Up for the challenge? – The unique test of leading in opposition

The Bunker

Podmasters

News, Politics, Society & Culture, Government

4.6 • 984 Ratings

🗓️ 6 September 2023

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Being the leader of the opposition is a thankless task, often described as the worst job in politics. Those that don’t go on to be PM are often completely forgotten, rarely to be spoken of again. So what makes a good leader of the opposition? And how has the role changed through history? Dr. Nigel Fletcher is the Author of The Not Quite Prime Ministers: Leaders of the Opposition 1783–2020. He joins Marie Le Conte in The Bunker. https://www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/the-not-quite-prime-ministers “It’s the best apprenticeship you can have outside of being deputy Prime Minister.” – Nigel Fletcher “There are a few that you can look at and say that was a really bad period of opposition.” – Nigel Fletcher www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Marie Le Conte. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	My name is Stan. I'm at. Nice to meet you. So you took up photography where? I've always loved
0:05.5	photography but I turn it into earning a living at 60. I enrolled on a day course.
0:11.8	Well college. I loved going to college. It's good you can retry. I'm enrolled on the day course. But college?
0:13.0	I loved going to college.
0:14.0	It's good you can retrain and do something.
0:16.0	Yeah, yeah.
0:17.0	Let's talk about working, learning, saving and making the most of living longer.
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0:28.0	Search Phoenix Group living longer.
0:30.0	Pets brings so much joy.
0:32.0	From those happy greetings at the door to the warm cuddles on the sofa.
0:37.0	So give a little love back with Dental Life from Purina, a range of delicious chues made for dogs and tasty snacks for cats that help clean and support your pets, teeth and gums, essential for their overall well-being and a happy, healthy life. They give you plenty of smiles so look after
0:55.9	theirs with dental life. Pick up the bunker. It's the worst job in politics, but if you ever want to be Prime Minister, you... Well, usually you have to do it. The past few years have been a mess.
1:21.0	Being leader of the opposition is often a thankless task and if you
1:24.5	don't succeed people will forget you ever existed. Still opposition leaders can in often
1:30.1	do shape British politics and they deserve their time in the spotlight.
1:33.0	At least Nigel Fletcher thinks so. His new book, The Not Quite Prime Ministers,
1:38.0	Leaders of the Opposition from 1783 to 2020, is coming out this month.
1:42.0	Hi Nigel.
1:43.0	Hi.
1:44.0	So before writing this book, you helped launch the Center for Opposition Studies
1:47.0	and you did your PhD on the history of the official opposition in the UK.
	...

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