20 min listen
On this week’s episode, Jade McGlynn reads her article on the Russian mothers and wives turning against Putin, because of their sons and husbands missing in the war (00:55). Lucy Dunn, a former junior doctor, asks whether pharmacists aren’t part of the solution to the crisis in the NHS (09:45). And Graeme Thompson reads his Notes On protest songs (15:50). Presented and produced by Cindy Yu.
This week, the charity CrimeStoppers, which receives anonymous tip offs from the public, launched a new hotline – for people to report corruption and abuse by police officers. It’s part of a drive by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, to ‘expose those who have undermined the Met’s integrity’ following a series of scandals which have shattered confidence in the force and left it in ‘special measures’. Sir Mark says he employs 3,000 officers who can’t do their job properly because of health, performance or misconduct concerns, including 500 who are suspended or on restricted duties. About 100 are allowed to work only in backroom roles. ‘It’s completely mad
The BBC is an organisation that in my experience is, generally, benevolent; and the broadcasting regulator Ofcom is full of good intentions too. But this week they have between them managed to concoct a policy that could weaken the corporation and increase dissatisfaction among its audiences. In its annual report on the BBC, Ofcom swooped on what it saw as a greater unhappiness with programming among audiences in lower socio-economic groups – even calling them ‘disenfranchised’. In reply, the BBC has seemed to accept the criticism and told Ofcom that it will commission more TV content aimed at C2DE audiences ‘particularly lighter drama, crime drama and comedy drama, as well
It is almost as if Vladimir Putin doesn’t mean it when he claims to be open to peace talks with Ukraine. Having originally said they have ‘no preconditions’ on peace talks with Ukraine, the Russians are now throwing obstacles in their way, as their bluff is called. As one US official told me, ‘we are not at all backing away from our support for Ukraine, but it is time to start at least thinking about endgames’ After US President Joe Biden, in a joint press conference on Thursday with French President Emmanuel Macron, made very vague suggestions of being ‘happy to sit down with Putin to see what he wants,
So, we’re at about the halfway point in the 2022 Fifa World Cup and, while I’m delighted that England have yet to deliver our customary quadrennial disappointment, it pains me to say that a competition winner might already be emerging – and, in spite of its feeble performances on the field, it could be Qatar. I had wanted to stay as outraged throughout the tournament as I had been when the Qatar decision was announced. But then the football got really good and the fans in the stadiums were clearly having a great time and my resolve crumbled faster than Harry Kane could stick a One Love armband back into
When the incendiary story about Lady Susan Hussey’s ill-judged remarks broke this week, a detail that many were quick to spot was that Lady Hussey had been the person responsible for giving the Duchess of Sussex ‘protocol lessons’ when she first became part of the Royal Family. Defenders of Meghan Markle (who do exist, if not in any great quantity in Britain) seized upon this information. They have been trumpeting, ‘Of course, this is what that poor woman had to put up with! If people are as ignorant and rude as Lady Hussey, no wonder she accused the Royal Family and its members of racism! She called them out!’ It
Once in every generation the Labour party gets tired of losing elections and prepares for power by neutralising potential sources of opposition. Today’s Labour’s offensive is advancing on all fronts. Rachel Reeves nurses glasses of warm white wine through dozens of receptions for finance and business leaders. Keir Starmer withdraws the whip from Jeremy Corbyn and makes certain that no one can claim now that Labour is an anti-Semitic and anti-patriotic movement. The CBI reacts to Boris Johnson’s cry of ‘F—k business’ and of Liz Truss turning his words into deeds, by saying that it welcomes ‘Labour’s pledge to establish a modern industrial strategy’. Starmer is lining up all the ducks –
Why do we need a Women’s Officer anyway? Wind back the clock about 35 years, and that question might have provoked 20 minutes of debate in the student union bar. But while certain disgruntled male students might have moaned about the glaring absence of a men’s officer, never did we call for the women’s post to be abolished. Not seriously, anyway. How times have changed. Oxford University Student Union recently decided to abolish the role, currently designated ‘Vice-President (Women)’. From next year, Oxford students will no longer have the support of an officer dedicated to furthering the interests of women and defending their rights. Earlier this month, Ellie Greaves, the current and final incumbent articulated her concerns, writing:
‘Why did you want to make this documentary?’ That is the question – over portentous piano chords – that begins the trailer for the next instalment in the apparently endless Sussex saga, Harry and Meghan. The answers that the viewer might supply: publicity-seeking on a grand scale; unbelievable narcissism– are not uttered. Instead, over stylised black and white photographs of the duo kissing, being crazily in love and every inch the perfect couple, Harry replies, with becoming grimness, ‘No one sees what’s happening behind closed doors.’ Cue pictures of Meghan apparently in tears looking at her phone; the Royal Family aloof and cold; and a million photographers, their cameras thrust
The Good Law Project (GLP) has lost again. But the lessons from this particular loss touch on a deeper problem in society. Our relationship with ‘the law’ and ‘rules’ has become dangerously confused. What happened? Well, there was a two day hearing involving a King’s Counsel and three other barristers for the GLP, and another King’s Counsel and two more barristers for the government. That is an expensive two days. What did the GLP want? Well, they weren’t actually clear initially, so we’ll come back to that later. But it was all to do with the issue of ministers using private emails and private WhatsApp or other messaging services for
The vote for strike action by 10,000 ambulance drivers who are members of the GMB union is more about public safety than about pay, insists the union. How it will benefit patients to have ambulance drivers go on strike is a little hard to fathom. Particularly so as the GMB has chosen to call a strike at a time when ambulance response times are the longest they have been at any time since records started to be kept in their current form in 2017. In many ways the NHS seems to be coping a lot less well now that it was at the height of the pandemic. The latest statistics on
Lady Susan Hussey resigned from the Royal household yesterday after 60 years of loyal service to King and Country. Lady Susan, who is 83, has survived world crises, royal scandals and machinations and the death of her friend Queen Elizabeth, to whom she was a beloved companion and longest serving lady in waiting. But she could not survive a meeting with the activist Ngozi Fulani and the arbitrary ‘rules’ that apparently now govern 21st Century social discourse. Ms Fulani, the British born head of a London charity, who was attending a function at Buckingham Palace to draw attention to violence against women, says she felt ‘trauma’ and ‘violated’ after Lady
On the Lady Susan Hussey affair – is anyone else more horrified by the Palace’s behaviour than Lady Hussey’s? Yes, it seems Lady Hussey was a tad blunt in her interaction with charity boss Ngozi Fulani. At a reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, she reportedly asked Ms Fulani where she is ‘really from’, repeatedly, even after Ms Fulani explained that she’s a Brit, like her. Oh dear. The royals come off as far nastier than Lady Hussey in this strange scandal But for the Palace to banish Lady Hussey almost instantly, despite the fact that she devoted her entire adult life to the institution, is far more callous. It’s
House prices have fallen for the second month in a row, according to Nationwide – following wider predictions of a 9 per cent fall in the market. Nationwide’s house price index fell 1.4 per cent last month after falling 0.9 per cent the month before. That’s still up 4.4 per cent year-on-year but (pandemic excluded) it’s the first significant drop in property prices since the 2008 crash. Earlier this week, data from Zoopla suggested a 44 per cent drop in demand. The Bank of England, too, said mortgage approvals are at their lowest since June 2020. Nationwide now puts the average house price at £263,788, nearly £4,500 less than in
You often hear about ‘legacy’ when international sporting tournaments come around. It’s a weasel word used by the organisers to justify the colossal expense by promising some lasting benefit – which usually comes to nothing. But perhaps with the Qatar World Cup, one of the most controversial in the competition’s history, there may be a worthwhile legacy, though not one the organisers could possibly have anticipated. Ironically, it is probably the sheer boringness of much World Cup football that has led to so much of the TV coverage focusing on the crowd For it is being suggested that the scenes of maskless supporters in Qatar’s soccer stadia has helped push
It’s getting hard to escape low emission zones. In Birmingham, Oxford and Bristol – and pretty soon the whole of London – unless your vehicle is squeaky clean, you are going to have to pay every day that you drive. London–based readers probably know by now of Transport for London’s plans to expand its £12.50-a-day Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) to every single borough, from Hayes to Hornchurch, Cheshunt to Caterham, and with a sticky-out bit which I think has been deliberately designed to include Chessington World of Adventures. For many, this is an outrage. The Conservative MP for Carshalton and Wallington, Elliot Colburn, has described himself as ‘very, very
If you think your life is stressful it’s good to reflect on what poor René Artois went through each week in ’Allo ’Allo!, the 1980s BBC sitcom set during the German occupation of France. RAF pilots hidden in his mother-in-law’s cupboard upstairs, German officers in the café downstairs, Herr Otto Flick of the Gestapo likely to limp in at any moment – and all the time trying to serve drinks and juggle a sex life that would have exhausted even Errol Flynn. ‘I have to be nice to the Germans, they are my customers, they are winning the war, so if I am not nice to them they will shoot
Most football fans have had their attention riveted on Qatar for the past couple of weeks, but for those of us who support Queens Park Rangers there’s been an unwelcome distraction at home. Our manager Michael Beale, who’s only been in charge for 21 league games, announced on Monday that he’s leaving us for Rangers, the Glaswegian football club. Having spent a huge amount of time and effort recruiting a manager in the summer – and seemingly picking a winner – QPR’s top brass will have to start again. Beale was one of the few people in authority (me included) who hadn’t disappointed my children Such behaviour isn’t particularly unusual
So should he stay or should he go? That’s Eddie ‘I don’t really care what other people think’ Jones, currently ruling the roost over England rugby at Twickenham. Though for how long is another matter. Clearly the language around Jones is changing: the announcement of a review of England’s dismal recent performances very clearly avoided any of the usual ‘We stand right behind the coach’ and ‘We are pleased with the team’s steady progress’ guff that normally sugarcoats such statements. The review of course is largely anonymous, in keeping with English rugby’s characteristic transparency. If the RFU was as responsive to polling as politicians are, Eddie would have his P45
Some simpering bishops are urging their clergy to make sure that carol services do not interfere with the ship of football. That leads to an obvious conclusion: Christmas is too important to be left to the Church of England. The vulgarities of commercialisation are distressing, but survivable. Last year, one friend became fed up with his brats’ lust for presents and upbraided them: ‘If this goes on, you’ll be given nothing but bibles and prayer books.’ He remembered his father saying the same to him. No doubt his grandparents delivered similar thunderbolts in their day. Thus life rolls on. Even amid the transfiguring and transcending grandeur of the Christmas message,