War on Woke
Liz Truss has declared war on “woke”. But as UNICEF intervene in Britain for the first time in 70 years, can the Tories really blame record levels of poverty on too much anti-racism? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Christmas Cancelled?
Despite concerns from scientists, the UK government’s rules for Christmas Covid will not change. Will Boris Johnson’s call for us to have a “merry little Christmas” stop the spread? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
The Year in Review
At the turn of the decade nearly 12 months ago, some said that we were on the verge of entering a new Roaring ’20s. How prescient they turned out to be. One pandemic and a global economic freefall later, all the assumptions we started out with in January have turned to dust. In their place […]
London Into Tier 3 Lockdown
As cases surge, London is entering a Tier 3 lockdown. But with schools staying open, is time running out to prevent carnage this Christmas?
Deal or No-Deal
Boris Johnson has said a no-deal Brexit is now “very, very likely.” Is the prime minister just bluffing or is Britain about to go over the Brexit cliff-edge? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial.
Brexit’s Last Chance Saloon
As they meet for dinner in Brussels, can Ursula Von Der Leyen and Boris Johnson break the deadlock on a Brexit deal? With Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
Can Lab-Grown Meat Save the World? | Aaron Bastani Meets Michael Selden
On this week’s Downstream, Aaron Bastani meets Mike Selden, co-founder of Finless Foods - a cellular agriculture business in California - to find out whether lab-grown meat can live up to the hype.
Brexit End Game Approaching
Michel Barnier has set Wednesday as the deadline for any UK-EU agreement, but the same sticking points remain. Are we hurtling towards a no deal Brexit? Plus: Millwall fans boo their own players for taking a knee and Indian farmers mount the biggest strike in history With Michael Walker and Ash Sarkar.
The Vaccine Rush
The UK will start administering a coronavirus vaccine next week. But how did Britain manage to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine quicker than its peers, and should we worry that speed came at the expense of certainty? We speak to Professor Deenan Pillay of Independent SAGE. Plus: Aidan Harper on a 4 day week; UK government […]
The Beginning of the End
As Britain becomes the first Western country to approve a covid vaccine, ministers are desperate to claim credit for a German/US invention. But politics aside, does this mean the end of the pandemic is in sight? Plus: the first batch of lab grown chicken goes on sale in Singapore; Debenhams has followed Arcadia into administration; […]
Can You Change the Police From Within? | Ash Sarkar Meets Leroy Logan
20 years after the Macpherson Report, the Metropolitan Police is still dogged by accusations of institutional racism, while the Black Lives Matter movement has forced a reckoning with police brutality and inequalities in the criminal justice system. But should Black and Asian people protest from the outside to force change, or join the ranks of […]
Whipping Boy
Keir Starmer was once a leading figure in Labour’s shift to backing a second referendum. However, now he’s in charge of the party, he looks set to whip MPs to back a Tory Brexit deal. Does this dramatic shift show Starmer has acted dishonestly over the past four years, or is he just adapting Labour […]
The 21st Century Crisis Nobody Talks About: Demographic Ageing
Humanity is getting older. But while the old outnumbering the young is one of the supreme achievements of our species, it comes with major challenges. Aaron Bastani on a crisis set to re-define societies around the world which, for the 21st century at least, is every bit as disruptive as climate change.
An Empire Rises, an Empire Falls
While COVID-19 has killed Arcadia, it has cemented Amazon as the world’s dominant retail firm. David Adler joins the show to discuss what does the rise of Bezos’s empire, and the fall of Green’s, mean for both the planet and for workers? With Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial
Sunak’s Spending Review
With a public sector pay freeze and cuts to foreign aid, has Rishi Sunak’s spending review shown him to be a typical Tory class warrior? With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar and James Meadway.
Can Britain Become an ‘Innovation Superpower’ After Brexit? | Aaron Bastani Meets David Edgerton
For Brexiteers Britain’s departure from the EU offers a shot at national renewal, with the country once more becoming a free trade and innovation superpower. But how likely is that, and are the Tories really serious about a break with the politics of the last 40 years? Aaron Bastani interviews Professor David Edgerton, author of […]
Covid for Christmas
With a vaccine ready for the new year, why is Boris Johnson risking giving Britain’s grandparents covid for Christmas? #TyskySour with Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani.
May the Farce Be With You
Keir Starmer has given himself three months to find a rule Corbyn might have broken that justifies him losing the whip. Meanwhile, Johnson has decided that, when it comes to his allies, rules don’t apply at all. Michael Walker and Dalia Gebrial discuss Priti Patel keeping her job after breaking the ‘ministerial code’ and Corbyn […]