Political thinkers: Mill, Marx, Schumacher and Paine

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Political thinker graphic
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My favourite political thinker films run on Friday's Daily Politics

Great political thinkers from history are being cheered by famous faces of today in a series of Daily Politics films.

Reporter Giles Dilnot talks to those who are championing those who are known to historians, but perhaps not to the wider public.

The films are airing on Friday's Daily Politics - broadcast at lunchtimes on BBC and at midnight on BBC Parliament - which are then on iPlayer for UK viewers for seven days, but the full films can also be seen below.

Some of the contributors then join Andrew Neil in the studio for a debate with his guests of the day to follow up the ideas in their film.

Gandhi film (from Hardeep Singh Kohli)

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Hardeep Singh Kohli on the life of the man known as the Father of India, and his visit to London

John Locke film (from Lisa Nandy)

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The case for the 17th century English philosopher John Locke is made by the MP Lisa Nandy who reckons he "set out the foundation of western democracy".

Peter Kropotkin film (from Tom Hodgkinson)

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Anarchist Peter Kropotkin championed by Tom Hodgkinson

Niccolo Machiavelli film (from John McTernan)

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The name of Nicolo Machiavelli made it to everyday speech and his work is lauded by a former adviser to Tony Blair.

Edmund Burke film (from Jesse Norman)

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Tory MP Jesse Norman on philosopher Edmund Burke

Friedrich Hayek film (from Louise Cooper)

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Louise Cooper on Friedrich Hayek: "This Austrian upstart took on Keynes"

Mary Wollstonecraft film (from Gloria de Piero)

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Mary Wollstonecraft 'knew she was special" says MP Gloria de Piero

Ayn Rand film (from Charlie Wolf)

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Charlie Wolf on Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.

J S Mill film (from Toby Young)

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Toby Young on the legacy of the philosopher and MP John Stuart Mill

Thomas Paine film (from Norman Baker)

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Author Thomas Paine praised by Lewes MP Norman Baker

E F Schumacher film (from Alistair McGowan)

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Alistair McGowan praises the green economist E F Schumacher

Karl Marx film (from Owen Jones)

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Owen Jones on the legacy of Karl Marx