Politics Unpacked

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Alice Thomson, Richard Fletcher and Daniel Finkelstein.Alice Thomson discusses the moral implications of singer Gary Barlow's tax footing. Is it difficult to sympathise with the Take That star?Richard Fletcher puts forward the argument that the decision of a corporate acquisition should be left to shareholders and executives rather than MPs. And Daniel Finkelstein argues that England's expectations in World Cup competitions are far too high considering the size of the country. Has the national team over-achieved in the past?Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-you-read Subscribe to The Times: www.thetimes.co.uk Follow The Times Opinion pages on Twitter: @TimesOpinion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Phillip Collins is joined by Hugo Rifkind, Fay Schlesinger and Patrick Kidd.Hugo RIfkind, "For three decades, Max Clifford was the guru of the dirty secret. Looking back today, though, very few of the revelations he brought to tabloids - 'man sleeps with woman' - seem all that interesting. I think we're becoming a less censorious society and, in the process, leaving the people with real dirt, such as Clifford himself, fewer places to hide."Fay Schlesinger, "Across the rich world crime is falling. 70% fewer murders in Estonia over the past 20 years, violent crime down by a third in the US...just 86,000 cars stolen in England last year against 400,000 in 1997. There are myriad explanations, from education to targeting policing and more prison places, but no real satisfactory answer. So are we, as criminologists are starting to conclude, simply a nicer and less macho society."Patrick Kidd, "One of the plum jobs in journalism is up for grabs as the BBC seeks a new presenter of Newsnight to replace that... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Matthew Parris, Rachel Sylvester and Melanie Phillips. Matthew Parris, "I don't believe David Cameron should resign if Scotland is lost this September. But I think he's in great danger. It will be said that he was too cavalier and too soft a touch in conceding this referendum on these terms, and that he "lost the Union" in a fit of inattention. We will be in stormy and uncharted waters if the answer is Yes. I believe an early or a postponed general election would be one of the results."Rachel Sylvester, "Ed Miliband wants to remake capitalism. He says “inequality is the new centre ground” and plans to follow Barack Obama in championing hard working families against a wealthy elite. He mustn’t let this deteriorate into bash the rich class war, but he is onto something and David Cameron will suffer if he becomes the defender of the super-rich."Melanie Phillips, "It's doubtful that David Cameron anticipated the storm he would provoke by saying he was a Christian. Indeed the... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Montgomerie is joined by David Aaronovitch, Juliet Samuel and Robbie Millen.David Aaronovitch, "Lucky Scotland! Defence Secretary Philip Hammond is there this week, amid what seem like a co-ordinated series of warnings about the impact of a 'Yes' vote on the UK's defence capabilities. Are these scare tactics, or are these warnings essentially true? And even if they are, might they not be counter-productive? It is very hard to judge."Juliet Samuel, "With Greece reentering international bond markets for the first time in four years last week, the eurozone has clearly turned a corner but Europe now faces the danger that it could let up on reform needed to provide long term prosperity. Do Europeans have the stomach for it?Robbie Millen, "Sajid Javid hadn’t even a chance to peek in his red box before he was attacked for not being sufficiently cultured...the new Culture Secretary could help the creative sector by de-nationalising it.Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-you-read... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Jenni Russell, Peter Brookes and Phil Collins.Jenni Russell, "Maria Miller isn't being fairly judged because she has three powerful constituencies prepared to think the worst of her."Peter Brookes, "I feel instinctively against an across the board amnesty for murder in Northern Ireland as proposed on our front page this week by Peter Hain."Phil Collins, "The Royal Tour brings out the worst in the press."Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-you-read Subscribe to The Times: www.thetimes.co.uk Follow The Times Opinion pages on Twitter: @TimesOpinion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Hugo Rifkind, Alice Thomson and David Aaronovitch. Hugo Rifkind: "Teenagers and young people have never been so close to their parents in outlook, interest and core morality as they are today. Yet, the same time, they must look forward to a future in which they will lack many of the opportunities and privileges that an earlier generation enjoyed. Why aren't they more angry and rebellious? And, if the rebellion ever comes, how will it look?"Alice Thomson: "The Cinderella law sounds like a therapy driven whinger's charter. Step parents could now not only be stigmatised but criminalised for not hugging their step children. Smaller presents and fewer treats could be evidence for the prosecution. But actually this is desperately needed protection for the most vulnerable arriving at schools unable to talk, still in nappies, ignored from birth."David Aaronovitch: "Nigel Farage lays claim to be the heir to Thatcher. His remarks about Putin show he is no such thing. He represents... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ann Treneman is joined by Matthew Parris, Libby Purves and Fay Schlesinger.Matthew Parris: "Ukraine: the Western powers should have decided in advance what their sticking point was, and privately communicated this to Moscow. Obviously it should have been that Russia could have Ukraine without a fuss if it was done in an orderly way. Instead they've squawked their protests at every inch taken, usually after it's been taken. The impression is simply of impotent and uncoordinated posturing."Libby Purves: "45 % of university graduates probably won’t ever earn enough to repay their tuition fees and loans That a government calculation, and means that the whole policy will have cost more than the old grants - like PFI, its another example of current governments shoving debt on future generations. And the real scandal is that a lot of those students are not actually getting 27k worth of teaching....And meanwhile, we overvalue even the most dubious degrees and undervalue vocational courses."Fay... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Daniel Finkelstein, Jenni Russell and Roger Boyes.Daniel Finkelstein: "It's time to scrap the Budget. We now have two major fiscal events a year - the Budget and the Autumn statement. This encourages gimmicks, reduces strategic thinking and makes it harder to plan. We should move from one event to two and then to Budgets every two years."Jenni Russell: "There's a violent subculture inside our police forces that's out of control. Three recent cases caught on CCTV have shown the police behaving brutally, lying and assuming they'll get away with it. We need cameras, codes of conduct, and tough punishments for officers who offend."Roger Boyes: "The West is threatening Russia with sanctions. They are pretty wimpish and are unlikely to make Putin get out of Crimea any time soon. What we have to do is offer Ukraine NATO membership to show Russia its limits. Will that get us into a shooting war? No. It's the only sure way of setting Russia's limits in Europe."Subscribe via... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Rachel Sylvester, Philip Webster and Alice Thomson. Rachel Sylvester: “Ukip has been dismissed as “fruitcakes and loonies”, “gadflies and cranks”.  Nigel Farage’s “barmy army” is cynical and hypocritical, with a streak of nastiness running through it.  But the other parties ignore it at their peril.  Ukip is a symptom of deep social and economic divides.”Philip Webster: “Nick Clegg was forced by a briefing that went wrong into suggesting  that, like Margaret Thatcher, he would go on and on. The truth is he will only go on - and will only want to go on - if the Lib Dems are part of the next government. Because if they are not, Mr Clegg almost certainly will have presided over the loss of an awful lot of seats. His party will look elsewhere.”Alice Thomson: “University vice chancellors have been awarding themselves stratospheric pay rises – in the elite Russell Group they earn on average £318,500 a year in salary and pension. Yet the value of a degree in the jobs market is... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Roger Boyes, Ann Treneman and Matt Ridley. Ukraine gave away its nuclear arsenal 20 years ago. Roger Boyes asks if the country would have fared better in its showdown with Russia if it had kept the bomb. 'Why don't the media take Nigel Farage seriously?' Asks Ann Treneman, after attending UKIP's national spring conference in Torquay. Is he really the most interesting politician out there at the moment?Matt Ridley draws focus on E-cigarettes and their potential health benefits in helping smokers quit their habit. Is unnecessary bureaucracy really getting in the way? Subscribe in iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-you-read Subscribe to The Times: www.thetimes.co.uk Follow The Times Opinion pages on Twitter: @TimesOpinion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.