The awful scenes of war and violence in Ukraine show no sign of ending. Will an unprecedented barrage of sanctions be enough to shift Vladimir Putin’s strategy? If not, what other options are available to the West? The IfG team are joined by Georgina Wright of Institut Montaigne to discuss where the crisis might go next, assess a notably coordinated EU response, and make sense of a stunning shift in German policy.

We then switch attention to the UK, where questions at the heart of the IfG’s mission – how good governments function, how to strengthen institutions, and how to ensure politicians follow the rules and are held to account – look more relevant than ever. Two new IfG reports set out what can be done to reform and strengthen the civil service.

“Other than some kind of major event in Russia, it is hard to see a route of this that isn’t incredibly depressing” - Catherine Haddon

“The threat that Putin could put his missiles on an even higher standing of readiness is hanging over this” – Bronwen Maddox

“It is absolutely incredible what we are seeing happen in Germany. You have a government that is giving way completely to radical new policy” – Georgina Wright

“We saw how difficult it was to leave the EU. It’s just as difficult to join. Can the EU realistically grant Ukraine, a country at war, candidate status?” – Georgina Wright

“Confused accountability undermines the civil service’s confidence. Bolstering its legitimacy will help bolster its confidence and authority inside government” – Alex Thomas

Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas, Cath Haddon, and guest Georgina Wright.

Produced by Candice McKenzie for the Institute for Government in association with Podmasters.

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