Share Sounds. from The Bigger Picture presented by Simon Rose

Podcast Directory


Strand: Share Radio Breakfast
Programme: The Bigger Picture
Presenter: Simon Rose
Clear Selection

Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Boris Johnson's Resignation

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Boris Johnson's Resignation
Political commentator Mike Indian talked to Simon Rose at the very moment Boris Johnson announced his resignation as Prime Minister. Coping adeptly with the breaking news, Mike explained why Pincher was the straw that broke the camel's back but worried how any major government moves could be made by a caretaker PM. He considers the possibility of a major political realignment, wondering about the likelihood of Johnson retiring quietly. With a summer of leadership contests ahead, he reflects that – unlike many other nations - the UK is still a functioning democracy.
Guest:

Mike Indian


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: The Politics of Nothingness, Young Activists & Secular Britain's Rituals

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: The Politics of Nothingness, Young Activists & Secular Britain's Rituals
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University discusses the Politics of Nothingness engulfing British politics, asking where the politicians are who are principled and who have clear policies. He feels the political blancmange might be the end of an era and that there could be something revolutionary afoot in due course. He also wonders where all the young climate activists have gone and muses on how secular Britain is reviving its Christian rituals in another form in a search for meaning in our lives.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Rail strikes, inflation & interest rates and the Government's Rwanda policy

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Rail strikes, inflation & interest rates and the Government's Rwanda policy
Political commentator Mike Indian looks at this week's rail strikes, marvelling both at the Government's lack of engagement and Labour's silence on the issue. With inflation hitting a 40-year-high, he considers what policy responses are available as the prospects of stagflation loom every larger. And he looks at the Government's Rwanda policy and the proposed British Bill of Rights.
Guest:

Mike Indian


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: What is the government's vision, levelling up & the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: What is the government's vision, levelling up & the Queen's Platinum Jubilee
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University asks what the vision – if any – is of the Tory Government and worries that we are witnessing the dialogue of the deaf. He looks at the levelling-up debate and how our politics is so riven with contradictions. He reserves praise, however, for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, which he considers a masterclass in strategic communications and statecraft, an enriching series of events with something for everyone.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Are we seeing the end of the Johnson premiership?

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Are we seeing the end of the Johnson premiership?
Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the outlook for the Prime Minister in the wake of the vote of no confidence. He wonders when political gravity will take hold, thinking that the conference season could be critical. He considers who might replace Boris Johnson at the head of the Conservative Party and remarks upon the extraordinary connection between the vote and a bus stop in Parliament Square.
Guest:

Mike Indian


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: The Elizabeth Age, the Needy Being Failed by the System & NHS GP Services Collapsing

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: The Elizabeth Age, the Needy Being Failed by the System & NHS GP Services Collapsing
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University reflects upon the Second Elizabethan Age and the changes in Britain over the Queen's reign, believing we are now one of the most creative and diverse of nations. He is horrified by an article showing how the most needy in society, who will always need support, are being failed by the stringency of the system which is supposed to help them. And he is staggered by statistics showing just how near the NHS GP service is to a tipping point which could spell its collapse.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: The Sue Gray Report and Sunak's cost-of-living measures

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: The Sue Gray Report and Sunak's cost-of-living measures
Political commentator Mike Indian discusses the Sue Gray Report into Pandemic parties in Downing Street and how it reflects upon the culture there. Although he thinks that the PM might yet survive, he feels he's a two-dimensional figure in a world where 3,4 or even 5 dimensions are needed and wishes he was a student of history any later than Pericles. He also gives snap judgement on Rishi Sunak's measures to cope with the rising cost of living, the recording being made while the Chancellor was speaking.
Guest:

Mike Indian


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: Democracy on the march, groupthink at the BofE & the 1990s and culture

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: Democracy on the march, groupthink at the BofE & the 1990s and culture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University agrees with Andrew Neil that, around the world, democracy is on the march again. Putin's Ukraine invasion is actually helping to bring the rest of the world together and reconsider the attractions of autocratic rule. Tim wonders if the Bank of England is plagued by groupthink and, as a result, has boxed itself into a corner and could be about to crash the economy. And he ends by asking why modern culture is so dull in the UK and wonders whether the 1990s were the last golden cultural age.
Guest:

Professor Tim Evans


Published:
Simon Rose

The Bigger Picture: The Queen's Speech, cost of living, local elections & Northern Ireland

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture: The Queen's Speech, cost of living, local elections & Northern Ireland
Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the Queen's Speech, with the Queen herself absent. What was in it and what wasn't? He also discusses the Government's response to the growing cost-of-living crisis before turning to the recent local election results and what they might mean for the three main political parties. Lastly, he turns to Northern Ireland, where Sinn Fein emerged as the largest party; dos their success increase the prospect of a united Ireland?
Guest:

Mike Indian


Published:
Simon Rose

The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors: Are the MPC right to raise interest rates?

Simon Rose
Original Broadcast:

The Bigger Picture

The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors: Are the MPC right to raise interest rates?
Russ Mould of A J Bell looks at the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee decision to raise interest rates to 1% with a statement dampening some expectations for future sharp rises. He asks if the MPC (and the Fed) have painted themselves into a corner and wonders whether more debt should have been the answer to a debt crisis. Indeed, can 9 people in a room, however smart and well-intentioned, really set the price of money? As always, he offers advice for investors about what lies ahead.
Guest:

Russ Mould


Published: