Ed Balls and George Osborne take us behind closed doors into the rooms where decisions are made. Having battled it out across the despatch box, the former Chancellor and shadow chancellor now meet in the studio to discuss the decisions that affect the nation’s pockets. Our frenemies have the knowledge and experience to explain how good politics follows the economics - and expose how the powerful become powerless when faced with market forces and political currents they can’t control. Join us every Thursday. Send your messages or voice notes to questions@politicalcurrency.co.uk Find us on social media @polcurrency Political Currency is a Persephonica production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
What this show covers
UK politicsAndy BurnhamConservativesLabourDevolutioneconomic policysocial careBritish politicsKeir Starmerparty conferencesLabour strategyReform UKtriple lockLabour PartyAI regulation
What listeners will find here
From football tickets to crisis drills: Ed and George on how government really prepares
Government war gaming takes center stage as Ed Balls and George Osborne answer listener questions on crisis planning, budget-making, small policy fixes, and political instincts. It mixes practical annoyances with bigger questions about how decisions get made behind the scenes.
Why the Greens’ troubles and Tory confidence could reshape the next election
Party conference season sets up a debate about whether British politics is snapping back to a two-party contest. Ed Balls and George Osborne weigh the Greens’ controversies, Kemi Badenoch’s grip on the Conservatives, and what both could mean for Labour, Reform and the next election.
From empty conference rooms to Auschwitz TikToks: Ed and George tackle listener questions
This episode jumps from party-conference war stories to a serious discussion about Holocaust education and the legacy of Nuremberg. Ed Balls and George Osborne also weigh a proposed ex-chancellors' star chamber and swap stories about unexpected encounters with famous people.
Burnham’s speech lands well, but the political risks are only just starting
Andy Burnham’s conference speech gets a broadly positive verdict, but this episode digs into the questions it leaves behind. Ed Balls and George Osborne test the politics around pensions, social care, Brexit, Reform and the Conservatives’ narrowing room to manoeuvre.
Ed Balls and George Osborne deliver a rapid verdict on Burnham’s conference speech
Andy Burnham’s first Labour conference speech gets an immediate live reaction from Ed Balls and George Osborne. The episode weighs whether the speech really broke from conference-speech convention and digs into the triple lock, Lib Dem coalition prospects, and Burnham’s social care plans.
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