Vaccine victories and royal pains in Britain

On this Democracy Sausage Extra, Europe correspondent Bevan Shields and COO of Atalanta Elizabeth Ames join Mark Kenny to discuss the status of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom, the unfolding royal family train wreck, and Mathias Cormann’s bid to become OECD head.

With small freedoms set to return and the COVID-19 vaccine rollout well under way, the British Government has set 21 June as the earliest date the country will see all restrictions on social contact lifted. But is that timeline realistic? What’s the state of the British economy? And how has Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry managed to push COVID-19 and Brexit off the front pages? On this Democracy Sausage Extra, Professor Mark Kenny touches base with friends-of-the-show Bevan Shields, Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and Elizabeth Ames, COO of Atalanta, to take the pulse public sentiment in Britain on COVID-19 and the royal family, and discuss whether Mathias Corman has a shot at becoming the OECD secretary general.

Bevan Shields is Europe Correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He was previously Federal Editor and Canberra Bureau Chief.

Elizabeth Ames is an international trade policy expert and Chief Operating Officer of Atalanta, a mission-driven firm with a focus on advancing women's leadership worldwide and accelerating programmes that tackle the root causes of gender inequality. She is also a Director of the Britain-Australia Society and Chair of the Menzies Australia Institute at King’s College London.

Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

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