford.  I have been supporting the party on economic matters over the last 5-6 years.

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Caron Lindsay

LISTEN: Ed Davey on For the Many Live at Edinburgh

By Caron Lindsay | Mon 21st August 2023 - 11:56 am

Ed Davey’s appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe is now available online.

He talked to Iain Dale and Jacqui Smith for their For the Many podcast.

Ed was in cracking form, very funny, bright and relaxed.

He came on stage while Iain and Jacqui were having a bit of a barney about women’s football. I had tweeted Jacqui after Iain told Harriet Harman that one thing that men could do better than women was play football. She got a lot of mileage out of that over the various shows. Anyway,  Ed was full of support for the Lionesses.

Jacqui then challenged Ed to come up with an act of heroism after Keir Starmer helped find a dog while he was on holiday in the Lake District. She might not have been expecting him to come up with an actual example, but he did rescue a woman from the path of an oncoming train.

Jacqui challenged him to get Iain Dale, who has said multiple times that he’s not sure who to vote for at the next General Election, to commit to voting Lib Dem. Ed is smarter than to fall for that trap, and, while he outlined lots of good reasons to vote Lib Dem, he recognised we might not gain Iain’s support.

Iain challenged him on why our national polling isn’t reflecting our by-election success. He pointed to local election success and the fact that we were talking to people about the issues they cared about.

His top task, he said, is to get the Conservatives out of Government.

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Caron Lindsay

Heartbreak, humility and humour – Alex Cole-Hamilton talks to Matt Forde

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 24th August 2021 - 6:55 am

A wee treat for your commute today, or to have on in the background while you work from home.

New Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton was the guest on this week’s Political Party podcast hosted by Matt Forde.

It’s a brilliant chat, incredibly serious and moving in places, absolutely hilarious in others. At the start, Matt Forde warns us that it includes Alex’s account of a man who died by suicide in front of him a few years back. It’s one of the reasons he has been so persistent in questioning the Scottish Government on their lack of a suicide prevention strategy or lack of mental health support.

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Caron Lindsay

Nick Clegg’s podcast interview with George Osborne didn’t help me manage my anger

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 27th May 2018 - 9:32 am

I used a car journey yesterday to listen to Nick Clegg’s podcast, Anger Management, yesterday. I was a bit perturbed that he’s only been talking to white men of a certain age so far, but am reassured that this is going to change soon, with Harriet Harman and Elif Safak coming up.

I decided that yesterday’s sunshine was too lovely to be spoiled by listening to the chat with Nigel Farage, so I listened to the Know your Frenemy chat with George Osborne instead.

I still have some time for the coalition and the things that the Liberal Democrats brought to the table that did make life better for people – better mental health care, shared parental leave, extra money for disadvantaged kids in school and the like, ending child detention for immigration, all the green stuff we did and our work on international development. I am also acutely aware of the mistakes that we made, particularly around immigration (the minimum income requirement to bring your non British spouse in for a start) and cutbacks in social security that caused real misery. Sometimes stopping the Tories doing their worst just wasn’t enough.

So the conversation between Nick and George, a reuniting of half The Quad who made all the decisions during the coalition years, was peppered with several instances of Nick telling George how much he’d infuriated him. Hearing about Osborne’s upbringing was interesting, with his Labour voting mum and Conservative inclined father.

They had an interesting conversation about the media with Osborne, the newspaper editor, speaking up for newspapers and for regulation of  social media. 

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Caron Lindsay

Talking Bournemouth and Brexit with Sam Skubala on the Politics World podcast

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 24th September 2017 - 12:48 pm

Have a listen to my chat with Sam Skubala when we talked about Bournemouth, Brexit, Vince and Jo. And about reducing inequality.

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Stephen Tall

A personal guide to the 13 most essential political podcasts

By Stephen Tall | Mon 10th June 2013 - 8:45 am

podcastsCommuting is a major part of my daily life, so I find podcasts are an essential way to make use of time I’d otherwise spend staring vacantly out the window or idly refreshing and re-refreshing Twitter. Here, in order of where they appear in my iTunes directory, are the podcasts I listen to most frequently…

The Economist’s podcasts – a good mix of audio recordings of selected articles from the print edition together with brief discussions involving the Economist’s expert correspondents. Slightly irritatingly the sound can vary between recordings, so you …

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Caron Lindsay

I get “spiky” on For A’ That podcast

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 4th April 2013 - 8:43 am

On Saturday I took part in the For A’ That podcast in Scotland along with regulars Andrew Tickell and Michael Greenwell and fellow guest Green (and former Liberal Democrat) Douglas McLellan. It’s not all about Scottish stuff. We had quite a long conversation at the beginning about immigration and Nick Clegg’s speech in particular.

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