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.ukFind us on social media @polcurrencyPolitical Currency is a Persephonica production. Subscribe now on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 1 day 21 hours 19 minutes
HOT TAKE: Is this an election winning budget?
Is this the budget that turns the Tories’ fortunes?
Ed and George have been poised for this day for weeks: budget day! They give their immediate reaction to Jeremy Hunt’s (final?) spending plans, consider whether it meets the tests they set out on last week's episode, and they answer your questions.
This episode was originally broadcast LIVE on YouTube. Make sure you’re following us on social media @polcurrency so you don’t miss the next one...
EMQs: Secrets of the Budget speech and the EdStone mystery
It's Budget week. Do Ed and George wish they were back in Parliament? And what's the secret to making it through the speech?
Plus they answer lots more of your questions, from whether Rachel Reeves is right to be thinking about reinstating the pensions lifetime allowance, to the mystery of what happened to the infamous EdStone...
Be sure to follow us on our socials @polcurrency and join us at 3pm on Wednesday 6th March for Ed and George’s live budget reaction...
Islamophobia, Truss conspiracies and budget friction
George reveals it was Sajid Javid who told Rishi Sunak to strip Lee Anderson of the whip, after comments that have been slammed as Islamophobic and hate speech. But on the broadcast rounds, the Conservative party line is to stop short, saying the “words were wrong” – over and over and over again...
EMQs: Private school fees and public sackings
Ed Balls and George Osborne answer more of your Ex-Minister’s Questions. Speaking of ex-ministers, Nick Boles, wants to know if there’s still an opportunity for anyone except Trump and Biden in the race for POTUS...
And what about Labour’s proposed VAT on private school fees - will it cause a state school influx? Is the left a bit ‘male’ as George alleges? Ed isn’t convinced. Plus, they both revisit their experience of very publicly losing their jobs...
'Rishession' and Starmer’s anti-semitism problem
The United Kingdom has fallen into recession… technically. It couldn’t be worse timing for the Sunak government, which will now have this gloomy economic news - already dubbed ‘Rishession’ - hanging over its head for the next three months. What would Ed and George do next?
Meanwhile, Labour has been battling a crisis of its own, as it’s embroiled in another row over anti-semitism in the party...
EMQs: Social media screw-ups and has Matt Hancock been misunderstood?
On this week's Ex-minister’s Questions, a listeners asks if Matt Hancock has simply been misunderstood? No guesses for which way Ed and George fall on that one. They’re also tackling social care policy, Sunday opening hours, and the real meaning of 'Chatham House rules'. Speaking of which, we've had correspondence from an anonymous source with a revelation about Rishi Sunak and a disappearing video he filmed for social media's most successful foodie account; TOPJAW...