Guardian Focus

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Each week, Guardian correspondents and commentators take a detailed look at an issue in the news

The Guardian


    • Dec 19, 2014 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 31m AVG DURATION
    • 77 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Guardian Focus

    Audio: the race to save Peter Kassig

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2014 28:30


    The American aid worker was killed by his Isis captors on 16 November. Listen to the Guardian team tell, for the first time, of the daring and extraordinary effort to secure his release, which involved a radical New York lawyer, the US government and the world's most revered jihadi scholar Watch a video explainer on the secret talks to save Peter Kassig The long read: the race to save Peter Kassig

    Guardian Focus podcast: reviewing the Arab spring

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2011 34:28


    We're looking back at the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. With much of the region still in a state of ferment, what are the possibilities and dangers that lie ahead?

    Guardian Focus podcast: are Britain's roads safe for cyclists?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2011 33:07


    With the toll of cycling casualties growing, Hugh Muir asks what needs to happen for roads to become a safer place for bikes

    Guardian Focus podcast: England's riots and the prospect of a lost generation

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2011 27:10


    Only half of those who took part in the summer riots said they felt a part of British society. We hear from five young Londoners on how they see their futures and their place in society

    Guardian Focus podcast: public sector strike

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2011 36:40


    Unite's Rachael Maskell, Matthew Sinclair of the Taxpayers Alliance and Tom Clark discuss this week's public sector strike over the reform of pensions. With Hugh Muir

    Guardian Focus podcast: the housing crisis

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2011 37:25


    Hugh Muir examines the government's new housing strategy. Will it make any difference?

    Guardian Focus podcast: zero tolerance to gang culture

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2011 39:26


    Analysis commissioned by the government suggests only 13% of those arrested in the UK's riots this summer could credibly be linked to gangs. So is a zero-tolerance approach to gangs missing the point?

    Guardian Focus podcast: Should veterans of the armed forces get more support?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2011 22:18


    Hugh Muir examines whether ex-servicemen and women are given the help they need to adapt to civilian life

    Guardian Focus podcast: Libya's future

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2011 27:30


    Hugh Muir explores the political and business possibilities for post-Gaddafi Libya

    Guardian Focus podcast: Rev Giles Fraser and the Occupy London camp

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2011 14:57


    Reverend Giles Fraser tells Alan Rusbridger how a protest on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral led to his resignation as canon

    Guardian Focus podcast: disability benefit cuts

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2011 34:18


    Hugh Muir examines proposed cuts to disability benefits. Is this a sensible plan to get the finances under control, or an attack on the most vulnerable?

    Guardian Focus podcast: Disunited Kingdom?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2011 37:54


    This week the SNP announced it will hold a referendum on full Scottish independence. Hugh Muir explores what devolution offers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

    Guardian Focus podcast: squatters' rights

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2011 33:36


    Hugh Muir examines whether home owners need more protection from squatters - and what effect criminalisation will have on the homeless

    Guardian Focus podcast: David Cameron's war in Libya

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2011 27:14


    Chief political correspondent Nicholas Watt, RUSI defence analyst Mark Phillips and the Independent's Bruce Anderson join Hugh Muir to discuss the PM's first war

    Guardian Focus podcast: Dale Farm and sites for Travellers

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2011 30:06


    In 2008 £97m was made available for providing sites for Travellers. In this podcast, we look at what happened to the money, and examine the coalition's policy on Travellers

    Guardian Focus podcast: What will UN recognition of a Palestinian state mean?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2011 30:27


    We discuss the implications of Palestinians asking for UN recognition of statehood, with views from the Middle East, the US and Britain

    Guardian Focus podcast: Free schools

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2011 32:32


    Will free schools drain funds and resources - or raise educational standards? Hugh Muir examines their likely impact

    Guardian Focus podcast: Tottenham after the riots

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2011 31:01


    Last month disturbances in north London triggered riots around England. Hugh Muir looks at prospects for Tottenham as it attempts to move on

    Guardian Focus podcast: famine in Somalia

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2011 24:54


    The Horn of Africa is experiencing a food crisis and the UN has declared famine in parts of Somalia. What does the relief effort look like? And what comes next? • Have your say on the podcast

    Guardian Focus podcast: UK riots

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2011 35:20


    Riots and looting that began in north London have spread to other English cities. Jonathan Freedland, Dave Hill and Stafford Scott discuss the causes of the worst civil unrest in a generation – and how it might be stopped

    Guardian Focus podcast: The English language and immigration

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2011 30:40


    Should the government be forcing people to speak English?

    Guardian Focus Podcast: Examining the British far right

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2011 42:26


    With the far right making political gains in France, Denmark and the Netherlands, and now the terrorist atrocity in Norway, what's the state of the far right in the UK?

    Global development podcast: population growth

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2011 22:58


    Soon the world's population will reach 7 billion. But do more people necessarily mean more problems? Have your say on the podcast

    Guardian Focus podcast: The Metropolitan police crisis

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2011 33:39


    After another resignation at the top of the Metropolitan police, we ask what's going wrong and how to ensure the mistakes of the phone hacking scandal are not repeated

    Guardian Focus podcast: Northern Ireland's sectarian violence

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2011 28:03


    This week's podcast explores what recent clashes in Belfast means for the province

    Media Talk podcast: News of the World closes as News International implodes

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2011 34:08


    Alan Rusbridger, Nick Davies, Roy Greenslade and Janine Gibson discuss the closure of the News of the World and the impact of the phone-hacking scandal on News International and the British newspaper industry

    Guardian Focus podcast: Do we do right by our elderly?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2011 32:24


    The Dilnot commission report attempted to determine who should pay for elderly care. We talk to some elderly people and their carers and ask why our older citizens are getting such a raw deal

    Global development podcast: what does the future hold for southern Sudan?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2011 23:52


    On 9 July, southern Sudan will become an independent state. What are the development challenges and opportunities facing the new country?

    Guardian Focus Podcast: Unions strike back

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2011 36:52


    As the spending cuts start to bite, trade unions are planning strike action. We ask if there are more effective negotiation techniques

    Guardian Focus podcast: Wimbledon and the state of British tennis

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2011 38:13


    We give millions to the Lawn Tennis Association every year to get more people playing and to improve elite performance. Hugh Muir asks if it's working

    Guardian Focus Podcast: How will the changes to budget affect the NHS?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2011 1:00


    Hugh Muir talks to health experts to find out how the changes to the way the NHS is financed will affect its service and where the necessary savings can be made

    Global development podcast: are we on the brink of a new global food crisis?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2011 36:14


    The World Bank says soaring food prices have already pushed millions more people into extreme poverty this year. We examine what is being done to combat the problem• Post your comments on the podcast on talk point• View our interactive on the global food crisis

    Guardian Focus podcast: Scottish sectarianism

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2011 31:08


    Hugh Muir explores the reasons for the apparent upsurge in religious hatred in Scotland. How much deeper than the football matches between Celtic and Rangers does this go?

    Guardian Focus podcast: Slutwalk marches

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2011 40:55


    Thousands of women in Canada and the US have already marched in a movement provocatively called SlutWalk. But are they advancing feminism or harming it? An expert panel assembled by the Observer debates the issue before a series of marches in the UK

    Guardian Focus podcast: The Coalition's impact on grassroots politics

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2011 29:39


    On the first anniversary of the coalition government, Hugh Muir and Martin Wainwright visit David Cameron and Nick Clegg's constituencies of Witney and Sheffield

    Guardian Focus podcast: Are the Olympics creating enough jobs for east Londoners?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2011 36:09


    Hugh Muir asks whether the target of getting 70,000 unemployed Londoners into work through London 2012 is being achieved

    Global development podcast: what role can tourism play in development?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2011 35:49


    The World Tourism Organisation argues that responsible tourism can play a significant role in eradicating poverty and meeting the millennium development goals. But is it right? Post your comments on the podcast on talk point

    Guardian Focus podcast: The nuclear debate after Fukushima and Chernobyl

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2011 41:09


    George Monbiot, Helen Caldicott and Laurence Williams join host James Randerson to debate the future of the UK's nuclear programme following Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant disaster

    Guardian Focus podcast: Afghanistan

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2011 91:32


    Jon Snow chairs a Guardian debate at the British Museum in London under the title Afghanistan: What makes a Nation?

    Guardian Focus podcast: The AV referendum

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2011 31:54


    Michael White talks to MPs, voters, campaigners and experts prior to the referendum on the alternative vote system on 5 May

    Guardian Focus Podcast: Why is the Olympic sporting legacy off track?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2011 33:19


    London won the 2012 Olympics with a promise to turn the UK into a sporting nation the world would envy. So why aren't more people taking up sport?

    Guardian Focus podcast: What Poland did right

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2011 29:36


    Concluding the Guardian's New Europe series, Chris Bobinski, Andrzej Swidlicki and Matteo Napolitano join Jon Henley to discuss how Poland sailed through the economic crash

    Guardian Focus podcast: The future of Polish football

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2011 34:05


    Jonathan Wilson visits Poland to examine efforts to drag football into the 21st century in time for next year's European Championships

    Global development podcast: does microfinance help people escape poverty?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2011 29:05


    Many people like the sound of microfinance because it isn't charity. But are all poor people budding entrepreneurs? And what happens when people cannot repay their loans?Post your comments on the podcast on talk point

    Guardian Focus podcast: Spain's long road to recovery

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2011 28:27


    Continuing the Guardian's New Europe series, Jill Treanor, Eduardo Suarez and Giles Tremlett join Jon Henley to consider Spain's economic prospects

    Guardian Focus podcast: Policing protests

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2011 27:02


    How are the Metropolitan police preparing for this weekend's mass demonstrations against public spending cuts? Hugh Muir investigates

    Guardian Focus podcast: What's holding France back?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2011 29:52


    As part of the Guardian's New Europe series, Jon Henley is joined by Angelique Chrisafis, Eric Albert and Phillip Inman to discuss France's faltering economic recovery

    Guardian Focus podcast: Germany's economic strength

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2011 28:57


    In the first in a series of podcasts focusing on Europe, Martin Kettle, Sebastian Borger and Fiona Harvey join Jon Henley to discuss the success of the German economy

    Guardian Focus Podcast: International Women's Day

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2011 34:51


    On the centenary of International Women's Day, we explore why feminism still matters in 2011 and debate the Guardian's list of 100 inspirational women

    Guardian Focus podcast: Labour councils enacting coalition spending cuts

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2011 28:08


    As councils across Britain meet to pass their much reduced budgets, are Labour councils taking their constituents with them?

    Guardian Focus podcast: The indefinite detention of foreign prisoners

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2011 31:43


    Hundreds of foreign prisoners are held indefinitely after they have served their criminal sentences. Harriet Grant investigates

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