# Compulsory Voting, Starmer Plot & Gen Z’s VE Day Blind Spot

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/afternoon-empire-with-ian-collins-1131640/compulsory-voting-starmer-plot-gen-z-s-ve-day-blind-spot
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/afternoon-empire-with-ian-collins-1131640/compulsory-voting-starmer-plot-gen-z-s-ve-day-blind-spot.md
Podcast: [Afternoon Empire with Ian Collins](https://stenobird.com/podcast/afternoon-empire-with-ian-collins-1131640)
Published: 2026-05-06T16:27:06+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/georgegallowaytalkshow/episodes/compulsory-voting-starmer-plot-gen-zs-ve-day-blind-spot
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/georgegallowaytalkshow/e/69fb50b1921510d4c1832313/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/afternoon-empire-with-ian-collins-1131640/episodes/compulsory-voting-starmer-plot-gen-z-s-ve-day-blind-spot
Duration seconds: 1958

## Resource

Should voting be compulsory in Britain, and would it fix a broken political system? Giles Dilnot makes the case against forcing people to the ballot box, as turnout, trust and engagement in UK politics come under scrutiny. Meanwhile, speculation grows over a potential leadership challenge to Keir Starmer, with claims of a “Trojan Horse” plan to bring Andy Burnham back to Westminster. John Power reacts and argues that Starmer’s replacement could be even worse. Plus, ahead of VE Day, historian James Holland discusses new figures showing two-thirds of Gen Z don’t know what VE Day marks, raising questions about education, national identity and historical awareness. From compulsory voting and political reform to Labour infighting and historical literacy, we ask: is Britain losing both civic engagement and its sense of history? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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## Transcript

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