Join us for this week’s episode of the Bylines Network podcast, as Alex and Jules discuss the Queen’s speech. Listen as we take a broad look at what bills have been announced, and what they indicate about the government’s plan for the country over the next few years.

In our ‘article of the week’ section, we speak with Brian McHugh, who wrote on the exam arrangements for GCSE and A-Level students this year in Yorkshire Bylines. After a year of schooling in a pandemic, both teachers and students have felt the toll. However, neither the government nor exam providers are doing much to help schools, as profits soar for certification bodies like AQA and Pearson. 

 

Finally, Alex and Jules touch on some topics that they don’t feel are being covered enough in the news: the protests in Colombia, and plans to privatise Channel 4. 

Be sure to check out Brian's piece at: 

https://yorkshirebylines.co.uk/could-the-covid-class-of-2021-please-stand-up/

And for more info on the violence in Colombia and the privatisation of Channel 4, check out: 

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/may/05/colombia-protests-unrest-protesters-police

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/may/13/channel-4-broadcaster-privatised-oliver-dowden-culture-secretary

This week, join our team of young hosts: Kerry, Jules, and new host Chris Davis, to discuss being young, in politics, and in Bylines. What drew us to politics? How to we reach out to engage other young people? How did we get involved with Bylines, and what good can it do long-term? 

Be sure to follow all of our hosts: @jewelsog @kerrya_pearson and 

@Chris_Davis1998 on twitter. Thanks Kevin! 

Fed up of people asking what the local elections mean for Keir Starmer? Sick of hearing about the vaccine bounce or post-Brexit realignment? 

Join us as we break down the local results in terms of what they actually mean for the people who voted in them. This week, we have our first ever returning guest, as Georgia Taylor (now Councillor Georgia Taylor!!) comes back to discuss her successful campaign. We also speak with Emma Knaggs, Grassroots Director at Make Votes Matter, to talk about the government's efforts to extend First Past the Post to PCC and mayoral elections. 

Be sure to check them out at @Georgia_t and @MakeVotesMatter 

This week, we speak to some of the people hoping to get elected to local office at various levels of local government. 

1. Julian Greenbank speaks with Liz Webster, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Wiltshire and Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner. 

2. We revisit our local elections webinar with Labour Tees Valley mayoral candidate Jessie Joe Jacobs. 

3. Katrina Best speaks with Georgia Taylor, Green party candidate for the Forest Row and Groombridge ward for East Sussex County Council. 

Thank you so much to all of our guests, be sure to check them out at @LizWebsterLD, @JessieJoeJacobs, and @Georgia_t - and us @BylinesPod!

Our episode next week may be a little bit late coming out, as we'll be digging into the results themselves, which come out on Friday! 

Thanks to Julian Greenbank and Ellie Rainsley for editing the episode, our music was "Voxel Revolution" by Kevin McLeod - Thanks Kevin!! 

This week, we turn to the question of democracy and the local elections. With an unrepresentative system, and efforts to suppress voter turnout, our system is looking less and less democratic. 

This week, we are joined by Abbie Jones from Make Votes Manchester Manchester, and Tom Brake, Director of Unlock Democracy, to look into these problems, and what can be done to solve them. 

Be sure to check out Abbie at @MVM_Manchester, and Tom at @thomasbrake and @UnlockDemocracy, along with their new report into local government: 

https://unlockdemocracy.org.uk/blog-1/turningthetide

At a generous estimate, 35% of people vote in local elections, a little over half the number that vote in General elections. Given how important local government is, this simply can't do! 

In the first of our four-part series covering the local elections, we speak to Rachael Farrington, creator or votingcounts.org.uk, and Professor Colin Copus, Director of the Local Government Research Unit at De Montfort University, about why people don't vote, and what we can do. 

N.B. The deadline to vote is 11:59pm this Monday, be sure to register if you haven't already! 

https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote 

Information on what's up for election, and how to vote, can be found here: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_United_Kingdom_local_elections

https://votingcounts.org.uk/ 

https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/welcome-your-vote

Be sure to check out our new social media accounts @BylinesPod, as well as Rachael's @VotingCountsUK on Twitter and @votingcounts on Instagram 

For this episode of the Bylines Network podcast, George Richmond speaks with Sam Philips, a farmer in Gloucestershire. Sam has been promoting sustainability in farming, and trying to encourage farmers to give back more to the planet. 

Across the conversation, George and Sam discuss the obstacles to sustainable farming, the challenges and opportunities of Brexit, and the need to educate people about the countryside. 

Be sure to follow George at @ChatwRichmond, Sam's business, at @MacaroniOrganic, and West England Bylines at @WEBylines 

The Bylines Network podcast is back! This week, we travel down to Sussex, with Mo Kanjilal interviewing Stephanie Prior, Standing Invitee on Brighton and Hove City Council's Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture (TECC) Committee. 

In this week's episode, Mo and Stephanie discuss why it's so important to encourage representation at a local level, and what can be done to lower barriers to entry to politics at a council level and in national politics. 

Be sure to follow: 

- Mo at @Mo_Kanjilal

- Stephanie at @StephaniePriorX

- Sussex Bylines at @SussexBylines 

Thanks for listening!

This week the Bylines Network podcast comes to Yorkshire, as host Grace Pritchard speaks with Dr Pam Jarvis and Dr Stella Perrott about coercive control, a psychological technique common in the public sector for reducing opposition along the chain of command. 

With powerful anecdotes from both the public and private sector, the podcast explores what can be done to call out this practice. 

Be sure to follow Yorkshire Bylines at @YorksBylines. 

This week we revisit our Bylines Network webinar: Democracy under Fire, with Peter Jukes (Executive Editor, Byline Times), Tom Brake (Director, Unlock Democracy), Clive Lewis (Member of Parliament for Norwich South), and Natalie Bennett (Green Party peer). 

If you'd like to get in touch, be sure to email us at [email protected], we hope you enjoy!