What do the thirty bills in that very brief Queen’s Speech tell us about No.10’s true priorities, and whatever happened to social care? How is this delivery-obsessed Government doing against its 2019 manifesto commitments? Plus LATIKA BOURKE, a London-based journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, joins us to look at Australia’s draconian but hugely popular COVID response – and its strangely slothful vaccination effort. What can Britain learn from the way Australia tackled Coronavirus?

• “Economically this Queen’s Speech was disappointing… It’s as if nothing has changed since January 2020.” – Giles Wilkes

• “I’m always amused by this ‘manifesto commitment’ idea you have in the UK, and the idea that governments might keep their promises…” – Latika Bourke

• “I’d like to see what Conservative Party this is. Are they going to deregulate, or invest… or have they found some Third Way?” – Giles Wilkes

• “In Australia, this pandemic feels like something that’s happening to other people somewhere else.” – Sarah Nickson

• “Australia’s isolationist COVID response will damage Australia’s soft power around the world. It’s as if we’ve shirked our responsibilities to the world.” – Latika Bourke 

Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Giles Wilkes and Sarah Nickson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Inside Briefing is a Podmasters Production for the IfG. 

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