Edinburgh-born former lawyer Sir Malcolm Rifkind was first elected as a Conservative MP in 1974. A former Defence and Foreign Secretary, he served continuously as a minister for 18 years under Margaret Thatcher and John Major. In conversation with James Naughtie, he looks back on his relationship with the 'Iron Lady', meeting Mikhail Gorbachev, the poll tax controversy, Tory Brexit wars and the personal side of political life. Producer: Leela Padmanabhan
--------
29:00
--------
29:00
Reflections: Series 3: Diane Abbott
Elected to parliament in 1987, Diane Abbott was the first black female MP and is known as the 'Mother of the House'. In a conversation with James Naughtie recorded in May 2025, the passionate left-winger reflects on rebellion, her relationship with Jeremy Corbyn, the 2023 controversy that led to her year-long suspension from the Labour party, her experience of sexism and racism and her political longevity.Producer: Leela Padmanabhan
--------
29:29
--------
29:29
Reflections: Series 3: John Kerry
James Naughtie talks to former US Secretary of State John Kerry about his life and political career.At his home in Massachusetts, which he represented in the United States Senate for close to 30 years, Kerry discusses his experiences as a naval officer in Vietnam, how he felt the pull of politics, and what he attempted to achieve. Reflecting on the 2004 presidential election campaign, where he was the Democrat nominee against President George W. Bush, Kerry says it was the first 'fake news election'. In four years as President Obama's Secretary of State, Kerry travelled more than a million miles around the world, and he discusses his experiences negotiating the Iran Nuclear Deal, the decision not to strike Syria, and his friendship with Benjamin Netanhayu. And on domestic politics, Kerry has some striking advice for his party after losing the 2024 presidential election.Producer: Giles Edwards
--------
37:51
--------
37:51
Postwar: 20. What if?
David Runciman tells the story of the 1945 election and the dawn of a new age.The 1945 general election was one of the biggest shocks in British parliamentary history: a decisive rejection of Winston Churchill and his leadership. The election of Clement Attlee's Labour government in a landslide marked a break with the past and signalled a strong desire on the part of the British people for something new. But it was also a product of Britain's wartime experiences and revealed the many ways in which the country had already changed.The years that followed -- the postwar years -- would bring about bold and radical reform, the building of a new nation, a 'New Jerusalem'. The Britain of the National Health Service and the welfare state, of nationalised industry and the so-called 'postwar consensus' -- all were ushered into place with this election. This is the Britain that most have us have grown up in and which still shapes an idea of who we think we are.To end the series, a counter-factual: what would Britain have been like if, as almost everyone expected, Winston Churchill had won the 1945 general election?
--------
14:45
--------
14:45
Postwar: 19. Post-postwar
David Runciman tells the story of the 1945 election and the dawn of a new age.The 1945 general election was one of the biggest shocks in British parliamentary history: a decisive rejection of Winston Churchill and his leadership. The election of Clement Attlee's Labour government in a landslide marked a break with the past and signalled a strong desire on the part of the British people for something new. But it was also a product of Britain's wartime experiences and revealed the many ways in which the country had already changed.The years that followed -- the postwar years -- would bring about bold and radical reform, the building of a new nation, a 'New Jerusalem'. The Britain of the National Health Service and the welfare state, of nationalised industry and the so-called 'postwar consensus' -- all were ushered into place with this election. This is the Britain that most have us have grown up in and which still shapes an idea of who we think we are.We can fix a start date on the postwar period, but what about an end date? Are we still living in the postwar period? And, if not, when did we leave it?Featuring John Bew, Patricia Clavin, Lucy Delap, David Kynaston, David Reynolds and Robert Saunders.
Brasil