Richard kicks off this week's 'Matters of Interest' episode by discussing whether the old political parties in Britain - the Conservatives and Labour - are dying, changing, or simply finding they have new competitors vying for power. Lee focuses on the question of Margaret Thatcher's legacy, one he is keen to defend - and Richard even keener to condemn.

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October 2025 marks 100 years since the birth of Margaret Thatcher. In this week's podcast, Lee and Richard discuss the dramatic events that came in her sixty-sixth year: her downfall as Prime Minister. Why did she resign after eleven and a half years in Number 10? Could she have fought on? And if she had stayed in power, would she have won the 1991/2 general election? Listen to find out their answers to these questions - and more.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'The World We Have Lost' by Peter Laslett. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780367705329

'The Man Who Was Thursday' by G. K. Chesterton. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781513271842

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This week, Lee and Richard discuss whether the public really pay attention to politics - with Lee challenging the shibboleth of some political commentators that very few people really pay attention to what is going on in Westminster. They also discuss party memberships, following news that the Lib Dem membership has halved in the last five years. And Richard shares his thoughts on the importance of free-to-use toilets in public spaces, in a discussion that ranges from the London Underground to Japan via one of Barbara Castle's first ever political campaigns.

Since Attlee & Churchill Substack, featuring bonus podcasts: https://www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com/

Since Attlee & Churchill bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac

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115 years ago this week, one of Labour's most iconic politicians was born. Barbara Castle grew up in Yorkshire before attending Oxford University and becoming a Labour MP in 1945. For over three decades, she was one of the best-known MPs in the country and one of the most forceful advocates for socialism. In this episode, Lee interviews Richard about Castle's life and achievements and Richard explains why she is his favourite Labour politician of all time.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'A Year with Gilbert White' by Jenny Uglow. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780571354184

'The Castle Diaries 1964-1976' by Barbara Castle. Available at: https://amzn.to/4732K78

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Throughout the month of October, Lee and Richard are experimenting with mid-week editions of Matters of Interest. In this first episode, Lee returns from Conservative Party Conference and shares his thoughts on Margaret Thatcher's legacy and the Tories' newly announced policies. And Richard discovers an almost century-old prescription given to Winston Churchill by an American doctor, which reveals a great deal about what it was like to live (and be treated) in America under prohibition.

Since Attlee & Churchill Substack, featuring bonus podcasts: https://www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com/

Since Attlee & Churchill bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/saac

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In the second part of their miniseries on consequential party conferences, Richard and Lee discuss the Conservatives' 2005 gathering in Blackpool. In the wake of their third successive election defeat, Tories gathered on the Fylde coast to mull over the choice of leader. The front-runner at the start of proceedings would bomb on the conference stage and a little known MP would emerge as the leader-in-waiting - setting him on course to the party leadership and 10 Downing Street.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'Looking for Rights in All the Wrong Places' by Emily Zackin. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780691155784

'The Past Masters' by Harold Macmillan. Available at: https://amzn.to/4gZ2N8M

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With party conference season underway, Lee and Richard begin a new two-part miniseries discussing some of the most consequential Labour and Conservative conferences in the post-war era. First up is Labour's 1952 conference in Morecambe. Amidst pelting rain, Britain's socialists gathered in opposition for the first time in over a decade. The party was deeply split over its own record in government and its future direction - with combustible speeches and outrageous heckling dominating the proceedings in the hall.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'Our Evenings' by Alan Hollinghurst. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781447208242

'Athelstan: The Making of England' by Tom Holland. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9780141987330

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In June 1995, John Major shocked the political world by resigning as Leader of the Conservative Party. But in the very next sentence of his resignation statement, he confirmed that he would be standing to be his own successor. Why? What did he hope to achieve? Who stood against him? And what were the consequences? We look back 30 years to these dramatic political events and ask what lessons other political leaders, including Keir Starmer, could learn from them.

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'The Rage of Party' by George Owers. Available at: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16406/9781408719091

'Making Americans' by Desmond King. Available at: https://amzn.to/4mAIJe9

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