This time on Lydia Talks To... I catch up with previous guest Ian James Parsley, a Northern Irish political commentator.


This is a shorter version of the Podcast to get a grip on a very current news story- the elections in Northern Ireland. Or not, as the case may be. On Friday 28th October it was thought that Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton Harris was going to call an election since the deadline to restore a power sharing government had passed. But he then didn’t.

Last year I talked in depth with Ian James Parsley about the Northern Ireland Protocol. Ian, it should be noted is a member of the Alliance Party and married to an Alliance Member of Assembly. I go back to him again and again because he’s a level head and has a knack for nuance and bringing in the context, which as you know is so important to me.

Welcome to the latest episode of Lydia Talks to... where I’ll be interviewing people from all walks of life to help me in my quest to talk about politics and current affairs in a way that cuts through the noise, brings in the context and makes it meaningful.

This week’s guest is Afghan political activist and researcher Qais Alamdar.

Qais talks about Afghanistan’s seismic power shifts across the last 50 years and explains how the Taliban’s current regime differs from their previous reign in the 1990s.

Qais also explains how the Taliban have dramatically restricted education for Afghan girls, as well as constricting rights for women. Qais also looks at what the future may hold for those who remain in the country.

He also speaks candidly about his own family’s quest to flee the country and explains how they were forced to embark upon an arduous journey in order to finally be reunited with him in Germany.

A full transcript of my interview with Qais is available at lovelylydia.co.uk/transcripts. If you’d like to get in touch with me you can email me at [email protected]. I’d love to hear your feedback.

If you liked this podcast and would like to hear more, please subscribe and rate this episode and tell your friends.

This time on Lydia Talks To... I speak to Ian James Parsley, a Northern Irish political commentator.

We talked about Northern Irish politics, Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol and perhaps most importantly getting the context on what's happening in NI in a way that we rarely do in Great Britain.

A full transcript of the interview with Ian is available at lovelylydia.co.uk/transcripts. If you'd like to get in touch, you can email Lydia at [email protected].

If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe, rate and review this episode and don't forget to tell your friends.

In the latest episode of Lydia Talks To... I speak to Sarah Venn, writer, food activist and founder of Edible Bristol.

Sarah and I talk about the pending UK/Australia deal, the food system as a whole, with a close look at the layers within, from fruit and vegetable seasonality, poverty and food banks.

A full transcript of my interview with Jane is available at lovelylydia.co.uk/transcripts. If you'd like to get in touch with me you can email me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear your feedback.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe, rate and review this episode and tell your friends.

Welcome to the second episode of Lydia Talks to... where I'll be interviewing people from all walks of life to help me in my quest to talk about politics and current affairs in a way that cuts through the noise, brings in the context and makes it meaningful.

Ahead of the upcoming English local elections I speak to Jane Corbett, Labour councillor for Everton ward in Liverpool City Council. Jane has held the role since 2002, however, she is not seeking re-election this year.

Jane outlines the importance of local government and explains how representatives must be in constant communication with their constituency. She also speaks about how local government responsibilities extend to schools, adult services, community health and wellbeing and anti-social behaviour.

We also discuss the relationship between local and central government and what regional councillors must do in order to enact change within their borough.

Finally, Jane reiterates the importance of voting in the upcoming local elections and offers some tips for anyone who has yet to select a preferred candidate.

A full transcript of my interview with Jane is available at lovelylydia.co.uk/transcripts. If you'd like to get in touch with me you can email me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear your feedback.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe, rate and review this episode and tell your friends.

Welcome to the first episode of Lydia Talks to... where I'll be interviewing people from all walks of life to help me in my quest to talk about politics and current affairs in a way that cuts through the noise, brings in the context and make it meaningful.

If you already follow me on Instagram @lovely_._lydia then you'll know Brexit has always been a pet subject of mine, having worked for the UK in the EU for many years. Fishing was one of the big topics used by the Leave campaign to galvanise its voters against the "EU overlords." I have my own perspective from having been up close and personal with Fish negotiations in the EU for many years, but what about the perspective of an actual fisherman?

Now that the UK has formally left both the EU and the Single Market and Customs Union, and Fishing has once again taken its turn in the headlines, this seemed a perfect time to talk to one. James White is a Commercial Inshore Fisherman working out of Felixstowe Ferry in Suffolk. Having heard him interviewed many years ago and being interested in his particularly insightful way of putting his points across, I was delighted he agreed to chat. Whatever your perspectives on Brexit, I think you'll find it very interesting to hear his experiences and his views.

A full transcript of my interview with James is available at lovelylydia.co.uk/transcripts. If you'd like to get in touch with me you can email me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear your feedback.

If you liked this podcast and would like to hear more, please subscribe and rate this episode and tell your friends.

Thanks for listening!

Episode One: POWER In this first episode I'm taking another look at the announcement of Donald Trump's State visit to the UK and how it demonstrates "Soft Power", something the UK has traditionally been quite good at and I'll tell you why... then with Climate Change in mind, I go from Soft Power to the power that comes from our sockets- I look at an iconic landmark of the Suffolk Coast as a forerunner of "modern power generation" as well as a victim of historical changes to environmental factors. My special guest is a former Nuclear Submarine Commander about the realities of generating nuclear power in the context of Climate Change... all with a bit of context and world politics thrown in.