The Briefing Room

Bringing Britain's railways back into public ownership is a popular idea with passengers - but would it really make any improvements to service?Renationalisation of the railways is official Labour party policy. Polls suggest a majority of voters favour it too - and that was the case before the recent problems with Southern Rail. With the help of the Conservative former transport minister Michael Portillo, David Aaronovitch explores the history of British railway ownership, asks whether it's possible to make the privatised system work and finds out how a future government might go about bringing the railways back into public ownership.Contributors:Louise Ellman, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside and Chair, Transport Select CommitteeLaurie Macfarlane, Economist, New Economics FoundationMichael Portillo, former Conservative Minister of State for Transport Michael Schabas, railways consultantChristian Wolmar, railways historian and journalistProducer: Phil Kemp Research: Sam Bright.

Can President Trump deliver on his pre-election promise to bring back outsourced manufacturing jobs, and end the 'bad deals' that have outsourced labour to countries like Mexico?This message was particularly powerful in America's Midwest - often referred to as the rust belt - where voters supported him in droves and helped him secure his narrow victory. But how can he deliver on his promise, and what does putting 'America First' mean for the rest of the world - including Britain? In the second part of The Briefing Room's two-part series on Trump's economy, David Aaronovitch explores what the President's trade policies might mean in practice.CONTRIBUTORSDavid Smith, economics editor for The Sunday TimesArthur Laffer, economist and former advisor to President Ronald Reagan Diane Furchgott-Roth, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and previously worked on Donald Trump’s campaign and transition teamProf Ted Malloch, Henley Business School of the University of ReadingMonique Ebell, economist at the National Institute for Economic and Social Research, LondonResearcher: Samuel Bright Producer: China Collins

Will President Trump's plan to put 'America first' make the USA richer?He's promised a raft of radical economic reforms including a huge cut in tax on businesses, an income tax cut, a massive reduction in regulation, and investment in America's infrastructure.His goal is to get America's economy growing at roughly double its current rate. He also wants to create 25 million new jobs, and put 'America first' in every policy decision. But are these goals achievable and are the measures he's proposing likely to work? David Aaronovitch explores what 'Trumponomics' might mean in practice and asks a range of experts whether his plans for the economy will lead to boom or bust.CONTRIBUTORSJim Tankersley, Policy and Politics Editor, VoxArthur Laffer, former advisor to President Ronald ReaganJohn Kay, visiting Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics and fellow of St John's College, Oxford Diana Furchtgott-Roth, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and formerly worked on Donald Trump’s campaign and transition teamResearcher: Samuel Bright Producer: China Collins

Why did India's prime minister ban the use of the country's most widely used bank notes? On 8 November, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a stunning announcement. As of midnight that day, all 500 and 1000 rupee notes would no longer be legal tender. The announcement came as a shock not only to the Indian public, but also to businesses, banks and some of Mr Modi's closest advisors. Large queues formed at banks across the country as people tried to exchange their old notes for new ones and businesses came to a grinding halt. Agriculture was one of the sectors that was hardest hit. It was sowing season for India's farmers, many of whom had no means to buy the seeds, so reliant are they on cash transactions.So what was Modi trying to achieve through this shock and awe tactic? Is this a stroke of economic genius or a highly damaging political move? And did the move have the desired effect? David Aaronovitch speaks to a panel of experts to find out.CONTRIBUTORS: Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author of a biography about Narendra Modi, Narendra Modi: The Man, The TimesIla Patnaik, former economic advisor to the Modi government and a professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and PolicyDouglas Busvine, Reuters bureau chief in New DelhiJustin Rowlatt, BBC South Asia CorrespondentProducer: Phil Kemp Research: Serena Tarling and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Innes Bowen.

How did British-Pakistani gangs come to dominate the drugs trade in Yorkshire?Earlier this month, police shot dead 28-year-old Mohammed Yasser Yaqub on a motorway slip road near Huddersfield. Their target was apparently armed and dangerous – a big time drug dealer, allegedly with a record of using violence to get his way.Yasser Yaqub’s death was followed by protests on the streets of Bradford and in nearby Huddersfield, hundreds turned up to a mosque for his funeral. The drugs business in West Yorkshire is largely controlled by gangs of Pakistani-Muslim heritage, who use their community contacts to aid their criminal operations - but how does such a religiously conservative community contain within it such a dangerous criminal element? David Aaronovitch heads to Dewsbury to find out.CONTRIBUTORSTony Saggers, Head of Drugs Threat & Intelligence at the National Crime AgencyDanny Lockwood, editor of The Dewsbury PressMo Ali Qasim, who has spent four years doing academic research into Pakistani-origin drug dealers in West YorkshireResearcher: Samuel Bright Editor: Innes Bowen

What happened after the buses left eastern Aleppo in December?After four and a half years of siege, the residents of eastern Aleppo were evacuated before Christmas. But the evacuees didn't disappear when they left the city and the Syrian Civil war didn't end with the end of the siege. Abdelkafi, an English teacher from Aleppo, relates his experience of leaving Aleppo by bus with his wife and young daughter. He describes days of hardship taking place under the eyes of the West.And as international figures prepare for negotiations in Geneva, David Aaronovitch finds out what the fall of Aleppo means for its citizens, Syria and the Middle East.Joining David in The Briefing Room are: Marianne Gasser, Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in Syria Lina Khatib, Head of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House Aron Lund, Fellow of the Century FoundationProducer: Hannah Sander Researchers: Serena Tarling and Kirsteen Knight.

Liberalism died in 2016. This bold statement has been made by both right and left wing media in recent months. But what is liberalism - and can such a broad idea really be that vulnerable?Edmund Fawcett, author of Liberalism: The Life of an Idea, charts the rise and rise of liberalism, from Gladstone's social reformers to the economic liberalism of Margaret Thatcher. Sir Oliver Letwin MP played a key role in the Conservative Party's adoption of more socially liberal policies after 2005. He tells David Aaronovitch about embracing gay marriage, advocating green energy, and emphasising social justice.But is liberalism a luxury of the middle class? Lynsey Hanley discusses the link between social status and social conservatism. She explains why the working class may reject liberal values in defiance of the metropolitan elite.Producer: Hannah Sander Researcher: Kirsteen Knight.

Civil war in Yemen has become a full regional conflict, with global implications - but how did it start in the first place?This week the Disasters Emergency Committee launched a major appeal for aid, with Yemeni children dying of malnutrition following 20 months of war.But what are the causes of Yemen's civil war and who is fighting? Is it correct to describe it as a "proxy war" between Saudi Arabia and Iran?David Aaronovitch is joined by two experts with intimate knowledge of Yemen to explain the back-story behind the conflict. CONTRIBUTORS:Dr Elisabeth Kendall, Senior Research Fellow in Arabic at the University of OxfordSafa al-Ahmad, journalist and documentary maker.Producer: Hannah Sander Researchers: Beth Sagar-Fenton & Kirsteen Knight

What are the policies and political decisions which led to the current crisis in prisons?Prison life isn't meant to be easy but it is supposed to be safe and secure. Drugs, violence, self-harm and suicide are all increasing problems.David Aaronovitch examines what's gone wrong and hears stories from inside the prison system. He explores what over-crowding and under-staffing means for prisoners and officers alike who live with it day in, day out.The programme also looks beyond the budget and staff cuts to explore the impact of sentencing changes, institutional leadership, and political opposition to more liberal policies which might ease the pressure in an overcrowded system. And we also discuss the current impact of drugs in prison and ask what role corrupt prison staff might play in the smuggling of contraband.What would it take to bring prisons under control and longer term, how can we stop the next prison crisis and get the system working properly again? CONTRIBUTORSCharles - a former inmate at a London prison, now working with the rehabilitation and education charity Key4LifeJohn Podmore - former Governor of HMP Brixton and HMP Belmarsh; author of Out of Sight Out of Mind: Why Britain's Prisons Are FailingHelen Arnold - Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Suffolk and Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Criminology, Cambridge UniversityJulian McCrae - Deputy Director of the Institute for Government and former Deputy Director of the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit (2009)Producer: Matt Bardo Research: Kirsteen Knight & Beth Sagar-Fenton

The Investigatory Powers Act - or Snoopers' Charter to its critics - is a highly controversial new law. On one hand, it clarifies a host of vague laws which were out of date with modern technology - but it also enshrines new powers of digital observation and surveillance, which will be available to the British intelligence services, the police, and a host of government agencies. In this programme, David Aaronovitch explores the specifics of this new law, including the new safeguards which it puts in place, including the new demand for warrants for government 'equipment interference' (or hacking) must now be signed off by a senior judge. He also discusses the new legal requirement for Internet Service Providers to store data about our internet browsing habits and the power for government authorities to demand access to this information. Does the new law mean we are safer? Better safeguarded against surveillance abuses? Susceptible to more government scrutiny? Or all three of these things?CONTRIBUTORSBella Sankey, Director of Policy at the civil liberties advocacy organisation LibertyDavid Anderson QC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation for the United KingdomSir David Omand, visiting professor at King's College London and former Director of GCHQProducer: Richard Fenton-Smith Research: Matt Bardo Editor: Innes Bowen