The Why? Curve

On the edge of global conflict - the world held its breath as Israel and Iran attacked each other directly for the first time. But have we really stepped back from the brink? There’s no end in sight to the bloodshed in Gaza, and anger is building globally over the lack of progress in bringing in aid. Can a wider conflict be avoided, with the risks to oil prices and trade routes? Hasan Alhasan, senior fellow for Middle East Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, guides Phil and Roger around the flashpoints in the world’s most troubled region. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Growth in our economy - that’s what politicians tell us we need. But do we? And what sort of growth? And won’t that just hurt the planet even further? Is expanding GDP the only way to keep us all happy and comfortable? Daniel Susskind, Professor of Economics at King’s College, London, gives Phil and Roger his view - that growth IS necessary, but the sort of growth that recognises more than just economic priorities  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A dictator set to succeed in grabbing another sovereign nation, and challenging, with tanks and missiles, the political landscape of Europe - is this, as the Polish prime minister says, our 1939? Should the West be ready for the collapse of an arms-starved Ukraine, and a victorious Vladimir Putin poised to challenge NATO right on its borders? If Donald Trump wins the US election this year, will reliance on Washington no longer be an option for halting Russia’s expansion? David Galbreath, Professor of War and Technology at the University of Bath gives Phil and Roger his analysis of the crisis ahead Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Populist parties are gaining ground - Reform in Britain looks likely to be a major challenge for the Tories. And Donald Trump's MAGA movement looks set to propel him into the White House in November. Across Europe, too, and in Brazil, the Philippines and Turkey, we have seen the rise of groups appearing to take on the establishment on behalf of the people. So what IS populism? Why does it seem to have such a hold on our current politics? And what are the risks of government based on antagonism and fear? Andy Knott , a senior lecturer in politics and philosophy at the University of Brighton, tells Phil about the roots and consequences of populism.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s happened to electric cars? Weren’t we all supposed to be driving one by now? Is it the cost, the range or the lack of charging points? Is the government still on track to phase out new petrol cars, and reach net zero on emissions? Tom Stacey of Anglia Ruskin University steers Phil and Roger through the complexities of electrifying the driving experience for all of us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our prisons are at breaking point - too many inmates and not enough cells. How did we get to the point of having more a higher proportion of the population behind bars than any other country in Western Europe? Why do politicians promise “tough on crime” sentences, without providing the means to deliver that? And does prison work, anyway? More than half of those who serve short sentences, go on to be convicted again. Mark Day, deputy director of the Prison Reform Trust takes Phil and Roger through the challenges of sorting out our out-of-control system of incarceration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when the bins aren't collected, the roads are full of holes and the libraries are shut - because the council's gone bankrupt? That's the dilemma facing local government. Europe's largest local authority, Birmingham, has just issued a notice saying it's effectively gone bust. Many others have done the same or are about to. So what has gone wrong with the system? Is the way we pay for local services in dire need of reform? Professor Peter Murphy, Director of the Public Policy and Management Research Group at Nottingham Trent University, tells Phil and Roger how bad things are and what needs to change    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gaza casts a long shadow. In the midst of an economic crisis, in an election year, with transport, education and the NHS all limping along, what is the dominant subject, splitting parties and deciding by-elections? A war 2,000 miles away, over which the UK has next to no influence. Allegations of Islamophobia and anti-semitism are rife across the political spectrum. Even the normal processes of the Westminster parliament seem to be challenged by this issue. So why has the Gaza war assumed such a huge profile in UK politics? Robert Ford, Professor of Political Science at Manchester University, tells Phil and Roger how it has come to dominate our discourse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a question taxing Jeremy Hunt - cut back on what we all pay to the government, or use his small surplus to prop up schools, hospitals and other neglected public services? Is his budget intended to rescue the UK economy, or to try to lessen an imminent Tory election defeat? Frances Coppola, the economist and author of “The Case For People’s QE”, takes Phil and Roger through the chancellor’s choices and the likely consequences Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are the prospects for young people so much worse than for their parents’ generation? They can’t buy a house, their rents are extortionate, they have a massive student debt and there’s no job security, plus they’re inheriting a climate-damaged planet. Is it all down to the greed of the baby-boomers? Or are feckless, apathetic work-shy, oversensitive youngsters their own worst enemy? And what can be done to fix intergenerational inequality? Liz Emerson, CEO and co-founder of the Intergenerational Foundation, tells Phil and Roger what needs to happen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should we have the right to end our lives in the way we choose - with others allowed to help us? Euthanasia is back on the agenda after a number of celebrities pushing for a change in the law. But what about the risks - the sick and elderly feeling they are a burden to be dispensed with? The devaluing of life itself? Dr Sam Carr lecturer at the Department of Education and the Centre for Death and Society at Bath University talks to Phil and Roger about the issues surrounding assisted suicide Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump could be back in the White House this time next year. Politicians from London to Berlin to Canberra are scratching their heads about how to deal with another season of Trump World - he’s promised to end the Ukraine war in one day, threatened to leave NATO, do deals with authoritarian leaders in Beijing and Moscow. Can the familiar western democratic way of doing things survive when the most important country is led by a man who doesn’t respect those values? Dr Andrew Gawthorpe, a historian of the US at Leiden University, tells Phil and Roger what sort of storm could come from a new Trump presidency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many thousands of people are in prison for crimes they didn’t do, and their chances of getting their cases reopened are minimal at best. The Post Office scandal showed how hard it is to reverse a miscarriage of justice, even when the truth is obvious to all. The Criminal Cases Review Commission is slow and inefficient, as has been shown by recent headlines - cases decades old were finally resolved and innocent people were freed after years behind bars. So how can we make sure that the system works properly? How do we speed up the process so that people’s lives are not wasted as they are punished for something they didn’t do? Glyn Maddocks KC is a solicitor who has spent many years working to overturn miscarriages of justice. He tells Roger and Phil what needs to happen to ensure the innocent go free. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unheated classrooms, cancelled trains, delayed operations, potholed roads - it’s hard to avoid the impression that the UK isn’t working properly, that our systems are failing, that something has gone badly wrong. Is this because we have failed to invest? Have we outsourced pubic services to companies that have no interest in maintenance? Or do we have to face up to not being able to afford the kind of country we expect to live in? George Monbiot, the writer and Guardian columnist, sets out for Roger and Phil the ways the UK could be mended, and what he thinks needs to happen to end broken Britain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UK and US launched air strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen after their missile-attacks on international shipping - could this all turn into a regional conflict? London and Washington tell Iran to stay out, but its backing for Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis suggests it’s already involved. So can this be stopped from exploding into something much bigger, with an even more devastating effect on global trade? Shahin Modarres of the International Team For the Study Of Security tells Phil and Roger about the risks for all of us from this regional crisis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the biggest year in the history of democracy - more than half of the people on earth have the chance to choose, through the ballot box, who governs them. So why is democracy - the system that gives the ultimate power to the people  - in such deep trouble? Autocracies like China say their form of government works better. "Illiberal" democracies like Russia claim the countries where your vote actually counts, are weak and failing. And even beacons of democratic values like the US are caught up in threats of dictatorship and allegations of vote-rigging. Do those who say a system can't work if it's paralysed by instant popularity and short-term vote-winning, have a point? Is there something fundamentally wrong with western style of government? Natasha Lindstaet, Professor of Government at the University of Essex tells Phil and Roger why democracy is in trouble, and suggests some ways to fix it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's going to be a momentous year in British politics, with a Tory administration staggering towards what almost everyone thinks will be an electoral wipeout, and a Labour leadership desperate to avoid any mistakes on their path back to power. In Scotland the SNP are looking at the damage from a year of savage headlines, and, among the smaller parties, the LibDems and Reform are seeing the polls moving in their favour. So what can we expect from 2024? Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London takes Phil and Roger through the likely scenarios. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A look back at the highlights of 2023 on WhyCurve.com . Phil and Roger covered everything from tax-cuts to racism, from AI to Rwanda, with experts and researchers. So here's a New Year gift - their pick of the best and most insightful discussions of the past year or so.Featuring:Michele Groppi of the Defence Studies Department at King’s College, London on Israel and GazaStefan Wolff, professor of International Security at the University of Birmingham  on the endless war in UkraineTim Gardiner, senior policy fellow at the Health Foundation on ways of funding the NHSJoan Costa-i-Font, Professor of Health Economics at the London School of Economics on dealing with obesityDr Sam Power of the University of Sussex on the awarding of peeragesRobert Hazell, professor of government and the constitution at University College London on how we appoint Prime MinistersDavid Mead, professor of human rights law at the University of East Anglia on protest lawsThe FT's Martin Wolf on attracting foreign investment into the UKEconomist Francis Coppola on the benefits of government debt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The last-minute dash to the shops, the frantic hunt for something just right for your cousin…. The giving season can be tough, but has buying online changed the way we think about gifts? Is it now intangibles - experiences, subscriptions, game credits - that dominate our presents? Are we buying less of the overpriced tat that used to fill our stockings? Claire McCamley, senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Huddersfield, guides Phil and Roger through the changing world of giving Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill has passed its first hurdle - it says, as a matter of law, the East African state is “safe”. But is it? Is it a place we could confidently send those who have arrived on our shores seeking asylum, and be sure they would not be at risk? Or is it, in fact, a dictatorship with a history of persecuting and killing those who disagree with the president? Michela Wrong, a journalist who has spend decades reporting on Rwanda, and wrote the book Do Not Disturb - an account of the murder of a Rwandan opposition leader - give Phil and Roger a clear picture of just how safe Rwanda is.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.