Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the question of vaccine passports and asks whether we should be prepared to show documentary proof of a jab to be allowed to go to the pub. He wonders if Alex Salmond setting up the Alba party will boost Scottish nationalism or divide it. He discusses the recent Race and Ethnic Disparities Report. And he ponders the naivety of David Cameron, caught up in the type of lobbying effort he once decried.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans looks at the complexity of problems exacerbated by the bottleneck at the Suez Canal caused by the stuck container ship Ever Given. He discusses how the Eurozone economy is having to brace for a third wave lockdown and slowdown. He admires a Dutch experimental school, lamenting how strait-jacketed British school education has become. And he puzzled why companies in the UAE are helping Venezuela to avoid US oil sanctions.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian asks what is behind the EU attitude towards the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine while the UK's vaccination programme passes the 25 million mark. He assesses the policing mistakes regarding the vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common and looks at Westminster's response to the issue of women's safety. And he looks at the much-delayed Integrated Review on foreign and defence policy, puzzling over its language relating to China and to Europe.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at the political economy of royalty in the light of current events, discussing time preference and governance and examining the link between constitutional monarchy and prosperity and stability. He discusses why the PM's mantra is fast becoming infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure. And he ponders what might happen if inflation leads to rising interest rates.
Guests: professor tim
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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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