Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government
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437 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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For Those About To Unlock
8 mei 2020 · 43 min
Boris Johnson’s finger is hovering over the Unlock button. How can the Government reopen the economy without allowing the virus a second wind? What if the different Nations of the UK want very different approaches? Why Nicola Sturgeon is the most experienced leader on pandemics in Britain… and maybe Britain’s most experienced leader full stop. Guests Torcuil Crichton, Westminster Editor of the Daily Record, and IfG Fellow Nicholas Timmins of the King’s Fund join Bronwen Maddox, Jill Rutter and Akash Paun to discuss a women of truth for Britain’s health and economy. Lees meer
“Parliament has gone from Plague Ship to Ghost Ship… And of course SNP MPs would be happy not to be in Westminster at all.” – Torcuil Crichton
“For decades the Scots have defined their health service as ‘Not England’.” – Nick Timmins
“Fear rules everything. Nobody wants to be the politician who gets this wrong.” – Torcuil Crichton
Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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“R” Wars against the Phantom Menace
1 mei 2020 · 43 min
How do you weigh human wellbeing against Coronavirus deaths? How do we get “R”, the rate of Corona transmission, to a manageable level? As the government wrestles with lifting the lockdown, has “relying on the science” given it too narrow a focus regarding the serious trade-offs that are coming? And how will the criminal justice system deal with the massive backlog created by COVID? Cabinet secretary of the Blair and Brown years GUS O’DONNELL joins us to discuss the enormity of the Government’s challenges.
“We’ve effectively got huge experiments going on all over the world to try to find out how we get out of this.” – Gus O’Donnell
“To say the peak has passed and you can go out, and then see ANOTHER peak… that could be a blow that a government might not recover from.” – Giles Wilkes
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Giles Wilkes and Nick Davies. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Remote control: JACOB REES-MOGG on the Commons under COVID
30 april 2020 · 18 min
Is the future made for virtual democracy? In this bonus interview, Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg talks to Bronwen Maddox about organising a new dispersed Commons, the pros and cons of remote voting, and why a living Parliament requires more than simply occupying benches. Do MPs gain in independent-mindedness what the Whips maybe lose in influence? And can we look forward to virtual party conferences too…?
“Before the Easter Recess there was serious debate about whether ANYTHING would be technically possible…”
Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Coming to the COVID Crunch
24 april 2020 · 45 min
The Government is under fire over COVID as seldom before. Was it wise to aggressively rebut the Sunday Times report on their preparations for the pandemic? Is the idea of a risk-free exit strategy from lockdown a myth? Do we need bipartisan agreement on the COVID strategy for the sake of national cohesion… or perhaps radical openness? And is there really such thing as being “led by the science”?
Special guests Lord Danny Finkelstein and former Blair/Brown advisor John McTernan join the IfG’s Bronwen Maddox and Jill Rutter for this week’s podcast.
“In life, risk can’t be abolished. It can only be mitigated. You have to draw people into the choices you have to make.” – John McTernan
“We need to level with people that we’re not creating an exit strategy, we’re making a big exit moral choice.” – Danny Finkelstein
Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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The Impossible Choice
17 april 2020 · 48 min
To unlock or not to unlock? The government faces a momentous choice of easing the lockdown to resurrect the economy, or keeping it in place to preserve human lives. How can they find the right balance? Are today’s politicians able to cope with a return of mass unemployment after almost 40 years? The Guardian’s health editor Sarah Boseley joins us to explore the background to one of the gravest decisions in modern British history.
“This might well mean austerity for certain high-rate taxpayers who perhaps got off more easily last time.” – Giles Wilkes
Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Alex Thomas and Giles Wilkes. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Second in Command?
10 april 2020 · 47 min
Corona is straining Government as never before outside peacetime – and Boris Johnson is still mostly incapacitated. David Lidington, Theresa May’s former deputy, explains exactly what happens when the understudy must step up. How much power does Dominic Raab actually have right now? And do we need a US-style formal succession programme? Plus: When should the lockdown be eased? Does virtual government work? And what is Parliament doing during this strange recess?
“The Whitehall machine had already been working with the dial in the red because of Brexit when this crisis hit.” – David Liddington
Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon with Hannah White. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Designated survivors: Who’s in charge?
3 april 2020 · 45 min
Who takes over when the PM is incapacitated? Can Boris Johnson lead the country from his bedroom? Has COVID given the Civil Service a reprieve from the swingeing reforms that would otherwise be coming its way? Plus the Guardian’s Washington Bureau chief David Smith joins us to explain how both the White House and the United States’ Trump-besieged institutions are coping with a once-in-century crisis.
“The value of the President’s press conferences are questionable… We are watching the first President elected with no political experience, facing the first real crisis of his life and by all accounts failing it miserably.” – David Smith
Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and special guests David Smith and Jill Rutter. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Sunset Clause is coming to town: Inside the Corona Bill
26 maart 2020 · 35 min
That “draconian” Corona Bill: exactly how swingeing are the powers it bestows? And will the Government give them up as fast as they assumed them? Special guest Paul Waugh of Huffington Post on what it’s like to be present in one of Johnson’s emergency press conferences. Jeremy Corbyn’s last stand. And has the BBC’s temporary reprieve from Government attention bought it a whole new set of headaches for the future?
“Labour are now thinking that if Johnson is going be Churchill in this crisis, can their next leader be Attlee?” – Paul Waugh
“It was pretty extraordinary that Johnson made that announcement to 27 million people, and the next day he didn’t put himself forward for questions… Johnson likes the cut and thrust of questions. But those around him aren’t so keen.” – Paul Waugh
Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Hannah White and Joe Marshall. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Coronanomics – “An enormous moral decision”
19 maart 2020 · 41 min
“Change your life. Do everything differently.” Is Government rising to the Corona crisis? How can it ensure that state aid helps employees and businesses and doesn’t go straight into owners’ pockets? Have we fallen for a dangerous form of British exceptionalism in our approach? Will some form of Universal Basic Income prove to be inevitable to get us through this? And does Boris Johnson need to do a bit more than just listen to the experts?
Special guests Matthew Parris of The Times and IfG fellow Jill Rutter join Bronwen Maddox and Cath Haddon to discuss the economic and legal backdrop to the most serious crisis in modern British history.
“Governments have made an enormous moral choice in sacrificing the economic well-being of younger people simply to keep the older generation alive. I’m not sure they’ve made the right choice.” - Matthew Parris
“Even though I was in government for a long time, I never encountered an emergency like this.” – Jill Rutter
“It’s all very well saying this is temporary, but tell that to your bank manager.” – Matthew Parris
Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and special guests Matthew Parris and Jill Rutter. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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How to handle a national emergency – a special podcast
16 maart 2020 · 46 min
COVID-19 is developing into the biggest threat to public health in a generation. How does government move through the gears when a crisis of this magnitude strikes? What is it like to sit in COBRA? How crucial is clear motivational communication? Three experienced firefighters – former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, advisor to Gordon Brown Lord Stewart Wood and ex-DEFRA communications director Steve Morris – join the IfG’s Bronwen Maddox and Cath Haddon for a riveting explanation what it’s like to handle a true crisis up close.
“If you announce a bail-out at 6pm it’s panic. If you announce it at 7am it’s strategy.” – Steve Morris
“It’s extraordinary how few leaders, Macron excepted maybe, have made international coordination part of the Corona response. The ‘your country first’ approach is being replicated and that’s really regrettable.” – Stewart Wood
“Late one Friday Gordon Brown grabbed me and said ‘There’s a serious chance the police will be on the streets on Monday to stop people taking money out of the banks. Oh and probably the army as well. Have a nice weekend.’” – Steve Morris
Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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IfG INTERVIEWS: Julia Gillard, former Australian PM, on women in politics
15 maart 2020 · 18 min
For International Women’s Day on 8 March, Australia’s first – and so far only – female Prime Minister JULIA GILLARD sat down with the IfG’s Director Bronwen Maddox to discuss the long march to female political power. How can female leaders navigate male networks of power? Has #MeToo really made a difference to women in politics and beyond? And why are Australians at the cutting edge of modern political strategy?
“A lot of young women look at the experience of women politicians and ask ‘Is it all worth it?’ I always answer yes, it’s definitely worth it. But I don’t insult anyone’s intelligence by saying there won’t be gendered moments.” – Julia Gillard
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Let’s get fiscal: Can Sunak bury Corona in cash?
13 maart 2020 · 33 min
Hey, big spender: was this the Corona budget or the End of Austerity budget? Is Rishi Sunak doing the right thing for businesses that can’t handle the unprecedented pressures of the Coronavirus? Has he bottled Net Zero on carbon? The perils of badly-drawn business interventions. Why this government is now running on Labour’s fiscal rules from 2010 — the ones they said would bankrupt the country. And can you regenerate a whole country from a highly controlling centre?
“This kind of support can be addictive to businesses. When the next crisis arrives, will the chancellor be able to tell them ‘no’?” – Giles Wilkes
Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Gemma Tetlow, Alex Thomas and Giles Wilkes. Audio production by Robin Leeburn.
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IfG INTERVIEWS: David Gauke, former Treasury Secretary and one-man “Gaukward Squad”
11 maart 2020 · 14 min
In the latest of our occasional interviews, former Conservative MP and Treasury Secretary DAVID GAUKE talks to the IfG’s Cath Haddon about what the last Parliament can teach us about the future of this one. How is Boris Johnson faring so far? Are the trade talks with the EU likely to collapse? Will Dominic Cummings see the end of this Parliament? And what is it really like to write a budget?
“Number Ten will be very effective in blaming EU intransigence for any collapse in the talk, regardless of how reasonable those talks might have been.” – David Gauke
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A matter of life and debt
5 maart 2020 · 47 min
Beyond Brexit, the government begins the colossal task of sorting out UK-EU commerce, a US-UK trade deal… and maybe trade within the UK itself. Former DExEU permanent secretary Philip Rycroft sets out the scale of the job.
Universal Credit: is it too late to stop now? Senior IfG Fellow and author of The Five Giants: A Biography Of The Welfare State Nicholas Timmins spells out what’s needed to save Iain Duncan Smith’s unloved legacy policy, including the brutal business of recovering £10bn social security debt from people who don’t know they owe it. And the Lib Dems’ Norman Lamb gives us some lessons learned during the party’s bruising experience into coalition.
“Talking about a free trade deal is a bit of a misnomer. It’s about having less free trade than we have and mitigating the effects” – Philip Rycroft
Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Joe Owen and Alex Thomas. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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EXTRA: Rutnam vs Patel lays Civil Service/Govt turmoil bare
2 maart 2020 · 15 min
The seismic, very public resignation of Home Secretary Priti Patel’s permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam has blown the state of relations between the Government and its Civil Service wide open. What does it mean? Will Rutnam’s constructive dismissal case make it to court? Do we need a formal process for civil servants to blow the whistle on ministers? And will this extraordinary stand-off permanently reset the relationship between senior civil servants and the politicians they work for?
This special edition of INSIDE BRIEFING is hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Alex Thomas. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Breaking Spad: is something rotten in the state of Johnson?
28 februari 2020 · 40 min
This week on the podcast that dispels the mysteries of government: Backroom squabbles, bullying and powergrabs — is the Johnson administration already tearing itself apart from within? We discover why Government should learn to love its Perm Secs and Spads.
Plus Tony Blair’s former political secretary turned strategy guru JOHN McTERNAN reveals untold tales of how to grease the wheels of government … and explains why Bernie Saunders will be the next US President. Ex-Business Secretary GREG CLARK on the future of British science and the government’s Coronavirus plans. And what’s in the newly-discovered Commons catacombs?
“You can’t make hundreds of thousands of people march in one direction by shouting at one of them.” JOHN
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Tim Durrant and Gavin Freeguard. Audio production by Alex Rees. Lees meerSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
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“The Department of No”: Inside the Number Ten-Treasury rivalry
20 februari 2020 · 40 min
This week on the podcast that ventures into the engine room of government, the Treasury vs Number Ten. War without end or grudging partnership of equals? Special guest TIM PITT was a SPAD at the Cabinet Office and senior Treasury advisor. As the Javid fallout settles, Tim tells us where the power really lies. Lees meer
Plus the Bank of England’s Chief Economist ANDY HALDANE on why our economy needs new metrics of success. And this year’s COP26 conference: Why remedying climate change is the ultimate 4-dimensional chess challenge for government. Will fixing the summit’s wobbles win Britain its first global leadership moment? And how to ace a job interview with Liz Truss.
“Net Zero by 2050 is an easy commitment to make. The politicians making it are highly unlikely to be around by then. The challenge is to do those things now that will make net zero achievable then.” – Tim Pitt
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Emma Norris, Gemma Tetlow and Gavin Freeguard. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Reading the runes of Reshuffle Day with Gavin Barwell
13 februari 2020 · 41 min
When Sajid Javid quit as Chancellor it served up an unexpected vintage Reshuffle Day. But do big ministerial resignations really come as a surprise to the people moving the chesspieces? Special guest GAVIN BARWELL, former Chief of Staff to Theresa May, tells us how tense it gets in Westminster when Cabinet job are reassigned, and offers some insider advice for new ministers.
Plus we talk to SARAH WOLLASTON about her time as a select committee chair – and her concerns about this government’s attempt to dodge scrutiny. And there’s one last chance to hear the expertise and mellifluous tones of outgoing Attorney General GEOFFREY COX before he rides into the sunset.
“If you want fresh blood you’ve got to be prepared to wield the axe sometimes.” – Gavin Barwell
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Raphael Hogarth. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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BONUS: Gina Miller – “Parliamentary sovereignty is much more important than Brexit”
7 februari 2020 · 15 min
An extended version of our interview with high-profile Remainer turned constitution campaigner GINA MILLER. She explains how she’s staying in the constitutional fight, why she thinks “Remain and Rejoin” are done for now, why she’s encouraged by how backbenchers have handled HS2 and Huawei, and why the hardest part of Brexit is yet to come.
“Some of the government’s language would not be out of place in Orbán’s government,” she says. “Both of the cases we brought were about the fundamentals of democracy. The parliamentary slogans you heard during the referendum were exactly what we were defending.”
Interview by Sam Macrory. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Getting Away With It? How to scrutinise an all-powerful Government
7 februari 2020 · 42 min
Where has all the scrutiny gone, long time passing…? As the Government wields its apparently unassailable majority, who will be the thorn on the Government’s otherwise impenetrable hide this year? Plus special guest PAUL HARRISON – Theresa May’s former press spokesman – explains what this week’s spat between lobby journalists and government advisors really means. And can the Government pull off its proposed more stringent sentencing guidelines in the wake of the Streatham attacks?
GINA MILLER explains why she’s staying in the fight to reform the British constitution. (Watch your feed for the full-length unedited interview). And Paul tells us what it’s like to lose your government job at an hour’s notice. “Most of us went straight to the pub,” he reveals.
“Big restrictions on the lobby are a terrible look for the government... most journalists are as public spirited as the politicians they cover.” – PAUL HARRISON
“Politicians often agree with the way Tom Stoppard put it: ‘I’m with you on the free press. It’s the newspapers I can’t stand’.” – PAUL HARRISON
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Hannah White. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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BONUS: Gisela Stuart – “I didn’t realise how deep the grievance of Remain voters was.”
31 januari 2020 · 16 min
In an extended version of her interview on this week’s podcast, leading light of Leave GISELA STUART tells Cath Haddon what it was really like inside the campaign to exit the EU.
Listen for fascinating detail on the atmosphere inside the Brexit victory, why she “really likes” Dominic Cummings, why the “old, playful Boris Johnson” has disappeared… and why she worries that we could be in for a crisis in the Union between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that nobody wants.
“We as politicians had become quite lazy. We hadn’t talked about fisheries, agriculture, workers’ rights… those I felt had to come back to the UK parliament.”
Interview by Cath Haddon. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Home and Huawei: Will Boris pass his first post-Brexit test?
31 januari 2020 · 47 min
As Britain finally leaves the EU, the vastness of the Brexit task ahead becomes clearer. Special guest PETER FOSTER, Europe Editor of the Telegraph (and soon Policy Editor at the FT), joins us to talk about our future relationship with the EU and who will hold the Government to account at home.
Meanwhile, was Boris Johnson’s first big independent decision – on allowing Huawei into the UK’s 5G plans – a wise one? Old China hand Peter thinks not. Plus we talk to leading light of Leave GISELA STUART on the inside story of the campaign, her thoughts on Remain, and what Dominic Cummings is really like. Watch your feed for the full-length unedited version too.
“The Chinese have driven a wedge between the United Kingdom and the United States. From their point of view, job done.” – PETER FOSTER
“Membership of the EU has depoliticised a lot of trade issues in the past… It’s going to be striking on how politics intrude on these big decisions. And ministers are going to be exposed.” – ALEX THOMAS
“Remaking our relationship with the EU is very much not going to be on the same exasperated but friendly terms of the past.” PETER FOSTER
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Maddy Thimont-Jack and Alex Thomas. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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What works in Whitehall – and what doesn’t?
24 januari 2020 · 38 min
Blood runs cold in Westminster as the IfG hands down its annual judgment on government efficiency, the Whitehall Monitor. Who gets an A-Star, who has room to improve and who’s on the naughty step? And why does Britain’s idiosyncratic approach to talent management mean that the Civil Service is getting older and younger at the same time?
Also, Northern Uproar: Moving the grand old Lords to York – would it it take ten thousand men (and women)? With Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’s assemblies all symbolically rejecting the Government’s Brexit plans, have we now passed Peak Devolution? And which domestic policies might get trampled in Boris Johnson’s rush for a US trade deal?
“Reform of local and regional government has been on the Too Difficult box for far too long” – Alex Thomas
“By an elegant solution, you mean a fudge, right?” – Bronwen Maddox
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Gavin Freeguard, Emma Norris and Alex Thomas. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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The Leverage Report
17 januari 2020 · 39 min
Who’s really got the whip hand during Britain’s post-Brexit negotiations with the EU? Special guest RACHEL SYLVESTER of The Times joins us to look at whether Boris Johnson can play the brinkmanship game again when it comes to new trade arrangements with our European friends.
Plus, we talk to LIAM FOX about starting a government department from scratch, that putative Trump trade deal, and whether he got the Brexit he wanted. Why do ex-ministers heap praise on individual civil servants but rail against the Civil Service in general? The surprise return of self-government in Northern Ireland. And our data guru Gavin Freeguard turns Freedom of Information requests into free jazz. He’s got all the right requests, just not in the right order.
“Brexit WILL be done in the narrow sense... but what exactly are we doing with the control we take back?” – Joe Owen
“There’s been a Roundheads vs Cavaliers divide in politics and Labour have been the joyless Roundheads. The next Labour leader will need to be someone who can spark some joy in the country.” – Rachel Sylvester
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Joe Owen, Jess Sargeant and Gavin Freeguard. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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BONUS: Jonathan Powell – “What I discovered in No.10 is how LITTLE power you have”
10 januari 2020 · 22 min
“You need to persuade the Civil Service. Attacking them is not the way to do it.” As Tony Blair’s Chief of Staff during the New Labour years, Jonathan Powell trod the path of radical reform that Dominic Cummings now walks. In this extended version of his interview in this week’s INSIDE BRIEFING, he tells Sam Macrory of the hidden pitfalls of rapid government reform, the perils of absentee opposition, and the real possibility of the UK breaking up over Brexit.
“I think Boris Johnson will survive this year, politically,” he says. “But I don’t think Dominic Cummings will.”
Interview by Sam Macrory. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Revolution Number Ten
10 januari 2020 · 44 min
Dominic Cummings wants to make “seismic” changes to the way government works. Can the PM’s supreme advisor pull off such radical transformations in short order? And are his reforms really all that radical, or just designed to look that way? Special guest James Kirkup of the Social Market Foundation joins us to discuss what levelling up government” really means – and whether proper scrutiny is a thing of the past in an age of massive majorities.
Plus, secrets of how new MPs look busy. Can Boris Johnson really ban the word Brexit? The march of the “misfits and weirdos”. And the undiscovered political power of the English-not-British. And we talk to Tony Blair’s former Chief of Staff Jonathan Powell about the limits of power and the bear-traps hidden in the heart of Whitehall. Watch out for a special extended version of the interview in your podcast feed.
“These are the beginning of the lean years for lobby journalists who have for three years feasted on huge fatted corpses.” - James Kirkup
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Hannah White. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Get with the programme? Johnson’s new era of government
20 december 2019 · 43 min
It’s the second Queens Speech in two months, with perhaps more changes than we expected. Will Boris Johnson’s huge majority mean he can deliver on his election promises? Or will his radical programme be derailed by governments’ oldest enemies: unforeseen circumstances, hubris, and “events, dear boy”*?
On this last INSIDE BRIEFING before Christmas, we also look at whether Johnson can pull off his much-touted NHS reforms and whether Dominic Cummings can remake Whitehall in his own image. Is it a mistake to plunge into government departments into wholesale upheaval, however good your intentions? And we ask prominent Brexiteer Douglas Carswell if his dreams have come true in quite the way he wanted.
Plus, should auld acquaintance be forgot, there’s a look at the lessons and legacy of David Cameron’s government – remember them? – with special guest Chris Cook of the innovative “slow news” start-up Tortoise Media. And our statistical savant Gavin Freeguard is on hand with some Speed Data about ministerial turnover.
“It’s really hard to get government money spent on things that people can actually see.” – Chris Cook
“Ministers have actually said to us, how do we get stuff done?” – Bronwen Maddox
* Did Harold McMillan ever actually say this? We may never know…
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Emma Norris plus Chris Cook and Gavin Freeguard. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Holyrood vs. Westminster: A Scottish Independence Special Edition
18 december 2019 · 37 min
PODCAST EXTRA: As the SNP sweeps Scotland in the General Election, can the Union survive? And with Holyrood and Westminster on a collision course, will Nicola Sturgeon’s demands for another referendum be impossible for Boris Johnson to rebuff?
The IfG has just released its most detailed report yet into possible roads to IndyRef2 and potential fallout of another vote. On this special podcast its co-authors Akash Paun and Jess Sargeant – plus eminent legal commentator Joshua Rozenberg and Kevin Schofield, editor of PoliticsHome – look into how Scotland might get to vote again, and the unforeseen consequences for the whole UK.
What happens if Nicola Sturgeon’s mandate clashes with Boris Johnson’s? If Westminster won’t relent, could we see a Catalonian-style ‘unofficial’ referendum, civil disobedience or even UDI? And even an independent Scottish currency? And a tour of the possible flashpoints: Brexit, the WAB, trade, agriculture, the trial of Alex Salmond, and fish.
Listen closely. This could be the big crisis of 2020.
“The future of the union is not devolved to Scotland. It’s a matter for the United Kingdom.” – Joshua Rosenberg
“Brexit has been a massive recruiting sergeant for the SNP.” – Kevin Schofield
“Scotland would wants to rejoin the EU. What we don’t know is, does the EU want Scotland?” – Joshua Rosenberg
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Akash Paun and Jess Sargeant plus guests Joshua Rozenberg and Kevin Schofield. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Johnson unbound? Election results special
13 december 2019 · 40 min
It’s the general election result we half-expected – but few thought it would upset politics on such a seismic scale. Aside from the party tumult, will Boris Johnson’s giant majority mean wholesale change for the way Whitehall does business? How can he resolve the tension between what the Conservatives promised and what their tax commitments can deliver? And beneath the surface, the hidden issue of British fish. Does Boris grasp the scale of the problem?
Plus the Election result could mean big changes to the very fabric of the United Kingdom. As the SNP’s calls for a second Independence Referendum in Scotland grow louder, the IfG’s Akash Paun explains the constitutional challenges presented by IndyRef2. You can read the IfG’s special report here.
All this plus Gavin Freeguard’s statistical box of delights.
“Johnson’s now making the weather. So what does he want?” – Joe Owen
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Hannah White, Gemma Tetlow, Joe Owen and – plus Gavin Freeguard and Akash Paun. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Election: The Final Countdown
6 december 2019 · 49 min
As the General Election goes down to the wire, we’re joined by special guest Sebastian Payne of the Financial Times to look at campaign control freakery and the constitutional uncertainty that surrounds this unpredictable vote. What happens if there’s a hung parliament but the biggest party can’t form a government? Can the PM just stay in place? And what would happen if Boris Johnson lost his seat?
Plus, the social care crisis is a pressing issue for government but why are politicians so terrified of touching it? Nick Davies of the IfG tells us why this politically radioactive issue urgently needs cross-party consensus.
And with political journalism under the spotlight as seldom before, we speak to Jo Coburn, formidable presenter of the BBC’s Daily Politics show, about the challenges of fake news, unconscious bias and dealing with politicians who simply refuse to turn up to face scrutiny. “When parties attack us, I think they’re losing the argument,” she says. “It’s an easy hit to blame journalists when we bend over backwards to ensure we represent every shade of opinion.”
All this plus Seb Payne coining the world “Coalitious”. Remember that one for future use.
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Hannah White plus Gavin Freeguard and Nick Davies. Audio production by Alex Rees. Lees meerSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
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Inside the Manifestos
29 november 2019 · 43 min
This week on the podcast that explains the way that government works (and why it often doesn’t)... Lees meer
The IfG team are joined by New Statesman political editor Stephen Bush to make sense of the party manifestos. Do all the spending pledges add up? And does it matter if they don’t?
There’s a bit of Brexit in there too – but what are the EU up to while UK politicians are busy knocking on doors?
We also speak to Full Fact boss Will Moy about calling out politicians who don’t tell the truth.
Plus: What does Breakfast at Tiffany’s have in common with the Labour manifesto?
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Giles Wilkes plus Stephen Bush, Georgina Wright and Gavin Freeguard. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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A Guide to the Constitutional Galaxy
22 november 2019 · 44 min
This week on the podcast that takes you inside the way that government works and sometimes doesn’t..
The IfG team are joined by David Allen Green to discuss whether the general election will resolve all the constitutional chaos of the last few years? And just how difficult would it be told a second referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU?
A new prime minister might be tempted to redesign Whitehall and announce plans for some brand new government departments. But is that a sensible thing to do? A new IfG report has the answers. Lees meerAnd we speak to former cabinet secretary Gus O’Donnell about the challenges of forming coalition governments and the for politicians to respect the rules and tell the truth.
Plus: Why is 120 the number of the week? Who knows more about the shortest-serving prime minister in British history?
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Maddy Thimont Jack plus David Allen Green, Tim Durrant and Gavin Freeguard. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Getting Stuff Done: Why it’s always harder than you think
15 november 2019 · 45 min
This week on the podcast that takes you inside the way that government works (or doesn’t): Labour has massive plans for Britain but what do they need to do to make them happen if they win the Election? We look at how incoming governments routinely underestimate the hurdles of getting big things done.
What can the IfG’s biggest-ever report reveal about how public services have fared under austerity? And we speak to former Downing Street Chief of Staff Gavin Barwell about winning elections and governing afterwards.
Plus: Should you trust a manifesto? The cautionary tale that is Universal Credit. Is there more to NHS policy than just an arms race to spend the most? And we find out what the statistics on A&E waiting times and social care sound like when played on a theremin. Spoiler: “a bit like the theme from Twin Peaks”.
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Emma Norris and Joe Owen plus Gavin Freeguard and Graham Atkins. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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A firehose of public spending?
8 november 2019 · 45 min
This week on the podcast that looks at how Government works, and sometimes doesn’t…
Both major parties are promising massive public spending if they win the Election, but are there enough projects out there to spend it all on? The right to free access to the government’s own reports becomes a key Election battleground. And there’s a brand new Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle. How will Parliament deal with the unprecedented decisions of now-departed John Bercow?
Plus, what happens on “Taking Out The Trash Day”? How Brexit could affect devolution and self-government in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland far beyond any date when we actually leave. Why ‘FORTHWITH’ is the most powerful word in the Parliamentary lexicon. We talk to veteran Lib Dem strategist Olly Grender. And how fast can the IfG’s athletic staffers run from Piccadilly to College Green? It’s a key fitness challenge.
“John Bercow increased the powers of Parliament. Is the new Speaker really going to want to give them back to the Government?” – Hannah White
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Alice Lilly, Joe Owen, Hannah White, Gavin Freeguard and Jess Sargeant. Audio production by Alex Rees.
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Parliament’s wake-up call for Government, the future of tax and David Lidington MP
1 november 2019 · 41 min
As the 2017-2019 Parliament ends and Britain girds itself for a General Election, how will this Parliament be viewed by history? Has it perhaps done its job better than some people think? Will future governments need to do things differently now that Parliament has flexed its muscles?
“Backbenchers have found that they can get together, form coalitions and do things that Government doesn’t want,” says Hannah White. “That’s a real wake-up call for Government.”
Plus: The loneliness of the long-distance Cabinet minister. What do potential ministers need to look out for? Could we really get by without a budget at all? And might No Deal come back from the dead at the end of the General Election?
Also, our Chief Economist Gemma Tetlow drop in to explain everything you didn’t know - but need to know - about the strange and precarious future of taxation. If good behaviour from the public is bad for the tax base, how will we pay for the things we need? And we speak to David Lidington, the former de facto Prime Minister who’s now stepping down as a Conservative MP, on the lasting legacy of this Parliament.
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon, Joe Owen, Hannah White and Gavin Freeguard. Audio production by Robin Leeburn at Fairly Media.
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Inside the Election stalemate – plus leading Brexiter Graham Brady MP
25 oktober 2019 · 42 min
“It’s a ‘yes, but’. But that ‘yes, but’ is political gold-dust…” This week on the podcast that explains how government works (and often doesn’t)… Boris Johnson moves his Brexit Deal further than Theresa May ever pushed hers, but not quite far enough. What are the legal and constitutional positions that hem him in? How soon would the PM need to dissolve Parliament in order to get an election this side of Christmas?
Also: In public services, is outsourcing on the way out and insourcing coming in? If a contract is less a licence to print money than a “Winner’s Curse”, where next for the orthodoxy that has governed public service for decades?
Plus we speak to leading Brexiter Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservative Party 1922 Committee, about rebels, backstops and the state of the Tory Party. Re-convening the Stormont Assembly – what does it mean for Northern Ireland and Brexit too? And can the panel get through the podcast without ever mentioning the Fixed Term Parliaments Act?
Hosted by Bronwen Maddox with Dr Cath Haddon, Joe Owen and Maddy Thimont Jack. Audio production by Robin Leeburn at Fairly Media.
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Inside the Brexit endgame – plus Hilary Benn MP
18 oktober 2019 · 53 min
How can we make government work more effectively? What are Brexit and the current political tumult doing to our institutions? What needs to change in our system of government – and how can we change it? We’ll explore all these things and more on INSIDE BRIEFING, the new podcast from the Institute for Government, Britain’s leading governmental think tank.
This week: As the most momentous weekend of the Brexit saga looms, we look at the detail of the Johnson Deal and how it might play out in the Commons. Could we get an accidental No Deal after all? Special guest Giles Wilkes joins us to explain his detailed IfG report on on what No Deal would really mean for business. And we talk to Hilary Benn MP, Chair of the Brexit Select Committee, on the workings of the Act that bears his name (colloquially at least). Will it come into effect and what would the consequences be?
Presented by Bronwen Maddox with the IfG’s Hannah White, Cath Haddon and Joe Owen. Audio production by Robin Leeburn.
Theme music: ‘The Breakbeat’ by TwoCatsGang under licence from audiojungle.net Lees meerSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
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