The Brink

Laudable

In the 1980s, Liverpool's fortunes plummeted. Docks shut, jobs vanished and neighbourhoods erupted into riots. Into this fractious world stepped a group of hard-left politicians that would be celebrated and vilified in turn - Militant.Three and a half decades on, Militant is still a loaded word in British politics. In Liverpool, many families will never forgive them. But for others, they were heroes.This is the story of how a secretive group of left-wingers captured power in one of Britain's great cities, and took on Margaret Thatcher. It's about what happens when you try to put your ideals into practice - and how it can go spectacularly wrong. It involves skulduggery, taxis and a case of missing orchids.This is the story of the most controversial group in British politics. It's the story of Militant in Liverpool.

All episodes

Best episodes

Top 10 The Brink Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Brink episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Brink for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Brink episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Militant on the brink

The Brink

04/10/20 • 19 min

After winning a game of brinkmanship with the Thatcher government in 1984, Liverpool Council is enlisted in the rate-cap rebellion of 1985. But when almost all the other rebel councils cave in, the city finds itself on its own.
The councillors face an option: raise the rates, or back an illegal budget. The latter could result in them voting for their own bankruptcy.
In this episode, Julia Rampen explores the consequences of Militant's actions, the 30,000 redundancy notices, and whether Liverpool council underestimated Thatcher.
She speaks to key figures from the time, including former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, Militant's Derek Hatton, and more.
Presented and produced by Julia Rampen
Edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Brink - Trailer

The Brink

01/13/20 • 3 min

Here's what you can expect from The Brink, the podcast about Militant in 1980s Liverpool.
Presented by Julia Rampen, edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Liverpool in the 1980s

The Brink

02/10/20 • 23 min

In this episode, Julia Rampen travels back to 1980s Liverpool, where the Militant-controlled council is poised to clash with Margaret Thatcher.
By 1980, a city once known for its millionaires is almost unrecognisable.
The docks lie empty. Hundreds of factories have closed, taking thousands and thousands of jobs with them. One in four workers is unemployed.
Margaret Thatcher's cutting money to local government is hitting Liverpool the hardest.
Julia speaks to those who remember the desperate days in the city, where houses became slums, and the government prepares for managed decline.
Presented and produced by Julia Rampen
Edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scuttling around in taxis

The Brink

05/01/20 • 33 min

In the final episode of The Brink – the podcast that travels back to 1980s Liverpool to look at the rise and fall of Militant – we see the nadir of the political group.
The Liverpool Echo's Julia Rampen speaks to key figures from the time, including former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, Militant's Derek Hatton, and more.
She explores the famous Neil Kinnock speech, aimed at Militant, their expulsion from the Labour party, and whether the 30,000 redundancy notices were actually "scuttled around" in taxis.
Presented and produced by Julia Rampen
Edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Militant City - Meet the new regime

The Brink

02/24/20 • 19 min

In 1983, as Margaret Thatcher re-enters 10 Downing Street, a Militant-dominated Labour Party wins a sweeping majority in Liverpool.
Taking control of Liverpool City Council, the Labour group is led by John Hamilton, Derek Hatton, and Tony Byrne.
But who are these mismatch of leaders? Are they part of the Militant movement, or are some of them puppets?
Travel back to 1980s Liverpool and see the fight between Militant and the Thatcher government.
Presented and produced by Julia Rampen
Edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dented shield or no shield at all?

The Brink

03/26/20 • 23 min

At a time when Liverpool was fragmenting in the early 1980s, the city found an unlikely ally in a Tory minister.
Michael Heseltine - nicknamed Tarzan - spent three weeks walking the streets, until he became something of a bizarre local attraction for the neighbourhood kids.
He listed the Albert Dock, organised the Garden Festival and stood up for the city in Margaret Thatcher's cabinet meetings when others were ready to condemn it to "managed decline".
But then Heseltine was moved to defence, just at the time when a Militant-dominated council pledged to resist Thatcher's cuts.
The result was a game of brinkmanship between the Iron Lady and a group of councillors who were prepared to risk everything - even personal ruin - for their ideals.
Julia Rampen speaks to key figures from the time, including Michael Heseltine, former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, Militant's Derek Hatton, and more.
Presented and produced by Julia Rampen
Edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is Militant, and why is it so controversial?

The Brink

01/27/20 • 22 min

For many in the Labour Party, Liverpool became a cautionary tale of what happens when you dare to be too left-wing.
The story of Militant was a warning about the dangers of entryism - how an organisation within a party can come close to taking over the party itself.
Julia Rampen travels back to 1980s Liverpool to look at the most controversial group in British politics.
In this episode, she speaks to former Militant members, Felicity Dowling and Lesley Mahmood, and journalist and author Michael Crick.
Presented and produced by Julia Rampen
Edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Orchids, housing, and race relations

The Brink

03/09/20 • 21 min

In the latest episode of The Brink, Julia Rampen moves the focus from Liverpool’s fight with Westminster to the changes that were happening in the city after Britain’s most left-wing local council got into power.
She travels back to 1980s Liverpool and looks at the challenges faced by the Militant-dominated Labour council.
From orchids to housing to race relations, Julia talks to the key figures and experts, including Derek Hatton, Malik Al-Nasir, Professor Jon Tonge, Lesley Mahmood, and more.
Presented and produced by Julia Rampen
Edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Show more best episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does The Brink have?

The Brink currently has 8 episodes available.

What topics does The Brink cover?

The podcast is about News, Society & Culture, Documentary, Podcasts and Politics.

What is the most popular episode on The Brink?

The episode title 'Scuttling around in taxis' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on The Brink?

The average episode length on The Brink is 21 minutes.

How often are episodes of The Brink released?

Episodes of The Brink are typically released every 14 days, 1 hour.

When was the first episode of The Brink?

The first episode of The Brink was released on Jan 13, 2020.

Show more FAQ

The Brink

Laudable

Top 10 The Brink Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does The Brink have?

What topics does The Brink cover?

What is the most popular episode on The Brink?

What is the average episode length on The Brink?

How often are episodes of The Brink released?

When was the first episode of The Brink?

Comments