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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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
The news that Sarah Green has wrested the constituency of Chesham and Amersham off the Conservatives for the first time in its history merits a look back over the Liberal Democrat's long decline. The centre ground is not an easy place to be in politics, and the new MP has needed the frequent sight of HS2 bulldozers and stormtroopers to get her majority - but she's done it. This look-back over Liberal Democrat history with Simon Rose and Mike Indian was first published in October 2019, just before the last General Election.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian asks what the G7 meeting in Cornwall might mean for the so-called Special Relationship between the UK and the United States. He discusses Portugal being abruptly removed from the Green List and assesses what changes to personal freedom might happen on June 21st, asking if it's right that government should control our lives in such detail. And he looks at the High Court ruling that the Government acted unlawfully over the granting of a £560,000 Covid contract.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University delves into the Government's proposals for boosting housebuilding and reviving ideas of a home-owning democracy, wondering if it will come under attack from the Conservative Party's own MPs. He discusses why Germany is becoming ever more reliant on Russian energy and how it will constrain international relations in the future. And he questions the flexibility of the EU's outlook on trade after an eight-year attempt to do a trade deal with Switzerland collapsed.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the explosive claims made by Dominic Cummings, asking what his testimony tells us about the Prime Minister and the Government – and what it tells us about Cummings himself. He looks ahead to the Batley & Spen by-election and predicts what the result might be. He considers the political ramifications of the Martin Bashir scandal for the BBC. And he looks at Northern Ireland politics now that Edwin Poots has taken over the leadership of the DUP.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at the volte-face from the International Energy Agency's volte-face and how the move towards net zero could make us richer. He also ponders some possible political implications of the end of the era of oil and gas. He examines the history of the role of the state in Britain's railways and asks if the government's shake-up of the UK rail system could usher in a new age of the train. And he wonders what the impact of GB News could be on TV's currently homogenised news output.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the recent election results and what its poor performance might mean for Labour. But he also points out problems for the Conservatives in some of its traditional heartland. He assesses the problems facing Keir Starmer after his botched reshuffle. And he reflects upon a very different Queen's Speech and laments some of the missed opportunities in its content.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University asks what the future is for Labour, wondering whether the party needs a strategic refresh, possibly even linking up with the Libdems, if it's to avoid the fate of many left-wing parties in Europe. He discusses why, despite the common perception of the USA, America has always had a socialist side to it, dating back to its earliest European settlers. And he expresses concern about the way in which Iran and Venezuela appear to have become bedfellows, helping each other to avoid the effects of sanctions.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the rumpus over who paid to redecorate Boris Johnson's Downing Street flat and at the allegations made against the Prime Minister by Dominic Cummings. He also looks at the complexity of Northern Irish politics in the wake of Arlene Foster's resignation. And he looks across the Atlantic to assess Joe Biden's first 100 days as President. He begins, though, with a look at Ed Balls Day.
Guests: Mike Indian
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