Introducing: How To Win An Election
Politics Unpacked
Anna Covell
4.1 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 20 October 2023
⏱️ 14 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Introducing: How To Win An Election.
As the next General Election approaches, Matt Chorley is joined by three of the sharpest, funniest and best-connected strategists who know a thing or two about winning (and losing).
Peter Mandelson was Labour’s director of communications for Neil Kinnock in 1987 and 1992; New Labour’s architect and later cabinet minister in 1997, 2001 and 2005; and Gordon Brown’s right-hand man in 2010.
Daniel Finkelstein advised the SDP’s David Owen in 1987, worked for John Major in the run-up to 1987; for William Hague ahead of 2001; and advised David Cameron before 2010 and 2015.
Polly Mackenzie was a Lib Dem policy expert, working for Charles Kennedy in their record-breaking 2005 election; for Nick Clegg in 2010, and after five coalition years in No 10, was there for the 2015 wipeout too.
How To Win An Election will be your guide through the twists and turns of a tumultuous campaign every Tuesday. Follow the podcast now to never miss an episode.
https://podfollow.com/how-to-win-an-election
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | go back to your constituencies and prepare for a brand new podcast, |
| 0:04.6 | How to Win an Election. Strike up the band! |
| 0:20.0 | It should probably be on How to Lose an Election as I work for John Major and then for William Haye. |
| 0:24.9 | I used to own a Nick Clegg finger puppet and then my children played with it and it |
| 0:29.6 | fell apart. I just sounded too shouty and over-emotional and slightly ridiculous as I said, |
| 0:35.6 | you underestimated me because I'm a fighter not a quitter, it's too horns me slightly. |
| 0:43.2 | That's enough blowing our own trumpet. I'm Matt Chawley. Every Tuesday I'll be joined by three |
| 0:47.9 | of the sharpest, funniest and best-connected election strategists who know a thing or two about |
| 0:53.6 | winning and losing. Well, I'm Peter Mandelson and I'm a fighter not a quitter. |
| 0:59.2 | There's Neil Kinnick's Director of Communications in the 1980s. I hauled down the red flag and |
| 1:05.6 | put up the red rose in its place and helped drag Labour back from the brink. |
| 1:10.4 | And with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, I help create new Labour. |
| 1:15.0 | Having been elected as a as a member of Parliament in 1992 and after that I became a cabinet |
| 1:22.7 | minister, a European commissioner and then I returned as First Secretary of State to help bulk |
| 1:28.8 | up Gordon Brown's Premiership. That worked very well indeed and to it didn't. |
| 1:34.7 | But only because Polly's Lib Dems got into bed with Danny's Tories and Labour hasn't won an |
| 1:40.8 | election since but they're working on it. I'm Daniel Finkelstein. I've probably got |
| 1:45.0 | greater expertise in losing elections than in winning them, a work for John Major and for William |
| 1:50.5 | Hague. But I also help build the arguments for the 2010 victory of David Cameron and for the |
| 1:56.2 | 2015 majority. Nowadays my advice can be found in what times column. I'm Polly McKenzie. |
| 2:02.8 | I started on the 2005 general election working for Ed Davie. I helped write the 2010 and the 2015 |
| 2:08.6 | manifestos, one of which catapulted us into government and the other not so much. I'm not sure |
... |
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