Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian discusses the fallout from the ITV drama about the Post Office Horizon scandal which has finally galvanised politicians. Labelled the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history, Mike examines what it means for people's trust in democracy and our institutions. He expects 2024 to be an election year and explains what we might expect from the main political parties, comparing them to competitors at a school sports day.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University discusses the potential challenges of 2024, including elections in so many places, the problems of NATO, Ukraine & the Middle East and the militarisation of Russia. He explains why so much of what politicians tell us about immigration is wrong. And he points out that, despite many people's perception, Labour is historically the party of strong defence and that this may be yet another way in which the party will outflank the Conservatives.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Unabridged and without comment from Share Radio, here's the King's Christmas message as broadcast on 25th December '23.
Guests: King Charles III
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
We go stargazing with Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University as he looks ahead to 2024. What will happen politically in the UK when so many people feel that our politicians have so little idea about the realities of daily life? On the international front, the world has turned so much darker in 2023 with so many danger spots around the world. What will the future hold, particularly when politics is polarising in so many places? What will the result of the shifting sands of demographics be and how will the young find meaning and success in a world that has become so challenging for them?
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian discusses Rishi Sunak and the Rwanda Bill, which led to Robert Jenrick's resignation. With the Tory party once more engaged in ferocious in-fighting, are the Prime Minister's days numbered? Discussing the clampdown on legal migration, with a net 750,000 migrants last year, Mike wondered if our politicians, on all sides, are in tune with the public, especially in the Red Wall areas. Discussing why we are so bad at forward planning in the UK, Mike felt that Keir Starmer, if he is to become PM, needs a plan to show how people's lives will be improved.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at some of the problems of regulation and setting standards in the light of the suicide of headmistress Ruth Perry in the wake of an Ofsted inspection. He feels that Keir Starmer has vectored rhetorically and atmospherically to the right of the Conservatives and that Jacob Rees-Mogg's teasing smacks of desperation and the end of a long chess game. And he feels that Wes Streeting should consider Singapore's health system, which could be the answer for the future of the NHS, although it would involve a heck of a battle with vested interests.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian assesses the Autumn Statement now that the dust has settled. It is clear that the public finances are in a dire state, which will give an interesting economic inheritance for any Labour government. He also looks at the issue of net migration, wondering if a cap is the right thing and whether it will lead to public discontent as in other countries. He considers the state of the Covid inquiry, feeling that a more rapid assessment of how to respond to a future pandemic is also needed. And he talks about Labour's strategy for a future government, such as it is.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University thnks that the Autumn Statement is one of the final suicide notes of this administration. Examining the small print reveals the biggest drop in living standards since records began in the 1950s and the big picture is bleak. He even wonders whether the Conservatives may soon no longer be seen as the natural party of government. He is fascinated by the success of anarcho-capitalist Javier Milei in Argentina and wonders how many of his ideas he will be able to enact. And he looks ahead to the next election, He feels that, if there's a hung parliament, the LibDems may yet get proportional representation which could hugely benefit Nigel Farage.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Inidan discusses the return of David Cameron to front-line politics, considering it Rishi Sunak's last throw of the dice and an attempt at damage limitation. With a quarter of Labour MPs rebelling against Keir Starmer, Mike feels that the left wing of the party will hold him to ransom and cause havoc in the next Parliament, assuming Labour are victorious. And he looks at the Rwandan court verdict which drags the courts into politics once more and shows the PM to be weak.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University posits that cheap money is now a thing of the past and that politicians, of whatever stripe, are going to have to find a way to live within harsher financial constraints. He looks at some of the UK's central planning madness when it comes to Net Zero, contrasting it to the more successful and forward-thinking policies of Norway. And he highlights the severe cracks opening up in the UK commercial property market, wondering what the end result will be.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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