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  • The Bigger Picture: Lord Mandelson, Angela Rayner & the deputy leadership election

    The Bigger Picture: Lord Mandelson, Angela Rayner & the deputy leadership election
    2025/09/11
    Political commentator Mike Indian wonders why the revelations about Lord Mandelson weren't caught in the vetting process but his sacking tops a bad week for the Prime Minister. Mike says that Angela Rayner will be missed: she spoke to Labour voters who Starmer can't reach. Mike expects she will return to the cabinet within a year or so and may yet end up as the party's leader. The PM needs a deputy leadership election like a hole in the head as it will allow grievances to be aired; some are calling it a referendum on his performance. Mike also summarises what he feels should be in the autumn Budget. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    19 分
  • The Bigger Picture: Graham Linehan's arrest, anarcho-capitalism & has the Tory party died?

    The Bigger Picture: Graham Linehan's arrest, anarcho-capitalism & has the Tory party died?
    2025/09/04
    After the arrest of comedian Graham Linehan for social media comments, Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University says we cannot go on behaving like this and expect our firends in the United States to go on supporting us in our quest for a free sociey. We are humiliating ourselves internationally and spiralling into a broader delegitimation crisis. Argentinian President Milei calls himself an anarcho-capitalist. But what is that? Tim explains a world of scholarship dating back over 150 years. And with the Tories so low in the polls, distrusted and in no man's land, he asks if the Conservative Party might already have died. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    27 分
  • The Bigger Picture: Starmer's latest staff changes, Reform's deportation plan & Budget rumours

    The Bigger Picture: Starmer's latest staff changes, Reform's deportation plan & Budget rumours
    2025/08/28
    With Keir Starmer replacing his PPS, the third senior member of staff to leave, political commentator Mike Indian says it gives an impression of ineffectiveness and fosters a bunker mentality at the government's heart. Now that Reform is having to put meat on the bones of policies with its deportation plan, Labour must address the small boats problem. Although the Budget will now be largely written, Mike's advice is for the Chancellor to be bold and use a wealth tax to pay down debt and encourage people to save for their grandchildren's future and help bring down the cost of living. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    27 分
  • The Bigger Picture: The cryptography row, are the Tories 5th & is the UK teetering on the edge?

    The Bigger Picture: The cryptography row, are the Tories 5th & is the UK teetering on the edge?
    2025/08/21
    Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at the increasingly farcical row over cryptography. As so often, the new bill's unintended consequence could leave the UK's young people even more susceptible to malign influences. He is fascinated by Nowcast's poll putting the Conservatives behind the Greens and SNP. Could we be returning to the 19th century conservative vs liberal political picture? And despite what some commentators say, Tim believes that the UK's current financial predicament is far worse than in the 1970s and that a bond crisis could come upon us out of the blue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    27 分
  • The Bigger Picture: The Alaskan summit, Vance in the UK & Reeves and the economy - 14 Aug 25

    The Bigger Picture: The Alaskan summit, Vance in the UK & Reeves and the economy - 14 Aug 25
    2025/08/14
    Political commentator Mike Indian worries about the outcome of the Ukraine summit in Alaska, given that Trump does not see Russia as the aggressor while Zelenksy has not been invited. With Vance's trip to the UK, we are seeing a very different relationship than other recent US presidencies, one where the American government appears genuinely interested in Britain. Rachel Reeves will be glad that UK growth is stronger than expected. But she must still raise revenue in the Autumn budget and it's looking increasingly likely that there will be massive changes to Inheritance Tax. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    26 分
  • The Bigger Picture: Labour is digging an ever-bigger economic hole, the strategic errors of the EU & the slow extinction of the human race

    The Bigger Picture: Labour is digging an ever-bigger economic hole, the strategic errors of the EU & the slow extinction of the human race
    2025/08/09
    Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University says that with Rachel Reeves facing a £50 billion black hole, he can't understand why the government is enacting or considering policies that will worsen our economic position. We are now surely in a doom loop and both Labour and Tories are making huge mistakes in carrying on with an unsustainable big state. He considers the strategic errors of the EU, which subcontracted its energy supply to Russia, its supply chains to China and its defence to China. Europe's policies are not rooted in sound economics or governance and its recent trade deal massively benefits the USA. Others may complain about Trump's tariffs but the EU has over 4,000 in force. He discusses a forthcoming book from demographer Paul Morland which claims that the human race is in danger of dying out. Despite some vigorously reproducing countries, too many are ageing and shrinking, putting pressure on welfare states and losing innovation and inventiveness. Without a massive change in course, many parts of the world are in terminal decline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    27 分
  • The Bigger Picture: Recognising Palestine, the doctors' strike, Trump's visit & migration

    The Bigger Picture: Recognising Palestine, the doctors' strike, Trump's visit & migration
    2025/07/31
    Political commentator Mike Indian discusses the move by Macron, Starmer and Carney towards recognising a Palestinian state. While largely a symbolic gesture which presents a number of complicating factors, the Netanyahu goverment is clearly losing support in the West. Discussing the doctor's strike, with a call for a 29% rise after getting 22% last year and Wes Streeting's tough language, Mike feels they may be overplaying their hand. He finds Donald Trump holding court during his UK visit fascinating but thinks Starmer is better than most leaders at handling Trump. As the ONS confirm the second highest population increase since WW2, Mike points out that without migration the population of many Western countries would fall. He finds himself deeply suspicious of the rhetoric of many politicians on the right on this topic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    20 分
  • The Bigger Picture: British politics could be changing out of all recognition

    The Bigger Picture: British politics could be changing out of all recognition
    2025/07/24
    Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University says that we are living in changeable times and that the major political parties we have known all our lives may not hold sway for much longer. Jeremy Corbyn has finally agreed to join a new hard-left party with Zara Sultana, although the name won't be announced until its first conference. Pollsters suggest 10% of voters could support it, mirroring what is happening on the right with the Conservatives and Reform. Kemi Badenoch's reshuffle is instantly forgettable and confirms something is going seriously wrong with the Tories. Meanwhile Reform remains consistently ahead of Labour and is now trying to add form and structure, building a board and ensuring it is ready for the next election, which Tim feels could be in 2028. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    27 分