Three Old Hacks

The Three Old Hacks talk political memoirs this week. Were they always as salacious, and as quickly turned round post-administration as they are now?Barely has the imprint of the politician's backside faded from the leather of the despatch box before somebody is telling all.Former BBC Sports editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of The Sunday Times and political analyst Nigel Dudley discuss Sarah Vine's book How Not to be a Political Wife. She and her then husband Michael Gove were close to David and Samantha Cameron before the Brexit referendum ended the friendship, and she says, her marriage.The Three Old Hacks look back fondly to the days when MI5 put it about that Prime Minister Harold Wilson was a communist in thrall to Russia and everyone thought he was sleeping with his secretary, when in fact it was another woman altogether.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks discuss immigration this week. Mihir Bose, former Sports editor for the BBC, came here as an immigrant from India in the 1960s, not long after Enoch Powell made his famous 'Rivers of Blood' speech. Keir Starmer has been accused of evoking a fear of 'otherness' by echoing Powell's words, when he said Britain risked becoming an 'island of strangers'. David Smith, Economics editor of the Sunday Times, said Brexit had led to a massive increase in immigration, and we were "starting to shoot ourselves in the foot" because immigrants from the EU tended to be young, making little claim on the state, and usually returning home after they had spent a few years here. They did not displace British workers, the British workforce grew at the same rate, whereas now that was no longer the case. Nigel Dudley, political analyst, said Starmer's use of Powellite phraseology would give comfort and encourage racists. On a lighter note, Nigel also made an appeal for cricket players, as his village cricket ground is working to revive the sport locally. He's looking for players for Lidgate & Ousden Cricket Club and encouraged anyone living within a 20-mile radius of Newmarket or Bury St Edmunds to get in touch via their website: https://lidgateousden.play-cricket.com/homeGet in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

 The Three Old Hacks discuss the challenges facing Christian leadership. As the Papal Conclave works its way through multiple rounds of voting to select a new Pope and the Church of England chooses a new Archbishop of Canterbury, they caution against trying to make a fast buck by betting on either. On the papal contest, political analyst Nigel Dudley offers: "It's invariably an outsider." On the Church of England selection, "I think it could be a woman," says David Smith, Economics editor of the Sunday Times, "because, of the figures in the Church of England, the bishops and the Church of England in the UK, I think some of the most impressive figures are women," although he acknowledges this might not go down to well with the Church worldwide. The circle-squaring task of reconciling the values of the Church in England and the wider Church will be the biggest headache for whoever gets the job.As a historian of the Indian sub-continent, Mihir Bose is particularly concerned with the heightened tensions in Kashmir after the attacks that left 26 civilians dead last week. "India is threatening to cut the water sharing system they have with Pakistan, an agreement that goes back to the 50s, and Pakistan sees it as an act of war," he says, while Nigel suggests: "If Pakistan is finding itself isolated and in a corner, it may be more likely to threaten nuclear war than at any stage in the past."Turning to less depressing and apocalyptic matters, the Three Old Hacks go on to discuss the Observer newspaper's transition and future prospects and the significance for multicultural Britain of chicken tikka masala being served at the Oval.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

 The Three Old Hacks look at the relationship between Nigel Farage and the Conservative Party. We are seeing a reshaping of the right in British politics, says Mihir. Nigel Farage is out to destroy the Conservative Party in his mission to become prime minister.He is making a tactical shift towards the centre, says David Smith, to take over the Conservatives' ground. While Tory Party members may be drifting towards Reform, that "is not easy for Tory MPs to contemplate", says David Smith. He thinks the Tories have repeated the mistake they made when they elected William Hague in 1997, in electing a leader who is too young to lead the party (he was then 26). Kemi Badenoch is 44, but is "not", says David, "a very good parliamentary performer."Mihir is prepared to put money on Farage becoming prime minister one day, but Nigel Dudley thinks the Tory Party will survive its current difficulties and will not be ousted by Reform as the rightful home of right-leaning voters.Turning to consider Rachel Reeves' performance as Chancellor and the measures she outlined in the Spring Budget, "it has been many decades since we have had an economist in the job of Chancellor," says David, "and she definitely is an economist," whatever her political enemies may say to the contrary. Whether or not she will survive as Chancellor has more to do with the number of enemies she has made in such a short time than it does with her abilities as an economist - pensioners who have lost their winter fuel payments, parents of children in private education, farmers, and now disabled people."She expected to be swept along on a tide of goodwill," says David, but that has not been the case.Is the Labour government's lack of popularity down to the mismatch in expectations between what they can afford and what people want from an incoming Labour government? Is it down to their lack of preparedness when they took office.The Three Old Hacks compare and contrast with governments past and consider the Trump effect on the UK's relations with Europe.Former Sports editor of BBC News Mihir Bose, political analyst Nigel Dudley and Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith, aka the Three Old Hacks, bring their decades of experience to bear on the most pressing political developments. Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Supporters of Donald Trump such as Piers Morgan and Nigel Farage tend to brush off his more outrageous statements, saying we shouldn't take his outpourings too literally. Shouldn't we? In a week in which he has declared that President Zelensky of Ukraine is a 'dictator' and tariffs on Mexico and Canada "will go forward", the Three Old Hacks, aka Sports editor of BBC News Mihir Bose, political analyst Nigel Dudley and Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith, discuss how seriously we should take the President of the United States.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

 As The Three Old Hacks gather for their latest episode, they dive into the state of UK politics and economic growth. David Smith offers a measured analysis of Britain's growth prospects, suggesting that while some improvement is expected, it may fall short of historical averages. Mihir Bose expresses concern about the rising cost of living and its impact on British dining culture, while Nigel Dudley defends his wine collection and shares insights on changing restaurant habits. The conversation weaves through Brexit's curious absence from political discourse, despite declining public support.The trio then tackles the worrying decline in faith in mainstream political parties, with David highlighting the troubling shift away from centrist politics. They share their perspectives on recent political developments in both the UK and US, with particular attention to the challenges facing the Tory party and Labour. The conversation takes on a sombre tone as they discuss how the political system is increasingly perceived as being run by elites, disconnected from ordinary voters.Former Sports editor of BBC News Mihir Bose, political analyst Nigel Dudley and Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith share their decades of experience in this engaging discussion of current affairs. Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

As the Three Old Hacks get ready to tuck into the turkey and mince pies they consider how we will rate 2024. Mihir Bose thinks this has been the worst of times with Trump back in the White House, right-wing parties gaining power in Europe and the flood of non-European migrants creating an existentialist crisis. David Smith disagrees with his old friend arguing that proportional representation means the right may not win power and Europe has in the past coped with migration from former colonies. Nigel Dudley, wearing his Hampshire cricket hat, thinks the Keir Starmer government should not be written off because of its bad start in the first innings. There is always a second innings and recalls how Mrs Thatcher turned things round in the second innings.The three discuss the crisis in the Church of England. They are unanimous in their condemnation of the Church but disagree on whether the Church should be disestablished. Nigel Dudley, a bon viveur of food, takes issue with Kemi Badenock's comment that she is not a fan of lunch breaks and sandwiches. David Smith recalls sitting next to the former Governor, Eddie George, at a lunch where the Governor did not eat explaining that this was because he was going to speak. Mihir Bose narrates how he recently spoke at a cricket lunch after enjoying an excellent roast lamb.  Former Sports editor of BBC News Mihir Bose, political analyst Nigel Dudley and Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith, aka the Three Old Hacks conclude their podcast with each of them making a choice of a song to bring us Christmas cheer.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

As the Prime Minister Keir Starmer tries to recover from the worst start by a new government in recent times, the Three Old Hacks discuss why the government needs a re-launch a mere six months after coming to office with a huge majority. “Does it mean” asks Mihir Bose that “Labour no longer has leaders with political nous”.  What happened to the party of Clement Attlee and Tony Blair?Nigel Dudley recalls how Tories under Thatcher in 1979 also had a rocky start and David Smith explains points about Rachel Reeves's CV and controversial budget that were missed by the media. With the sale of the Observer, the oldest Sunday paper, to the Tortoise group, they also discuss whether the unique British phenomenon of Daily and Sunday papers may be changing and we are moving to seven day papers. Former Sports editor of BBC News Mihir Bose discusses why the Keir Starmer government is showing such political ineptitude with political analyst Nigel Dudley and Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith, aka the Three Old Hacks.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks consider what we might expect from a second Trump presidency."Will it mean a more isolationist America?" asks MIhir Bose. What will it mean for Ukraine?Has he made political discourse coarser, or are the off-colour remarks he makes no worse than the kind of thing President Lyndon B Johnson used to say?Should we ignore the rhetoric of Trump's speeches, as Piers Morgan suggests, and just look at what he does in the White House rather than what he says?Former Sports editor of BBC News Mihir Bose discusses the election of Donald Trump as US President for a second term with political analyst Nigel Dudley and Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith, aka the Three Old Hacks.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks have known each other for 40 years, having met when they were all working for Financial Weekly magazine in 1984, which is also the year David Smith went on to join The Times. He recalls how Nigel Lawson set the standard as a tax reforming Chancellor with his autumn Budget that year, while Nigel Dudley remembers his lucky escape when he decided to go back to his hotel rather than having a nightcap at the bar of the Grand Hotel in Brighton during the Conservative Party Conference, thus missing the IRA's attempt to assassinate the Prime Minister and her Cabinet.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

With a certain cynicism born of decades of political reporting, the Three Old Hacks look at the way in which the press have descended on the newly elected Labour government like a pack of ravening wolves over its approach to the Prime Minister receiving gifts.As gifts of everything from expensive clothing to seats to watch Arsenal have been revealed, they discuss whether it matters that politicians receive gifts, and how the Downing St machine has handled – or failed to handle the stories.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Tony Blair's anthem was Things Can Only Get Better. Keir Starmer's appears to be Things Can Only Get Worse says David Smith, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times in this week's Three Old Hacks podcast, following on from the Prime Minister's speech this week warning they will have to raise taxes to fill the black hole left by the last government, in order to be able to do any of the things they want to do. Former Sports editor of BBC News Mihir Bose, political analyst Nigel Dudley and Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith, aka the Three Old Hacks, discuss the week's news. Listen to their podcast on The Chiswick Calendar website or on any of the usual podcast platforms.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Author and journalist, former Sports Editor of the BBC Mihir Bose talks to fellow journalists Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley about the week's events.“We haven't seen that in a long time, I can remember this growing up in the 60's and 70's in the West Midlands when that kind of thing did happen and the National Front was on the rise”, says David Smith, talking about the organised violence we have seen on the streets recently.Why did they happen?“Let's not beat about the bush, what we have seen is the calculated politicisation of immigration as an issue by the Conservative party in the run-up to the last election. They have blurred the distinction between legal immigration and what they describe as illegal immigration but which you rightly say, David, are asylum seekers” says Nigel.Having reported on several years of summer riots, they think the new government handled it well.“Keir Starmer has come out of this particularly well. He knew what to do and did it extremely well,” says David.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks, aka prolific author and former BBC Sports editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley give their analysis of Keir Starmer's first few days in Government.“The whole focus is on quiet competence, no flashiness.”Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks, aka prolific author and former BBC Sports editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley, can scarcely remember a more boring election campaign.“Boring, but important” says David Smith, as all three agree that Thursday's election will bring significant change to our country.Veterans of many campaigns as journalists – “Much more fun in the days without mobile phones” says Nigel, hear what they have to say on the Three Old Hacks podcast on The Chiswick Calendar website and all the usual podcast platforms.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The past week has seen things go from bad to worse for Rishi Sunak, being called out for lying in the debate against Keir Starmer on the claim that Labour would increase taxes by £2,000 per household, then being accused of a lack of respect for coming home early from the D-Day celebrations, for which he has apologised.He cancelled media interviews at the weekend as support for the Conservatives dipped even further in the polls, with a clear 22% gap between Labour and the Tories, and Reform picking up support after the announcement from Nigel Farage that he would after all be standing as its leader.Also this week we hear from pollsters Techne UK that Britain is heading for the lowest general election turnout in modern history, reflecting mass apathy, particularly amongst young people, fed by a general mistrust of politicians.David Smith, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times for over 30 years, records the Three Old Hacks podcast with fellow journalists Mihir Bose and Nigel Dudley, for The Chiswick Calendar. They have decades of experience and knowledge of election tactics, having been in the thick of reporting it all since the 1980s.  "What makes me quite ... angry about this is that Sunak knows completely it's wrong", says David. "He knows enough about the numbers to know this is not a way you should present any figures of this sort, and yet still says it and denies he's lying."  In this week's Three Old Hacks podcast,  David unpicks the figures and explains exactly why it was wrong for Sunak to have made the claim, and for Penny Mordaunt to have repeated it in the second TV debate. If you used the same misleading methodology on the Conservatives' claims, says David, you would cost their policies at £3,000 per household.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Mihir Bose, former BBC Sports News editor, talks to David Smith, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times, and political commentator Nigel Dudley about his memoir Thank you Mr Crombie - Lessons in Guilt and Gratitude to the British.Mihir grew up in India, just after Independence, part of a wealthy family with a hierarchy of servants, where as a child he was treated like a little prince. Had he stayed there and taken over his father's business he might have made millions as the country developed. Instead he came to Britain to pursue his passion for journalism.He met David and Nigel not long after he settled in London, and having been subjected to the usual 1960s racism - violence from National Front skinheads, landladies refusing to rent him a room, he finally found his niche on the Financial Weekly and his tribe, journalists, who did not care about his colour, and they have remained good friends ever since.In this podcast they talk about how multicultural Britain has changed since those days, the impact of immigration, the legacy of Empire and Mihir's personal journey.Mihir's MemoirMihir is publishing his memoir. From growing up in India to making a name for himself as a journalist in Britain, he recounts how he is ever grateful to Mr Crombie, the official who gave him 'indefinite leave to remain'.Come and see Mihir talking about his memoir on Wednesday 29 May at George IV pub in Chiswick.Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/qa-with-mihir-bose-author-of-thank-you-mr-crombie-tickets-866160929657Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks have long memories. Former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley have been covering the nation's major events for decades and are well placed to compare and contrast the pre-election antics of politicians.Harold Wilson smoked a pipe in public, in an attempt to appear a 'man of the people', but smoked cigars in private, recalls Nigel. There was that excruciating video of Ed Milliband attempting to eat a bacon sandwich in public, and the video with Tony Blair eating cereal with his kids in his kitchen which put the 'corn' in 'cornflakes. So a prime minister attempting to cosy up to the public by telling us how he loads the dishwasher and turn down the bed ("all a bit clumsy" - David) is nothing new to them.Other subjects on the agenda in this week's podcast are whether or not we can expect another Budget before the next election and how much the Government can expect to influence our votes with it, the absence of specific promises from Labour and the Princess of Wales - whether the papers were right to go big on the dodgy Mother's Day photograph in the light of what we now know, that she has cancer.Mihir's MemoirMihir is publishing his memoir. From growing up in India to making a name for himself as a journalist in Britain, he recounts how he is ever grateful to Mr Crombie, the official who gave him 'indefinite leave to remain'.Come and see Mihir talking about his memoir on Wednesday 29 May at George IV pub in Chiswick.Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/qa-with-mihir-bose-author-of-thank-you-mr-crombie-tickets-866160929657Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks discuss the power of the people. Recorded the day after the chaotic Gaza vote in Parliament, they consider the safety of MPs, the leverage voters have to influence them, the impact of a powerful grassroots movement supported by social media and also the power of TV drama to galvanise public opinion, as evidenced by the TV drama Mr Bates and the Post Office.They discuss the leadership of the Conservative Party. "It always used to be said that the great success of the Tory party was that the membership didn't really have a say on anything" says Nigel. "Now the membership has a voice through Conservative Home and they have a say in choosing the party leader. That's something you can't put back."Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The intrusions into the private lives of celebrities rehashed by the phone hacking case brought by Prince Harry against Mirror Group Newspapers represent a "dreadful low" in the history of British journalism, says Mihir Bose.The High Court ruled that Harry was a victim of phone hacking on multiple occasions, as were his friends. Former BBC Sports News editor Mihir discusses the "cheap and tawdry" tactics of their fellow hacks with Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley in this week's Three Old Hacks podcast.Thank you to Bill Kay for writing in and you can view his full letter here: https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Bill-Kay-Letter-1.pdfGet in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Culture and Media Secretary Lucy Frazer has intervened to scrutinise the sale of the Daily Telegraph to a company backed by the Abu Dhabi ruling family, over concerns around public interest.Would they interfere with the editorial in pursuance of their interests? It wouldn't be the first time a newspaper owner had tried it, with more or less success. The Three Old Hacks, aka Sunday Times Economics editor David Smith, political analyst Nigel Dudley and former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose,  compare notes on interfering owners with whom they have worked over their long careers. Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Our podcast with The Three Old Hacks, aka former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith, and political analyst Nigel Dudley, has been described as ‘the modern equivalent of Jerome K Jerome's book Three Men in a Boat‘ by broadcaster and journalist Lucy Beresford.Like George, Harris and Jerome they are old friends who consider themselves overworked and in need of a holiday (always). Like the River Thames, they have a tendency to meander. Theirs is not so much a travel guide as a commentary on the state of British journalism based on their experiences over the past 40 years, delivered with warmth and humour and that slight edge of competitiveness that journalists never lose.This week it is the rich hinterland of Nigel's knowledge which they rely on to discuss the situation in Israel, as he has spent many years reporting from the Middle East. They disagree on whether the BBC was right not to label Hamas as ‘terrorists' and lament the vogue for ‘showbiz personality' foreign reporting, while praising some of the outstanding reporting from those on the ground in Gaza.Listen to the podcast on all the usual podcast platforms or on The Chiswick Calendar website. https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/episode-37-three-men-in-a-boat-navigating-british-journalism/Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

 Former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley continue setting the world to rights with their podcast Three Old Hacks. This week their subject is spies, and how the journalistic profession lends itself to approaches from foreign powers. Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Much has been written and said about the Nigel Farage ‘debanking' story. Thinking a client is a ‘disingenuous grifter' or a xenophobic racist is not supposed to be a good enough reason for a bank to deny someone an account.But what about the journalism involved in breaking the story? Was the BBC's Business Editor Simon Jack right to have broadcast a story based on the word of a very senior figure within the bank?Yes, the Three Old Hacks - aka former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose, Sunday Times Economics Editor David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley - are unanimous that he should have been able to trust the word of the chief executive Dame Alison Rose, and yes he should have published the story.The British public wouldn't know the half of what went on without such leaks to journalists. But how does a journalist know when they are being led up the garden path?The Three Old Hacks have broken many stories and all at some time or another followed that well-trodden path. Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks, aka Sunday Times Economics Editor David Smith, former Sports News editor at the BBC and author of many books about sport, Mihir Bose, and political commentator Nigel Dudley, have been chewing over the week's news - in particular the cricket, and whether or not the Australians have behaved abominably.Warming to their theme, they discuss gamesmanship, colonialism, the Just Stop Oil protests and the efficacy of protests at international sporting fixtures in general, recalling disrupted matches now lost in the mists of time. (And yes, irritating though they may have been, they were quite successful). Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

 Flags flying upside down, Rishi Sunak being criticised for 'not being grounded in our culture' despite his perfect reading from the scriptures at the coronation, and Nigel being accused of being a Marxist for taking the dog for a walk during the ceremony.The Three Old Hacks chew over the coronation, the national anthem (time for a new one?) and the admirable state of Penny Mordaunt's biceps.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

From Gwyneth Paltrow to the protests in France and Israel and the perennial subjects of Boris Johnson's career and the state of the economy, the Three Old Hacks, aka former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley, discuss the week's news.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

As the war in Ukraine marks its grim one-year anniversary, the Three Old Hacks, aka former Sports News editor at the BBC Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley, discuss whether we have clear aims in this war and how it might end. 1:09They talk about the SNP leadership battle and whether religion and politics mix in the 21st century. 13:25They look at the Roald Dahl controversy and compare the re-writing of his books with Thomas Bowdler's attempts to sanitise Shakespeare and language used by George Orwell which most certainly would not be published today. 24:18Finally, the conversation turns to football, as it often does, and their thoughts on who is a fit and proper owner for an English football club. 38:13Listen to the podcast on The Chiswick Calendar website or any of the usual podcast platforms.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Mihir Bose – former BBC Sports Editor, David Smith – Economics Editor of the Sunday Times and political commentator Nigel Dudley discuss the hot topic- Nadhim Zahawi's tax affairsThey thought he should jump, and apologise for embarrassing the Prime Minister, but as it turned out he was pushed, a couple of days after they recorded the podcast.They talk about the way he tried to turn the story around, attacking the media for concerning themselves with his ‘private; affairs, and whether it makes a difference that our top politicians at the moment are so rich.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

“No nation in Europe is more haughty and disdainful, nor more conceited in an opinion of its superior excellence.”This quote from a French Viscount about Britain some 400 years ago reminds us nothing much has changed, says political analyst Nigel Dudley.He's been reading “a wonderful book about the Stuarts”, Devil-Land by Dr Clare Jackson.In the first podcast of 2023 Nigel and his two old mates, sports journalist Mihir Bose and Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith discuss the Christmas books they were given and are now reading, the state of the nation and whether they should have a flutter on the next election.The English are inclined to “adore all their own opinions and despise those of every other nation” and had “contracted all the instability of the element by which they are surrounded, namely water.”The podcast seems the perfect medium.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

A football World Cup and a Budget, what better subjects could Mihir Bose, former sports news editor at the BBC, Sunday Times Economics Editor David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley wish for, to talk about?Let's just say, in a pub quiz if either of those subjects came up, you would want these guys on your team.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Sunday Times Economics Editor David Smith was with fellow ‘old hacks' Mihir Bose, former sports news editor at the BBC, and political analyst Nigel Dudley recording their podcast for The Chiswick Calendar when the news broke on Friday that Kwasi Kwarteng had been jettisoned.New Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has already unpicked the growth strategy which David described as “a gamble that had failed spectacularly.“It was obvious to me it would go wrong” he said.“The lesson is to listen to your institutions – the Treasury and the Office for Budget Responsibility.”Mihir asked him how key economic advisers had felt about being sidelined.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks, who regularly review the week's news for us, recorded a podcast on Thursday morning, before the Queen's death was announced."Spare us from this false positivism", says Nigel Dudley, commenting on Liz Truss's keynote speech after she was elected Leader of the Conservative Party and our new Prime Minister."She sounded like a midwife on speed" he said.Political commentator Nigel Dudley joins Sunday Times Economics Editor David Smith and former BBC News sports editor Mihir Bose to discuss Trussonomics and whether she should be Trussssted.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

In their previous podcast Mihir Bose said he thought Boris Johnson would lead the Conservative Party into the next election and not only that, but he would win it.David and Nigel remind him of that as this week they discuss whether it will be Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak who will replace him.Former BBC News sports editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley discuss the week's news.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Mihir Bose thinks he will and not only that, he will lead the Conservative party to win it. David and Nigel disagree. What will be the deciding factor? It's the economy, stupid. Former BBC News sports editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley discuss the week's news.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks discuss Partygate, racism in sport and the cost of living crisis."We've never had a situation in the UK where job vacancies are greater than the number of unemployed" says David Smith. "Inflation is the highest it has been since the 1980s."Listen to former BBC News sports editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley discussing Putin's war and their memories of the Falklands war, 40 years ago.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks discuss the world's response to Putin's war. UK journalists give the impression the whole world was pro-Ukraine, but that is not the case, says Mihir Bose.Listen to former BBC News sports editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley discussing the week's news with the jaundiced eye of those who have been doing it for forty years.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks discuss the war in Ukraine, President Zelensky's moving speech to the British parliament and Britain's “mean-spirited” approach to refugees.Listen to former BBC News sports editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley on the events of the past week.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks are back, raising a glass to celebrate the work done by journalistic colleagues in unveiling the various parties that took place at Downing St during lockdown. Sky TV, the Mirror and the Daily Telegraph all come in for special mentions, as does Liz Truss, but she gets a special mention for rather a different reason: as the Foreign Secretary who didn't know Rostov was in Russia.The Three Old Hacks, not so much setting the world to rights as lamenting Britain's ignominious position in it.Listen to former BBC News sports editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley on the events of the past week.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks discuss this week whether or not the prime minister has lost it. He appears to be “teetering on the edge of appearing out of control” they think. It's hard to bluster your way through a speech when someone else has written it for you and you clearly haven't read it, especially as you're just got to the “and here's what we're going to do about it” bit.There's a distinct sound of knives being sharpened in the Tory party. “The moment he's not a winner, he's a goner” they say.Listen to former BBC News sports editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley on the events of the past week.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Writer and broadcaster Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley, aka The Three Old Hacks, discuss the week's events, including reactions to the fatal attack on Sir David Amess at his constituency Surgery.Should MPs get more protection and does this change the nature of their relationship with the public?Newcastle United and their new Saudi owners come up for discussion, with Mihir taking the line that foreign ownership should not be allowed.And they discuss the public's low opinion of the media.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Writer and broadcaster Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley, aka The Three Old Hacks, discuss Afghanistan in their podcast this week.“The great opinion makers and intellectuals have once again failed us” says Mihir.“When the West intervened in Afghanistan two decades ago they were all for it and made no critical examination whatsoever.“Now, apart from blaming Joe Biden… they have not really examined why the West has failed…”“The West has squandered billions propping up corrupt Afghan politicians who can then build villas in the Middle East… The US diplomatic cables which have emerged from Afghanistan show how corrupt the regime was”.“The fact is we have not done a regime change, we have not built anything there”.The whole sorry adventure was, he says, just “a rehash of imperialism”.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks are old enough to remember the 1964 Olympics, the last time Tokyo hosted the Games. There were fewer events and so the people who won medals stayed in the memory longer, like long jumper Lynn Davies, whose local council paid tribute to him in a way which was to become more irritating than celebratory.Writer and broadcaster Mihir Bose, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley have known each other since they first started in journalism and have much to compare and contrast. They all agree that the BBC's coverage of this year's Games has become nationalistic in a way it never has been before and they regret the the narrow focus on sports in which British competitors are likely to win medals at the expense of ‘proper' coverage of the whole event.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Mihir Bose, David Smith and Nigel Dudley – aka the Three Old Hacks – are old enough to remember 1966 and all that. It comes as no surprise to them therefore that politicians should be falling over themselves to haul themselves aboard the football bandwagon. Football and politics, bread and circuses…Writer and broadcaster Mihir Bose, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley add their particular brand of wit and wisdom to the debate.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Mihir Bose, writer and broadcaster, writes primarily on sport. In the seventies he was always the only non-white reporter in the press box and often the only non-white spectator in the whole football ground, so he is well placed to comment on the current controversy over the booing of football players who take the knee at the beginning of matches in support of Black Lives Matter.He shares with old friends David Smith, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times and political commentator Nigel Dudley, how he was abused by football hooligans on a train and decided he would drive everywhere for his own safety.The Three Old Hacks discuss taking the knee and whether it's now becoming an empty gesture, and the disastrous launch of GB News in this week's Three Old Hacks podcast.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Incompetence and chaos at the heart of government is the theme of this week's podcast from the Three Old Hacks.Dominic Cummings' seven hour session in front of a parliamentary committee, pouring bile on the heads of both Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock, has given them plenty to talk about.The Three Old Hacks, aka  writer and broadcaster Mihir Bose, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley have worked with both politicians in their long careers as journalists, and for them the Cummings testimony has the distinct ring of truth.Meanwhile Nigel's dog Alfie is getting jealous of all the attention Britain's first dog Dilyn has been attracting.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Mihir Bose, former BBC Sports News Editor, sets the world to rights with journalist mates David Smith, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times, and political commentator Nigel Dudley.The cost of decorating Boris Johnson's Downing St flat and who is paying for it is exercising them this week (£200,000 and it looks ‘like an Ottoman brothel' according to one wag).Maybe people aren't bothered about who paid for it, but will Carrie Symonds' comment that she couldn't live with Theresa May's “John Lewis nightmare” lose them the votes of Middle England?Also the scandal of the sub post office managers whose lives have been ruined by the disastrous failure of a computer system. After some have served time in prison and others have been vilified in their communities, for financial losses that were not their fault, the Three Old Hacks demand to know who is responsible.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

The Three Old Hacks discuss the one day wonder that was The Super League. It took from Sunday night till Tuesday morning for six top English football clubs to announce their membership and then withdraw, leaving the plan in tatters in the face of opposition from the British Government.Mihir Bose, former BBC sports news editor at the BBC, David Smith, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times and Nigel Dudley, political commentator, examine the debacle, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's new found interest in the game, in the middle of a local and regional election campaign, and decry the state of affairs where the dominance of global TV interests means the fans who actually turn up to the matches no longer matter.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

This week the Three Old Hacks discuss a year of the pandemic and how it is that the Government is still popular in the polls.They talk about the fall out from the Meghan and Harry interview; sexual abuse in boarding schools and flags on government buildings – “ridiculous, insecure and pathetic”.Join former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley for this week's podcast.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

With journalist mates, Economics editor of the Sunday Times, David Smith, and political commentator Nigel Dudley, Mihir Bose looks this week at how vaccination certificates might change our lives.Coming from India, where the bureaucracy is legend, he wonders whether we are signing up for identity papers by the back door.The Three Old Hacks look at the thorny issue of politicians doing favours for friends and whether the big social media companies will have to pay for news content, following the Australian government's ruling that Facebook must pay.Then they talk about cricket and the ill fated test match. Somehow, it always comes back to cricket.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Political leadership ain't what it used to be. That's the theme of this week's Three Old Hacks,We all think the summers were warmer (demonstrably not!) and life was rosier when we were young, but the Three Old Hacks put forward a pretty strong case that politicians in Britain are not of the same calibre as those who have gone before them.Boris Johnson says we are facing the biggest challenge since the Second World War with the pandemic, but where is the Recovery Plan to get us out of the hole it has dumped us in? Where's the Beveridge report and the Bretton Woods of the 2020s?Sports journalist Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley also miss the characters of their early days learning their craft together as professional journalists.Remember George Brown, who served as Foreign Secretary in the Labour Government of the 1960s? And the exchange with the Bishop of Lima? ‘No I won't dance with you. This is not a waltz but the Peruvian national anthem and you sir are drunk!' or words to that effect.Listen to this week's podcast from the Three Old Hacks.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we'd love to hear from you!