

154 episodes
by Persephonica · English
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 [email protected] Find us on social media @polcurrency Political Currency is a Persephonica production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ex-Ministers’ Questions (EMQs) episode debating whether Labour is effectively “the new party of the monarchy,” plus questions on UK economic strategy post-Brexit, Conservative rebuilding, and why…
14 Jul 2025 · 39m · 10 chapters
UK–France summit on migration, especially small-boat crossings; discussion of a proposed UK–France returns deal, plus later segments on UK fiscal pressures and potential tax rises, and whether small…
10 Jul 2025 · 1h · 12 chapters
Fairness in UK welfare/tax policy; how academic economics should (and doesn’t) feed into Treasury/Bank of England decisions; Keir Starmer’s first-year leadership credibility (U-turns, ideology, focus…
7 Jul 2025 · 38m · 11 chapters
A political and economic review of Labour’s worst week in Parliament, focused on welfare reform U-turns, Rachel Reeves’ emotional breakdown during PMQs, market reaction and the government’s…
3 Jul 2025 · 56m · 20 chapters
A wide-ranging EMQs episode on UK economic/trade policy and the G20’s role in global peace, plus listener questions on local taxation, housing planning constraints, and NHS value.
30 Jun 2025 · 43m · 13 chapters
The episode discusses (1) fallout from US strikes on Iran and the UK government’s unclear stance on legality/support, (2) the NATO summit with Trump’s “daddy” rhetoric and Europe’s defense spending…
26 Jun 2025 · 1h 5m · 17 chapters
EMQs (Ex-Minister’s Questions) answers questions about politics and family costs, Brexit leadership counterfactuals, government transparency over a fatal crash, and how to spend money in spending…
23 Jun 2025 · 50m · 16 chapters
The episode focuses on two UK-relevant political flashpoints: (1) Israel’s attack on Iran and the uncertainty over how far Trump will go, including implications for Britain’s role and the use of the…
19 Jun 2025 · 1h 2m · 19 chapters
EMQs (Ex-Minister’s Questions) episode focused on how soft power and public campaigns work, how UK government is run (including the red box), and what policy programs endure (Sure Start), plus a…
16 Jun 2025 · 45m · 11 chapters
UK Labour’s spending review by Chancellor Rachel Reeves—continuity vs change—plus reactions from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), the economic backdrop (April GDP contraction), and political…
12 Jun 2025 · 1h · 18 chapters