Why does a 'narrative' matter so much?

We know more than we think we know … Sometimes what is in front of our eyes is more interesting than speculating about a hazy future. Here is what we know now about Keir Starmer’s fragility and the even more precarious international crisis.  • Tickets for my next live show on the 11th of February are available now! Get them here.   • My biography of Tony Blair is out now, get it here.   • A subscription to Patreon for the main podcast a day early and ad free, bonus podcasts and exclusive live events. https://www.patreon.com/RockNRollPolitics  Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Keir Starmer has endured a rough opening 18 months, but so did Tony Blair in quite similar ways. So why was Blair miles ahead in the polls in his early phase in power? And why is Starmer breaking all records for low ratings? The first show of 2026 is in the main concert hall at Kings Place on the 11th of February. Tickets are the perfect Christmas present! Get them here. Subscribe to Patreon here. The next series of bonus podcasts will be: When prime ministers fall. My biography of Tony Blair is out now! Get it here. Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here’s the last live show of the year, recorded in the main concert hall at Kings Place. There’s a dramatic answer to the question, will Keir Starmer be prime minister this time next year? Plus, making sense of Nigel Farage, Zack Polanski, Jeremy Corbyn and much more… Dream Christmas presents... • Tickets for my next live show on the 11th of February are available now. Get them here. • My biography of Tony Blair is out now, available here. • A subscription to Patreon for the main podcast a day early and ad free, bonus podcasts and exclusive live events. Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trump’s National Security Strategy is scathing about Europe, and in interviews he intensified his attack on the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. Where does this leave Britain’s place in the world? Out of the EU and no longer able to claim there’s a reliable ally in the White House, even if that claim was always partly delusional... Plus, what chance of a Labour/Lib Dem government after the next general election? Subscribe to Patreon for bonus podcasts, exclusive live events and the main podcasts ad free and a day early. Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have started to become more critical of the ‘Brexit Deal’. David Lammy highlights the benefits of a customs union. The Brexit minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, is promoted. But does this mean a cautious government is moving towards the customs union, and when would it make such a move? Looking for the ideal Christmas present? My new biography of Tony Blair can be read over a few festive drinks, and you can buy it here. Subscribe to Patreon for live events, bonus podcasts and to get the regular podcast a day early and ad free.  Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Few buy newspapers and not many read them. So why do they shape the political agenda, not least in determining how the current government is perceived? Rock & Roll Politics -The Xmas Special is live at Kings Place on Dec 8th.. Get your tickets for Kings Place or the live-stream of the event here. Subscribe to Patreon for live events, bonus podcasts and to get the regular podcast a day early and ad free.  Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The fickle media and Conservative MPs are hailing Kemi Badenoch’s recent performances, making her more secure in her role as leader. The Tories are still dominant in the media, so could they - not Reform - emerge as the main alternative at the next election?  Plus the furore over Rachel Reeves and the OBR, and why is it shocking for a Labour government to deliver a ‘Labour budget”? To find out more about the Common Ground Justice Project click the link here. Rock & Roll Politics -The Xmas Special is live at Kings Place on Dec 8th. Get your tickets here. Subscribe to Patreon for live events, bonus podcasts and to get the regular podcast a day early and ad free.  Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a thousand leaks, speeches and u-turns, Rachel Reeves has delivered her budget. As predicted there were a range of tax rises and some significant spending increases, not least on welfare. For all the feverish coverage, how much does the budget really change? Rock & Roll Politics - The Christmas Special is live at Kings Place on the 8th of December for the last show of the year. Tickets are available now at the Kings Place website here. Subscribe to Patreon to take part in my exclusive live event on the 20th November, plus ad-free podcasts arriving in your feed a day early and bonus podcasts and live events.  https://www.patreon.com/RockNRollPolitics  Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In spite of the bleak financial inheritance, Rachel Reeves should have some space with a landslide Commons for radical reforms in her budget. Did she partly choose to be trapped, without thinking through the consequences? Plus brilliant questions on how Britain is governed in relation to Covid Inquiry and Shabana Mahmood’s plans for asylum seekers.  Rock & Roll Politics -The Xmas Special is live at Kings Place on Dec 8th, days after the budget. Get your tickets here. Subscribe to Patreon for live events, bonus podcasts and to get the regular podcast a day early and ad free.  Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cabinet Office Minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, has written several political biographies. The most recent was on Harold Wilson. What are the differences between being in power now compared with previous Labour governments? How did Wilson deal with leadership threats of the type Keir Starmer faces now? He’s also responsible for the Brexit ’reset’, so does he want to move closer to the EU? And what about the single market? Rock & Roll Politics - The Christmas Special is live at Kings Place on the 8th of December, just days after the budget. Tickets are available now at the Kings Place website here. Subscribe to Patreon to take part in my exclusive live event on the 20th November, plus ad-free podcasts arriving in your feed a day early and bonus podcasts and live events.  Written and presented by Steve Richards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices