The Political Butterfly Effect

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The Political Butterfly Effect: Did Bovril keep us out of the euro?

Did Bovril keep us out of the euro?

BBC Radio 4 - The Political Butterfly Effect, Did Bovril keep us out of the euro?

Jim Waterson explores a single moment that inadvertently shaped modern history.

Did a mid-ranking businessman’s purchase of Bovril in 1971 set off a chain of events that meant the UK never adopted the euro as its currency?

When James Goldmsith bought the parent company of meaty drink Bovril in 1971 he finally hit the big time. He described the deal as 'the most important of his career' and it made him a small fortune - which he would then use to build the early Eurosceptic movement.

Jim Waterson takes us back to the start of James Goldsmith's singular career and follows a series of events that ends with New Labour ruling out the UK's membership of the single currency.

Presenter: Jim Waterson
Producer: Robbie MacInnes
An SPG production for BBC Radio 4

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The Guardian's media editor, Jim Waterson, explores how different the world would look were it not for the occasional, well-timed flap of a butterfly's wings.

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