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 194 episodes available.

The Why? Curve episodes:

September 01, 2022 The Last Days Of The BBC?
Is the national broadcaster moving towards some kind of closedown? With the likely next prime minister challenging the BBC’s accuracy, and one of its most prominent former presenters questioning its impartiality, while the frozen licence fee and inflation mean it can do less and less, is there a better model of public service broadcasting? A century after its foundation, should the corporation cede the field to the newcomers - Netflix and Disney? Patrick Barwise, emeritus professor of management and marketing at London Business School and co-author of The War Against The BBC tells Phil and Roger why, despite its problems, the BBC remains a vital part of our national life and needs all of our support.
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42min
August 25, 2022 Net Zero Chance?
The world knows we’ve got to break our addiction to fossil fuels, and we need to move to a future where we no long pollute our atmosphere. But how quickly can we reach this utopian future? How far are current worries about being able to afford to heat our homes going to delay Net Zero? Can we still enjoy the benefits of a growing economy without destroying the planet? Can we reach it quickly enough? Will we ever reach it? Phil Dobbie and Roger Hearing put all that to Professor Richard Black from the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, and find a strange optimism - he says renewable energy is paving the way, not just because of our concern for the environment, but also because it’s the most cost effective solution
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41min
August 18, 2022 Sleepwalking into a crisis
UK inflation is now in double digits. We got there faster than expected and the Bank of England is likely to keep raising interest rates because they believe that’s the only way to contain prices. Not long ago the same bankers were arguing that there was no need for a change in their monetary policy because the problem was a transitory lack of supply. That’s still the case, of course, so why do they think hiking rates will make much difference now? This week Phil and Roger talk through the build-up to Britain’s cost of living crisis, and ask why is so much reliance being placed on the Bank of England to fix the problem.
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30min
August 11, 2022 Levelling-Up Or Levelling Over?
As prices rise everywhere, and poverty looms for many, whatever happened to the levelling-up that was supposed to equalise the more-deprived parts of Britain with the wealthy southeast? Almost 3 years after Boris Johnson won a stonking majority, winning-over former Labour seats in the “Red Wall”, have those areas seen any improvement in health, transport, skills-training and opportunities? There IS a plan - a white paper launched in February - but, with one of the candidates to be the next prime minister openly talking of channelling funds back to the southeast, is there any chance the plan will be more than just hot air? Paul Swinney, director of policy and research at Centre For Cities, guides Phil and Roger around what could be done to level up Britain and the prospects of it actually happening.
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42min
August 04, 2022 Putin's Foot on the Gas
Winter is coming, and Europe is looking at a chilly one. Germans are told – take a cold shower or turn down the thermostat and use 15% less gas. And the European Commission is looking at EU-wide measures to deal with what could be a major crisis. It’s all because Russia is tightening the valves on the gas pipeline into the EU. Moscow says it’s technical problems but few doubt it’s pushback for the sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukraine invasion. Germany is especially reliant on Russian gas, but much of Europe is scurrying around to find alternative energy sources before winter arrives. How long will public sympathy for Ukraine last when the heating goes off? Will EU leaders face pressure from frozen pensioners to, maybe, compromise a little with Putin? Phil and Roger read the meters with Daniel Gros, Director of the Centre for European Policy Studies - and find out why he thinks Europe WILL get by without freezing
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35min
July 28, 2022 Fears of Flying
When did flying become such a grim experience? Endless queues. Cancelled flights. Airport chaos. And stacked like sardines when you do eventually get aboard. With Heathrow capping the number of daily passengers and tickets shooting up in price, plus the harm to the environment, is it time to disembark from flying? At the same time, with huge waits at Dover and Folkestone to get across the Channel by train or boat, do holidaymakers really have a choice? Phil and Roger put all this to independent aviation analyst Alex Macharos, who has the latest industry assessments of the future of flying and whether the changes they’re making post-Covid will keep our holiday plans in the air and give airlines and airports a safe landing.
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37min
July 21, 2022 Taxing times for Tory leadership
The Tory party leadership challenge is down to two players – Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. Sunak wants to keep taxes where they are, preaching fiscal conservatism, and fearing releasing more money into people’s pockets will only add to inflation, which is already at 9.4 percent. Truss wants to help people navigate the cost-of-living crisis, by reversing the recent hikes in national insurance. So which approach is right in the current economic climate? It’s a question Phil and Roger put to Simon French, Chief Economist at Panmure Gordon & Co. He’s no stranger to the workings of government, after a dozen years at the Department of Work and Pensions and The Cabinet Office. Is he prepared to tell us who he’d like to see inside Number 10?
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33min
July 14, 2022 Lies, Damn Lies and Politicians

Who are the least trusted people in society? Journalists? Car-sellers? Bankers?

Nope. Politicians are top of the list. And you only have to look at the headlines to see why: Partygate here, Donald Trump’s false election fraud claims in the US, the claims of WMD before the Iraq war in 2003, and of course the original “gate” – Watergate. But surely politicians have ALWAYS lied? Isn’t it just what happens when you have to persuade people to vote for you? Or have Trump and Johnson taken us into a new era of almost instinctive dishonesty? Is there grave danger in assuming our leaders are lying to us? Does it undermine democracy? Phil and Roger hear from barrister Julian Burnside how a big lie about migrants won an Australian election in 2002, from former US Congressman John Leboutillier on how dishonesty has poisoned political discourse in America, and from Professor Alan Renwick of UCL’s Constitution Unit on the risks to the UK’s democracy from the death of trust
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41min
July 07, 2022 He/She or Them? The Gen on Gender
The most toxic issue of our times – why have trans rights become such a bitter question in politics, sport, and even bathrooms? Some feminists say allowing those born biologically male to identify and be treated as female risks rolling back hard-won rights for women. Trans activists say it is a matter of human rights, and another aspect of the battle for recognition and acceptance already largely won by gay men, bisexuals, and lesbians. It’s a debate that has descended into name-calling, cancelling and threats of violence, but Phil and Roger nevertheless attempt to see if there’s a way, at least, to define the terms - what exactly do we mean by “sex” and “gender”? – and explore why there is so much anger on both sides. We get the views of the journalist Jo Bartosch who has written widely, and controversially, about the subject. Two middle-aged white men plunge into one of the most acrimonious culture battles of the 21st century. What could possibly go wrong?
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39min
June 30, 2022 Putin Gives NATO Back It’s Mojo
No longer “brain-dead”? NATO leaders have been meeting in Madrid at one of the most important - and dangerous - points in the alliance’s 70-year history. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has given NATO a new purpose, and new members, after it seemed to lose its way in the post-Cold War era. But can NATO stay united? What if Vladimir Putin offers a ceasefire that lets him keep his conquests? Will NATO members give Ukraine enough of the right weapons to hold the line against Moscow’s aggression? And what are the risks that NATO could be dragged into fighting directly with Russia. - the war it was set up to prevent? Today Phil and Roger hear from the Telegraph’s Defence and Security Editor Dominic Nicholls on the risks and likely outcomes of a confrontation that will determine the future of Europe
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38min

FAQs about The Why? Curve:

How many episodes does The Why? Curve have?

The podcast currently has 194 episodes available.

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