Rishi Sunak has until December 2024 to call an election. While the formal starting pistol has yet to be fired, and may not be for at least a year, the long campaign has already begun. Both Sunak and Starmer are presenting themselves as the change candidate and the person to fix a country that – they both argue – is struggling to find its way.

Kicking off the Institute's General Election programme, this event reflected on the opening pitches of the two main parties at their recent conferences. It will ask what change the country, government and political system needs, what change the voters want, and whether either party has a plan to deliver it.

Joining us were:

Kelly Beaver, Chief Executive of Ipsos in the UK and Ireland
Lord Mandelson, Chairman of Global Counsel and former minister in the Blair and Brown governments
Kate McCann, Political Editor at Times Radio
Lord Willetts, President of the Resolution Foundation and former minister in the Major and Cameron governments

The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director at the Institute for Government.

General election: what change do we need?

Professor Andrew Walter from the University of Melbourne updates us about the UK election campaign, which is in its third week. With voting to be held on July 4th, will the UK population show up and vote according to what the polls presently indicate, which is a landslide victory to Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party? Or will there be an increase in the popularity of minor parties, or an unlikely resurgence of the embattled Tories led by PM Rishi Sunak? Broadcast on 11 June 2024.

Triple R FM

Interview with Andrew Walter, Examining The 2024 UK Election Campaign

In Episode 36 I'm joined by Middlesbrough writer Amy Lord. Here she talks about her debut novel, The Disappeared, why more fiction needs to be set in Teesside and why we need the arts industry in general – not just publishing – to move North.

Find out more:
https://www.amylordauthor.com/
https://srlpublishing.co.uk/product/the-disappeared-amy-lord
X:
https://x.com/tenpennydreams
https://x.com/SRLPublishing
https://x.com/NewWritingNorth
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/tenpennydreams
https://www.instagram.com/srlpublishing
https://www.instagram.com/nwnnewwritingnorth

Music credit: 'Water of Tyne' performed by Edinburgh University Brass Band (2009) arranged by Jack Stobbs, edited and scored for Brass Band by David Dye. Used with kind permission of the publisher, arranger and performers.

Episode 36: Amy Lord

Jane and Mike start their day in a coffee bar in Eccles, and notice the 20 story new block of apartments opposite. Odd. It makes them think about recent developments, and Mike contributes the fact he's just finished a Trilogy in four parts that looks at the building going on in their neighbourhood and the other 'developments' that are keeping them up at night - Ukraine, Rwanda, boats crossing the English Channel and the forthcoming election in the UK (and possible change of government).
Oh, and there's a song for every occasion, of course.

Green Giraffes 20th March 2024 (Malaga Drift coffee bar)

Northern Voices explores Northern writers (published and unpublished), storytelling and publishing. The podcast is hosted by Jen Bowden, a writer, editor and journalist with a PhD in Creative Writing from Curtin University exploring biases against the North in the UK book industry.

Mike Scantlebury is a part of the band, radio show and song writing team known as 'The Jam'. No, Paul Weller he ain't. JAM stands for 'Jane and Mike' and you'll not just find them on Mixcloud but also Youtube and various websites and Blogs. It's modern songs, (in a folk idiom), radio shows in a 'Richard and Judy' idiot, and songs like 'Dit Dit Dit', (which, as we all know, stands for S.O.S. - good enough for The Titanic. Who knows, Salford might hit an iceberg, soon).

The leading think tank working to make UK government more effective. 

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Long-form conversations about politics and current events, international affairs, history, art, books, and the natural world – presented by Amy Mullins, Tuesdays 9am-noon on Triple R 102.7FM.

New tracks tagged #UK election