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Gavin Oldham

The Bigger Picture: The Budget March 2023

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: The Budget March 2023
UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt sets out his Budget for growth. This is the unabridged recording, direct from the House of Commons on 15th March 2023.

Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: The Budget, small boats legislation and the BBC & Gary Lineker

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: The Budget, small boats legislation and the BBC & Gary Lineker
Political commentator Mike Indian discusses Jeremy Hunt's Budget with Simon Rose, though he considers it more a Sunak Budget than a Hunt Budget. With little not already briefed beforehand, he feels the most important intervention for most people was the extension of free childcare. He found nothing in it, though, to galvanise the UK economy or slow Britain's comparative decline. He also remarks on the Illegal Immigration Bill, with neither main party admitting how dependent the UK is on migrant workers. Lastly, he looks at what he considers the "farcical situation" between the BBC and football pundit Gary Lineker.
Guest:

Mike Indian


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Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Has the NHS reached a tipping point, greedflation & is politics set to get more interesting?

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Has the NHS reached a tipping point, greedflation & is politics set to get more interesting?
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at research showing that 2 in 5 people have either used private health care or are considering doing so. He wonders if this means that the NHS has reached a tipping point and that the old model will soon be declared moribund. He considers the rise, role and dangers of "greedflation" and asks whether consumers are being taken for a ride. And, with Labour doing more poorly in the polls, he ponders whether the next General Election is a foregone conclusion and whether politics may be about to get interesting again.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: The immigration showdown, the Spring Budget & American isolationism

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: The immigration showdown, the Spring Budget & American isolationism
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University explains to Simon Rose why he sees an almighty showdown with the EU coming over the rule of law over UK asylum plans. He wonders if a "steady as you go" Budget might actually boost the Conservatives' electoral prospects. And, in the light of the Republican Party dividing over support for Ukraine, he discusses the long tradition of American isolationism, pointing out that the latest split is extremely worrying for NATO.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Joe Biden in N.I, Labour's attack ads & the SNP's troubles

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Joe Biden in N.I, Labour's attack ads & the SNP's troubles
Political commentator Mike Indian discusses Joe Biden's visit to Northern Ireland and why the UK needs to build other alliances rather than rely on "The Special Relationship". He laments political attack adverts and the use of racist rhetoric. And he looks at the end of Humza Yousaf's honeymoon period as the SNP's troubles continue and deepen.
Guest:

Mike Indian


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Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Johnson & Partygate, Sunak's good fortnight & the SNP's new leader

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Johnson & Partygate, Sunak's good fortnight & the SNP's new leader
Political commentator Mike Indian considers Boris Johnson's Partygate evidence and wonders if will be the end of the ex-PM's political career. He explains why he feels Rishi Sunak has had a good fortnight with his more pragmatic approach to the country's problems. And, while he believes the SNP leadership result will benefit Labour, he wonders if it will be enough.
Guest:

Mike Indian


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: The Met needs reform, public debt is out of control & Winnie the Pooh threatens Xi Jinping

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: The Met needs reform, public debt is out of control & Winnie the Pooh threatens Xi Jinping
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University says that the problems with the Metropolitan Police seem to get ever worse and that it needs root-and-branch reform, while vetting needs to be improved and standardised. With UK Government debt interest payments of £7bn a month, he asks how bad things have to get before politicians here – and elsewhere – realise the system needs a refresh. And he can't help finding it amusing that Winnie the Pooh is seen as such a threat to Xi Jinping that a film involving him has been banned in Hong Kong.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


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Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Ministerial/Civil Service relations, Joe Biden running & Sinn Fein attending the Coronation

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Ministerial/Civil Service relations, Joe Biden running & Sinn Fein attending the Coronation
In the wake of Dominic Raab's resignation and bullying allegations against the Health Secretary, political commentator Mike Indian looks at why antagonism has grown between the Government and the Civil Service? Do we even have the right sort of Civil Service for a modern Britain? He considers whether we should be worried that it's looking ever more likely that the next American Presidential Election will, again, be between Biden and Trump. And he finds it a source of optimism that Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill has said that she will attend King Charles's coronation.
Guest:

Mike Indian


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Private Armies, Is Voter ID Fair or a Scandal & Labour and Tuition Fees

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Private Armies, Is Voter ID Fair or a Scandal & Labour and Tuition Fees
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University discusses the rise of private armies and militaries such as The Wagner Group and asks what they mean for democratic accountability. Are the new rules on voter ID helping to ensure fair elections or are they a democratic scandal and a way to game democracy? And what's behind Labour's reversal of its plans to abolish tuition fees in England?
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: The UK joining the CPTPP, Finland's geopolitics & Lord Nigel Lawson

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: The UK joining the CPTPP, Finland's geopolitics & Lord Nigel Lawson
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University believes that the UK joining the Trans Pacific Partnership could be a massive boost for the country in the coming years. With Sanna Marin losing her role as Finnish PM, he considers the country's geopolitics and why the country is so impressive militarily. And he looks at the achievements of Lord Nigel Lawson following his death and the extraordinary impact he had on British politics and the economy.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


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