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Feel good travel. Welcome to FT Politics, a weekly podcast on British politics from the Financial Times.

I'm Sebastian Payne, digital comment editor, and in this

week's episode we'll be discussing the politics and strategy behind Britain's

Olympic success and the Labour Party's interesting new defence positions. To do this I'd like to be joined by

Janine Ganesh the F.T's political commentator, Sam Jones are defense and security

editor Gideon Rackman chief foreign affairs commentator and two of the F.T.'s Olympic experts, Roger Blitz and

Peter Chapman. Thank you all for joining. We'll begin with the 2016 Olympics in

rear where Britain has undoubtedly put in a terrific performance.

In fact, it's our best ever overseas performance at the Olympics,

but how have we managed to do so well

and get all these gold medals to the joy of people up and down these isles.

In his political column this week, Janan Ganesh argues that it was Sir John Major's introduction

of the National Lottery that helped improve sports funding which was then targeted very well to help us actually win.

Sir John doesn't come across as one of the sportiest prime ministers Britain's ever

had, but do you think Rio 2016 shows he's got the greatest sporting legacy.

I think he would be spluttering into his tea if he hears that introduction because he was a pretty

decent cricketer as a young guy, fairly enthusiastic football fan and it doesn't

surprise me at all that in 1994 he took the decision

to set up the national lottery knowing that the revenue would go into either sport

or culture and by 1996 the money was flowing into sports in particular.

...