The French president Emmanuel Macron’s government narrowly survived a confidence vote after it invoked a contentious article of the constitution to override parliament and pass an unpopular reform to the pensions system. The move enraged the opposition and unions, which have vowed to escalate direct action in protest. For a special episode, Ido Vock in Berlin is joined by Georgina Wright, director of the Institut Montaigne’s Europe Programme, in Paris, to discuss why the government thought it needed to force through the bill to raise the retirement age to 64, why the decision caused outrage and what options the protest movement has left. Read more: Emmanuel Macron has shown his contempt for democracyChaos erupts over Emmanuel Macron’s retirement reforms Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As protests against the Iranian regime continue, Megan Gibson speaks to the award-winning writer Dina Nayeri, whose latest book is Who Gets Believed When the Truth Isn’t Enough?They discuss the uprising in Iran since Mahsa Amini died after being arrested by the oppressive morality police, where the protests are going, Nayeri’s own experiences with the morality police, and why refugees and asylum seekers are demonised by public discourse and political policies.Read more:Iran’s regime won’t be easily toppledHow Mahsa Amini’s death set Iran on fire Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the weekend, Silicon Valley Bank, a lender to some of the biggest names in the technology world, became the largest bank to fail since the 2008 financial crisis. Regulators scrambled to contain the fallout from the collapse as share prices plummeted, with HSBC stepping in to buy the bank for £1 in a rescue deal. Ido Vock is joined by the New Statesman’s associate business editor Emma Haslett and Spotlight editor Alona Ferber to discuss the roots of the crisis, the hypocrisy of libertarian tech bros, and the wider risks. Next, the team turn to Israel, where Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposals to reform the judiciary have been met in Tel Aviv with some of the biggest protests in the city’s history. They discuss whether Israel is moving towards dictatorship, the prospect of rebellion in the army, and rising violence in the West Bank.If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer.  Read more:        Will Dunn asks: who killed Silicon Valley Bank?Emma Haslett writes that the failure of Silicon Valley Bank unmasks the hypocrisy of libertarian tech bros. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One year into Russia's war against Ukraine, Katie Stallard speaks to Jade McGlynn, an expert on Russian propaganda and memory politics, about how the Kremlin has framed the conflict at home. McGlynn is an academic researcher at King's College London and the author of two forthcoming books, Russia's War and Memory Makers: The Politics of the Past in Putin's Russia. They discuss the spectrum of public attitudes towards the war in Russia, whether European visa bans on Russian citizens could be counterproductive, and how Russia's wartime past became so dominant in the country's contemporary politics. Read more: Katie on the truth about Putin’s “denazification” fantasy. Katie on how the world’s dictators are rewriting the past in order to control the future. The former US ambassador to Moscow, John Sullivan: “Vladimir Putin does not want an off-ramp” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Tuesday (7 March), hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest Emmanuel Macron’s attempts to raise the retirement age. Workers in a variety of sectors – including education, transport, energy and waste – downed tools on the largest day of strikes since Macron's presidency began.  Megan Gibson in London, Ido Vock in Berlin and Katie Stallard in Washington DC discuss Macron’s proposals and his refusal to back down, raising the prospect of an escalating struggle. Plus, what are the stakes for the country more broadly? Next they turn to China, where the country’s leadership has gathered for its annual parliamentary session, known as the National People’s Congress. The team discuss Xi Jinping’s uncharacteristically direct attack on the US, how these statements were received in Washington, and what the parliamentary session tells us about how China sees its path ahead. Then in You Ask Us, a listener wonders: will the toxic chemical attacks against Iranian schoolgirls quell the unrest in the country? Read more: Katie writes Xi Jinping lashes out at the US Megan asks who is poisoning school girls in Iran? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following a flurry of Chinese diplomatic efforts in Europe, culminating in a visit to the Munich Security Conference on 18 February by Wang Yi, the country's top diplomat,, Katie Stallard speaks to Andrew Small, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund's Asia programme, about the future of European relations with Beijing. His latest book, No Limits: The Inside Story of China's War with the West, charts the revolution in Europe's China policy over the past five years, and how Beijing's assertive diplomacy and increasingly overt support for Russia's war against Ukraine has forced a political reckoning in European capitals.If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskusPodcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer: visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to learn more Read more: Katie on China’s hollow peace plan for Ukraine Kate on how Xi Jinping views the world John Sullivan: “Vladimir Putin does not want an off-ramp” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko met with China’s leader Xi Jinping in Beijing this week. A staunch ally of Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko would have been eager to demonstrate his close relationship with another major world leader. For Beijing, however, the visit is a little more complicated. Megan Gibson in London, Katie Stallard in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss the significance of the visit's timing, which follows China’s attempted charm offensive in Europe, and whether Belarus could send troops to Ukraine. The team then turn to a flurry of drone strikes on Russia in recent days, with TV channels and radio stations also being hacked. They discuss whether Ukraine is behind these attacks and the potential political consequences. Then in You Ask Us a listener asks what French president Emmanuel Macron is trying to achieve in Africa.If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskusPodcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer: visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to learn more Read more: Ido writes there are cracks between how Ukraine and the West see the war ending Katie on why Alexander Lukashenko’s visit to China matters Katie on China’s hollow peace plan for Ukraine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Megan Gibson speaks to the economist and author Mariana Mazzucato, professor at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. The Big Con is her latest book, co-written with Rosie Collington, which exposes the consequences of governments’ dependency on consultancies such as McKinsey and Deloitte. “The more governments and businesses outsource,” they write, “the less they know how to do.”They discuss the rise of the consultancy industry and how these companies have, over the course of decades, enfeebled governments while making billions. They cover scandal after scandal, from McKinsey’s role in the US opioid crisis to Deloitte and Boston Consulting Group’s mega-profits from Britain’s test and trace system. Ultimately, Mazzucato makes the case for reimagining how we approach capitalism.Subscribers can get an ad free version of the NS Podcast on the New Statesman app Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer. Read more:Megan Gibson interviews Mariana Mazzucato: “Consultancies depend on weak governments”Will Lloyd on how consultancy bleeds Britain dry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday (20 February) to demonstrate what he called America’s “unwavering support” for Ukraine’s war effort. It was the first time a US president had visited the country since Russia first attacked Ukraine, in 2014. Megan Gibson in London, Katie Stallard in Wasington DC, and Ido Vock in Berlin discuss the significance of this visit and Vladimir Putin’s latest warning to the West in his state of the nation speech. They also cover support for Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference this week and in the Global South. Then the team turns to China, where Xi Jinping is expected to deliver a “peace speech” on the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. This follows the visit of China’s leading diplomat to Moscow this week, prompting warnings from the US that China was considering supplying weapons to Russia. The team discuss China’s position on the war and try to unwrap its “strategic swaddle” approach to Russia. Then in You Ask Us, a listener asks: what did the team get wrong about the conflict over the last year?If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskusPodcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer: visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer to learn more  Read more:  Ido on why the West’s narrative on Ukraine hasn’t convinced the rest of the worldMegan writes that Biden’s trip to Kyiv reiterates Western support – but not everywhere feels the sameKatie writes that Biden and Putin agree on one thing – the future of the global order is at stake in Ukraine John Sullivan: “Vladimir Putin does not want an off-ramp” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Ukraine marks one year since Russia’s invasion, Ido Vock is joined by Ukrainian journalist and broadcaster Maria Romanenko, military expert Mark Galeotti and the New Statesman’s writer at large Jeremy Cliffe. They discuss how Ukrainians felt at the outbreak of war, whether Western support to Kyiv will hold and how the war could eventually end. Read more:Oleksiy Danilov: “Weak people always come up with excuses not to act”No, Russia isn’t about to break apartIs Ukraine prepared for the coming offensive? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.