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Political Currency

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.

Podcast · By Persephonica · English · Official site

Indexed episodes, last 90 days
19
Latest publication
Sep 7, 2026
Audience
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Earliest in this view
Jul 6, 2026

Latest episodes

  1. Episode · Sep 7, 2026

    EMQs: From Athelstan to Dollywood (opens the original)

    Episode notes · Positive tone

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    Off the back of our preview of the Bayeux Tapestry, The Rest is History’s own Tom Holland asks Ed Balls and George Osborne about another significant English date: 926. The show is broadcast from inside the British Museum and Tom asks whether we should celebrate this date, commonly thought to be the beginning of England as we know it, and if so how? Two listeners also ask about education; one asks if we can achieve longstanding education reform through cross-party consensus and another seeks advi

  2. Episode · Sep 3, 2026

    Inside the British Museum’s Bayeux Tapestry Coup (opens the original)

    Episode notes

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    In this week’s episode, George Osborne and Ed Balls broadcast from the magnificent Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum - the only podcast allowed in the space. Joined by curator Michael Lewis, they discuss the dramatic diplomacy that saw the delicate masterpiece travel from France to Britain, the real story this 70 metre long tapestry tells and the parallels with politics today. They then turn from 1066 to 2026, with our new prime minister facing the Commons for the first time, they

  3. Episode · Aug 31, 2026

    EMQs solutions special: Burnham reviving Sunak’s national service plan? (opens the original)

    Episode notes

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    In this policy focused edition of EMQs, Ed Balls and George Osborne are thinking about the big ideas to help solve Britain’s big issues. They first consider whether steps should be taken to offer tax incentives for having children, as countries like Hungary have done. Ed and George explain why this is an ineffective measure, but an important debate governments must get on top of sooner rather than later. Fellow podcaster Emily Dean and actor Sarah Hadland then ask the biggest questions: should t

  4. Episode · Aug 27, 2026

    Amol Rajan: Why I’m leaving the BBC (opens the original)

    Episode notes · Neutral tone

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    In our final special summer interview, George Osborne sits down with Amol Rajan as he leaves the Today Programme for a new venture. Amol gives George the scoop on his latest endeavour on YouTube and how he sees the media landscape shifting from his old stomping grounds of newspapers, radio, and television. They reflect over his career, touching on rumours of feuds among the Today Programme hosts, to his upcoming role on Celebrity Traitors, and what it's like editing a newspaper in the age of soc

  5. Episode · Aug 24, 2026

    EMQs What If: Ed and George had never entered politics? (opens the original)

    Episode notes

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    For our third summer EMQs we’re returning to our What Ifs. Ed Balls and George Osborne first consider how Britain would change had they never entered politics? Would the Bank of England become independent? Would there be a Manchester mayoralty? Or, would it have had no impact? What if George got the US Ambassador gig over Peter Mandelson? The pair consider how George would approach the job differently, blowback from within Labour, and whether Keir Starmer would still be in post without the contr

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