The Why? Curve

Rape, sexual assault, bullying - the list of allegations of abuse by powerful men in some of Britain’s most important institutions keeps growing. Many of the claims go back decades, with victims scared to bring complaints because they could lose their jobs. And many allegations were ignored or buried by the organisations. So why did the Church of England, the BBC, Harrods and the others fail to act? What needs to change in corporate culture to allow bosses and stars to be challenged? David Collinson, Professor of Leadership & Organisation at the University of Lancaster Business School tells Phil and Roger what can and should be done.

40 years since Band Aid - the lyrics and attitudes have dated badly, but the problem is still there. Africa remains desperate and underdeveloped and the only part of the world regularly threatened by famine, civil war and military coups d’etat. Why is this continent not thriving despite its vast natural resources and talent? Why do so many of its best and brightest choose to emigrate? Phil and Roger explore the question of Africa’s failure to move to the levels of development and wealth seen in Asia and the Middle East, speaking to Dr Emmanuel Mensah, assistant professor at the Utrecht University School of Economics.

Who’d be a farmer? You have tiny profit margins. You’re held to high environmental and welfare standards against cheaper less-scrupulous foreign imports, and now you’re facing unaffordable inheritance taxes….. Is it worth working the soil in modern Britain? Is the job more custodianship of the land than running a profitable business? Peter Gittins is a lecturer at Leeds University Business School, and he help run his family-owned livestock farm in West Yorkshire - he gives Phil and Roger a picture of what its like to be a farmer now, and the challenges they face.

Should we be allowed to take our own lives? Should doctors or friends be allowed to help us? For the first time in a decade, MPs have a bill to consider on assisted dying. Parliament and the cabinet is split, and there are vigorous campaigns on both sides. Will it open the door to euthanasia for convenience, with old people and the disabled pressured not to be a burden? Or is it a measure of compassion for the suffering and the desperate? Phil and Roger talk through the new bill and its limitations with Dr Sam Carr of the Centre for Death and Society at Bath University.

How ready are we for the results of climate change? While leaders talk at COP29 about lessening global warming, some of the extreme weather predicted by scientists is already here. The hundreds dead in the Valencia floods suggest governments need to do more to keep us safe. Do we need to build differently, or live in more secure places? Can we be adequately protected from the increasing numbers of wildfires or hurricanes? Phil and Roger get the latest research from Ilan Kelman, Professor of Disasters and Health at University College London

The Donald is back. Another Trump presidency - with a Republican-dominated congress. So how will a world that looks back on 2016-2020 and shudders, deal with a volatile, unpredictable narcissist, who is now also convicted felon, in the White House? What will it mean for Ukraine, for Gaza, for China, for Europe? Paul Whiteley, Emeritus Professor of Government at the University of Essex, walks Phil and Roger through the likely challenges of Trump 2.0 for a world he says is now in a much more dangerous place.