Radical

What if housing, childcare, transport and social care were no longer treated as things to buy and sell but as services everyone was entitled to, regardless of their ability to pay?

Social policy analyst Anna Coote believes the market has failed to provide many of life's essentials. Her answer is universal basic services: a system where access to housing, care, education, transport and other necessities are free or genuinely affordable.

She tells Gabriel Gatehouse about a proposal that challenges the assumption that markets are the best way to allocate resources. From housing shortages to childcare costs, Anna explains what universal basic services would mean in practice and whether Britain could ever afford them.

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Episodes of Radical are released every Thursday.

Series Producer: Simon Tulett

Paul Sagar depends on carers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He could die without them. It's been that way ever since the academic at King's College London fell in a rock climbing accident three years ago and was paralysed from the neck down. His experiences in England's adult social care system - and the stories he has heard from others - have led him to a radical plan for how to address its spiralling costs, staff shortages, and increasing demand. Paul thinks that, before they go to university, students should be offered the chance to volunteer in the care sector for at least a year, in exchange for a discount on their future university tuition fees.

Gabriel Gatehouse hears Paul's remarkable story and puts his solution to the test: how many teenagers would actually go for it, and would they make a big enough difference?

This episode was recorded before Andy Burnham announced plans to end the pensions triple lock by 2030 to help fund a National Care Service in England.

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Episodes of Radical are released every Thursday.

Series Producer: Simon Tulett

Politicians are always making decisions that impact future generations, but how often do they really consider whether they are making life better, or worse, for people who haven’t been born yet?

Rarely, thinks Sophie Howe, but she is part of a movement aiming to change that. She was the first future generations commissioner for Wales - at the time, the first role of its kind anywhere in the world - and her job was to make sure that decisions taken by the Welsh government would benefit its people in the long-term.

She tells Gabriel Gatehouse about some of the key things she made happen, and one big thing she stopped happening, as well as her current work to encourage other countries to appoint future generations commissioners. Also, she explains why she thinks it’s sometimes necessary to put the needs of the unborn over those of the living, at least in the short-term.

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Episodes of Radical are released every Thursday.

Series Producer: Simon Tulett

Prepper Mike Chappell is ready for disaster to hit the UK, and he believes everyone else should be prepared too.

Mike is worried that blackouts, food supply disruption, and extreme weather could seriously disrupt normal life, potentially leaving people to fend for themselves for weeks or months at a time. He believes those threats are growing and thinks everyone should have enough supplies to last them at least two weeks - a message he spreads on his YouTube channel, UK Urban Prepper.

The UK government recently urged people to stock up on tinned food and bottled water to build resilience in case of a national emergency, so have preppers like Mike been right all along?

Gabriel Gatehouse asks Mike what exactly he is prepping for and gets some tips on how to start building a stockpile. Plus, does the prepper mindset leave any room for community spirit, or is it all about looking after yourself?

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Episodes of Radical are released every Thursday.

Series Producer: Simon Tulett

Former mortuary technician Kristoffer Hughes wants to bring terramation - or human composting - to the UK. He believes it's a more natural and hopeful way for our bodies to be disposed of, and a more environmentally friendly alternative to burial and cremation.

Kristoffer tells Gabriel Gatehouse about the "epiphany" he had when he first witnessed the practice in the USA, his own experience of being 'buried alive' in a terramation facility, and what human compost can actually be used for.

The practice isn't legal in the UK yet - the Law Commission has suggested it could be explored as an option in England and Wales - but how much appeal would it really have, how much would it cost, and is it safe?

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Episodes of Radical are released every Thursday and Monday.

Series Producer: Simon Tulett

Neil Woods is a former undercover police officer who used to infiltrate drug gangs, but he now believes drugs should be legalised and the market regulated by government. He's a board member of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), which campaigns for drug policy reform around the world.

In the main episode Neil explained why he thinks prohibition of illicit drugs has failed and outlined his plan for the government to source and supply drugs like cannabis, cocaine and heroin through pharmacies or via sales in regulated shops.

In this special Q&A, Neil answers your questions on minimum ages for these drugs, the experiences of other countries, and the thorny moral question.

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Episodes of Radical are released every Thursday and Monday.

Series Producer: Simon Tulett

As an undercover police officer Neil Woods' job was to infiltrate drug gangs and put their leaders behind bars, but he says his work gradually convinced him that he was doing more harm than good. Since leaving the force he has become one of the UK's foremost campaigners for drug policy reform.

Neil tells this week's host, Jenny Kleeman, why he believes the war on drugs has failed, and sets out his alternative vision for legalising and regulating the use of cannabis, cocaine, heroin and other products. He thinks drugs on prescription or sold with age and dose restrictions, as well as health advice, would be the best way to keep users safe and wrest control of the market away from organised crime.

But, of course, Neil has his opponents. We ask whether the war on drugs really is failing, if legalisation would really eradicate crime and the black market, and whether legalisation might actually increase drug use and deaths.

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Episodes of Radical are released every Thursday and Monday.

Series Producer: Simon Tulett

Sarah Harper is Professor of Gerontology at the University of Oxford and one of the world's leading experts on demographic change. She challenges the widespread belief that ageing populations are primarily a social and economic burden, arguing instead that longer lives represent one of humanity's greatest achievements and an opportunity to rethink how society is organised.

In the last episode, Sarah explained why many of the pressures associated with ageing societies stem from institutions that were designed for a very different era. She argued that our welfare systems, labour markets and expectations around retirement no longer reflect the realities of modern life, where people are living longer, healthier lives than previous generations.

In this week's Q&A, Sarah joins James Marriott to answer your questions about the future of retirement, pensions and work in an ageing society. She explores generational resentment and how we can bridge the gap between old and young, whether inequality is more important than age, and whether politicians disproportionately focus on older voters.

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Episodes of Radical are released every Thursday and Monday.

Series Producer: Rufus Gray

This week, James Marriott talks to Sarah Harper, Professor of Gerontology at the University of Oxford and one of the world's leading experts on demographic change. She challenges the increasingly common narrative that ageing populations represent an inevitable economic and social burden, arguing instead that longer lives should be seen as an achievement that requires us to rethink the way society is organised.

- WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480 

Episodes of Radical are released every Thursday and Monday.

Series Producer: Rufus Gray

Brendan Simms is Professor of the History of International Relations at the University of Cambridge and the author of The Return of the Great Powers. He challenges the widespread belief that Britain is in terminal decline, arguing that the UK remains one of the world’s four true Great Powers.

In the main episode, Brendan explained why Britain’s resources, global reach, reputation and resilience still give it significant international influence. He also argued that great power politics has returned as the dominant force shaping global affairs.

In this special Q&A, Brendan answers your questions on what steps Britain needs to take to stay relevant, whether its military is fit for purpose, and whether our soft power is overlooked.

- WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480 

Episodes of Radical are released every Thursday and Monday.

Series Producer: Rufus Gray