Byline Podcast

What is the REAL migrant boat crisis? The British media seem obsessed with small boats crossing the Channel, but there's been far less coverage of the vessels carrying hundreds of migrants from West Africa which have gone missing en route to the Canary Islands. They were seeking the relative safety of Europe, after fleeing instability in Senegal. A fleet of three boats set sail a fortnight ago on the treacherous journey of more than 1,000 miles from the port of Kafountine. One has been rescued by the Spanish coastguard, but at the time of writing, two are still missing, the fate of their occupants unknown. This follows the tragedy off the coast of Greece just a few weeks ago. The final death toll in that tragic incident hasn't yet been confirmed, but it’s thought that more than 500 migrants drowned. The British governmen has made it a defining mission to stop the small boats in the English channel, where 27 people died when an inflatable dinghy capsized in November 2021. The Illegal Migration Bill currently going through parliament will make it illegal to seek asylum to the UK if you've arrived by sea. Despite the risk and the rhetoric, more than 12,000 people have arrived in the UK so far this year on small boats – a year on year reduction of just 7%. Adrian Goldberg discusses the issue with Zoe Gardener, migration policy expert.Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NHS is 75, but it's birthday that comes with warnings that the institution – like many of the people it serves – is showing signs of ageing badly. The Health Service is arguably a victim of its own success with people genera living longer than in previous generations, but with conditions that require long term care – including dementia, diabetes and heart disease. A combination of austerity and the pandemic has left waiting lists for non-emergency operations at record levels – so too is health inequality, which means that a men in parts of Blackpool die on average 17 years earlier than their counterparts in posh areas of London. Former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair is calling for an expanded role for the private sector in a new paper for his think tank. Adrian Goldberg discusses this with Chris Thomas Head of the Commission on Health and Prosperity at the IPPR think tank and Dr Andrew Meyerson, an A&E doctor in East London.Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"My Extinction" is a new documentary by award winning film maker Josh Appignanensi about his conversion to climate activism and the battle against climate denialism. Adrian Goldberg hears from both Josh and Peter Pomerantsev, author of This Is Not Propaganda, a book about disinformation and the denial of objective truth.Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This time, a new twist Boris Johnson and the Lebedevs…a long running story which has featured extensively in the Byline Times and here on the podcast… Alexanxder Lebdev is a former senior KGB spy and businessman; Evgeny his son owns the Evening Standard and is an investor in The Independent…Boris Johnson is friends with both men, and as Foreign Secretary attended their 'X Rated parties' in Italy without his security officers who were left at home. Documentary maker Mark Alden and Tortoise journalist Paul Caruana Galizia now say they have independently verified long standing claims that Evgeny was given a place in the House of Lords against MI5 advice to Johnson after he became Prime Minister.Adrian Goldberg examines the implications of the saga for British democracy and press freedom with Byline Times executive editor Peter Jukes and political editor Adam Bienkov.Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In June 1948, the HMT Empire Windrush set sail from Jamaica carrying 802 people to Tilbury In Essex. Along with their suitcases they carried dreams of a better life in the 'Mother Country.' It wasn’t the first migrant ship from the Caribbean to arrive in the UK but it was the largest and most famous – a former troopship which gave its name to a generation of willing workers coming to a country looking to rebuild itself after World War Two. Between 1948 and 1971 more than half a million people arrived – but the reception they received wasn’t always friendly; they faced endemic racism and in recent years, the ‘hostile environment’ created by then Home Secretary Theresa MayAdrian Goldberg discusses the 75th anniversary of the start of the 'Windrush' era with two second generation descendants - Dr Wanda Wyporska, CEO of the Black Equity organisation and anti-racism campaigner Maurice McLeod.Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Desi pubs are Indian owned drinking establishments in the UK and they tell two very different but inter-related stories about this country. One is a story of segregation that most British people would rather forget; the other is a story of communities growing together through a shared love of food and beer. David Jesudason, author of "Desi Pubs, A Guide to British Indian Pubs Food and Culture" reflects on both elements in conversation with Adrian Goldberg.Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has Britain officially become a police state? That might seem like an over-egged question, but thanks to legislation introduced by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, the authorities will now have the power to restrict any protest that could cause a “more than minor hindrance or delay” - and its the police who'll be able to define precisely what that means.As if that wasn't serious enough, the mechanism by which the law was passed also has troubling implications for our liberties.A first attempt to introduce the proposal was rejected by the House of Lords, but the government reintroduced it as "secondary legislation" which, according to constitutional convention, can't be blocked by the upper chamber. But was this use of parliamentary procedure itself an abuse of process?Katy Watts, a lawyer with Liberty tells Adrian Goldberg why the civil rights group is taking the government to court over the issue.Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Duke of Sussex aka Prince Harry is taking the media to task over intrusion into his private life which he claims crossed a line into illegality; He believes that Mirror Group Newspapers – publishers of the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror and The People published details about his private life that could only have been obtained by hacking or other unlawful means; MGN is contesting the claim. More than 100 people in total are involved in the High Court action; Harry’s is just one of four representative cases being heard. He also has cases pending against the Sun and the Daily Mail’s Publishers – and in his statement to the court, he launched a broader attack on the press, warning that “democracy fails when your press fails to scrutinse and hold the government accountable, and instead choose to get into bed with them so they can ensure the status quo”. That could almost be a mission statement for the Byline Times which grew out our executive editor Peter Jukes’ desire to tell the truth about the phone hacking scandal. Adrian Goldberg talks to Peter, and Byline Times editor Hardeep Matharu who published an editorial applauding Harry for using his privileged position to speak out.Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The secrets and silence of the state. Adrian Goldberg explores the government's reluctance to release What's App messages in defiance of the Covid Inquiry Chair Baroness Hallett, with Iain Overton and Josiah Mortimer.Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is It time to stop treating kids in care as commodities? In this episode, Adrian Goldberg examines the outsourcing of children’s homes to private companies. The evidence suggests that profit making firms in the sector generally provide a worse service than local authority providers; and are more likely to move youngsters away from their families and community networks.  Adrian's guests are Dr Anders Bach-Mortenson from Oxford University’s Department For Social Policy and Intervention and journalist Martin Barrow, who runs the Week In Care mailing list, and is a foster carer himself.Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices