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The Bigger Picture: Will Rwanda flights happen, the UK's influence over Israel, the smoking bill & Liz Truss's book

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Will Rwanda flights happen, the UK's influence over Israel, the smoking bill & Liz Truss's book
Political commentator Mike Indian discusses the latest delay in the Rwanda Bill, asking if the flights will ever get off the ground. In the light of Iran's drone and missile attack, he wonders how much influence the UK has, or should seek to exert, over Israel. Is the rebellion over the smoking bill about freedom or manoeuvering for post-election power? And he assesses Liz Truss's book.
Guest:

Mike Indian

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Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Demographics & public services, the truth about money & the libertarian origins of cryptocurrency

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Demographics & public services, the truth about money & the libertarian origins of cryptocurrency
Professor Tim Evans discusses the way in which an ageing population and fewer young people is creating huge problems for our economy. Money is not necessarily the answer. We are running up the down escalator and public services must be reformed. He considers an article which points out how even our top institutions and economists don't understand money and how it is lent into existence from thin air. Lastly, he recaps an article from an American think tank which points out how 1990s libertarians almost inadvertently started developing early forms of digital cash before the arrival of the internet.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans

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Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Why Sunak is so obsessed with Rwanda flights, GE polling & WASPI compensation

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Why Sunak is so obsessed with Rwanda flights, GE polling & WASPI compensation
Political commentator Mike Indian considers why Rishi Sunak is so determined to get the Rwanda deportee flights off the ground, even to the extent of claiming it is more important than being part of the ECHR. Has he simply dug himself so big a hole that he can't get out again? Mike looks at the polling for the local elections and the General Election, asking if Labour really is on course for a landslide. And he wonders whether the next government will have to pay compensation to the WASPI women, which could be a considerable sum.
Guest:

Mike Indian

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Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Insupportable state pensions, BIS warnings on state debt and NHS dissatisfaction

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Insupportable state pensions, BIS warnings on state debt and NHS dissatisfaction
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University explains why the state pension age will have to rise, and rise quite soon, even though no vote-hungry politician is brave enough to admit it. Will any of them listen to the head of the Bank of International Settlements, who has warned governments to rein in borrowing to prevent a world debt crisis? And he looks at the collapse in public satisfaction with the NHS, not just in England but also in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Where, he asks, is the political will to admit that the 1948 NHS system is no longer fit for purpose and think afresh?
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans

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Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Rwanda Bill delay, the WASPI women & Varadkar's resignation

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Rwanda Bill delay, the WASPI women & Varadkar's resignation
Political commentator Mike Indian discusses the latest delay to Rishi Sunak's Rwanda Bill, wondering if there is anybody other than him who believes that the legislation is a good idea. Instead, it is an indication of his waning authority. He looks at the Parliamentary Ombudsman's statement on the WASPI women, born in the 1950s, who lost out as the state pension age was raised. While the Ombudsman says they should get compensation the government is still refusing to comply. What will a Labour government do? And Mike lastly looks at the surprise resignation of Leo Varadkar as Irish PM, despite still being young and energetic. He sees it as an indication of just how tough political life can be.
Guest:

Mike Indian

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Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Improving central government, why Britain isn't working & the forthcoming energy revolution

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Improving central government, why Britain isn't working & the forthcoming energy revolution
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University assesses the report of The Commission on the Centre of Government and its main proposals. To him, its suggestions point to running things more in the way a business is managed, with proper budgets for projects and making ministers accountable. He looks at why so many people in the UK aren't working, the effects of Covid, high taxes and healthcare problems. And he believes that the PM's U-turn on gas plants recognises that wind and solar can't do it all. But, on the horizon, nuclear fusion suddenly looks an imminent reality, which will have profound implications, not just for energy but also for geopolitics.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans

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Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Hunt's Budget, a Trump v Biden rematch and the Rochdale by-election

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Hunt's Budget, a Trump v Biden rematch and the Rochdale by-election
Mike Indian reflects upon this week's Budget from Jeremy Hunt, which was much signposted in advance. He doesn't feel it indicates there will be an early election, finding no clear vision from the Chancellor. With Hunt copying some Labour ideas, the tax base could be squeezed even further under Labour, even if Rachel Reeves may not admit it in advance. Mike looks at the probability of there being a Trump v Biden rematch after Super Tuesday. The possibility of Trump becoming President again could be a problem for NATO and Ukraine, though neither is likely to be a close friend of Britain. He also discusses the Rochdale by-election, with George Galloway returning to Parliament. It's a contest that, he feels, highlighted the weakness in the selection process for prospective MPs.
Guest:

Mike Indian

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Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Private space enterprise, NHS hidden waiting lists & Eurozone problems

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Private space enterprise, NHS hidden waiting lists & Eurozone problems
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University turns his eyes skyward to marvel at the boom in private space enterprise, with the space industry now worth around $400bn. He finds it a source of optimism, feeling that it will be transformative in the future with great benefit for mankind. He is shocked by research showing that the true NHS waiting list figure is not 7m, which measures people waiting for their first treatment, but something approaching 20m. This, despite the fact that 40% of all government spending goes on the NHS. Lastly, he looks at the financial stresses of the Eurozone, with the Bundesbank losing money and its reserves collapsing. While the Euro may look a success, he says, there are serious fissures and fractures in the system.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans

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Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: The Speaker & The Commons, The Post Office Scandal & Alexei Navalny

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: The Speaker & The Commons, The Post Office Scandal & Alexei Navalny
Politicial commentator Mike Indian discusses the uproar in the Commons over Gaza amendments which has damaged Speaker Lindsay Hoyle's hitherto high reputation. Party politics has once more trumped meaningful debate in a world where MPs are increasingly seen as being targets. Mike asks if this was a face-saving exercise for the Labour leadership and assesses what it means for the Speaker. He also returns to the Post Office Horizon Scandal and questions whether public-owned bodies providing key services to the state like the Post Office ought to be run as businesses at all. Lastly, he turns to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. With much of the world turning towards authoritarianism, Mike feels we must cherish and strengthen our democracy.
Guest:

Mike Indian

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Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Reform UK's policies, Trump's agenda and the rise of fake scientific papers

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Reform UK's policies, Trump's agenda and the rise of fake scientific papers
Rather than rely upon press reports, Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University delves into Reform UK's policies, finding no evidence of far-right attitudes but instead a mix of old-school Thatcherite ideas with socialist control. He suspects some ideas could be appropriated by other parties. Donald Trump's Agenda 47 baffled him more, being a smorgasbord combining centre-left ideas on welfare with more nationalistic, protectionist policies. By offering something for almost everyone, he may have a broader base than previously. Tim is very concerned about the rise of thousands of fraudulent scientific papers, with 10,000 believed to have been retracted last year alone. This black economy, driven in large part from China, India, Iran and Russia, could prove extremely dangerous in the scientific arena.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans

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