No Sacred Cows

Political analyst, writer and former government adviser Sam Freedman steps into the cow shed this week to look at how Labour in the UK needs to continue to realise that competence and good intentions will be enough to change the state. He lays out how some criticisms from the political right about state inefficiency are valid and need engaging with and how the government must move on from naivety towards a real plan on reshaping the state, if it wants to deliver. Sam talks about decentralisation away from Westminster as a potential remedy the government should pick up - as well as boosting the Prime Minister’s office and creating stronger ministerial offices. We also hear from Sam, and reader Katy, about our last episode on progressive education, which got the comments section livened up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Progressive Education’ - the idea that education must be authentic, child-led, and discovery-oriented - actually leads to regressive outcomes for children and society. To secure progressive outcomes for kids and the future of our country’s, Kristopher Boulton and Daisy Christodoulou join the herd and lay out how the left is going to have to let go of some of its fallacies about the classroom and, most importantly, not allow ideas of the past take us backwards going into the future. Join us now for this special listener-submitted episode of No Sacred Cows - looking at the politics of and future of education, alongside a collection of tales from the classroom and lessons we can all learn about making schools work for kids and our society. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s time Keir Starmer dumps Trump - for the interests of the UK as well as his own and the Labour Party’s political skin.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The populist right is railing loudly against the decline in birthrates in the US and the UK - not always out of sincerity, and often with overtly racist reasoning. As a result the left has buried its head in the sand and refused to go near the issue. But there is no reason, Anna McShane from the New Britain Project argues, to do so.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer biographer Tom Baldwin lays out why it's time for the centre-left to get over its timidity Brexit Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A year into the Labour Party in power in the UK and the loss of the Democrats to Donald Trump in the US, we round out 2025 with the crew giving a damning verdict on where the center left is at the end of this year, and give a tour de force of what what must be ahead if we are to win back trust, credibility and deliver change in 2026. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shweib Gamote is a researcher and writer who co-authored the Demos report 'Inside the mind of a 16 year old', where he explored the political views of young people. He reveals that today's youth are far from apathetic; they crave authentic political engagement and have strong opinions on issues like jobs, safety, and housing. Shweib emphasizes the need for politicians to communicate on platforms where young people are active, like TikTok, and to address the real concerns shaping their skepticism, such as Brexit and media consumption.

Centre-left governments are often few and far between. So when they lose their way - the renewal has to be done swiftly, and at times bloodily. Trapped in process and unable to communicate, McTernan says the left loses its way when it believes the state has became our friend, just because we are running it. Bureaucratic, talking about ‘delivery’, and using management speak, we forget who the enemy is and what the purpose of a centre-left government is all about. What is required, instead, is to junk the sacred cow that the state is the answer and offer a clear moral purpose as a progressive government - aligning ourselves with the people.Join as we dive head-first into a long overdue debate about the future of mainstream politics on both sides of the Atlantic - no holding back, no pulling punches. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the herd is joined by Tone Langengen, Senior Policy Advisor at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, who argues that the centre-left must face economic and political reality and realise that people won’t back Net Zero unless it means cheaper energy and credible growth. Has this agenda become a moral badge rather than a workable plan and can that shift without abandoning climate ambition? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The political center and center-left needs to create new ways to protect our peace and prosperity, based on a clearer understanding of our mutual national interests, or else we risk slipping deeper into anarchy, towards World War Three - or even, armageddon. Join the herd as we dive into the future of foreign policy and where we’ve gone wrong in the last few years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.