Mary Beard on power, succession and rebellions
Radical with Amol Rajan
BBC
4.5 • 919 Ratings
🗓️ 25 July 2024
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week Keir Starmer dealt with a Labour rebellion on the two-child benefit cap that saw the whip removed from seven of his MPs. Meanwhile in America, Kamala Harris has moved quickly to mobilise her campaign and define her Republican rival.
To make sense of it all, Nick and Amol turn to Prof Mary Beard for a classical perspective on power, succession, and rebellions. What was Cicero’s advice for winning elections? Which Latin quote did John F Kennedy incorrectly use in a famous speech? And why does she hate being asked which Roman emperor most resembles Donald Trump?
She also updates them on her campaign for membership of the - until very recently - male-only private members’ club, the Garrick.
If you have a question you’d like to Amol and Nick to answer, get in touch by sending us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 or email us Today@bbc.co.uk
Episodes of The Today Podcast continue to land twice a week post-election. Subscribe on BBC Sounds to get Amol and Nick's take on the new government, with insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme.
The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson, both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the UK’s most influential radio news programme. Amol was the BBC’s media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he’s also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV’s political editor.
You can listen to the latest episode of The Today Podcast any time on your smart speaker by saying “Smart Speaker, ask BBC Sounds to play The Today Podcast.”
The producer is Hatty Nash, the editor is Tom Smithard. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths. Digital production from Joe Wilkinson and Charlie Henry, technical production from Jack Graysmark.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:04.7 | Right, the one word that we ban in this podcast, |
| 0:07.9 | and I ban on the today program, |
| 0:09.8 | which I've mentioned a few times, is Shakespearean. |
| 0:12.4 | But it's been out in force over the last few days |
| 0:15.3 | because it's been used to describe events in the race |
| 0:18.1 | for the White House recently, |
| 0:19.8 | and indeed for Downing Street last month. |
| 0:21.6 | An ageing leader losing his mental faculty, quitting of his own volition, but with warring |
| 0:27.1 | factions agitating fame to go, surely King Lear. |
| 0:32.3 | How about this quote from Henry the 4th for Rishi-Synak's time in number 10, uneasy lies the |
| 0:36.8 | head that wears the crown. |
| 0:38.6 | But actually, you don't need Shakespeare. |
| 0:41.4 | What about ancient Rome? |
| 0:43.2 | That is surely the place to get an understanding of political machinations. |
| 0:48.7 | So this week, as well as talking about what's happening on both sides of the pond, |
| 0:52.2 | and it's been quite dramatic, isn't it? |
| 0:54.0 | The events in the United States, with Biden going and Harris' country. talking about what's happening on both sides of the pond and it's been quite dramatic, isn't it? |
| 1:00.4 | The events in the United States with Biden going and Harris coming and the events here with Kirstama facing his first rebellion. So, but it all in some sort of deeper context, we're joined |
| 1:05.7 | by the undisputed authority on antiquity, Mary Beard. And on the Garrett Club, because she's literally just come |
| 1:12.1 | from lunch at the Garrett Club where there are major goings on. Let's be honest, we got Mary Beard |
| 1:18.2 | on because we thought, how can we be interesting about what's going on in politics? And Mary Beard, |
... |
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