UK inflation is now in double digits. We got there faster than expected and the Bank of England is likely to keep raising interest rates because they believe that’s the only way to contain prices. Not long ago the same bankers were arguing that there was no need for a change in their monetary policy because the problem was a transitory lack of supply. That’s still the case, of course, so why do they think hiking rates will make much difference now? This week Phil and Roger talk through the build...
Aug 18, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 11
As prices rise everywhere, and poverty looms for many, whatever happened to the levelling-up that was supposed to equalise the more-deprived parts of Britain with the wealthy southeast? Almost 3 years after Boris Johnson won a stonking majority, winning-over former Labour seats in the “Red Wall”, have those areas seen any improvement in health, transport, skills-training and opportunities? There IS a plan - a white paper launched in February - but, with one of the candidates to be the next prime...
Aug 11, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Winter is coming, and Europe is looking at a chilly one. Germans are told – take a cold shower or turn down the thermostat and use 15% less gas. And the European Commission is looking at EU-wide measures to deal with what could be a major crisis. It’s all because Russia is tightening the valves on the gas pipeline into the EU. Moscow says it’s technical problems but few doubt it’s pushback for the sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukraine invasion. Germany is especially reliant on Russian gas...
Aug 04, 2022•35 min•Season 1Ep. 9
When did flying become such a grim experience? Endless queues. Cancelled flights. Airport chaos. And stacked like sardines when you do eventually get aboard. With Heathrow capping the number of daily passengers and tickets shooting up in price, plus the harm to the environment, is it time to disembark from flying? At the same time, with huge waits at Dover and Folkestone to get across the Channel by train or boat, do holidaymakers really have a choice? Phil and Roger put all this to independent ...
Jul 28, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 8
The Tory party leadership challenge is down to two players – Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. Sunak wants to keep taxes where they are, preaching fiscal conservatism, and fearing releasing more money into people’s pockets will only add to inflation, which is already at 9.4 percent. Truss wants to help people navigate the cost-of-living crisis, by reversing the recent hikes in national insurance. So which approach is right in the current economic climate? It’s a question Phil and Roger put to Simon Fre...
Jul 21, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Who are the least trusted people in society? Journalists? Car-sellers? Bankers? Nope. Politicians are top of the list. And you only have to look at the headlines to see why: Partygate here, Donald Trump’s false election fraud claims in the US, the claims of WMD before the Iraq war in 2003, and of course the original “gate” – Watergate. But surely politicians have ALWAYS lied? Isn’t it just what happens when you have to persuade people to vote for you? Or have Trump and Johnson taken us into a ne...
Jul 14, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 6
The most toxic issue of our times – why have trans rights become such a bitter question in politics, sport, and even bathrooms? Some feminists say allowing those born biologically male to identify and be treated as female risks rolling back hard-won rights for women. Trans activists say it is a matter of human rights, and another aspect of the battle for recognition and acceptance already largely won by gay men, bisexuals, and lesbians. It’s a debate that has descended into name-calling, cancell...
Jul 07, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 5
No longer “brain-dead”? NATO leaders have been meeting in Madrid at one of the most important - and dangerous - points in the alliance’s 70-year history. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has given NATO a new purpose, and new members, after it seemed to lose its way in the post-Cold War era. But can NATO stay united? What if Vladimir Putin offers a ceasefire that lets him keep his conquests? Will NATO members give Ukraine enough of the right weapons to hold the line against Moscow’s aggression? And w...
Jun 30, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 4
The largest rail strike in 30 years is crippling the train network, causing disruption for millions as tens of thousands of staff walk out, demanding more money and better conditions. But is this a wider issue than a simple industrial dispute? After all, even in normal times we rarely stop moaning about late-running and ticket prices, and comparisons with trains in Germany and France leave us looking as if we’ve been backed into a siding. Today Phil and Roger hear from Christian Wolmar, whose ne...
Jun 23, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Today the Bank of England lifted interest rates again, for the fifth time in a row. Earlier this week interest rates in the US were raised by 0.75%, with much to follow. The reason for the hikes? It’s because inflation is shooting up, largely because of supply chain problems resulting from the war in Ukraine and COVID lockdowns in China. We’re also seeing a shortage of people to fill jobs, giving more people the opportunity to push for higher wages. How will raising interest rates fix those prob...
Jun 16, 2022•32 min•Season 1Ep. 2
The first batch of asylum seekers to be sent to Rwanda are due to fly out next Tuesday. There are likely to be delays, possibly indefinitely, as lawyers challenge the legality of the government’s plans to send those who arrive by boat offshore to Rwanda, with no right to claim asylum in the UK. In this first edition of ‘The Why? Curve’ Roger Hearing says the question of legality is one issue – there’s also the question of whether it’s ethical, and whether it’ll work. Phil Dobbie says the Austral...
Jun 09, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 1
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May 27, 2022•3 min
