"In stage one, we say nothing is going to happen.  Stage two, we say something may be about to happen, but we should do nothing about it. In stage three, we say that maybe we should do something about it, but there’s nothing we can do.
.....Stage four, we say maybe there was something we could have done, but it’s too late now.”

I'm joined by 'my right honourable member' Gareth Allen from the British Sitcom History Podcast constituency to dissect the interminable obfuscations and myriad machinations of this early 1980s gem of political satire: 'Yes Minister'. 

We hope you enjoy the podcast! 

What are the common myths about the conflict in Northern Ireland? Is understanding history a barrier to peace building in the country, or a vital part of it? And finally, what are the prospects for Irish unification in future?

I was joined by Dr Thomas Leahy, Dr Eleanor Leah Williams and Dr Jonathan Kirkup for a full roundtable conversation on all these questions and many more. We hope you enjoy the discussion. 

John Major was prime minister for longer than the last five we've had in the UK. What were his politics? Were they little more than Thatcherism with some of the hard edges taken off; or did he represent a more significant shift of the political dial. 

Thanks to Dr Ben Williams for joining me on this one to unpick these questions (and a few more besides!) Ben co-wrote the  edited book John Major: An Unsuccessful Prime Minister? Reappraising John Major with Dr Kevin Hickson.