Alice Mahon may not be a well-remembered figure today, but for 18 years she served as MP for Halifax. In this episode, Lee and Richard discuss how this working class Yorkshirewoman entered the House of Commons and how her left-wing politics were received in Tony Blair's Labour Party. In doing so, they reflect on Blair's style of party management - in which left-wingers like Mahon were tolerated - and how it contrasts with Sir Keir Starmer's approach today. The episode finishes by asking whether, as Mahon apparently claimed, she was the inspiration for the Smokey song 'Living next door to Alice.'

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'Shattered Nation: Inequality and the Geography of A Failing State' by Danny Dorling.

'The Man Who Was Saturday: The Extraordinary Life of Airey Neave' by Patrick Bishop.

The Since Attlee & Churchill substack is available at: https://www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com/

Support the show

Since Attlee & Churchill is the podcast all about post-war British political history, hosted by:

Lee David Evans is an historian of the Conservative Party and the John Ramsden Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary, University of London. He is on social media @LeeDavidEvansUK.

Richard Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and among his other areas of expertise is an historian of the Labour Party. He tweets at @richardmarcj.

In a special bonus episode to mark 25,000 downloads of the Since Attlee & Churchill podcast, Lee and Richard interview Dr Mark Garnett, a renowned historian of the Conservative Party and researcher for Ted Heath on the former prime minister’s memoirs. They discuss Heath’s approach to writing his much-anticipated autobiography; his ideology; how he came to terms with Thatcherism; and why he stayed around in the House of Commons for so long - a full 26 years after he lost the Tory leadership in 1975.

About Mark Garnett

Mark is a political historian. He is the author of biographies of Keith Joseph and Willie Whitelaw, among other prominent post-war politicians, and has written on a wide range of political matters. He is the co-author of Keeping the Red Flag Flying, a history of the Labour Party in opposition, and has recently published books on Conservatism and the prime ministership.

Support the show

Since Attlee & Churchill is the podcast all about post-war British political history, hosted by:

Lee David Evans is an historian of the Conservative Party and the John Ramsden Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary, University of London. He is on social media @LeeDavidEvansUK.

Richard Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and among his other areas of expertise is an historian of the Labour Party. He tweets at @richardmarcj.

In 1949, the Young Conservatives boasted 160,000 members. They were the largest political youth organisation in the free world. Their social events were iconic and thousands of marriages, it was said, had been formed after encounters at Young Conservative committee meetings or balls. But by the mid-1960s, the organisation was declining; by the 1980s, it was in freefall. So what happened to the Young Conservatives? And can the Tories, or any other party, engage young people once again as members?

In this episode, the following books are mentioned:

'Planes, Trains and Toilet Doors' by Matt Chorley

'Ruling the Void: The Hollowing of Western Democacy' by Peter Mair

You can read the latest articles on the Since Attlee & Churchill Substack, and listen to our special podcast on the 1955 general election, at www.sinceattleeandchurchill.com.

Support the show

Since Attlee & Churchill is the podcast all about post-war British political history, hosted by:

Lee David Evans is an historian of the Conservative Party and the John Ramsden Fellow at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary, University of London. He is on social media @LeeDavidEvansUK.

Richard Johnson is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London, and among his other areas of expertise is an historian of the Labour Party. He tweets at @richardmarcj.