Removing and Replacing Prime Ministers ...... The Long View ... today on the wireless

Now I am a great fan of the Long View on Radio 4, which takes a story in the news and examines historical parallels.

The Sun Shining through the Fog, 1904

And so of course with the recent resignation of a Prime Minister, who seemed reluctant to leave, and a subsequent leadership contest, this episode seems highly appropriate. 

"In this edition of The Long View Jonathan Freedland finds historical comparisons to the current Tory leadership contest, considering moments in history when the Conservative Party has removed a prime minister and sought a new figure for Number 10.

He is first joined by Professor Laura Beers to discuss the removal of David Lloyd George in October 1922. 

Lloyd George, a Liberal, had led a War Time Coalition consisting of majority Conservative MPs. A charismatic figure, Lloyd George had a reputation as an innovator and a doer, but his time as PM was also plagued by scandal. Unhappy with the PMs economics, his foreign policy and his reputation, Conservative MPs met at the Carlton Club to decide whether to abandon the coalition and oust Lloyd George. Some of the loudest criticisms came from rising star and future PM, Stanley Baldwin who described Lloyd George as a 'dynamic force'.

The Houses of Parliament, sunset, 1903

Fast forward 40 years to 1963 and the Party is once again seeing a change of leader. This time after Harold Macmillan decides to resign on the eve of the Tory Conference, citing ill health. 

The non-democratic 'soundings' procedure, run by the party elite, settles on Alec Douglas-Home to be leader, refusing to back any of the favourites. The choice causes controversy and will have a lasting impact on how future leaders of the party are selected.

Presented by Jonathan Freedland, Produced by Sam Peach, Readings by David Hounslow"*

Pictures; The Sun Shining through the Fog, Claude Monet, 1904, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, and The Houses of Parliament, sunset, Claude Monet, 1903, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

*Removing and Replacing Prime Ministers, The Long View, Radio 4, https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00193n3

Stories of Prime Ministers and the history of the office ...... on the wirelesss today ....one to listen to

Now I am looking forward to The liminal premiership .....The Prime Minister at 300, which is the first of three episodes.

10 Downing Street, 2013

It starts at 11 am, and will then be available to listen to again shortly afterwards.

"It's 300 years since Sir Robert Walpole took office as the first recognisable office holder of Prime Minister. 

To mark the anniversary, the historian and biographer Sir Anthony Seldon, examines how the role came about and why it has survived despite various crises and periods of change in the life of the nation. What do Walpole and Boris Johnson, the 55th occupant of the office, have in common?

Robert Walpole, 1742

Former Prime Ministers, Foreign Secretaries, Cabinet Secretaries and others at the heart of government talk about the pressures on the modern office and the responsibilities that come with it. 

Has the job become too difficult to perform effectively and what could be done to enhance the role of Prime Minister?

The first programme explores the origins of the office and how it was shaped by two of the longest serving Prime Ministers, Sir Robert Walpole and William Pitt the Younger.

Producer: Peter Snowdon"

Picture; 10 Downing Street, 2013, Sergeant Tom Robinson RLC, Images are downloadable at high resolution, made available at http://www.defenceimagery.mod.uk for reuse under the OGL This file is licensed under the Open Government Licence version 1.0 (OGL v1.0) and Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, 1742, Arthur Pond, National Portrait Gallery

*The liminal premiershipThe Prime Minister at 300, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000tp7p