The Why? Curve

By Phil DobbieSociety & Culture Business News

The Why? Curve episodes

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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42 min
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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35 min
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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37 min
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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33 min
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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41 min
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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39 min
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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38 min
June 23, 2022 Britain hits the buffers!
The largest rail strike in 30 years is crippling the train network, causing disruption for millions as tens of thousands of staff walk out, demanding more money and better conditions. But is this a wider issue than a simple industrial dispute? After all, even in normal times we rarely stop moaning about late-running and ticket prices, and comparisons with trains in Germany and France leave us looking as if we’ve been backed into a siding. Today Phil and Roger hear from Christian Wolmar, whose new book 'British Rail' makes the case for re-nationalisation of the nation’s railways. What’s the destination for Britain’s trains? How do we get there? And will we arrive in time to make us all revert to public transport, as the risks of climate change mean we all need to park our cars and climb aboard a train?
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38 min
June 16, 2022 The recession we have to have
Today the Bank of England lifted interest rates again, for the fifth time in a row. Earlier this week interest rates in the US were raised by 0.75%, with much to follow. The reason for the hikes? It’s because inflation is shooting up, largely because of supply chain problems resulting from the war in Ukraine and COVID lockdowns in China. We’re also seeing a shortage of people to fill jobs, giving more people the opportunity to push for higher wages. How will raising interest rates fix those problems? Today Phil and Roger get Kallum Pickering, Senior Economist at Berenberg Bank in London, to explain how he sees monetary policy working in today’s unique set of circumstances. Is a recession an inevitable consequence? In fact, is it necessary if we are to curb inflation? To paraphrase Paul Keating, the Australian Prime Minister in the late nineties, is this going to be the recession we have to have?
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33 min
June 09, 2022 Three Big Questions on the Rwanda Solution
The first batch of asylum seekers to be sent to Rwanda are due to fly out next Tuesday. There are likely to be delays, possibly indefinitely, as lawyers challenge the legality of the government’s plans to send those who arrive by boat offshore to Rwanda, with no right to claim asylum in the UK. In this first edition of ‘The Why? Curve’ Roger Hearing says the question of legality is one issue – there’s also the question of whether it’s ethical, and whether it’ll work. Phil Dobbie says the Australian experience of offshoring hasn’t been the success many are suggesting, whilst Mr Alp Mehmet, chair of Migration Watch UK, says something has to be done and it’s one part of a larger package of measures needed to dissuade people from risking their lives crossing the channel from France. Perhaps the ultimate question is, if it isn’t going to work, if if it isn’t going to stop people smugglers ferrying asylum seekers across the Channel, why do it?
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33 min

About The Why? Curve

From the publisher's feed

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…