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The Long View

The Long View

BBC Radio 4 73 Episodes Jun 16, 2026

Jonathan Freedland presents a series that draws on historical parallels to shed light on current events. Each episode looks back at moments from the past and compares them with contemporary news stories, offering perspective and context. The show uses history as a lens to understand the present.

Episodes

Electoral reform
Electoral reform Jun 16, 2026 1710 The general election of 2024, the Scottish, Welsh and local elections of May 2026 and the by-election in Makerfield show that the UK is now firmly in an era of multi-party politics. That has led to renewed calls, from across the political spectrum, for a change to the first-past-the-post electoral system that is used to elect MPs at Westminster. Jonathan Freedland and guests compare the political
The Long View: Deep Fakes - Seeing is Believing
The Long View: Deep Fakes - Seeing is Believing Mar 3, 2026 1666 The number of deepfakes shared online rose from around half a million in 2023 to eight million by 2025. While much of this material is seen as humorous or satirical, deepfakes are increasingly used for scams, misinformation, and political manipulation, exploiting a long-standing human weakness: our tendency to trust what we can see. The Long View explores a striking historical parallel — the Cotti
US Interventions Abroad
US Interventions Abroad Jan 13, 2026 1668 President Trump says he's considering options to intervene in Iran, amid ongoing protests. The threat comes hot on the heels of a dramatic US intervention in Venezuela, and threats to take over Greenland. Together, they suggest a shift in US foreign policy towards more open interventionism. Jonathan Freedland takes the Long View of US intervention abroad, exploring revealing parallels between curr
Criminals on the Loose
Criminals on the Loose Nov 18, 2025 1666 The news headlines in recent weeks have featured one recurring story: prisoners mistakenly released from prison due to bureaucratic errors and a prison system under strain. After three men were mistakenly released in quick succession, official figures confirmed this was no anomaly: 91 prisoners were wrongly released between April and October 2025, around three a week.But these fears of criminals "
Flags
Flags Sep 5, 2025 1666 What does raising a Union Jack or drawing a flag of St George on a street sign signify? As flags appear across England and now Wales, Jonathan Freedland and his guests look back to a street gathering in 1780 which also used flags to get a message across. Organisers of "Operation Raise the Colours" say it's about promoting patriotism and is non-partisan but the appearance of flags on mini-rounda
The media, young men and violence
The media, young men and violence Apr 22, 2025 1658 The Netflix series, Adolescence, which featured a boy who killed a female classmate, provoked widespread debate about the causes of his crime and the possible influence of the online 'manosphere'. Jonathan Freedland takes a long view of the way in which new media has been implicated in male violence. 19th century, cheap sensational fiction, in the form of the Penny Dreadful, was often blamed for j
Trade Tariffs
Trade Tariffs Feb 11, 2025 1656 As Donald Trump raises a 25% levy on all imports of steel and aluminium into the USA, as well as other tariffs on trade with friends and competitors alike, Jonathan Freedland looks back to the Corn Laws, measures introduced to protect British farmers and land owners from competition following the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. The Corn Laws and the campaign to repeal them transformed British
The Politics of Natural Disasters
The Politics of Natural Disasters Nov 19, 2024 1663 Following the recent floods in Valencia, Jonathan Freedland looks at the politics of natural disasters, with CHRIS COURTNEY - Associate Professor in Modern Chinese History at Durham University and author of The Nature of Disaster in China: The 1931 Yangzi River Flood LEAH PATTEM – Madrid based freelance journalist specialising in politics, migration and community stories The readers are Ian Dun
Race Riots in Britain
Race Riots in Britain Aug 13, 2024 1658 Mob violence breaks out across the country, with an explosion of hatred directed at minority communities who feel under siege. As British courts process hundreds of those involved in the riots of August 2024, Jonathan Freedland looks back more than 800 years ago when hatred was directed at a different group of outsiders. In the late 1180s, Britain's small Jewish community was targeted by violent m
French Political Gambles
French Political Gambles Jul 2, 2024 1665 As French President Emmanuel Macron calls a snap election to address the political threat to his government posed by the Far Right, Jonathan Freedland and guests discuss Louis XVI's decision in 1789 to call an Estates General, a meeting of representatives of all sections of French society. Louis' gamble in 1789 started a chain of events known as the French Revolution. What are the stakes of Presid
Presidential Candidates on Trial
Presidential Candidates on Trial Jul 2, 2024 1664 Donald Trump has made history by becoming the first former US President to be criminally charged, facing 91 felony charges across four separate cases. As he heads towards an election rematch with Joe Biden, he has promised to continue his campaign even if he is convicted or sent to prison. What impact could this have on his campaign and has a prisoner ever run for President before?Eugene V Debs (1
The Drama of Scandal
The Drama of Scandal Mar 5, 2024 1672 The Post Office Scandal has gripped the nation’s attention – but only truly captured the public's imagination following the popular ITV drama of the postmaster’s ongoing quest for justice. As the government takes steps to legislater and offer further compensation, Jonathan looks at two important factors from the Post Office inquiry – a drama making all the difference to overturning a scandal, and

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