Episode 36 - Prime Minister Priti and other things that never happened

We're back in the middle of our summer hiatus with a special new episode, to tide you over until September! I’m very pleased to welcome David Bean to the show, to talk primarily about his essay in the new counterfactual political history collection Prime Minister Priti and other things that never happened (Biteback Publishing, 2021), which is due out on 27th July.

In the first part of the episode, we talk about David’s essay What if Eric Joyce had pulled his punches in 2012? in the new book, which investigates a recent divergent scenario involving a drunken punch-up with massive implications for both the Labour Party and the state of Brexit today.

In the second part, I ask David about his essay from the previous 2011 Biteback collection, Prime Minister Boris and other things that never happened (hmmmmm) which focused on a narrative where Hillary Clinton beat Barack Obama to the Democratic Nomination in 2008. Specifically, we talk about how well the essay and its take on events have aged in regard to the events of 2012 and (particularly) 2016.

In the third part, we have a more wide-ranging free-form chat about alternate history in general, and especially some of the ways we were both introduced to it as kids. Material discussed include Fatherland, 1984, Star Trek (and The Orville!), Blackadder, A Christmas Carol and It’s A Wonderful Life! We hope you enjoy the episode!

0.00 Intro/chat

0.12 What if Eric Joyce had pulled his punches in 2012?

0.57 What if Hillary Clinton had secured the Democratic nomination in 2008?

1.27 Alternate histories in pop culture

You can find the show on Twitter at @EGoat_pod (or tweet at me on @D_Faggiani) and email us with any feedback on [email protected]. All our episodes so far are on Spotify, our YouTube channel, and Apple Podcasts! Do spread the word! We also have a Patreon - any amount of money will get you early access to episodes, and help support the show!

David Bean has been a fan of alternative history for many years. In 2011 he contributed a chapter to Biteback Publishing's 'Prime Minister Boris… ' that considered a Hillary Clinton victory in the 2008 Democratic Party primaries. He is now returning with a new essay in the new volume 'Prime Minister Priti...' He spent most of the intervening years with the Policy Research Unit at the House of Commons, and can be contacted on Twitter at @DMBean.

All original intro, outro and other incidental music recorded and made available by kind permission of Richard Gilbert. 

NOTES

Prime Minister Priti and other things that never happened can currently be pre-ordered and (after 27th July) purchased directly from the Biteback website, and through several book shops, along with the first four volumes in the series.

The EscapeGoat Podcast previously did an episode on The Black Adder – check it out here, if that’s to your interest!

The counterfactual thing I wrote back in late 2014 that I mention in the second part of the show (Douglas Carswell: Free Liberal) is still available online, for the curious! Here’s part 1, part 2 and part 3.