In 2015, Xi Jinping unveiled his central policy objective: to transform China into the world’s most powerful advanced economy which would no longer be dependent on Western technology. In the eight years that have passed since, the world has transformed — from the election of Donald Trump in 2016 to Joe Biden’s protectionist “inflation reduction act” last year and the European Union’s panicked response in between. In this episode, Tom and Helen trace the origins of the Sino-American stand-off and map out the implications for the rest of the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Official figures released last week showed net migration into the UK had topped 600,000, a new record. But the politics of migration has a long history — from the Napoleonic wars, to Windrush, Enoch Powell and Brexit. In this week’s episode, Tom and Helen discuss this history and what it tells us about Britain today.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Keir Starmer seemingly on course for victory at the next election, Tom and Helen look back at the only other Labour leaders to have won a majority: Clement Attlee, Harold Wilson and Tony Blair. What was it about these three leaders (and the age in which they served) which allowed them to triumph — and what does that tell us about Labour’s chances today? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the Tories struggling in the polls and the first “National Conservative” convention meeting in the UK this week, Tom and Helen take a look at the history of the Conservative Party and what it really means to be a conservative today. Tom and Helen debate who founded the Conservative Party, what it seeks to conserve and where its future lies. Take a deep dive into a party and an idea which has shaped Britain and much of the world beyond.Twitter: @tommctague @HelenHet20 @TheseTimesPodPlease don't forget to subscribe and tell all your friends about These Times. If you have any feedback or questions for a future episode, email Tom and Helen at [email protected] Times, from UnHerd. The history of today’s politics with Tom McTague and Helen ThompsonEach week Tom and Helen explore the great forces and ideas that led us to where we are right now. It’s a politics podcast for those who want a deeper, historical understanding of the news, to understand what has really shaped our world and why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this one-off special, Tom McTague interviews the conservative commentator, activist and former White House speechwriter David Frum — the man who coined George Bush’s famous “axis of evil.” Helen was away when David was in London. In the interview Tom and David discuss the war in Ukraine and lessons from Iraq, George Bush’s haunted retirement and the need for more “tragic thinking” when confronting the world’s problems.Twitter: @tommctague @HelenHet20 @TheseTimesPodPlease don't forget to subscribe and tell all your friends about These Times. If you have any feedback or questions for a future episode, email Tom and Helen at [email protected] Times, from UnHerd. The history of today’s politics with Tom McTague and Helen ThompsonEach week Tom and Helen explore the great forces and ideas that led us to where we are right now. It’s a politics podcast for those who want a deeper, historical understanding of the news, to understand what has really shaped our world and why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.