Share Sounds. from The Bigger Picture

Podcast Directory


Programme: The Bigger Picture
Clear Selection

Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: BRICS & de-dollarisation, road pricing & is the NHS recruitment plan affordable?

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: BRICS & de-dollarisation, road pricing & is the NHS recruitment plan affordable?
Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at the recent BRICS meeting and the implications for the club's drive for new members and the desire for de-dollarisation for the world economy. Looking at ULEZ and other schemes in the UK, he points out that we are going back to the future, given that the Georgians had 30,000 miles of turnpike trusts. He believes that the future of driving in the UK will be road pricing. And he looks at a report which says that the NHS's plan to hire a million more staff could see the Treasury needing to find an extra £50bn by 2036, which may not be affordable. Tim feels that we are heading for a mixed economy system in health and social care.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Nadine Dorries, Labour's caution and the Republican debate

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Nadine Dorries, Labour's caution and the Republican debate
With Nadine Dorries still an MP two months after saying she was quitting, political commentator Mike Indian discusses the difficulties of removing inadequate politicians, pointing out the serious democratic deficiency. As Labour waters down its pledges on workers' rights, he laments the party's cautiousness and asks where is the distinctive offering. He looks at The first Republican Party presidential debate, worrying that it shows that politics is becoming even dirtier and uglier. And with Rishi Sunak tacitly admitting he won't meet his small boats pledge, Mike argues for a fundamental reform of our migration system.
Guest:

Mike Indian


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Ireland's resurgent economy, an essential documentary on money & the campaign against cash

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Ireland's resurgent economy, an essential documentary on money & the campaign against cash
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at the resurgence of Ireland's economy, driven by tax cuts rather than tax rises. He discusses the documentary Ex Nihilo: The Truth About Money (https://tinyurl.com/2sntvvxd), explaining how many of the West's problems are due to excess money, interest rates and debt and the resulting distortions and bubbles. Too much in the film, he says, isn't understood properly by politicians or even many economists. And he concludes by looking at some of the sinister overtones behind the campaign against cash.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: NHS waiting lists, inflation, asylum seekers & net zero

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: NHS waiting lists, inflation, asylum seekers & net zero
With NHS waiting lists reaching a record high of 7.6m, political commentator Mike Indian looks at the PM's pledges on that and on inflation, still stubbornly high. He discusses the migrant issue as the first asylum seekers arrive on the Bibby Stockholm, wondering why asylum seekers couldn't be put to work in the interim and wishing that on this, and many other issues, we could have some bigger thinking. He also looks at Net Zero and why it has become the political football of the summer.
Guest:

Mike Indian


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: The US at its most divided since Civil War, rejoining the EU & the demographic time bomb

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: The US at its most divided since Civil War, rejoining the EU & the demographic time bomb
With both probable Presidential candidates facing legal challenges, Professor Tim Evans says that America is at its most divided since the Civil War, a terrifying prospect for those who believe in democracy and the rule of law. He wonders if we might be at an inflexion point where the old order is falling apart. Tony Blair claimed that a future generation will take the UK back into the EU but is the EU what it was and will it continue to be appealing to those who opposed Brexit? And he looks at Japan's falling birth rate and ageing population and points out how similar problems are facing many other countries, with massive implications for the sustainability of the welfare state.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Alison Rose & Natwest, lessons from the by-elections & Labour dropping trans pledge

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Alison Rose & Natwest, lessons from the by-elections & Labour dropping trans pledge
Political commentator Mike Indian discusses the ramifications of Dame Alison Rose resigning as head of Natwest. Did she have to go and should the government have intervened? What are the ramifications of banks debanking customers whose views they don't like? Mike looks at the three by-election results, which show rather more than simply an all-score draw for the three main parties. He also reflects on Labour dropping its pledge on trans self-ID and considers briefly the effect that social media is having on effective politics.
Guest:

Mike Indian


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Mickey Mouse degrees, the necessity for nuclear power & the latest banking scandal

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Mickey Mouse degrees, the necessity for nuclear power & the latest banking scandal
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University thinks the PM and other politicians should avoid playing the central planner and let the increasingly dynamic education market decide which degrees are worthwhile. He feels it obvious that Britain must adopt Small Modular Reactors but wonders if politicians have the guts in the face of vocal opposition. And he is gravely concerned about the threat to free speech if banks are allowed to cancel the accounts of those whose views they disagree with.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Public Sector Pay, The Illegal Migration Bill & Joe Biden, the UK and NATO

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Public Sector Pay, The Illegal Migration Bill & Joe Biden, the UK and NATO
With junior doctors going on strike, political commentator Mike Indian ponders the answer to the UK's failing public services. After the rebuff of the Illegal Migration Bill in the House of Lords, he points out that the bill does not address the fundamental problems of migration. And he takes some positives from Joe Biden's visit to the UK and the NATO summit.
Guest:

Mike Indian


Published:
Gavin Oldham

The Bigger Picture: Treasury Select Committee Evidence Session on Inflation (abridged)

Gavin Oldham
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Treasury Select Committee Evidence Session on Inflation  (abridged)
On 5th July the Treasury Select Committee held an evidence session on the hot topic of inflation. Their witnesses included: Professor Sir Charles Bean, Professor of Economics, London School of Economics (LSE), Former member, Monetary Policy Committee, Former member, OBR Budget Responsibility Committee; Nina Skero, Chief Executive, Centre for Economics and Business Research; Stephen King, Senior Economic Adviser, HSBC; Dr Sushil Wadhwani CBE, Chief Investment Officer, PGIM Wadhwani, Former member, Monetary Policy Committee. This episode covers the first 50 minutes of the hearing and its conclusion with year-end predictions for interest rates — the full podcast is two hours long and can be accessed via https://www.shareradio.co.uk/podcasts/treasury-select-committee-evidence-session-on-inflation-full-length-07-jul-23/PodcastPlayer

Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Will opinions about the EU switch, failing water companies & is the NHS about to hit a point of no return?

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Will opinions about the EU switch, failing water companies & is the NHS about to hit a point of no return?
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University suggests that, with the trend in Europe towards nationalist populism and harsher immigration policies, opinions in the UK towards the EU from each political wing may switch, as they have done before. With Thames Water in dire staits, why are natural monopolies failures whether run by the state or privately and what can be done? And with the problems of the NHS deepening, is it about to hit the point of no return?
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published: