The Why? Curve

How do you deal with the world's second largest economy when it seem to be intent on spying in the UK, persecuting dissidents here, and hacking into our computer systems? Is the priority national security, or keeping on good terms with our third-largest trading partner at a time when we are in desperate need of economic growth? The challenges of the collapsed spy trial, and whether to give the go-ahead to a new Chinese embassy in London, have brought all these questions to the fore. So Phil and Roger got the view of George Magnus, an associate at the China Centre at Oxford University, a research associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and former chief economist of UBS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will we all soon be required to show our ID cards? The government says it wants a digital and universal ID system in place to counter illegal working and benefit fraud. It’s been tried before, and many of its opponents say it will fail again. But what is the case for ID cards? Will they solve any problems? Or are they an affront to liberty and a waste of money? Phil and Roger ask Dr Tim Holmes, lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Bangor University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The most successful political party in Europe is contemplating oblivion. The Conservatives, soundly rejected last year by voters, have a leader no-one likes, the fewest MPs in their history, and an existential threat from Reform UK’s rise. Is there a way back, as there was after 1997? Or is this the moment the Tories run out of ideas and time? Phil and Roger ask Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary, University of London, and author of “The Conservative Party After Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US president says paracetamol use can cause autism, and climate change is a giant con. A British GP tells the Reform party Covid vaccinations led to cancer in the royal family. Surveys show faith in conventional science is declining. So are fringe theories and fake medicines becoming mainstream? Is there a risk to our health and the planet as people and politicians are drawn to ideas that aren’t subject to peer review or normal standards of evidence? Phil and Roger hear from Dr Santosh Vijaykumar, associate professor of psychology at the University of Northumbria. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keir Starmer has made a point of cosying-up to President Trump - even bringing him to the UK for an unprecedented second state visit - but does it actually make any difference to relations between London and Washington? Is the UK a useful ally? A client state? Or a quaint irrelevance in a world dominated by China, Russia and India? And is the rush of tech investment any more than a way of cementing the power of US tech giants in Britain? David Hastings Dunn, Professor of International Politics at the University of Birmingham, tells Phil and Roger it’s going to be hard for the UK to stay friends with a volatile leader like Donald Trump. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whatever happened to the LibDems? The largest number of MPs for almost a century. The country’s right wing in chaos. The government in meltdown. Surely the one confident, united party should break through? But the LibDems seem to be absent. Phil and Roger speak about this to Paul Whiteley, Professor of Government at the University of Essex. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The chancellor has ten weeks to find a way to balance the books. But is she going to raise taxes - and risk harming economic growth? Or does she cut the welfare budget - and bring misery to many of those who voted her government into power? Has Keir Starmer now taken control of the process from Rachel Reeves - and these dilemmas? Kallum Pickering, Chief Economist at Peel Hunt, takes Phil and Roger through the options for November’s budget and the likely choices. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Flags are everywhere - Union Jacks and the Cross of St George going up on lamp posts, walls, street-corners and even roundabouts. Is it an attempt an intimidation by the far-right, or just a sign of patriotic spirit? Is a society that doesn’t usually wear its national identity on its sleeve, beginning to want to run it up the flagpole? And which flag? Does it depend if you feel English or British? And is all this a form of exclusion for those who don’t see themselves as either? Phil and Roger ask Michael Kenny, Professor of Public Policy at Cambridge University, and author of The Politics of English Nationhood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The anger around asylum seekers and small boat crossings is rising - and providing fuel for Reform’s surge in the polls. Governments of any colour seem unable to get control. Reform and the Tories say it’s time to withdraw from the human rights conventions that stop deportations. But, short of that, is there a way to update the rules, while still safeguarding those fleeing war and persecution? Phil and Roger ask Bernard Ryan, Professor of Migration Law at Leicester University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lots of high-level diplomacy - handshakes for European leaders in the White House, the red-carpet for Putin in Alaska - but does any of this bring the end of fighting closer? Will a Russia/Ukraine summit ever take place? Can Zelenskyy get real guarantees of future security for his country? Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security at Birmingham University, tells Phil and Roger he doesn’t have confidence Donald Trump can bring about peace in Ukraine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scenes few had expected in the UK - retired vicars carried away by the police for holding up a poster saying “I support Palestine Action”. The banning of the group by the Home Secretary has led to mass protest and mass arrests, the police and courts overwhelmed by dealing with those who do not accept that direct action and criminal damage constitute terrorism. Yvette Cooper says she has evidence it is NOT a non-violent group and it is right to bracket it with Al Qaeda and ISIS, but many, even in her own party, aren’t convinced. So where does the law stand on this? Is the terrorist label a way of suppressing legitimate protest? Or a reasonable and just way to deal with those committed to unlawful actions in support of a cause? Phil and Roger ask David Mead, Professor of UK Human Rights Law at the University of East Anglia Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rage is on the rise. On social media, on our roads, outside migrant hotels - things are getting under our skin that once would have caused mild irritation, and now lead to blind fury. Are we a more aggressive society? Or do we just feel more able to express it? Or are there more things to be angry about? Dr Nadja Heym is associate professor in Personality Psychology and Psychopathology at Nottingham Trent University, and she tells Phil and Roger the boundaries of acceptable anger seem to be changing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump can’t escape the shadow of Jeffrey Epstein, and he seems to have fallen out with many of his closest supporters over the failure to disclose the Epstein files. So, after 6 months of whirlwind policy making and broad success, are cracks beginning to appear in MAGA? Is he rather too involved in the foreign wars his base wanted to get shot of? Are the tariff policies going to mean fewer and more expensive items on supermarket shelves? Dr James D Boys is a senior research fellow at University College London Centre on US Politics and he tells Phil and Roger why he thinks MAGA will still stick with Trump. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are committees of randomly-selected amateurs the best way to decide someone’s guilt or innocence? As the government studies a report that recommends the right to jury trial be restricted further, to ease the court backlog, is there a case for changing the justice system further? There have been many severe and tragic cases of people being wrongfully convicted by juries over recent years, and claims jurors have not understood the evidence. Or are juries a tried and tested part of our democracy, a bulwark against judges and laws that are out-of-touch? Phil and Roger examine the evidence from Dr Lee John Curley, lecturer in applied psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University and a specialist in juror decision-making Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Far away from the headlines, a war is raging in Africa that has taken at least 150,000 lives, has displaced 12 million people from their homes, and created what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Sudan is being fought over by two armies, with rape, bombardment of civilian areas and massacres a normal part of the conflict. There are no major peace initiatives and there is little aid getting in. The world has largely shrugged and turned its back. Justin Willis, Professor of Modern African History at Durham University tells Phil and Roger about the human cost and the prospects for an end to the Sudan civil war. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did it all go so wrong for the Labour government? A massive majority of MPs, and a country yearning for change, but now, a year on: rock-bottom poll numbers and a seeming inability to get bills through parliament. Can Labour learn and improve? Can they roll back the growing disenchantment with both the main parties? Can they get some wins? Robert Ford, Professor of Political Science at the University of Manchester, tells Phil and Roger they need to improve their messaging and make some courageous decisions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has the rise of new weight-loss drugs become a game-changer for the obesity crisis?Can we all now inject ourselves thin? Will restaurants and gyms go out of business as we don’t want to eat, and don’t need to exercise? The drugs are becoming available on the NHS and will soon be in pill form - and they seem to be safe. But does the medical treatment ignore the complex social and economic background to obesity? Phil and Roger ask Dr Martin Whyte, associate professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Surrey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why is it that we can't seem to run a railway project that's on time or affordable? Why do our trains also fail to turn up or charge reasonably? Is nationalisation going to make difference. Phil and Roger ask Paul Plummer, Professor in Rail Strategy, and Director of University of Birmingham Centre for Rail Research & Education,. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The conflict between Israel and Iran shows no sign of easing and the threat of US involvement has heightened concerns about a war that is rapidly getting out of control. How does this end? Can Iran be forced away from building a nuclear bomb? Can Israel be reassured about its security? Is there a way to de-escalate when none of those involved seem to want that? Phil and Roger quiz Simon Mabon, Professor of International Politics at the University of Lancaster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More than a quarter of UK voters back a party that’s only got 5 MPs. Labour won a stonking majority in parliament last year with just over a third of the vote. What’s happening to our democracy? Does the system still work? Or is the social media-fuelled clamour for instant policy-fixes not suited to going to the ballot box once every five years? Is autocracy becoming more attractive to voters who want efficiency in government? Phil and Roger get the views of Scott Williamson, associate professor in Comparative Political Economy at Oxford University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.