Another man’s Treasury: Britain’s cabinet upheaval
Economist Podcasts
The Economist
4.3 • 5K Ratings
🗓️ 14 February 2020
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The dramatic departure of the head of the Treasury reveals Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s desire—and that of his wily chief aide—to take firm hold of the country’s purse strings. A new book finds that a landmark study in psychiatry was not at all what it seemed. And the thumping changes going on in Berlin’s club scene.
For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/radiooffer
Additional audio “Dustbin Acid (Super Rhythm Trax)” courtesy Jerome Hill
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to the Intelligence on Economist Radio. I'm your host, Jason Palmer. Every weekday, we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world. |
| 0:17.6 | In 1973, an American psychiatrist recruited volunteers to pretend to be mentally ill. |
| 0:23.6 | The resulting study recounting their experiences was hugely influential, |
| 0:27.6 | but a new book casts much of that research and its conclusions into doubt. |
| 0:33.6 | And Berlin is known for its clubbing scene, but famous venues are closing left and right. |
| 0:39.9 | Many blame gentrification. |
| 0:42.0 | Our correspondent, no stranger to the dance floor, says the scene isn't disappearing, just changing with the times. |
| 0:57.0 | But first... In Britain, a cabinet reshuffle, when the Prime Minister reorganizes the key figures around him or herself, can be dramatic, messy, even humiliating. |
| 1:10.8 | But most expected that Boris Johnson's first major reorganization yesterday would be modest. |
| 1:17.0 | The economist's prediction? |
| 1:18.5 | The night of the short knives. |
| 1:20.6 | Instead, there was an unexpected moment of high drama from Sajid Javid, |
| 1:24.5 | the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Treasury Secretary and Keeper of the National Budget. He resigned. Good afternoon. Why did he resign, Mr. Jadis? Mr. Dominic Cummings forced you out. You pushed out? We're going to see you. Mr. Javid might have stayed, but he would have had to fire all of his own advisors and replace them with a team appointed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson |
| 1:44.7 | and his chief aide, Dominic Cummings. I don't believe any self-respecting minister would accept |
| 1:49.7 | such conditions, and so therefore I felt the best thing to do was to go. In addition to a shake-up |
| 1:55.2 | in other departments, yesterday's upheaval represents a significant erosion of the Treasury's |
| 2:00.1 | independence. |
| 2:11.3 | A cabinet reshuffle starts with those ministers who are going to be ousted, being told by the Prime Minister that their services may not be required. |
| 2:16.9 | Anne McHelvoy is a senior editor at The Economist and a frequent haunter of Westminster's halls of power. |
| 2:22.8 | And then those who are going to fill the jobs are invited in one by one. |
| 2:28.6 | And if you remember that the fear of being called into the head study when you were at school, |
| 2:31.9 | I think it feels a bit like that, even for seasoned ministers, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Economist, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Economist and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.