Eleven Conservative MPs rebelled against their own party on Wednesday night to force the government to give Parliament a final vote on any Brexit deal. This week we’re looking at what this means for the process of leaving the EU, but also what it says about the weakness of Theresa May. Plus we ask how much responsibility social media companies should have for removing offensive content, we look back on 2017, and we make some bold – in some cases very bold – predictions for 2018. It’s all coming up on the final Update The State podcast of the year!

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DUP leader Arlene Foster threw a spanner in the works of Brexit negotiations on Monday by essentially vetoing the proposed deal on the Irish border. What does it say about Theresa May and the UK government that they can be so easily thwarted, and how can any of this end well for the prime minister? Plus we’re discussing the US policy change on the status of Jerusalem, the battle for the soul of the Labour Party, and Time Magazine’s choice for Person of the Year. All of that coming up on this week’s Update The State podcast.

(Please note that today’s episode was recorded on Thursday night, prior to Friday’s apparent breakthrough in Brexit talks – but we think many of the points discussed about Theresa May’s weak position and the dilemmas facing Britain as it negotiates its exit from the EU are still entirely relevant, so we’ve left the episode in its original form.)

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(c) Update The State 2017. All rights reserved.

WARNING: UNAUTHORISED USE OF THE MUSIC CONTAINED IN THIS PRODUCTION IS SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

All copyrights, licensing, duplication and distribution rights for the music are held exclusively by Music Bakery Publishing (BMI).

Donald Trump peddled fake news of his own this week, re-tweeting unverified videos from the far right which claimed to show atrocities committed by Muslims. But as Downing Street issues only a muted rebuke of the president, we ponder what it would take for the UK government to get tough on Trump. Plus we’re asking whether Tim Farron is right that Christians are now scorned by liberals, whether Britain has capitulated in Brexit negotiations, and the biggest question of the week: why aren’t we getting a day off for the royal wedding? All that coming up on this week’s Update The State podcast.

You can now get us on Soundcloud (http://bit.ly/2gT6ujn) and iTunes (http://apple.co/2xaV5l8). Please like, share and subscribe! And check out our blog site at www.updatethestate.org.

(c) Update The State 2017. All rights reserved.

WARNING: UNAUTHORISED USE OF THE MUSIC CONTAINED IN THIS PRODUCTION IS SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

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Chancellor Philip Hammond’s Budget was well-received by Conservative MPs on Wednesday, despite being made against a backdrop of gloomy economic forecasts. Opponents said that few of his announcements went far enough on issues like stamp duty, house-building and universal credit. But did he do enough to steady the ship of a government that has recently seemed to be increasingly in turmoil? Plus we’re discussing the fall of Robert Mugabe, a worrying new report about graduates’ job prospects, and asking whether using gender-neutral terms to address schoolkids is a step too far. It’s all coming up on this week’s Update The State podcast!

You can now get us on Soundcloud (http://bit.ly/2gT6ujn) and iTunes (http://apple.co/2xaV5l8). Please like, share and subscribe! And check out our blog site at www.updatethestate.org.

(c) Update The State 2017. All rights reserved.

WARNING: UNAUTHORISED USE OF THE MUSIC CONTAINED IN THIS PRODUCTION IS SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

All copyrights, licensing, duplication and distribution rights for the music are held exclusively by Music Bakery Publishing (BMI).

The United Nations has described the current crisis in Burma as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” – but neither they nor any of the world’s major governments are prepared to use the word “genocide” in describing the situation. This week we ask why not, and whether the world is doing enough about this ongoing human tragedy. Plus, with allegations of racism by a Labour MP being denied by major party figures, is it fair to say that the left thinks it has a monopoly on morality? All of that plus the latest on Brexit and a Budget preview, coming up on the Update The State podcast.

The New Statesman article by Stephen Bush mentioned in this episode can be found at http://bit.ly/2A1T2F4.

You can now get us on Soundcloud (http://bit.ly/2gT6ujn) and iTunes (http://apple.co/2xaV5l8). Please like, share and subscribe! And check out our blog site at www.updatethestate.org.

(c) Update The State 2017. All rights reserved.

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The Paradise Papers - a huge leak of documents about offshore financial activities – has raised a barrage of questions about the activities of corporations, super-rich individuals and even the royal family. This week we’re discussing whether Prince Charles in particular should apologise for his private estate’s dealings, and we’re asking what can and should be changed to make sure everyone pays their fair share of tax. Plus, as Theresa May loses her second cabinet minister in a week, how much longer can this chaos continue at the heart of government? All that and more coming up on a jam-packed episode of the Update The State podcast.

Prem Sikka’s article about tax avoidance, mentioned in this episode, can be found at http://bit.ly/2znuLbF.

You can now get us on Soundcloud (http://bit.ly/2gT6ujn) and iTunes (http://apple.co/2xaV5l8). Please like, share and subscribe! And check out our blog site at www.updatethestate.org.

(c) Update The State 2017. All rights reserved.

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The sexual harassment scandal in British politics continued to gather pace this week as a leaked Tory spreadsheet and shocking claims by two female Labour activists have left Westminster shaken to its core. Now the Defence Secretary has become the first – but possibly not the last – high profile figure to resign, leading us to ask just how serious this crisis might become. Plus we’ve got the latest on Brexit, and as Bonfire Night approaches we discuss whether the tradition of burning a Catholic effigy in 2017 is a bit… you know, awkward. All of that and more on this week’s Update The State podcast.

You can now get us on Soundcloud (http://bit.ly/2gT6ujn) and iTunes (http://apple.co/2xaV5l8). Please like, share and subscribe! And check out our blog site at www.updatethestate.org.

(c) Update The State 2017. All rights reserved.

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The scandal surrounding Labour MP Jared O’Mara has been the talk of Westminster this week. Today we look at the problems of misogyny, harassment and sexual abuse both in politics and in our society as a whole, and ask whether perpetrators should ever be given a second chance. Plus, as Donald Trump and others threaten democratic norms, we ask why so few politicians show the courage that this moment in history requires. All that and more on this week’s Update The State podcast.

You can now get us on Soundcloud (http://bit.ly/2gT6ujn) and iTunes (http://apple.co/2xaV5l8). Please like, share and subscribe! And check out our blog site at www.updatethestate.org.

(c) Update The State 2017. All rights reserved.

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In the past week the Home Office has reported a surge in hate crime and the head of MI5 has described the terror threat facing the UK as unprecedented. Meanwhile a Pew worldwide survey reports worryingly high levels of support for non-democratic forms of government. What can governments and citizens do to reverse these alarming trends? These are the big questions up for discussion on this episode, but of course we also spend some time moaning about the state of the Brexit negotiations. All of that and more coming up on Update The State!

You can now get us on Soundcloud (http://bit.ly/2gT6ujn) and iTunes (http://apple.co/2xaV5l8). Please like, share and subscribe!

(c) Update The State 2017. All rights reserved.

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Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon still has her sights set on another independence referendum, but with the appetite for another vote fading among Scottish voters, we ask whether the moment seems to have passed for the SNP. Plus, before that, we take a look at what no deal in the Brexit negotiations would really mean, we reflect on the renewed warnings this week about a crisis in the NHS, and we ask why on Earth Nick Clegg has been telling people to join Labour! All of that coming up this week on Update The State.

(c) Update The State 2017. All rights reserved.

WARNING: UNAUTHORISED USE OF THE MUSIC CONTAINED IN THIS PRODUCTION IS SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

All copyrights, licensing, duplication and distribution rights for the music are held exclusively by Music Bakery Publishing (BMI).