The Why? Curve

By Phil Dobbie

Each week Phil Dobbie and Roger Hearing get to grips with one issue that impacts our lives. It could be economic, social, technological or geopolitical. Whatever the subject, they'll talk to the exper... more

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FAQs about The Why? Curve:

How many episodes does The Why? Curve have?

The podcast currently has 157 episodes available.

The Why? Curve episodes:

May 29, 2025 Tanks, Troops or Drones? Spending the Defence Bonanza
Billions in new spending for the UK’s defence, but how to spend it? Does Britain need more soldiers? More shells for artillery? More tanks? Or are drones the future of warfare? What has Ukraine’s war against Russia told us about what weapons we need to stand up to Putin? Dr Bence Nemeth, co-founder of the Centre for Defence Economics and Management at Kings College London, tells Phil and Roger what’s needed, and what’s affordable.
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42min
May 22, 2025 Migrants - Not The Issue They Think It Is
Keir Starmer has launched his bid to claim back migration policy from the right - talking about the UK becoming an “island of strangers” unless the number of incomers is slashed. But is he correct that this is at the top of voters’ list of concerns? Is tackling this what will win back the Red Wall? Do most Britons really want big cuts in the number of immigrants? Claire Kumar, senior researcher at ODI Global, tells Phil and Roger about her findings suggesting attitudes towards migration across the UK very different from those in snap opinion polls and tabloid headlines.
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37min
May 15, 2025 India-Pakistan: Endless Enmity?
The confrontation between the two south Asian neighbours this month seems to have been resolved into a ceasefire. It is almost certainly only a pause of conflict, in a toxic relationship that has lasted since 1947. And the stakes have risen - both nations now have their finger on the nuclear trigger. That’s why the world shudders when New Delhi and Islamabad launch a new session of vituperation or actual violence. So can the nations find a way to live together harmoniously? Phil and Roger ask Kate Sullivan de Estrada, Associate Professor in the International Relations of South Asia at Oxford University.
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31min
May 08, 2025 Ukraine - Does The US Now Have Skin In The Game?
The minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv is pretty opaque, but does it at least give the Trump administration a reason to stick with Ukraine? Or will the president just walk away from the whole crisis, as he has threatened? And can Kyiv keep the war going with just help from the Western European nations? Plus - why is Putin so opposed to a long ceasefire, when it could give him the chance to rearm and reset his forces? Phil and Roger put all this to Dr Stephen Hall, assistant professor of Russians and Post-Soviet Politics at the University of Bath
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41min
May 01, 2025 Conclave Consensus - Choosing A New Pope
The leader of 1.4 billion Catholics is about to be decided by 132 men in red hats, locked away in a renaissance chapel beneath one of the greatest artworks in human history. The conclave of cardinals is supposed to be guided in its choice by the Holy Spirit, it will there also be some very secular political concerns dictating their votes? Do they want to continue Pope Francis’ progressive agenda, or, in the light of the conservative mood across the Atlantic, revert to more traditional positions on immigration, the plight of the poor and inclusion of minorities? Dr Sara Silvestri, senior lecturer in religion and international politics at City St George’s, tells Phil and Roger the church needs a conciliator as the new pope.
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42min
April 25, 2025 Reform Revolution?
Local elections are usually a yawn, but the results next week could overturn the political geography of the UK. Will Reform, riding high in the polls, cause a Tory meltdown, unseating Kemi Badenoch? Will it suggest it’s more than just a protest party, and one that could be a contender for government? And what will happen when it leads councils and has to make actual policy decisions? Rohan McWilliam, senior lecturer in History at Anglia Ruskin University, and author of Popular Politics, lays out the prospects for Phil and Roger.
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36min
April 17, 2025 Show me where to put the money
Anyone with money faces a dilemma right now. Where do you invest it? Historically it’s been quite simple. If you are prepared to take risks, buy shares. If you want to play it safe, buy government bonds because, although the returns can be quite slim, you know major economies, like the US, will always repay their debt. But now bonds aren’t such a safe choice.

Last week Donald Trump did a u-turn on his highest tariff levels because US government bonds were being sold off, pushing up the interest the government has to pay to attract buyers. In short, the cost of servicing debt was sky-rocketing for the US government.

It was a pivotal moment. Simon French, Chief Economist and Head of Research at Panmure Liberu, describes how there’s less confidence in US net now and investors are looking to Europe as a safer place to see a return on their investments.
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33min
April 10, 2025 The White House Ruled by Pathocracy
The most powerful man in the world doesn't listen to advice, makes up facts, changes his mind on a whim, thinks he was sent by God to save the USA, and loves nothing better than flattery - is he a classic malignant narcissist? Does the man with his finger on the nuclear trigger also have a personality disorder? Dr Steve Taylor, senior lecturer in psychology at Leeds Beckett University and author of "Disconnected: The Roots of Human Cruelty", tells Phil and Roger that the US may now be subject to a "pathocracy" and what that might mean for those trying to deal with Donald Trump's America.
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37min
April 03, 2025 The Return of Toxic Masculinity
Is the pendulum swinging back against gender equality, with aggression and misogyny encouraged by influencers and populist leaders championing traditional roles and behaviour? Is the rise in attacks on women a symptom of this? Is there a risk of young men being drawn to a masculinity that glorifies violence, and gives them a role and purpose they lack? Phil and Roger explore all this with Dr Elizabeth Pearson of Royal Holloway University of London, author of “Extreme Britain: Gender, Masculinity and Radicalisation in Britain.”
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46min
March 27, 2025 Time to Shrink the State?
Is the state too big? As Rachel Reeves announces cuts in welfare and civil servants, is it a recognition that the administration of the UK needs to slim down? Is there inefficiency and capacity we can’t afford? Does the UK need a US-style purge of government jobs? Or does that risk harm to those who depend on state-support for genuine need? Phil and Roger ask Patrick Diamond, Professor in Public Policy at Queen Mary University of London
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45min

FAQs about The Why? Curve:

How many episodes does The Why? Curve have?

The podcast currently has 157 episodes available.

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