Johnson Finally Locks Down
Boris Johnson will tonight finally announce a national lockdown. But with hospitals already under more strain than in March, how much has the delay cost Britain?
No More Tiers Left to Try
On a bumper day in British politics, and a crucial one in the fight against coronavirus, Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss the mounting pressure on hospitals, new restrictions announced by Matt Hancock, school openings being delayed, the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine being approved and Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal passed by parliament
Done Deal
Boris Johnson and Ursula Von Der Leyen have agreed to a UK-EU Trade Deal. Reaching a deal on Christmas eve is a short-term win for Johnson, after a disastrous few days in which he’s overseen a huge spike in Covid deaths and last minute changes to holiday plans. But what will the deal mean for […]
Covid Has Exposed Conservatives As Complete Idiots
For years conservative arguments, particularly on social media, have gained increasing traction. But in the context of Covid-19 they are making less sense than ever as they try to make a pandemic which is killing people about free speech and mega-dosing Vitamin C. Aaron watches an interview between two conservative ‘Covidiots’, Paul Joseph Watson and […]
Pariah Nation
A new mutant coronavirus strain means Christmas is cancelled, Britain is locked off from the world, and we might all need strict lockdowns until a vaccine can be rolled out. This is a game-changer. And all while we’re being run a bunch of incompetents. Michael Walker and Aaron Bastani discuss and insane three days in […]
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.