The Why? Curve

Holiday islands burning, global temperature records smashed - are we fast reaching a point-of-no-return in the consequences of climate change? Is it still realistic to try to keep the world’s temperature increase to 1.5C? Or, as public opinion in some places shifts against curbing emissions from old cars, is the political will fading to make hard choices? Tim Lenton, founder of the Global Systems Institute and Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science at the University of Exeter, tells Phil and Roger what’s still possible to curb the effects of global warming.

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Why is the UK trailing the rest of the developed economies when it comes to growth and the post-Covid recovery? Why is our inflation higher, our investment lower, and our prospects gloomier? Is it poor leadership, or just the nature of an economy too slow to adapt to the modern world? Or is it just Brexit? Simon French, managing editor, chief economist and head of research at Panmure Gordon, tells Phil and Roger where it has gone wrong for UK PLC, and what needs to happen to reverse that.

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The coup that wasn't. The mutiny that failed. What happened when the leader of the Wagner mercenary group attempted to march on Moscow? And what happens now? Is Vladimir Putin fatally weakened? Is the Ukraine war closer to its end? Vera Tolz-Zilintekevic, Professor of Russian Studies at Manchester University, takes Phil and Roger through some pretty alarming scenarios for the year ahead.

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Is our revenue system too taxing? Are the thousands of pages of rules and regulations just an invitation to fraud and expensive accountants - with low earners left to fall into the traps set by HMRC? Or do we need to be able to take into account all the subtle nuances of modern life with allowances and exemptions to ensure a fair and equitable system? Judith Freedman is the Pinsent Mason Professor of Taxation Law and Policy at Oxford University, and she tells Phil and Roger of the simplifications that could and should be done.

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Is there any honour in the honours system? Boris Johnson's resignation list has again shone an embarrassing light into how and who we reward for public service. Should relatives of the prime minister and useful political allies become sirs or dames? And worse - should they get seats in the House of Lords, giving them real legislative power? When they're people whose sole claim is that they put money into the coffers of political parties, doesn't that have the whiff of bribery and corruption? Or is this all a necessary nod to vanity and snobbery, that keeps the wheels of our system working, as it has done for centuries? Imperfect certainly, but functioning? Dr Sam Power of the University of Sussex tells Phil and Roger what's gone wrong with the gongs, and what can and should be fixed. 

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Fast internet access is the key to progress, so why has the UK still got that annoying blue circle? Why have up to a million Britons logged off from their broadband over the pass year? Is there a migration to 4G on your mobile? Or is the whole system lagging badly, with outdated systems and cables? Roger and Phil are joined by Professor Peter Cochran, a technologist and futurist and formerly BT’s chief technology officer, to ry to solve the conundrum of keeping Britain reliably online

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As more and more people are diagnosed with conditions like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or Asperger’s, are we seeing an epidemic of mental ill-health? Is modern life toxic for our minds? Or are we just recognising conditions that were always there? And is it good to put medical labels on what are just aspects of being human - eccentricity or sadness? Jane Caro of the Mental Health Foundation tells Phil and Roger how greater understanding and recognition of what people are feeling can improve happiness in society.

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Despite doom-laden predictions that the UK will be a foreign-investment vacuum post- Brexit, money is still flowing into the country. The question is, is it doing any good? The last quarter saw a rise in investment in the UK’s finance sector, which might create more jobs in the city but is it going much for the real economy, or the lives of people outside London? This week Phil and Roger talk to Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator at the FT and ask what does Britain need to do to attract the sort of money that will help the economy grow.

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Liars, cheats and charlatans - we don’t have a generally rosy view of our politicians. So how much should we expect from the people we choose to govern us? Should government ministers have to come up to higher standards than we expect of ourselves? Is the Ministerial Code of Conduct - drawn up and run by the prime minister - the best way to make sure of ethics and honesty at the heart of government? Dr Catherine Haddon of the Institute for Government leads Phil and Roger through the minefield of regulating the behaviour of those we elect.

This episode is supported by Wigmore Associates, who provide portfolio management services on both a discretionary and advisory basis, together with pension, tax planning and inheritance tax advice to Individuals, Trusts, Pension Schemes, Family Offices, and Charities.

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Somewhere to call home - do you rent, own, or live with your parents? The choices are diminishing for the under 30s, and older people who own their houses are suddenly facing a massive uptick in mortgage rates. The UK has a housing crisis and it’s going to test whether a property-owning democracy is still the best model to follow. Is it a question of using tax and regulation to push house-builders and to straighten out the rental sector? Or something more fundamental? Mark Stephens, Professor of Land, Property and Urban Studies at Glasgow University, tells Phil and Roger this is a real crisis and needs real and urgent solutions.

This episode is supported by Wigmore Associates, who provide portfolio management services on both a discretionary and advisory basis, together with pension, tax planning and inheritance tax advice to Individuals, Trusts, Pension Schemes, Family Offices, and Charities.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.