Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian looks at Rishi Sunak's March 2021 Budget, assesses the politics and the messaging behind it and asks if the Chancellor got it right. With most major measures heavily signalled in advance, there were few rabbits to be conjured from the top hat, making it difficult for the opposition to find an effective response. As Mike points out, after a year of Keir Starmer's leadership, people could be forgive for wondering what Labour stands for. He also looks north of the border at the ructions involving Alex Salmond and discusses the danger of effectively having a one-party state.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University on why politicians should admit that we need to think beyond the welfare state of the early 20th century and explains why it should be Labour and the Liberals who show the way. He discusses The Integrated Review, the much-delayed review of Britain's defence and foreign police and says the MOD needs to innovate - and quickly. And he looks at signs that central planning is being rolled back in Zimbabwe, Venezuela and Cuba.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian reflects on Trump's acquittal in his impeachment trial and suggests what it might mean for the future of American politics. He discusses the appointment of David Frost to the Cabinet and asks why Labour are still behind in the polls, despite all the problems faced by the government. And he looks at the EU's disastrous vaccine policy and what it might mean for the EU bloc's future.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at an article which believes that business elites are proposing a form of Stakeholder Capitalism in an attempt to avert revolution over wealth inequalities. He looks at what the government's new reforms could mean for the National Health Service and whether they will succeed in reducing bureaucracy. And he applauds the government reversing its position on extraditions and reclaiming Habeas Corpus rights.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the EU triggering Article 16, temporarily creating a hard border in Ireland. He points out the serious problems with the NI Protocol and wonders whether, in the future, the Union will fragment. He takes a look at the progress of the vaccine rollout and argues that, as life returns to normal, there ought to be a serious examination of how UK public services function and whether they ought to be reorganised. He also discusses the PM's trip to Scotland and looks ahead to Donald Trump's Senate trial.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University asks how the EU has managed its vaccine rollout so badly and wonders what the ramifications could be. He looks at a recent article speculating that Covid-19 could be the equivalent of the start of the First World War in 1914 and that we might never return to the previous globalised system. And he asks what we can expect from President Joe Biden's first 100 days in the White House, both at home and in America's attitude towards China.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian looks at what we might expect in America under President Joe Biden. Will he be able to heal the massive divisions in the USA and what is the future for both political parties in the post-Trump era? With the UK's vaccine rollout proceeding apace, he considers whether more thought should be given to the little-discussed drawbacks of lockdown. He also wonders if the UK ought to prepare for tackling any future pandemics.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University believes a coming reckoning for social media will be accelerated by the events in America's Capitol Building. He asks what the pandemic tells us about the evolution of science and how Britain has improved its early poor performance in the response to Covid-19. And he looks at the significance of the Strong Horse Theory in Political Science, particularly with regard to Keir Starmer and Labour and possibly Donald Trump too.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian discusses the Capitol Hill rioters and asks what can possibly be done to defend the principles of democracy in America. As the UK is locked down for the third time since the pandemic started he wonders why more hard questions are not being asked about its efficacy and whether the right people are being prioritised for vaccination. And with the UK finally out of the EU, he looks at the details of the trade deal and what Britain managed to negotiate.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
In the second of two end-of-year Bigger Picture specials, we look back at some of topics discussed in 2020 by Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University. In one of his last discussions of the year, he wondered if a new, cultural Iron Curtain is splitting Europe into east and west. In other programmes, he mused on political psychology and the degrees of openness across the political spectrum, the Government's planning system reforms, whether China's Belt and Road Initiative is the success it is perceived to be and he lamented the loss of one of Britain's great thinkers.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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