Are the economic problems we’re facing today really new or are we repeating mistakes we’ve made before?

In this episode of The Pulse of Power, I’m joined by Sir John Redwood, former Conservative MP, Cabinet Minister, and Head of Margaret Thatcher’s Policy Unit. We take a wide-ranging look at the state of the British economy, drawing direct parallels between today and the turbulence of the 1970s: high inflation, rising unemployment, weak productivity, and a crisis of confidence in government.

Together, we reflect on what it meant to prepare for government from opposition, how economic credibility is built (and lost), and which lessons from the past still apply as the UK faces another period of strain and uncertainty.

What We Explore

- Economic Lessons from the Past: We reflect on the parallels between today’s challenges and the 1970s, asking what preparation, clarity and policy discipline made possible then and what’s missing now.

- Markets, the State and Unintended Consequences: We examine where privatisation, regulation and central banking have worked, where they’ve failed, and how decisions around money, energy and public services can create long-term costs.

- Choices, Not Inevitabilities: We challenge the idea that current outcomes are unavoidable, exploring how political and economic choices around tax, energy, debt and growth shape confidence, productivity and national direction.

As we close, one message comes through clearly: economic outcomes are the result of choices, not inevitabilities. From spending and borrowing to energy, regulation and taxation, the decisions governments make shape confidence, productivity and growth - often long before voters feel the consequences.

If there’s a lesson from history, it’s that credibility, preparation and clarity matter and that ignoring economic reality rarely ends well.

The Pulse of Power is produced by Urban Podcasts.

From sneaking into the Labour Party underage to leading it through its darkest defeats and brightest near-misses, few have shaped and survived British politics like Neil Kinnock.

In this episode of The Pulse of Power, I sit down with Lord Kinnock for a masterclass in political resilience, collective spirit, and brutal honesty. From the Welsh valleys to the brink of Downing Street, from the miners’ strike to the birth of New Labour, Lord Neil Kinnock tells the story only he can.

What You’ll Learn

- Why He Joined at 14: How a working-class boy saw libraries, parks, and the NHS and realised only collective power makes them possible.

- The Defeats That Defined Him: 1987, 1992, and why losing twice taught him more about winning than victory ever could.

- Labour 2025: The real danger isn’t Keir. It’s the team around him who still don’t get that “not being highly political” is his greatest strength right now.

At 82, Lord Kinnock remains the beating heart of Labour’s soul - funny, fierce, and unflinchingly honest. Whether you lived through his era or discovered it via the classroom, this is the political education you didn’t know you needed.

The Pulse of Power is produced by Urban Podcasts.

In this second instalment of The Pulse of Power, I explore Sir Vince Cable’s extraordinary 50-year political odyssey: Glasgow councillor in his twenties, special advisor to John Smith, Business Secretary in the Coalition, Lib Dem leader, and now the elder statesman who refuses to fade away.

What You’ll Learn

- The Three-Party Education: What Labour in the 70s, the SDP dream, and the Lib Dems taught him about the fragile centre-left fault line that still defines British politics.

- Coalition Confessions: The inside story of the 2010 deal, tuition fees betrayal, and why he still believes the Lib Dems had no real choice.

- Quick-Fire Verdict: Keir Starmer gone by next year? Rachel Reeves too? Kemi Badenoch underrated? Sir Vince doesn’t hold back.

From surviving seven election attempts to dancing on Strictly and everything in between, Sir Vince Cable remains one of the sharpest, most unflinching voices in British public life.

The Pulse of Power is produced by Urban Podcasts.