Analysis BBC Radio 4
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- Government
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Programme examining the ideas and forces which shape public policy in Britain and abroad, presented by distinguished writers, journalists and academics.
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How real is the existential threat from AI?
The existential threat caused by Artificial Intelligence is a popular theme in science fiction. But more recently it’s started to be taken seriously by governments around the world and the companies developing the technology. Where did this idea come from, and why is so much money being spent on it, rather than on the regulation of AI and the real threat it poses to jobs and to copyright?
Presenter: Jack Stilgoe
Producer: Philip Reevell
Editor: Clare Fordham -
What would Isambard Kingdom Brunel have done?
It's 2024, and the Manchester extension of HS2 has been cancelled. The leg to Leeds was cancelled in 2021. The remaining line to Birmingham is now less than half the initial planned route, and will cost over double the initial budget. This is not exclusive to HS2; Sprialling costs and missed deadlines have become commonplace in big engineering projects, the UK is now one of the most expensive places in the world to build infrastructure, but Britain has a proud history of engineering, and one name in particular looms large - Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Ruthless, bloody minded and notoriously driven - what could he do about the current state of UK infrastructure?
Presenter: Neil Maggs
Producer: Johnny I'Anson
Editor: Clare Fordham -
Power Drive
It's widely believed that the Conservaives won the Uxbridge by-election because of motorists who were annoyed by the London mayor's ultra low emission zone. With a general election looming, both main english parties want to harness "driver power". But how did the vote of car and van owners become so important? Does the independence driving brings lead to a libertarian attitude? Or is that combative attitude caused by drivers feeling that they have been used as cash-cows by successive governments, which have gladly taken their road tax and fuel duty. But that power balance is also set to change, with the eventual electrification of all UK vehicles. Could road pricing replace fuel duty - and how will motorists respond?
Presenter: Chris Bowlby
Producer: Jim Frank
Editor: Clare Fordham -
How to cure the small town blues
Middlesbrough, in the north-east, is one of the most deprived towns in England. Once a steel and shipbuilding powerhouse, its fortunes changed when those industries closed down. Today, the town that Gladstone described as “an infant Hercules” faces a precarious future. David Baker, who grew up in Middlesbrough in the 1970s, returns to his hometown to ask what can be done to revive its fortunes and what Middlesbrough can teach us about regenerating small, postindustrial towns elsewhere in the UK.
Presenter: David Baker
Producer: Dan Hardoon
Editor: Clare Fordham
Contributors:
Natasha Vall, Professor of Urban and Cultural History, Teesside University
Rob Nichols, Editor, Middlesbrough FC fanzine Fly Me To The Moon
Sally Rodgers, DJ, producer, and vocalist
Steve Dugan, Head of Enterprise, Teesside University
Oliver Lloyd, co-founder and COO, Dink
Chris Cooke, Mayor of Middlesbrough
Gary Hamilton, managing director, Community Leisure Management
Lord Michael Heseltine, former Secretary of State for the Environment
With thanks to the students of Teesside University and Reverend Kath Dean of the Genesis Project. -
How to Dismantle a Democracy
Democracies do not die in military coups. They are dismantled slowly, by libel laws, through tax audits, and procedure. Democracies are dismantled by bureaucrats and judges, not by soldiers and heavy-handed policing. It has always been thus, from ancient Rome to present-day Tunisia. The program outlines the tricks of the trade that imperceptibly kill democracies – and how examples in Mexico, Turkey, India and Poland illustrate that the autocratic playbook is nearly always the same. With Anne Applebaum, historian and staff writer at The Atlantic, Amy Slipowitz, research manager at Freedom House, Greta Rios, co-executive director, People Power, David Runciman, professor of politics at the University of Cambridge, Professor Larry Diamond, Stanford University, Jennifer Gandhi, professor of political science and global affairs, Yale University, Renata Uitz, professor of law and government at Royal Holloway, The University of London.
Presenter: Matt Qvortrup
Producer: Bob Howard
Editor: Clare Fordham -
What is 'British culture'?
'What is "British Culture?” I was born in the UK and have lived here for 40 years, and yet, as a British Asian person, I am constantly told “we are not integrating”. Not integrating into what culture exactly?'
Bushra Shaikh runs a charity, is a business-owner and is also a writer and commentator. When she posted this question on social media, two million people viewed it, she received thousands of replies, but no clear definition of British Culture. Some respondents mentioned the food, while others defined it by quoting literature or history. But those answers were often just lists; of meals. books, names and dates.
Is "culture" a synonym for race? How can British people of colour integrate, and what does that mean?
Americans put their hands on their hearts, gaze at the stars and stripes and identify with freedom, while the French look to liberty, equality, and fraternity, but is there a British equivalent? Bushra speaks to Historians, cultural commentators, as well as both the UK's newest citizens, and people who can trace their British family roots back hundreds of years, to try to find out what British culture means to them.
Presenter: Bushra Shaikh
Producers: Ravi Naik and Sean Johnson
Editor: Clare Fordham.
Contributors:
Robert Colls, emeritus professor of history at De Montfort University
Lionel Shriver, novelist and journalist
Pen Vogler, food historian and writer
Dr Bernard Trafford, retired headteacher and former member of the citizenship advisory group
Anton Dani, Conservative councillor and former mayor of Boston
Robert Owen, Vice Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside
Professor Alice Foucart, Principal Investigator, Psycholinguistics, Universidad Nebrija, Madrid
Dr Tessa Dunlop, historian and broadcaster
Keith Richardson, Author
Customer Reviews
One of my favourite podcasts
There aren’t enough superlatives that one can use for this podcast. Incredibly informative, well research, well presented and they find this magical balance of packing a great deal of information in 30 minute shows (on average). I also love the topics they seek to unpack and you always, always feel more enlightened after listening to one of their episodes.
Brilliant
Excellent podcast, one of my favourites. I agree with another reviewer; I also wish that they would publish episodes more frequently!
Wonderful
I love this podcast, I just wish it was on more often. Always interesting and beautifully presented