Can Britain’s Politics Cope: David Dimbleby Thinks Not
5/22/202641 min
David Dimbleby was for decades the face of election programs on the BBC. He anchored coverage of 10 UK general elections, as well as the 1975 and 2016 referendums on European membership, the funeral of Princess Diana and a host of other royal and state occasions.
He’s seen prime ministers come and go, from Margaret Thatcher to Tony Blair and many more since. With Prime Minister Keir Starmer facing a potential leadership challenge, Dimbleby is uniquely placed to understand the characters and conflicts shaping Britain’s volatile politics today.
In this conversation with Mishal Husain he gives his take on Starmer, Andy Burnham and Nigel Farage.
[03:15] Why so many prime ministers?
[09:14] Keir Starmer is a “dud”
[09:55] “I don’t know what (Burnham) stands for”
[11:31] Would Burnham be a different PM?
[13:37] The UK is in a “dire state”
[16:16] “I am worried about the future”
[16:49] Nigel Farage as prime minister
[21:35] Ten years on from Brexit
[24:31] The UK rejoining the EU
[31:52] King Charles' state visit to the US
[37:15] “I'm not in any way a republican”
Read this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interview
Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net
Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
This message is brought to you by Apple Card. For a limited time, you can get a new Apple Card and purchase AirPods Pro 3 at Apple to earn back the cost, up to 250 Daily Cash. Subject to credit approval. Limitations and spend requirements apply. Apple Card is issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch. Terms and more at apple.co/airpods.
Speaker 20:18
Say hello to your new favorite drinks. Introducing new McCafé refreshers. Icy cool, undeniably refreshing, and available in three flavors: strawberry watermelon, mango pineapple, and blackberry passion fruit. Only at McDonald's.
Alex Wagner0:33
Being an American right now is a wild ride. The headlines come fast, but what do they actually mean for people's lives? I'm Alex Wagner, and on my new Crooked Media podcast, Runaway Country, I'm talking to people across the nation to uncover how political chaos is shaping their everyday realities. Join me and some of the smartest thinkers in politics to ask how we take back the reins of a runaway nation. Listen to Runaway Country with Alex Wagner every Thursday wherever you get our podcasts or watch full episodes on YouTube.
Speaker 21:05
[upbeat music] Bloomberg Audio Studios. Podcasts. Radio. News.
David Dimbleby· Guest1:14
We're in a dire state. You can explain how awful things are and say, "We'll do our best," but you have to have a degree of charisma to do it, and one thing our present prime minister does not have is charisma.