It's Bloody Complicated - A Compass Podcast
Episodes
Local Elections Special | Ep. 64
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Bloody Complicated brings you a special episode on a fascinating set of elections across the UK. Joining us is elections guru Professor Rob For...
The Future We Want #5: Poetry, Protest and Performance with Tishani Doshi
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Orwell Youth Fellows Jamie See and Noah Robinson meet poet Tishani Doshi to explore protest, poetry and performance.Tishani Doshi is an award-winning ...
Election Special: France Decides with Rim-Sarah Alouane and Philippe Marlière | Ep.63
02 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday 11th April we saw the consequences when progressives divide and centrists ignore the ground to their left. A rightward-shifting Emmanuel Mac...
Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century - In Conversation with Helen Thompson | Ep. 62
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the Compass podcast we are joined by Helen Thompson, author of the book Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century, published by Oxford Uni...
Democrats in Power: What's Been Won and What's Up Next | Ep.61
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After a year-plus on the job, having inherited a deeply divided country, Joe Biden and the Democrats are still facing multiple interlocking crises –...
The Future We Want #5: Communities and Public Services with Professor Donna Hall
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Orwell Youth Fellow Jessica Tunks joins Professor Donna Hall to discuss family, community, reimagining public services and her scorching essay 'K...
The Future We Want #4: Hopes and Failures of Social Housing with John Harris
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Orwell Youth Fellow Rosaleen Tite Ahern joins Guardian journalist John Harris to discuss place; the successes, failures and hopes of social housing; a...
The War in Ukraine with Luke Cooper and Citizens not Consumers with Jon Alexander and Sue Goss | Ep.60
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jon Alexander, author of the new book Citizens, joins the podcast to tell us how can we start to think and act like Citizens, not Consumers. Joining J...
Making Democracy Work with Polly Mackenzie | Ep.59
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chief Executive of Demos Polly Mackenzie joins It’s Bloody Complicated to look at what's gone wrong with our democracy and how we can fix it.Po...
In Conversation with Tommy Sheppard MP | Ep.58
08 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tommy Sheppard MP joins It’s Bloody Complicated to discuss the future of the Scottish independence movement, the prospects of the SNP supporting a L...
Lessons from '97, in association with Social Liberal Forum | Ep.57
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Frances Foley goes behind the scenes of Labour–Liberal Democrat cooperation in the 1997 General Election with former Lib Dem Policy Director Duncan ...
Preparing for Minority Government, in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung | Ep.56
30 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We take a look at coalition governments – what they are, how they are formed, lessons from the new 'traffic light' coalition in Germany an...
The Big Fat Pod of the Year 2021 | Ep.55
01 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Political commentators and Guardian journalists John Harris and Zoe Williams join us to break down the political year that was and look ahead to 2022....
Progressive Alliances Everywhere: In conversation with Anthony Slaughter, Lucy Nethsingha and Peter Marland | Ep.54
14 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Across the nations, regions, towns and cities of the UK, a new way of doing politics is emerging.Far from the adversarial politics encouraged by Westm...
In Conversation with Ece Temelkuran, in association with Social Liberal Forum | Ep.53
06 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author, journalist and political commentator Ece Temelkuran joins the podcast to talk about her new book Together: 10 Choices for a Better Now, faith...
BONUS: In Conversation with First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford
14 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On a special bonus episode of It’s Bloody Complicated, the Compass podcast, we welcome First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford MS.Mark spoke to Compa...
What Now for Labour and PR? | Ep.52
06 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
83% of Labour members backed proportional representation. So did 80% of the membership’s representatives on the conference floor. But the Labour mac...
Germany at the Traffic Lights with John Kampfner and Michèle Auga | Ep.51
30 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The election in Germany has seen progressives surge and conservatives suffer at the polls.John Kampfner and Michèle Auga join It's Bloody Compli...
The Future We Want #3: The Future of Work with Jon Cruddas
28 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Orwell Youth Fellow Tom Finlayson joins Labour MP Jon Cruddas to discuss impending environmental disaster, automation, AI and the future of work – t...
Tomorrow's Communities | Ep.50
22 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the face of global crises, how can communities attain better social, economic and environmental outcomes?Joining It's Bloody Complicated are H...
The Future We Want #2: The Climate Crisis with Andrew Simms
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the second episode of The Future We Want, a new series from Compass and the Orwell Youth Prize, Orwell Youth Fellows Lauren DeBruin and Hugh Ludfor...
Progressive Alliance: Will Labour Accept Sharing Power to Win? Live from Labour Conference | Ep.49
03 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode of It's Bloody Complicated is brought to you from Labour Party Conference. At this year's conference, the Labour machine reject...
The Future We Want: The Poverty Pandemic with Dawn Butler
10 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Compass and the Orwell Youth Prize have teamed up to bring you a special new series, The Future We Want.In this first episode, Orwell Youth Fellow Man...
BONUS: How to Stop Fascism with Paul Mason
02 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We welcome writer, journalist and film-maker Paul Mason to the podcast to discuss his new book, How to Stop Fascism (Allen Lane).Paul spoke about how ...
BONUS: Paint your town Red! Conversation with Matt Brown and Rhian E.Jones
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the Compass podcast we are joined by Matthew Brown and Rhian E. Jones, authors of the book Paint Your Town Red: How Preston Took Back Con...
The Future of the Greens with Jonathan Bartley | Ep.48
20 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Recently departed Green Party Co-Leader Jonathan Bartley joins It’s Bloody Complicated.Jonathan stepped down as Green co-leader in July. He is now f...
From the Soft Left to Left Patriotism with John Denham | Ep.47
01 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
John Denham joined It's Bloody Complicated to talk nation, identity and patriotism.Is there such a thing as ‘progressive patriotism’? And aga...
BONUS: Decision Time for Deutschland, in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
26 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode was recorded immediately following the initial devastating flooding across western Germany. Our thoughts and solidarity are with all thos...
Big Ideas Before Their Time with Anna Coote | Ep.46
19 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Policy innovator Anna Coote joined It’s Bloody Complicated to talk about a life at the cutting edge of policy thinking – from citizens' jurie...
Brexit: Five Years Later | Ep.45
03 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On 23rd June 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU by a majority of 52% to 48%.The ensuing half-decade has seen rolling political turmoil, un...
Johnson and Gramsci: Tackling the Tories Today | Ep.44
12 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are the strategy, ideology and aims of the modern Conservative Party? To beat them, we have to understand them – and maybe even learn from them...
The Dignity of Labour with Jon Cruddas | Ep.43
27 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jon Cruddas MP joins It’s Bloody Complicated to mark the launch of his new book, The Dignity of Labour (Polity).Does work give our lives purpose, me...
Election Special | Ep.42
15 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Election results across England, Scotland and Wales showed more than ever why progressives need to work together – and what can happen when they do....
In Conversation with Mandu Reid | Ep.41
01 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Leader of the Women's Equality Party Mandu Reid joined the podcast to talk about why the pandemic has not been a gender-neutral crisis, how her &...
In Conversation with Vince Cable | Ep.40
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Former leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Vince Cable joins It’s Bloody Complicated to share the lessons of his long and varied political life and ...
Starmer's First Year with Paul Mason | Ep.39
06 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a year since Keir Starmer was elected leader of the Labour Party – a year that has seen the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic, internal division...
Out of the Ordinary with Marc Stears, Jon Cruddas, Sue Goss and John Harris | Ep.38
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Special guest host John Harris is joined by Marc Stears to discuss Marc's new book, Out of the Ordinary: How Everyday Life Inspired a Nation and ...
Belonging, Place and the Nation with Clive Lewis, Francesca Klug and Stuart White | Ep.37
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this very special edition of It’s Bloody Complicated, we're joined by Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South; academic and advocate for human rig...
Progressive Alliance: The Reunion | Ep.36
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition of It’s Bloody Complicated , we're celebrating a very special reunion. Neal Lawson is joined by 2017 Progressive Alliance veter...
Re-imagining Democracy with Peter MacFadyen and Indra Adnan | Ep.35
30 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of It's Bloody Complicated, Frances Foley is joined by another great double bill – this time Peter MacFadyen who has inspired t...
The Year Ahead with Yasmin Khan and Tom Clark | Ep.34
15 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re diving straight into 2021 with a conversation about what the next year might hold for us and what it all means for progressive politics.Our gu...
The future of the Left in Europe with Yanis Varoufakis | Ep.33
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For the final podcast of 2020, we had an extra special Christmas treat for our members. Writer, economist, politician, and former academic Yanis Var...
Feminism and Refugee Women with Natasha Walter | Ep.32
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we spoke to Natasha Walter: feminist writer, founder and director of Women for Refugee Women and author of Living Dolls and A Quiet Lif...
Inequality with Danny Dorling | Ep.31
17 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We’re delighted to welcome academic, author, social commentator, and human cartographer Danny Dorling to the podcast this week.The conversation roam...
BONUS: American democracy: Where do we go from here? Election special | Ep.31
07 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On 5th November 2020, we hosted this very special transatlantic edition of It’s Bloody Complicated – outside of our usual fortnightly schedule –...
Build Back Better: HOW? 4 Big Ideas | Ep.30
01 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s live podcast formed part of Build Back Better: How?, a 10 day series of conferences about how we can make the good society after Covid-1...
What’s next for the Scottish Labour Party? With Gerry Hassan | Ep.29
16 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Scottish Labour Party’s decline has been severe. How – if at all – can it claw back something like the support it once enjoyed? With 51% of ...
What we need to do differently with Ed Miliband | Ep.28
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we were joined by Ed Miliband.Ed is best known as leader of the Labour Party but his political career goes way beyond that. In his podcast &...
Towards a new politics of Care | Ep.27
25 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Long before Covid hit, it was evident to many that the UK was hurtling towards a crisis of Care. Now we simply cannot deny that the way we think about...
The Why, What and How of Proportional Representation | Ep.26
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Could proportional representation renew our democracy? On this week’s episode we’ll be focussing on electoral reform, and exploring what it could...
Building a progressive future with Matthew Taylor | Ep.25
11 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we were joined by Matthew Taylor, writer, broadcaster, and CEO of the RSA. Matthew was one of a cabal of four back in the early 2000s who he...
Lessons from Corbyn | Ep.24
04 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s safe to say that Corbyn’s leadership divided opinion within the Labour Party, and the aftershocks of those divisions are still keenly felt to...
Basic Income - How do we get it? With Ronnie Cowan SNP MP | Ep.23
28 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In May, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in no uncertain terms that universal basic income is an "idea whose time has come&quo...
What is Basic Income? with Cleo Goodman and Jessie Golem | Ep.22
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In early 2020, Compass launched the Basic Income Conversation to help a public movement for basic income in the UK. A few months later, the pandemic h...
The future of Green politics in the UK | Ep.21
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s ten years since the Greens had their first MP elected, and since then so much has changed. The climate crisis is no longer considered a niche i...
The Scotland problem with Robin McAlpine | Ep.20
10 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode we were joined by Director of the Common Weal think tank and Compass Council member, Robin McAlpine.What’s next for the Scottish Indepe...
Race, power and politics in the UK and US, with Clive Lewis, Dawn Butler and Kimberly Jones | Ep.19
31 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Protests, a presidential race and a pandemic. The last few months in the US have thrust questions of racial justice and equality to the fore.As Kimber...
A lifetime of activism and LGBTQIA+ politics with Peter Tatchell | Ep.18
23 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode we were joined by LGBTQ+ and human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell.Peter first began campaigning against injustice and human rights abu...
Garden Mind with Sue Goss | Ep.17
17 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we were joined by Sue Goss, long-time friend of Compass and author of Open Tribe.Sue has been writing and thinking about politics, local gov...
North-South Inequality - with Andy Burnham | Ep.16
10 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode we're joined by former cabinet minister and now Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.Andy knows Westminster politics from the p...
#BuildBackBetter: what does it mean? - with NEF Chief Exec Miatta Fahnbulleh | Ep. 15
02 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we were joined by writer, political scientist and commentator Miatta Fahnbulleh.Miatta Fahnbulleh is a British economist and Chief Executive...
Epochal change - with openDemocracy co-founder Anthony Barnett | Ep. 14
26 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we talk to the distinguished writer and campaigner for democracy, Anthony Barnett. Anthony is co-founder of Open Democracy, a website for ...
A Labour of Learning - with Lisa Nandy Labour MP | Ep.13
18 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Join us in conversation with Labour MP and Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy.Lisa’s been working tirelessly as an MP for 10 years now, but rose to...
Communities and Councils - with Mike Wilson and Steve Reed Labour MP | Ep.12
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Our new Deputy Director Frances Foley talks communities, local government, and 45 Degree change in the time of Covid-19 with Steve Reed MP (Shadow Com...
Justice, Leadership & Identity - with David Lammy MP | Ep.11
04 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re in conversation with Labour MP for Tottenham, shadow frontbencher, author, and activist David Lammy MP.From Windrush to Grenfell, an...
Universal Basic Income - with Professor Guy Standing | Ep.10
28 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we talk to Guy Standing, Professor of Development Studies at SOAS, founding member and honorary co-president of the Basic Income Earth Netwo...
'Left Unity' Book Launch - with Clive Lewis, Paul Mason and Molly Scott Cato | Ep.9
21 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we co-launch, with Policy Network, Marius Ostrowski’s new book Left Unity: Manifesto for a Progressive Alliance, with Clive Lewis, L...
The Challenge of Collaborative Politics - with Layla Moran Lib Dem MP | Ep.8
14 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In Episode 8 we talk to Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon and party Spokesperson for Education.Layla has been an MP since ...
Imagining a Bold Future - with Caroline Lucas Green MP | Ep.7
07 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we talk to our friend Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion and twice leader of the Greens.As the coronavirus crisis rumbles on, wi...
Designing a Better Britain - with Hilary Cottam | Ep.6
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Hilary Cottam is many things: a designer, progressive thinker, acclaimed author and social entrepreneur to name a few. Her latest book Radical Help wa...
What the Crisis says about Britain - with the Guardian's John Harris | Ep.5
23 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we speak to John Harris: Guardian columnist and co-creator of the brilliant "Anywhere but Westminster" series. For more than 10 ...
Pandemics do discriminate - with Ruth Lister | Ep.4
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If this crisis reveals anything, it's the structural depths of inequality that scar our country and the lives of millions of people. Yes, COVID-1...
Labour's new leadership and the (post-pandemic) Good Society - with John Cruddas Labour MP | Ep.3
09 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In what would normally be a front-page news story, on April 4 the Labour Party finally elected a new leader after a protracted campaign. A campaign th...
The Ethics and Emotions of the Coronavirus Emergency | Ep.2
02 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
These are unprecedented times and we need to rise to the new and enormous challenges we now face.The crisis isn’t just forcing us to think different...
It's Bloody Complicated - with Clive Lewis Labour MP | Ep.1
09 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In our first all-members call of 2020, Clive Lewis (Labour MP for Norwich South) shared his ideas on how Labour can map out a new plan for the future....