How To Win An Election

Dec 10 2024 57 ep. 39 mins 645

How To Win An Election Podcast artwork

The Times brings together three of the most experienced strategists of the past four decades to discuss what's really going on behind the big political stories, and elections taking place here and around the world.

Peter Mandelson, Polly Mackenzie and Daniel Finkelstein join Hugo Rifkind for an intelligent, adversarial and witty conversation every week.

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How To See Off An Insurgent Party

Dec 10 2024 41 mins

Nigel Farage's Reform UK is on a roll, but can the political masterminds see a time when he breaks the traditional two-party system? How would they advise Labour and the Tories to deal with the threat - and how would they advise Farage?They also look back to Ed Miliband's decision not to back air strikes against Syria in 2013, and Peter remembers a three-hour meeting with the count

How To Keep Blaming Your Predecessors

Dec 03 2024 41 mins

The prime minister wants to blame the last government for leaving the economy in a mess, just like David Cameron did in 2010 - but is the strategy working, and for how long?The political masterminds - and Hugo - discuss the whether voters will reward Starmer for being sensible, whether he should be more like Harold Wilson, and whether any Western government can get to grips with mi

How To Prepare For PMQs

Nov 26 2024 42 mins

Peter, Polly and Danny explain what goes on inside 10 Downing Street - and the Leader of the Opposition's office - in the days and hours before Prime Minister's Questions. Why is it often the only way a PM can find out what's going on in their own government, and does Kemi Badenoch have a strategy yet?How much politics is involved in the free vote on assisted dying, and why doesn't

How to Handle Elon Musk (And The Farmers)

Nov 19 2024 42 mins

How should Keir Starmer cope with criticism from the world's richest man (and Trump adviser) Elon Musk - ignore him, or try to build bridges through mutual friends?And how worried should the government be as farmers protest over changes to inheritance tax? The political masterminds, and Hugo, look at the parallels with protests during the Blair years.Send messages to Hugo, Peter, P

How To Work Out Why You Lost

Nov 12 2024 44 mins

When you've lost an election, how do you work out what went wrong - and do you always have to blame the leader? The political masterminds (and Hugo Rifkind) look at what went wrong for Kamala Harris, and bicker (a little bit) over the Brexit referendum.And, what does Peter have to say about speculation he could be the next UK ambassador to the US?Send messages to Hugo, Peter, Polly

How To Win A US Election, Part II

Nov 05 2024 44 mins

The political masterminds are joined by Chatham House's Dr Leslie Vinjamuri to discuss the state of American democracy, the gender gap between US voters, and the chances of violence in the wake of the presidential election.Does Kemi Badenoch know which voters she'll be pursuing at the next election? And will increasing tuition fees damage Keir Starmer?You can send messages to Hugo,

How To Avoid A Budget Blunder

Oct 29 2024 42 mins

The budget is at last upon us, and political masterminds Peter Mandelson, Polly Mackenzie and Daniel Finkelstein join Hugo Rifkind to discuss how to manage such a crucial political and economic event. They also discuss the perils of political rallies, where Labour's obsession with 'working people' comes from, and why liberals love Diet Coke. If you've got a message, voice note or a

How To Manage The News Cycle

Oct 22 2024 54 mins

We're answering your questions on the podcast this week, including - was it easier to manage the news agenda in the Blair and Cameron years? Will some Conservative MPs think about defecting under a new leader? And... whack-a-mole or guacamole, what's it all got to do with mushy peas?If you've got a message, voice note or a cover version of the theme tune you can contact the politic

How To Win A US Election

Oct 15 2024 41 mins

We're in the final weeks of the race for the White House, and it could all come down to the votes of fewer people than it takes to fill two Taylor Swift concerts.Peter, Polly, Danny and Hugo are joined by Rest Is Politics US co-host Katty Kay to look at the latest on the contest between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Just how tight are the polls, what happened to Harris's momentum,

How To Shake Up Downing Street

Oct 08 2024 42 mins

Peter Mandelson, Polly Mackenzie and Daniel Finkelstein are back - now with added Hugo Rifkind.There's a lot to catch up on since they last met - including what's really going on with Sue Gray's departure from Number 10, Morgan McSweeney's leadership style, the saga of Starmer's suits, and is the Tory leadership contest a genuine clash of ideas?If you've got a message, voice note o