The Expense of Defence: Is rearming the right priority?

Alex Andreou and Zoe Williams, with special guest, former Home Secretary and author of a new Harold Wilson biography, Alan Johnson, discuss the Strategic Defence Review, the upcoming departmental budgets, whether Starmer's government has a choice, but to spend that money and a choice on where to find it. Also, taking over a stagnant economy after more than a decade of Tory cuts, a poor start in government, trying to balance a tight fiscal position with demands on public services, pressure from a US President, and facing accusations of being unprincipled. Yet Wilson survived and went on to win election after election. What can his story teach the Starmer government? Plus 'Wokey Dokey' and 'Grin And Share It'. You can buy Alan's biography of Wilson at our own bookshop. Help a local shop and this podcast. https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/the-quiet-riot-contributor-bookshop ***SPONSOR US AT ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠*** “The media’s orientation towards the Labour government is that nothing it can possibly do will be enough and anything it suggests will be too expensive.” “On defence, you can’t take chances. You can’t say: oh well, we’ll gamble that when Trump goes it will go back to normal. You have to say: this has happened, we’ve got to react to it.” "The two Labour Party groups to keep together are not Left and Right, but intellectual progressives and blue collar trade unionists. Both groups contain people from the Left and Right." CALL TO ACTION Fill in the government survey on benefits reform here. GRIN AND SHARE IT Read about men feeding cubs, dressed as bears here. Our bookshop including many of the books we have featured can be found at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠uk.bookshop.org/shop/quietriot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ***SPONSOR US AT ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KO-FI.COM/QUIETRIOTPOD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠*** With Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Kenny Campbell. A Cooler Heads production, in cahoots with Sandstone Global. Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠quietriotpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Or visit our website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.quietriotpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices