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Radio 4,27 Oct 2012,28 mins

Available for over a year

Steve Richards of The Independent looks behind the scenes at Westminster The organisation at Number Ten is often criticised for not controlling the agenda. David Cameron is currently accused of "not having a grip". What are the requirements for a successfully Prime Minister's office? Steve Richards talks to Baroness Sally Morgan who worked with Tony Blair, Sheila Gunn who was John Major's press secretary, and Anthony Seldon who has written a history of Number Ten. If it's hard for the Prime Minister to control events, how well do the whips in the House of Commons control rebellious MPs? A new play at the National Theatre, This House, tells the story of the 1974-79 Labour government where the dark arts of the whips were zealously employed to support a minority government How does today's House of Commons compare? Andrew Percy a Conservative MP who has rebelled a few times and Jon Ashworth an opposition whip look at 21st century whipping. Plus former Culture Secretary and ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ journalist Ben Bradshaw on the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s handling of the Savile affair. The Editor is Marie Jessel.

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