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The Brexit roots of the UK's Rwanda asylum plan – and why other EU leaders might want to copy it
A controversial British government plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda has been central to the UK’s response to a recent sharp increase in the number of people making the dangerous journey across the English Channel in small boats. But if the Conservative party lose the general election in early July, the Rwanda plan is likely to be abandoned.
In this episode, two experts in UK immigration policy explain how the Rwanda plan became such a crucial part of the immigration debate in the UK. And how, whatever happens in the election, it’s already shifting the wider conversation in Europe about how to deal with migrants and asylum seekers.
Featuring Nando Sigona, professor of international migration and forced displacement and director of the Institute for Research into International Migration and Superdiversity at the University of Birmingham and Michaela Benson, professor in public sociology at Lancaster University. They're both co-hosts of the Who do we think we are? podcast. This episode also includes an introduction from Avery Anapol, one of the politics team at The Conversation in the UK.
This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany with assistance from Katie Flood. Eloise Stevens does our sound design, and our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Gemma Ware is the executive editor. Full credits available here. Subscribe to a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.
- Is the Rwanda plan acting as a deterrent? Here’s what the evidence says about this approach
- Rwanda asylum deportation plan faces more delays – how did we get here?
- Bespoke humanitarian visa schemes like those for Ukraine and Hong Kong can’t replace the asylum system
- I’ve spent time with refugees in French coastal camps and they told me the government’s Rwanda plan is not putting them off coming to the UK
- More coverage of the UK general election
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Know Your Place: when did class stop predicting the way British people vote?
32:58|In an extra episode this week, we're running the first part of Know Your Place: what happened to class in British politics, a new series from The Conversation Documentaries. Host Laura Hood, senior politics editor at The Conversation in London, explores when the relationship between class and voting in the UK broke down and why. Featuring John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde and senior research fellow at the National Centre for Social Research, Paula Surridge, professor of political sociology at the University of Bristol, Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London and Geoffrey Evans, professor in the sociology of politics at the University of Oxford.Subscribe to The Conversation Documentaries to listen to the full series. Know your place is a series supported by the National Centre for Social Research. It's produced and mixed by Anouk Millet for The Conversation. This episode of The Conversation Weekly was mixed by Michelle Macklem. Full credits available here.The Conversation Documentaries, formerly The Anthill podcast, is home to in-depth audio series from The Conversation UK, a not-for-profit independent news organisation. Find out more and donate here. And consider signing up for our free daily newsletter.Further readingAge, not class, is now the biggest divide in British politics, new research confirmsBrexit identities: how Leave versus Remain replaced Conservative versus Labour affiliations of British votersUK election: Reform and Green members campaigned more online – but pounded the pavements lessWhat Israel and its neighbours want now
36:12|The Middle East is perilously close to all-out war. In the year since the October 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, millions of people have been displaced from their homes in Gaza, Israel, the West Bank and now Lebanon, and tens of thousands killed.In this episode, we speak to two experts from the Middle East, Mireille Rebeiz and Amnon Aran, to get a sense of the strategic calculations being made by both Israel and its neighbours at this frightening moment for the region. Rebeiz is chair of Middle East Studies at Dickinson College in the US and Aran is professor of International Relations, City St George's, University of London in the UK. This episode was produced by Mend Mariwany and mixed by Michelle Macklem. Full credits for this episode are available.If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen. Further reading and listening:Does Hezbollah represent Lebanon? And what impact will the death of longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah have? October 7 marks 12 months of escalation into the ‘forever war’ now engulfing the Middle EastA year of escalating conflict in the Middle East has ushered in a new era of regional displacement Inside the Oslo accords: a new podcast series marks 30 years since Israel-Palestine secret peace negotiationsHIV breakthrough in preventing infection via injection
27:13|A new drug to prevent HIV infection is showing hugely promising results in clinical trials when injected every six months.In this episode, we speak to South African HIV doctor and scientist Linda-Gail Bekker at the University of Cape Town about her involvement in one of the trials for lenacapavir and why she thinks it could be so ground-breaking. This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and sound design was by Michelle Macklem. Gemma Ware is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen.Further reading:HIV breakthrough: drug trial shows injection twice a year is 100% effective against infectionThe HIV epidemic 40 years on: 5 essential reads on breakthroughs, blind spots and new challengesHIV prevention: new injection could boost the fight, but some hurdles remainHimpathy: the psychology of why some people side with perpetrators of sexual misconduct
23:40|What makes some people more likely to feel disproportionate sympathy to people facing accusations of sexual misconduct – a concept known as himpathy? In this episode, we speak to a human behaviour expert whose research seeks to understand the psychological factors behind it.Featuring Samantha Dodson, assistant professor of organizational behaviour and human resources at the University of Calgary in Canada, and an introduction form Eleni Vlahiotis, business and economy editor at The Conversation in Canada. This episode was written and produced by Katie Flood with assistance from Mend Mariwany and sound design by Michelle Macklem. Gemma Ware is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen.Further reading:How ‘himpathy’ helps shield perpetrators of sexual misconduct from repercussionsTrump found liable for assaulting, defaming E. Jean Carroll – after a trial where he relied on a discredited myth about how women should react to rapeKavanaugh is a reminder: Accused sexual harassers get promoted anywayA lonely ancient plant needs a female partner – researchers are using drones and AI to find it
20:27|A rare and ancient plant has been waiting for its long-lost mate. The only known specimens of Encephalartos woodii, a rare and ancient species of cycad, are male, all clones of the same plant found over 100 years ago deep in a South African forest. Now a team of researchers is on a mission to find an elusive female version of the plant with the help of drones and artificial intelligence. In this episode we speak to Laura Cinti, a research fellow at the University of Southampton in the UK, about her determined quest to save the species – called the world's "loneliest" plant. The story in this episode came out of our series Plant Curious, exploring scientific studies that challenge the way you view plantlife. The episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with assistance from Katie Flood and sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation. A transcript is also available. If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen.Further reading:Searching for a female partner for the world’s ‘loneliest’ plantThe silent conversations of plantsClimate mapping can point to danger spots where new pest threatens Africa’s cycads Thirsty tomatoes emit ultrasonic sounds – and other plants may be listeningWhy mpox in Africa was ignored for too long and children are dying as a result
30:17|An epidemic of mpox in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, is spreading quickly, particularly among young children. Mpox is a serious, at times fatal, virus – and the world knows how to prevent it. There are effective vaccines stockpiled in many western countries. Yet, after an earlier global epidemic in 2022 was largely brought under control in Europe and North America, the ongoing battle to protect people in Africa from mpox was ignored. In this episode we ask a virologist and a paediatrician why Africa's mpox crisis was so neglected and what needs to happen now to save lives, particularly children's. Featuring Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu, professor of paediatric infectious diseases at the University of Minnesota in the US and Wolfgang Preiser, head of the division of medical virology at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, with an introduction from Nadine Dreyer, health and medicine editor at The Conversation Africa. This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with assistance from Katie Flood and sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen.Further reading:Mpox in the DRC: children are at high risk – health expert explains whyMpox outbreak in Africa was neglected – it could now turn into the next global pandemicMpox cases are soaring in Africa – what must be done to prevent a global pandemicAfrica desperately needs mpox vaccines. But donations from rich countries won’t fix this or the next health emergencyThe emotional toll of dating apps and why they're no longer about finding love
29:18|Dating apps are having a rocky moment, with some of the biggest struggling to attract paying users. In this episode, we hear from researchers exploring how dating apps have changed modern dating and the expectations around it. And we find out why some dating app users aren’t actually there looking for love, but keep on swiping anyway.Featuring Treena Orchard, associate professor at the School of Health Studies at Western University in Canada, and Carolina Bandinelli associate professor in media and creative industries at the University of Warwick in the UK.This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany, with assistance from Katie Flood and sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Gemma Ware is the executive producer. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.If you like the show, please consider donating to The Conversation, which is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation. And please do rate and review the show wherever you listen. If you listen on PocketCasts, they've just launched the ability to rate shows here.Further reading:Swipe right or left? How dating apps are impacting modern masculinityDating apps are accused of being ‘addictive’. What makes us keep swiping?The problems with dating apps and how they could be fixed – two relationship experts discussDating apps: Lack of regulation, oversight and competition affects quality, and millions stand to loseGeoengineering part 2: the case against reflecting sunlight to cool the Earth
31:30|In the second of two episodes on geoengineering, we hear the case against trying to reflect sunlight to cool the Earth.Solar radiation modification has attracted attention and investment in recent years as a way to potential reverse the effects of climate change, but it remains a controversial idea.We hear from researchers pushing a non-use agreement for solar geoengineering who explain why they believe these types of technologies are a dangerous distraction from what needs to be done to reduce fossil fuel emissions. Featuring Chukwumerije Okereke, professor in global governance and public policy at the University of Bristol, and Co-Director at the Center for Climate Change and Development at Alex Ekwueme Federal University in Nigeria and Aarti Gupta, professor of global environmental governance at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. And responses from Shaun Fitzgerald at the Centre for Climate Change at the University of Cambridge in the UKListen to the first episode to hear scientists who argue modifying the climate can help buy the world time.This episode was written and produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with assistance from Katie Flood and sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further reading:Not such a bright idea: cooling the Earth by reflecting sunlight back to space is a dangerous distractionSolar geoengineering might work, but local temperatures could keep rising for yearsBlocking out the sun won’t fix climate change – but it could buy us timeThe overshoot myth: you can’t keep burning fossil fuels and expect scientists of the future to get us back to 1.5°CAfrica has vast gas reserves – here’s how to stop them adding to climate changeGeoengineering part 1: the case to try modifying the climate
28:31|Geoengineering, the modification of the climate using technological interventions to reverse climate change, is a hugely divisive issue and we’ve decided to explore it in two episodes. In this first episode, we talk to scientists working on potential geoengineering technologies who argue the case for conducting research into these interventions. We speak to Shaun Fitzgerald, director of the Centre for Climate Repair at the University of Cambridge in the UK and Hugh Hunt, deputy director at the Centre, as well as Ben Kravitz, assistant professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences at Indiana University in the US. We're also joined by Stacy Morford, environment and climate editor at The Conversation in the US.Part two, out tomorrow, will focus on the case against a particular type of solar geoengineering called solar radiation management. This episode was written and produced by Katie Flood, Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.Further reading:What could we do to cool the Arctic, specifically?Climate engineering carries serious national security risks − countries facing extreme heat may try it anyway, and the world needs to be preparedBlocking out the sun won’t fix climate change – but it could buy us timeThe overshoot myth: you can’t keep burning fossil fuels and expect scientists of the future to get us back to 1.5°C