Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University gives his reflections on the West's withdrawal from Afghanistan, contrasting it to the previous Soviet withdrawal and pointing out how the Taliban has changed over two decades. He looks at the "ground truth" behind food shortages and gaps on the shelves, asking what can be done to ameliorate the situation. And he highlights an article that might set the cat among the pigeons, claiming that the pandemic-induced slump is in fact part of a 20-year financial crisis.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian asks, in the wake of the chaotic American withdrawal from Afghanistan, whether the USA's role as world policeman is over? He points out how very dangerous American isolationism is likely to be. Although recognising that Parliament's holding the American President in contempt will have little real effect, he believes that the Commons debate on the issue showed the House of Commons at its best, with some very powerful speeches and some very abashed ministers. He also looks at the state of the Labour Party ahead of its forthcoming party conference.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University considers why the authoritarianism is on the rise around the world, even in the UK; is it something we should be concerned about? With debt at such levels, he discusses why the Bank of England under Andrew Bailey is caught between a rock and a hard place and so irritated by the House of Lords economic affairs committee. And, with HMS Queen Elizabeth heading a carrier strike group visiting 40 countries, he explains why the UK is heading into a new era of security policy.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian considers the issue of funding and access in politics and asks if there's a better system. With changes to the traffic light system and today's testing requirements, he wonders if foreign travel will once more become a privilege of the wealthy. He examines why the NHS has fallen down the international health rankings. And he welcomes one bit of good news, that musicians can once more tour Europe.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University discusses why the Californian Dream is dying and why that should matter to us all. He looks at Keir Starmer's purging of the far left, attempting to make Labour a more moderate party that could bring some of those who parted under Jeremy Corbyn back into the fold. And he gives his thoughts on Lord Robertson's powerful reflections on our intervention in Afghanistan.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
In the light of so-called "Freedom Day" and the pindemic, political commentator Mike Indian discusses with Simon Rose whether the government is breaking its contract with the public, opining that many of the problems appear to be caused by ineffective leadership at the top. It's a view reinforced by the explosive Dominic Cummings' interview on the BBC. It is Mike's contention that the Covid crisis will see the end of Boris Johnson's premiership.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University asks if we are going back to the future, with users of Britain's roads paying as they go as they used to with turnpikes in the Georgian era. If so, why can't our politicians admit that's where we are headed? As United States forces leave Afghanistan, he points out that a new regional "Great Game" is looming. And, as unrest erupts in Cuba, he wonders if the regime there knows that its days are numbered.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the challenges being faced by Sajid Javid as the new Secretary of State for Health and what changes it is likely to bring in the Cabinet's response to the Covid pandemic. In the wake of Matt Hancock's resignation, he raises renewed concerns about those people who advise our senior politicians. And he explains why the result of the Batley & Spen by-election is more important to Labour than people think and why it should serve as a wake-up call to Keir Starmer.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
5 years on from the EU referendum, Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University asks if General de Gaulle was prophetic in realising that the UK would not be a good fit for the European Community. He considers how Brexit is changing the balance of economic power. 30 years since he arrived in Slovakia as adviser to the Prime Minister, Tim reflects on post-communist Central Europe and why tensions are mounting between the EU and Hungary & Poland. And he looks at the launch and impact of GB News.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian ponders what the consequences of the Chesham by-election could be for the major political parties. Is it a flash in the pan or a precursor of something bigger? With Covid rules appearing to be different for the G7 leaders and UEFA officials, is there one set of rules for most of us and a different set for the elite? What does the changing leadership of the DUP mean for Northern Irish politics? And he looks at the changes in Labour's backroom team.
Guests: Mike Indian
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