The Why? Curve

A blue deluge - the Democrats broke past even their highest expectations in the midterm elections. But what difference will it make? President Trump is still in the White House, and he can veto any new laws and direct foreign policy over the next two years. And how does it affect the prospects for the presidential race in 2028? Phil and Roger get analysis from Dr Andrew Proctor of UCL's Institute For The Americas Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The first UK budget under Andy Burnham was, by most accounts, pretty underwhelming. So is all the big stuff being kicked into next year in the hope of better times? Or are the problems of huge and expensive government debt, and a weighty benefits bill, plus stagnant household incomes, simply unmanageable for a Labour administration? Phil and Roger ask Paul Johnson, former director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies, now Provost of The Queen’s College, Oxford, and senior adviser at Frontier Economics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it time for the UK, Europe, Canada and others to stop trying to keep up with the latest irrational policy change from the White House? If the US is an unreliable ally, is it time to make other arrangements? Or is Washington still too dominant economically, technologically and militarily to walk away from? Phil and Roger ask Paul Whiteley, Professor of Government at the university of Essex. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is social media on the way out? Are interactions with AI replacing the connections with friends and followers through Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok? New data suggests passive use of platforms - being shown ‘For You’ recommendations - is changing the way we engage, and the social part of social media is fading away. Could this be a good thing, if the bullying and angry intimidation also fades? Or is there a risk we will just end up talking to machines that tell us what we want to hear? Richard Rogers, Professor of New Media and Digital Culture at the University of Amsterdam, tells Phil and Roger how the landscape is changing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Greens have caused outrage by voting that Zionism is racism. Three years after the October 7 attacks in Israel, opinion is sharply polarised, and antisemitism is on the rise, while there seems to be no relief for Palestinians in Gaza or in the West Bank. So what IS Zionism? Has its meaning changed since it began in the late nineteenth century? Does it still make sense to have a state defined by one people? Or is that the only way Jews can feel safe in a hostile world? Dr Matthew Bolton, of the School of Law, Queen Mary University of London tells Phil and Roger Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.