244 | Labour and Brexit: Beyond the Crisis

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David is joined by Helen Thompson and Chris Brooke to try to get beyond the current crisis and work out here British politics is heading.  How different is Starmer's political programme likely to be from Corbyn's?  Can the Labour party become the party of the workers again?  And is Brexit really going to happen without an extension and without a deal?  Plus we explore the renewed influence of the trade unions and ask what it means for the political choices ahead.

243 | Ebola, COVID and the WHO

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David and Helen talk this week with Amy Maxmen, senior reporter at Nature. Amy has covered the Ebola epidemic in Western Africa and now COVID-19 in the US.  Does she see comparisons between the two?  What explains the failures of the US response?  Can the WHO still make a difference?  Plus we explore the implications of the growing politicisation of science.  When did data become so divisive?

242 | David Miliband on the Crisis

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We talk with David Miliband, head of the International Rescue Committee, about the impact of the pandemic on the world's poorest countries.  What happens in places where social distancing is not possible?  Plus we discuss the long-term implications of the crisis for the future global co-operation and global conflict.  Is this the moment for social democracy?  More details of the work of the IRC can be found here:  https://www.rescue-uk.org/

241 | What's Happening in Italy Now?

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We catch up again with Lucia Rubinelli to discuss the latest developments in Italy.  With anger against the EU on the rise and regional divisions getting more acute, can the Italian government hold it together?  What is Salvini up to?  And will the technocrats try another take over?  Plus Lucia tells us what lockdown has been like for her.

240 | Lockdownonomics

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David and Helen talk to the economist Diane Coyle about the long-term consequences of lock-down, for the economy, for society and for our well-being.  How can we measure the costs?  Who are likely to be the
biggest losers?  And what will it mean for how we structure our economies in future?  Plus we discuss what will happen if we pull back from global supply chain and we ask whether inflation is on its way.

239 | Adam Tooze/Shockwave

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David and Helen talk to Adam Tooze about what we know about the crisis that we didn't know a month ago, and what we still don't have much of a clue about. From fights inside the French government to the fate of the planet, from shale gas to corona bonds, we try to join up the dots. Plus a small update, recorded after news of the oil price-drop… | Read 'Shockwave' by Adam Tooze in the LRB