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The Why? Curve
Choice Cuts - the Best of The Why Curve so far
Season 1, Ep. 82
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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 Gaza
- Stefan Wolff, professor of International Security at the University of Birmingham on the endless war in Ukraine
- Tim Gardiner, senior policy fellow at the Health Foundation on ways of funding the NHS
- Joan Costa-i-Font, Professor of Health Economics at the London School of Economics on dealing with obesity
- Dr Sam Power of the University of Sussex on the awarding of peerages
- Robert Hazell, professor of government and the constitution at University College London on how we appoint Prime Ministers
- David Mead, professor of human rights law at the University of East Anglia on protest laws
- The FT's Martin Wolf on attracting foreign investment into the UK
- Economist Francis Coppola on the benefits of government debt
More episodes
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112. Harris v Trump - What To Expect
35:50The US presidential election has been upended by the replacement of one candidate, and the attempted assassination of the other. Can Karmala Harris unite the Democrats and compete effectively with Donald Trump? Has a near-death experience changed The Donald, or just made more of his supporters sure he is God’s chosen leader? And why did Joe Biden wait so long to acknowledge his obvious incapacity? Phil and Roger get the picture from Dr Thomas Gift , Associate Professor in Political Science at University College London, and Director of the Centre on US Politics111. Making Stuff
37:05As the new Labour government pushes to get the UK economy growing, is it time we became a big manufacturer once again? For decades the driver of the economy has been services, but is that too difficult to sustain? Should we go back to making stuff - this time microprocessors, software, AI programs? Ali Bigdeli, Professor of Industrial Service Innovation at Aston University tells Roger and Phil what the shape of the new economy could be. It's all to do with servitisation apparently.110. Wish You Weren’t Here - The Tourism Trap
34:05We all need a holiday right now, somewhere drier and hotter than Britain. But do our favourite resorts want US? Protesters fire water pistols at visitors in Barcelona, thousands turn out in Tenerife to tell holidaymakers to go home. Tourists, they say, force up prices, clog the streets and destroy the very thing they have come for - beauty, tranquility and local culture. Are we all too addicted to travelling too often and in the wrong way? Phil and Roger ask Marina Novelli, Professor of Marketing and Director of the Sustainable Travel and Tourism Advanced Research Centre at Nottingham University/109. Election Day - But Does Your Vote Count?
40:48What's the point in voting? The answer, if you're not in a seat where there's a chance your candidate will come first or second, is not much. The first-past-the-post system means many, or even most of us, are effectively disenfranchised at each general election. So is there a better, fairer way to run our polling? A proportional system, perhaps? Or is there a risk that that would mean no clear outcome and we will have constant unstable coalition governments? Dr Heinz Brandenberg, senior lecturer in politics at the University of Strathclyde, picks through the options for democracy with Phil and Roger.108. The Final Furlong
38:36Just a week to go before a voting day that’s likely to lead to a radical change in the UK’s political landscape. But what have we learnt about the parties and the personalities that will dominate the new politics, after a parliamentary clean-out of the old team? Will Labour have to cut back even its modest ambitions in the face of economic reality? Will the Conservatives suffer a reversal, or a full-on existential catastrophe? Rob Ford, Professor of Politics at the University of Manchester, and co-author of Brexitland, takes Phil and Roger through what may happen on and after July 4th107. Not Ready For Government - Should We Train Politicians?
37:21With Labour almost certain to take the reins of power on July 5th, almost none of the incoming ministers have ever run anything bigger than a church fete. Right away they will have to take over billion-pound budgets and huge departments. Is it ridiculous to put gifted but untrained amateurs in charge of the world’s sixth-largest economy? Sir Geoff Mulgan thinks there should be tuition in how to govern for all politicians. The former Blair adviser - now professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation at University College, London - tells Roger and Phil that having leaders who know what they’re doing from day one is crucial for our democracy106. Getting Through - Connecting with voters in 2024
38:42TV debates, TikTok stunts, falling off a paddleboard - does any of it influence how people vote? What works in an election campaign? Does ANYONE read a manifesto? How can politicians connect effectively with the public? Or has everyone already made up their minds? Dr Matt Walsh, head of the School of Journalism, Media and Culture at the University of Cardiff, tells Phil and Roger what, if anything, actually moves the dial.105. There’s No Money Left - What The New Chancellor Might Find
39:10Promises galore - more doctors’ surgeries, pension triple-lock plus, free social care, a boost in the size of the army - but how much of any of this can we afford, whoever gets into Number 10 on July 5th? The huge public debt, lack of investment and productivity, and politicians refusal to countenance tax increases all point to sums that don’t add up. Dr Michael Nower of Durham University takes Phil and Roger through the harsh realities behind the campaign rhetoric in the UK’s 2024 election.104. International Justice?
29:46Are leaders ever held to account for starting wars or killing civilians. The International Criminal Court has already issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, and one is in prospect for Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. Is it right to try to prosecute the leader of a democracy with a functional justice system of its own? Does a court that has mainly jailed African dictators over the last 20 years but ignored the actions of great powers, have any credibility? Dr Clare Frances Moran, lecturer in public international law at Aberdeen University tells Phil and Roger what’s at stake and why it matters.