Podcasts about Albania

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. NordVPN Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.com/tcp It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

This week we return to Beyonce to talk about her foray into country music and the most infamous word in "improper" grammar - ain't.We look at where ain't comes from, how it was originally used, who originally used it, and what was the opinion of it in the past? We explain its evolution and the history of the pushback against it.In Eurovision, we discuss Albania's 2025 entry "Zjerm" by Shkodra Elektronike. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.comHuge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”!This week's promoted podcast is Jack Billings Presents. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jack-billings-presents/id1701071750Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network

Good Sunday morning to you,I am just on a train home from Glasgow, where I have been gigging these past two nights. I've had a great time, as I always seem to do when I go north of the wall.But Glasgow on a Saturday night is something else. My hotel was right next to the station and so I was right in the thick of it. If I ever get to make a cacatopian, end-of-days, post-apocalyptic thriller, I'll just stroll through Glasgow city centre on a Friday or Saturday night with a camera to get all the B roll. It was like walking through a Hieronymus Bosch painting only with a Scottish accent. Little seems to have changed since I wrote that infamous chapter about Glasgow in Life After the State all those years ago. The only difference is that now it's more multi-ethnic. So many people are so off their heads. I lost count of the number of randoms wandering about just howling at the stars. The long days - it was still light at 10 o'clock - make the insanity all the more visible. Part of me finds it funny, but another part of me finds it so very sad that so many people let themselves get into this condition. It prompted me to revisit said chapter, and I offer it today as your Sunday thought piece.Just a couple of little notes, before we begin. This caught my eye on Friday. Our favourite uranium tech company, Lightbridge Fuels (NASDAQ:LTBR), has taken off again with Donald Trump's statement that he is going to quadruple US nuclear capacity. The stock was up 45% in a day. We first looked at it in October at $3. It hit $15 on Friday. It's one to sell on the spikes and buy on the dips, as this incredible chart shows.(In other news I have now listened twice to the Comstock Lode AGM, and I'll report back on that shortly too). ICYMI here is my mid-week commentary, which attracted a lot of attentionRight - Glasgow.(NB I haven't included references here. Needless to say, they are all there in the book. And sorry I don't have access to the audio of me reading this from my laptop, but, if you like, you can get the audiobook at Audible, Apple Books and all good audiobookshops. The book itself available at Amazon, Apple Books et al).How the Most Entrepreneurial City in Europe Became Its SickestThe cause of waves of unemployment is not capitalism, but governments …Friedrich Hayek, economist and philosopherIn the 18th and 19th centuries, the city of Glasgow in Scotland became enormously, stupendously rich. It happened quite organically, without planning. An entrepreneurial people reacted to their circumstances and, over time, turned Glasgow into an industrial and economic centre of such might that, by the turn of the 20th century, Glasgow was producing half the tonnage of Britain's ships and a quarter of all locomotives in the world. (Not unlike China's industrial dominance today). It was regarded as the best-governed city in Europe and popular histories compared it to the great imperial cities of Venice and Rome. It became known as the ‘Second City of the British Empire'.Barely 100 years later, it is the heroin capital of the UK, the murder capital of the UK and its East End, once home to Europe's largest steelworks, has been dubbed ‘the benefits capital of the UK'. Glasgow is Britain's fattest city: its men have Britain's lowest life expectancy – on a par with Palestine and Albania – and its unemployment rate is 50% higher than the rest of the UK.How did Glasgow manage all that?The growth in Glasgow's economic fortunes began in the latter part of the 17th century and the early 18th century. First, the city's location in the west of Scotland at the mouth of the river Clyde meant that it lay in the path of the trade winds and at least 100 nautical miles closer to America's east coast than other British ports – 200 miles closer than London. In the days before fossil fuels (which only found widespread use in shipping in the second half of the 19th century) the journey to Virginia was some two weeks shorter than the same journey from London or many of the other ports in Britain and Europe. Even modern sailors describe how easy the port of Glasgow is to navigate. Second, when England was at war with France – as it was repeatedly between 1688 and 1815 – ships travelling to Glasgow were less vulnerable than those travelling to ports further south. Glasgow's merchants took advantage and, by the early 18th century, the city had begun to assert itself as a trading hub. Manufactured goods were carried from Britain and Europe to North America and the Caribbean, where they were traded for increasingly popular commodities such as tobacco, cotton and sugar.Through the 18th century, the Glasgow merchants' business networks spread, and they took steps to further accelerate trade. New ships were introduced, bigger than those of rival ports, with fore and aft sails that enabled them to sail closer to the wind and reduce journey times. Trading posts were built to ensure that cargo was gathered and stored for collection, so that ships wouldn't swing idly at anchor. By the 1760s Glasgow had a 50% share of the tobacco trade – as much as the rest of Britain's ports combined. While the English merchants simply sold American tobacco in Europe at a profit, the Glaswegians actually extended credit to American farmers against future production (a bit like a crop future today, where a crop to be grown at a later date is sold now). The Virginia farmers could then use this credit to buy European goods, which the Glaswegians were only too happy to supply. This brought about the rise of financial institutions such as the Glasgow Ship Bank and the Glasgow Thistle Bank, which would later become part of the now-bailed-out, taxpayer-owned Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).Their practices paid rewards. Glasgow's merchants earned a great deal of money. They built glamorous homes and large churches and, it seems, took on aristocratic airs – hence they became known as the ‘Tobacco Lords'. Numbering among them were Buchanan, Dunlop, Ingram, Wilson, Oswald, Cochrane and Glassford, all of whom had streets in the Merchant City district of Glasgow named after them (other streets, such as Virginia Street and Jamaica Street, refer to their trade destinations). In 1771, over 47 million pounds of tobacco were imported.However, the credit the Glaswegians extended to American tobacco farmers would backfire. The debts incurred by the tobacco farmers – which included future presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson (who almost lost his farm as a result) – grew, and were among the grievances when the American War of Independence came in 1775. That war destroyed the tobacco trade for the Glaswegians. Much of the money that was owed to them was never repaid. Many of their plantations were lost. But the Glaswegians were entrepreneurial and they adapted. They moved on to other businesses, particularly cotton.By the 19th century, all sorts of local industry had emerged around the goods traded in the city. It was producing and exporting textiles, chemicals, engineered goods and steel. River engineering projects to dredge and deepen the Clyde (with a view to forming a deep- water port) had begun in 1768 and they would enable shipbuilding to become a major industry on the upper reaches of the river, pioneered by industrialists such as Robert Napier and John Elder. The final stretch of the Monkland Canal, linking the Forth and Clyde Canal at Port Dundas, was opened in 1795, facilitating access to the iron-ore and coal mines of Lanarkshire.The move to fossil-fuelled shipping in the latter 19th century destroyed the advantages that the trade winds had given Glasgow. But it didn't matter. Again, the people adapted. By the turn of the 20th century the Second City of the British Empire had become a world centre of industry and heavy engineering. It has been estimated that, between 1870 and 1914, it produced as much as one-fifth of the world's ships, and half of Britain's tonnage. Among the 25,000 ships it produced were some of the greatest ever built: the Cutty Sark, the Queen Mary, HMS Hood, the Lusitania, the Glenlee tall ship and even the iconic Mississippi paddle steamer, the Delta Queen. It had also become a centre for locomotive manufacture and, shortly after the turn of the 20th century, could boast the largest concentration of locomotive building works in Europe.It was not just Glasgow's industry and wealth that was so gargantuan. The city's contribution to mankind – made possible by the innovation and progress that comes with booming economies – would also have an international impact. Many great inventors either hailed from Glasgow or moved there to study or work. There's James Watt, for example, whose improvements to the steam engine were fundamental to the Industrial Revolution. One of Watt's employees, William Murdoch, has been dubbed ‘the Scot who lit the world' – he invented gas lighting, a new kind of steam cannon and waterproof paint. Charles MacIntosh gave us the raincoat. James Young, the chemist dubbed as ‘the father of the oil industry', gave us paraffin. William Thomson, known as Lord Kelvin, developed the science of thermodynamics, formulating the Kelvin scale of absolute temperature; he also managed the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable.The turning point in the economic fortunes of Glasgow – indeed, of industrial Britain – was WWI. Both have been in decline ever since. By the end of the war, the British were drained, both emotionally and in terms of capital and manpower; the workers, the entrepreneurs, the ideas men, too many of them were dead or incapacitated. There was insufficient money and no appetite to invest. The post-war recession, and later the Great Depression, did little to help. The trend of the city was now one of inexorable economic decline.If Glasgow was the home of shipping and industry in 19th-century Britain, it became the home of socialism in the 20th century. Known by some as the ‘Red Clydeside' movement, the socialist tide in Scotland actually pre-dated the First World War. In 1906 came the city's first Labour Member of Parliament (MP), George Barnes – prior to that its seven MPs were all Conservatives or Liberal Unionists. In the spring of 1911, 11,000 workers at the Singer sewing-machine factory (run by an American corporation in Clydebank) went on strike to support 12 women who were protesting about new work practices. Singer sacked 400 workers, but the movement was growing – as was labour unrest. In the four years between 1910 and 1914 Clydebank workers spent four times as many days on strike than in the whole of the previous decade. The Scottish Trades Union Congress and its affiliations saw membership rise from 129,000 in 1909 to 230,000 in 1914.20The rise in discontent had much to do with Glasgow's housing. Conditions were bad, there was overcrowding, bad sanitation, housing was close to dirty, noxious and deafening industry. Unions grew quite organically to protect the interests of their members.Then came WWI, and inflation, as Britain all but abandoned gold. In 1915 many landlords responded by attempting to increase rent, but with their young men on the Western front, those left behind didn't have the means to pay these higher costs. If they couldn't, eviction soon followed. In Govan, an area of Glasgow where shipbuilding was the main occupation, women – now in the majority with so many men gone – organized opposition to the rent increases. There are photographs showing women blocking the entrance to tenements; officers who did get inside to evict tenants are said to have had their trousers pulled down.The landlords were attacked for being unpatriotic. Placards read: ‘While our men are fighting on the front line,the landlord is attacking us at home.' The strikes spread to other cities throughout the UK, and on 27 November 1915 the government introduced legislation to restrict rents to the pre-war level. The strikers were placated. They had won. The government was happy; it had dealt with the problem. The landlords lost out.In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1917, more frequent strikes crippled the city. In 1919 the ‘Bloody Friday' uprising prompted the prime minister, David Lloyd George, to deploy 10,000 troops and tanks onto the city's streets. By the 1930s Glasgow had become the main base of the Independent Labour Party, so when Labour finally came to power alone after WWII, its influence was strong. Glasgow has always remained a socialist stronghold. Labour dominates the city council, and the city has not had a Conservative MP for 30 years.By the late 1950s, Glasgow was losing out to the more competitive industries of Japan, Germany and elsewhere. There was a lack of investment. Union demands for workers, enforced by government legislation, made costs uneconomic and entrepreneurial activity arduous. With lack of investment came lack of innovation.Rapid de-industrialization followed, and by the 1960s and 70s most employment lay not in manufacturing, but in the service industries.Which brings us to today. On the plus side, Glasgow is still ranked as one of Europe's top 20 financial centres and is home to some leading Scottish businesses. But there is considerable downside.Recent studies have suggested that nearly 30% of Glasgow's working age population is unemployed. That's 50% higher than that of the rest of Scotland or the UK. Eighteen per cent of 16- to 19-year-olds are neither in school nor employed. More than one in five working-age Glaswegians have no sort of education that might qualify them for a job.In the city centre, the Merchant City, 50% of children are growing up in homes where nobody works. In the poorer neighbourhoods, such as Ruchill, Possilpark, or Dalmarnock, about 65% of children live in homes where nobody works – more than three times the national average. Figures from the Department of Work and Pensions show that 85% of working age adults from the district of Bridgeton claim some kind of welfare payment.Across the city, almost a third of the population regularly receives sickness or incapacity benefit, the highest rate of all UK cities. A 2008 World Health Organization report noted that in Glasgow's Calton, Bridgeton and Queenslie neighbourhoods, the average life expectancy for males is only 54. In contrast, residents of Glasgow's more affluent West End live to be 80 and virtually none of them are on the dole.Glasgow has the highest crime rate in Scotland. A recent report by the Centre for Social Justice noted that there are 170 teenage gangs in Glasgow. That's the same number as in London, which has over six times the population of Glasgow.It also has the dubious record of being Britain's murder capital. In fact, Glasgow had the highest homicide rate in Western Europe until it was overtaken in 2012 by Amsterdam, with more violent crime per head of population than even New York. What's more, its suicide rate is the highest in the UK.Then there are the drug and alcohol problems. The residents of the poorer neighbourhoods are an astounding six times more likely to die of a drugs overdose than the national average. Drug-related mortality has increased by 95% since 1997. There are 20,000 registered drug users – that's just registered – and the situation is not going to get any better: children who grow up in households where family members use drugs are seven times more likely to end up using drugs themselves than children who live in drug-free families.Glasgow has the highest incidence of liver diseases from alcohol abuse in all of Scotland. In the East End district of Dennistoun, these illnesses kill more people than heart attacks and lung cancer combined. Men and women are more likely to die of alcohol-related deaths in Glasgow than anywhere else in the UK. Time and time again Glasgow is proud winner of the title ‘Fattest City in Britain'. Around 40% of the population are obese – 5% morbidly so – and it also boasts the most smokers per capita.I have taken these statistics from an array of different sources. It might be in some cases that they're overstated. I know that I've accentuated both the 18th- and 19th-century positives, as well as the 20th- and 21st-century negatives to make my point. Of course, there are lots of healthy, happy people in Glasgow – I've done many gigs there and I loved it. Despite the stories you hear about intimidating Glasgow audiences, the ones I encountered were as good as any I've ever performed in front of. But none of this changes the broad-brush strokes: Glasgow was a once mighty city that now has grave social problems. It is a city that is not fulfilling its potential in the way that it once did. All in all, it's quite a transformation. How has it happened?Every few years a report comes out that highlights Glasgow's various problems. Comments are then sought from across the political spectrum. Usually, those asked to comment agree that the city has grave, ‘long-standing and deep-rooted social problems' (the words of Stephen Purcell, former leader of Glasgow City Council); they agree that something needs to be done, though they don't always agree on what that something is.There's the view from the right: Bill Aitken of the Scottish Conservatives, quoted in The Sunday Times in 2008, said, ‘We simply don't have the jobs for people who are not academically inclined. Another factor is that some people are simply disinclined to work. We have got to find something for these people to do, to give them a reason to get up in the morning and give them some self-respect.' There's the supposedly apolitical view of anti-poverty groups: Peter Kelly, director of the Glasgow-based Poverty Alliance, responded, ‘We need real, intensive support for people if we are going to tackle poverty. It's not about a lack of aspiration, often people who are unemployed or on low incomes are stymied by a lack of money and support from local and central government.' And there's the view from the left. In the same article, Patricia Ferguson, the Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Maryhill, also declared a belief in government regeneration of the area. ‘It's about better housing, more jobs, better education and these things take years to make an impact. I believe that the huge regeneration in the area is fostering a lot more community involvement and cohesion. My real hope is that these figures will take a knock in the next five or ten years.' At the time of writing in 2013, five years later, the figures have worsened.All three points of view agree on one thing: the government must do something.In 2008 the £435 million Fairer Scotland Fund – established to tackle poverty – was unveiled, aiming to allocate cash to the country's most deprived communities. Its targets included increasing average income among lower wage-earners and narrowing the poverty gap between Scotland's best- and worst-performing regions by 2017. So far, it hasn't met those targets.In 2008 a report entitled ‘Power for The Public' examined the provision of health, education and justice in Scotland. It said the budgets for these three areas had grown by 55%, 87% and 44% respectively over the last decade, but added that this had produced ‘mixed results'. ‘Mixed results' means it didn't work. More money was spent and the figures got worse.After the Centre for Social Justice report on Glasgow in 2008, Iain Duncan Smith (who set up this think tank, and is now the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions) said, ‘Policy must deal with the pathways to breakdown – high levels of family breakdown, high levels of failed education, debt and unemployment.'So what are ‘pathways to breakdown'? If you were to look at a chart of Glasgow's prosperity relative to the rest of the world, its peak would have come somewhere around 1910. With the onset of WWI in 1914 its decline accelerated, and since then the falls have been relentless and inexorable. It's not just Glasgow that would have this chart pattern, but the whole of industrial Britain. What changed the trend? Yes, empires rise and fall, but was British decline all a consequence of WWI? Or was there something else?A seismic shift came with that war – a change which is very rarely spoken or written about. Actually, the change was gradual and it pre-dated 1914. It was a change that was sweeping through the West: that of government or state involvement in our lives. In the UK it began with the reforms of the Liberal government of 1906–14, championed by David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill, known as the ‘terrible twins' by contemporaries. The Pensions Act of 1908, the People's Budget of 1909–10 (to ‘wage implacable warfare against poverty', declared Lloyd George) and the National Insurance Act of 1911 saw the Liberal government moving away from its tradition of laissez-faire systems – from classical liberalism and Gladstonian principles of self-help and self-reliance – towards larger, more active government by which taxes were collected from the wealthy and the proceeds redistributed. Afraid of losing votes to the emerging Labour party and the increasingly popular ideology of socialism, modern liberals betrayed their classical principles. In his War Memoirs, Lloyd George said ‘the partisan warfare that raged around these topics was so fierce that by 1913, this country was brought to the verge of civil war'. But these were small steps. The Pensions Act, for example, meant that men aged 70 and above could claim between two and five shillings per week from the government. But average male life- expectancy then was 47. Today it's 77. Using the same ratio, and, yes, I'm manipulating statistics here, that's akin to only awarding pensions to people above the age 117 today. Back then it was workable.To go back to my analogy of the prologue, this period was when the ‘train' was set in motion across the West. In 1914 it went up a gear. Here are the opening paragraphs of historian A. J. P. Taylor's most celebrated book, English History 1914–1945, published in 1965.I quote this long passage in full, because it is so telling.Until August 1914 a sensible, law-abiding Englishman could pass through life and hardly notice the existence of the state, beyond the post office and the policeman. He could live where he liked and as he liked. He had no official number or identity card. He could travel abroad or leave his country forever without a passport or any sort of official permission. He could exchange his money for any other currency without restriction or limit. He could buy goods from any country in the world on the same terms as he bought goods at home. For that matter, a foreigner could spend his life in this country without permit and without informing the police. Unlike the countries of the European continent, the state did not require its citizens to perform military service. An Englishman could enlist, if he chose, in the regular army, the navy, or the territorials. He could also ignore, if he chose, the demands of national defence. Substantial householders were occasionally called on for jury service. Otherwise, only those helped the state, who wished to do so. The Englishman paid taxes on a modest scale: nearly £200 million in 1913–14, or rather less than 8% of the national income.The state intervened to prevent the citizen from eating adulterated food or contracting certain infectious diseases. It imposed safety rules in factories, and prevented women, and adult males in some industries,from working excessive hours.The state saw to it that children received education up to the age of 13. Since 1 January 1909, it provided a meagre pension for the needy over the age of 70. Since 1911, it helped to insure certain classes of workers against sickness and unemployment. This tendency towards more state action was increasing. Expenditure on the social services had roughly doubled since the Liberals took office in 1905. Still, broadly speaking, the state acted only to help those who could not help themselves. It left the adult citizen alone.All this was changed by the impact of the Great War. The mass of the people became, for the first time, active citizens. Their lives were shaped by orders from above; they were required to serve the state instead of pursuing exclusively their own affairs. Five million men entered the armed forces, many of them (though a minority) under compulsion. The Englishman's food was limited, and its quality changed, by government order. His freedom of movement was restricted; his conditions of work prescribed. Some industries were reduced or closed, others artificially fostered. The publication of news was fettered. Street lights were dimmed. The sacred freedom of drinking was tampered with: licensed hours were cut down, and the beer watered by order. The very time on the clocks was changed. From 1916 onwards, every Englishman got up an hour earlier in summer than he would otherwise have done, thanks to an act of parliament. The state established a hold over its citizens which, though relaxed in peacetime, was never to be removed and which the Second World war was again to increase. The history of the English state and of the English people merged for the first time.Since the beginning of WWI , the role that the state has played in our lives has not stopped growing. This has been especially so in the case of Glasgow. The state has spent more and more, provided more and more services, more subsidy, more education, more health care, more infrastructure, more accommodation, more benefits, more regulations, more laws, more protection. The more it has provided, the worse Glasgow has fared. Is this correlation a coincidence? I don't think so.The story of the rise and fall of Glasgow is a distilled version of the story of the rise and fall of industrial Britain – indeed the entire industrial West. In the next chapter I'm going to show you a simple mistake that goes on being made; a dynamic by which the state, whose very aim was to help Glasgow, has actually been its ‘pathway to breakdown' . . .Life After the State is available at Amazon, Apple Books and all good bookshops, with the audiobook at Audible, Apple Books and all good audiobookshops. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theflyingfrisby.com/subscribe

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. NordVPN Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.com/tcp It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee.  Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Our time in Switzerland is over, and a new Eurovision winner has hoisted the glass microphone! We talk through all performances from the Grand Final and those that didn't make it from Semi 2, as well as break down the voting from this year's contest. Jeremy votes in Eurovision for the first time ever, Dimitry finally gets the better of Stefan Raab, and Oscar celebrates JJ, wasted love or not. Watch the Grand Final and the Semis on SVT Play: https://www.svtplay.se/video/8rQdwrw/eurovision-song-contest/final?video=visaThis week's companion playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6PTGP49h5yyjxJ6TWYPMWs The Eurovangelists are Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya and Dimitry Pompée.The theme was arranged and recorded by Cody McCorry and Faye Fadem, and the logo was designed by Tom Deja.Production support for this show was provided by the Maximum Fun network.The show is edited by Jeremy Bent with audio mixing help was courtesy of Shane O'Connell.Find Eurovangelists on social media as @eurovangelists on Instagram and @eurovangelists.com on Bluesky, or send us an email at eurovangelists@gmail.com. Head to https://maxfunstore.com/collections/eurovangelists for Eurovangelists merch. Also follow the Eurovangelists account on Spotify and check out our playlists of Eurovision hits, competitors in upcoming national finals, and companion playlists to every single episode, including this one!

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Saily If you are travelling abroad and want to reduce or even eliminate roaming charges you need an eSim from Saily, brought to you by the creators of NordVPN. ⛵Download the SAILY app and use our code cycling at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase. Or go to saily.com/cycling for full details Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

In this episode of the Real Estate Pros podcast, host Michael Stansbury interviews Gabriel Aguilar, who shares his journey from a military upbringing to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the real estate and construction industries. Gabriel discusses his diverse experiences, including his entrepreneurial spark, building a business in Florida, and his current projects in North Carolina. He also reflects on his experiences during Hurricane Helene and his international business ventures, including a meeting with the prime minister of Albania. Gabriel emphasizes the importance of mindset, continuous learning, and community impact in his entrepreneurial journey. Professional Real Estate Investors - How we can help you: Investor Fuel Mastermind:  Learn more about the Investor Fuel Mastermind, including 100% deal financing, massive discounts from vendors and sponsors you're already using, our world class community of over 150 members, and SO much more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/apply   Investor Machine Marketing Partnership:  Are you looking for consistent, high quality lead generation? Investor Machine is America's #1 lead generation service professional investors. Investor Machine provides true ‘white glove' support to help you build the perfect marketing plan, then we'll execute it for you…talking and working together on an ongoing basis to help you hit YOUR goals! Learn more here: http://www.investormachine.com   Coaching with Mike Hambright:  Interested in 1 on 1 coaching with Mike Hambright? Mike coaches entrepreneurs looking to level up, build coaching or service based businesses (Mike runs multiple 7 and 8 figure a year businesses), building a coaching program and more. Learn more here: https://investorfuel.com/coachingwithmike   Attend a Vacation/Mastermind Retreat with Mike Hambright: Interested in joining a “mini-mastermind” with Mike and his private clients on an upcoming “Retreat”, either at locations like Cabo San Lucas, Napa, Park City ski trip, Yellowstone, or even at Mike's East Texas “Big H Ranch”? Learn more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/retreat   Property Insurance: Join the largest and most investor friendly property insurance provider in 2 minutes. Free to join, and insure all your flips and rentals within minutes! There is NO easier insurance provider on the planet (turn insurance on or off in 1 minute without talking to anyone!), and there's no 15-30% agent mark up through this platform!  Register here: https://myinvestorinsurance.com/   New Real Estate Investors - How we can work together: Investor Fuel Club (Coaching and Deal Partner Community): Looking to kickstart your real estate investing career? Join our one of a kind Coaching Community, Investor Fuel Club, where you'll get trained by some of the best real estate investors in America, and partner with them on deals! You don't need $ for deals…we'll partner with you and hold your hand along the way! Learn More here: http://www.investorfuel.com/club   —--------------------

Secondo gli 007 americani, sarebbe imminente un attacco israeliano alle centrali nucleari iraniane. Intanto Uk e Ue si sfilano dal sostegno a Netanyahu, mentre la situazione umanitaria a Gaza resta drammatica. Ne parliamo con Marco Di Liddo, direttore del Centro Studi Internazionali.Capitolo migranti: l'Ue apre ad accordi sul modello Ruanda, il Senato italiano approva il ddl Albania. Sentiamo Matteo Villa, responsabile del DataLab ISPI.L'ISTAT presenta il suo "Rapporto annuale sullo stato del Paese". Con noi Sabrina Prati, ricercatrice ISTAT.

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Russia-Ukraine delegations meet for the first time since 2022, Donald Trump secures $2 trillion in Gulf state deals, An al-Qaeda affiliate claims the killing of 200 Burkina Faso soldiers in a major attack, Albania declines Kier Starmer's migrant return hub proposal, A BBC report claims that Iran is leveraging organized crime for attacks abroad, An ex-FBI boss is investigated over a post alleged to be a Trump death threat, The FBI will be vacating the J. Edgar Hoover building in Washington, D.C., xAI says an unauthorized change made Grok push South Africa genocide claims, Papua New Guinea declares a polio emergency, and custom CRISPR gene therapy saves a Pennsylvania baby with a rare disease. Sources: www.verity.news

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava

Albania's long-time Prime Minister Edi Rama secured an unprecedented fourth consecutive term in Sunday's election, winning a comfortable majority. This win came on the back of a wave of pro-EU sentiment among voters, as Rama made securing EU membership for Albania a key part of his campaign. Rama was also bolstered by a strong network he has built up over 12 years in power. John Psaropoulos joins Thanos Davelis as we look into Albania's election, its EU ambitions, and what the re-election of Rama means for Greek-Albanian relations.John Psaropoulos is an independent journalist and Al Jazeera's correspondent in southeast Europe. He publishes Hellenica, a weekly deep dive into Greek current affairs and history. You can find it on Substack.com.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Rama trounces MAGA-linked opponents to secure historic 4th term in AlbaniaAlbania's Rama wins historic fourth term, opposition says vote stolenMinisters of Greece, Israel, and Cyprus invite US to join next 3+1 meetingEU's Costa calls on North Macedonia to change constitution over impasse with Bulgaria

Concluye sin acuerdo de alto el fuego la esperada reunión en Estambul entre delegaciones de Ucrania y Rusia. Putin y Trump, ausentes.Conoceremos cómo han reaccionado algunos líderes europeos a lo ocurrido en Turquía desde una cumbre en Albania; les contaremos cómo cerca de un centenar de personas han muerto hoy en nuevos ataques de Israel en Gaza. Estaremos pendientes de la última hora de las elecciones de este domingo en Portugal y Rumanía y escucharemos un reportaje sobre cómo afectan los aranceles de Donald Trump a Puerto Rico.Escuchar audio

Kier Starmer's big plan to stop illegal immigration is... pretty much the same as the Rwanda plan... but without Rwanda... or anywhere else after Albania said no..Dr Hilary Kilary Jones has now declared that weight loss jabs would lower your risk of cancer by 50%.. And we all know he never gets things wrong..right?A duck is caught speeding... Mizzy is a dickhead.buy me a beer buymeacoffee.com/whatkastfor deep dives patreon.com/whatkast

The lads are back with another rage filled deep dive into the past weeks top stories, and the very worst... You can follow the boys on X. Mike is @IROMG, Kevin is @TVKev and you'll find the podcast too @ThoughtPoliceTP. Meanwhile if you'd like to send them an email, the address is: thoughtpolicepod@gmail.com

Europe Editor, Tony Connelly reports from Tirana in Albania on talks between Russian and Ukraine.

President Trump concludes his multi-stop Middle East tour having signed mega A.I. and aviation investment deals in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Riyadh but has raised concerns among some of his administration regarding advanced A.I. security restrictions. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in Albania for talks with European counterparts on a potential post-Brexit deal. Youth mobility and fishing rights will be key topics on the agenda. Swiss luxury firm Richemont sees a rise in quarterly sales and manages to narrowly scrape a beat but warns of continuing global economic uncertainty. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

L'apertura dei giornali, con le notizie e le voci dei protagonisti, tutto in meno di 30 minuti. Alla Camera è stato approvato il decreto Albania, con questo provvedimento si estende la categoria di persone che possono essere condotte nelle strutture in Albania, oggetto del relativo Protocollo del novembre 2023, includendovi coloro i quali sono destinatari di provvedimenti di trattenimento convalidati o prorogati. Ne parliamo con Sara Kelany, responsabile del dipartimento Immigrazione di Fratelli d'Italia.

The Smart 7 is an award winning daily podcast, in association with METRO, that gives you everything you need to know in 7 minutes, at 7am, 7 days a week…With over 18 million downloads and consistently charting, including as No. 1 News Podcast on Spotify, we're a trusted source for people every day and we've won Gold at the Signal International Podcast awardsIf you're enjoying it, please follow, share, or even post a review, it all helps... Today's episode includes the following: https://x.com/i/status/1922973368040472956https://x.com/i/status/1922956463053402469 https://x.com/i/status/1922951994513220036 https://x.com/i/status/1922992380694650917https://x.com/i/status/1922925751638081748https://x.com/i/status/192296398927051575https://x.com/i/status/1923005343518335324https://x.com/i/status/1922807892630974550 https://youtu.be/Ox8ZLF6cGM0 Contact us over @TheSmart7pod or visit www.thesmart7.com or find out more at www.metro.co.uk Voiced by Jamie East, using AI, written by Liam Thompson, researched by Lucie Lewis and produced by Daft Doris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

The Prime Minister is in Albania today to focus on immigration: the government has announced that the UK is in talks to set up 'return hubs' with other countries to send failed asylum seekers abroad. Unfortunately for the government though, also going abroad are Britain's millionaires. In the cover article for this week's Spectator, our economics editor Michael Simmons writes that London lost 11,300 dollar millionaires last year alone. These figures run in stark contrast to today's news that GDP increased by 0.7% in the first quarter of 2025. This continues a trend of mixed signals for Britain's economy. Also on the podcast Spectator editor Michael Gove discusses his interview with justice secretary Shabana Mahmood, who announced today that some reoffenders will be recalled to parliament for a reduced, fixed amount of time to relieve the pressure on prisons. Both Michaels join Lucy Dunn to discuss further, and for the full interview with Shabana Mahmood click through to Spectator TV.  Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

Romania goes to the polls in the final round of high-stakes presidential elections, Albania's Edi Rama sails to victory once again, and the PKK disbands. Later: Pope Leo XIV, Russian volunteers help Ukrainians in Armenia, Eurovision attempts a reset in politically neutral Switzerland, and an adult toy craze that's perhaps more “constructive” than most…

In this episode, Alexandra and Adam start with updates from Ukraine and efforts to bring about a ceasefire. Meanwhile, a Polish investigation has found that a fire last year which burned down a huge shopping center in Warsaw was ordered by Russian intelligence while the country gets ready to vote in the presidential election on May 18th. Finally, Alexandra discusses the results of the recent Albania parliamentary election.Later in the episode, Nina speaks with Assem Zhapisheva, a journalist and activist from Kazakhstan. Assem co-founded the Oyan, Qazaqstan – Wake Up, Kazakhstan movement for political reform and launched independent media projects like masa.media. She discusses her role in the film Streets Loud with Echoes and shares insights into Kazakhstan's recent political turbulence, shedding light on civil society and activism under an authoritarian regime, as well as the country's complex love–hate relationship with Russia.>>> In the bonus content for our patrons, Assem stays on to talk about her recent arrest related to the campaign Satire is not a crime and shares her perspective on the alarming decline of freedom of speech in Kazakhstan today. See more on the film “Streets Loud with Echoes”:https://www.oneworld.cz/films/56256-streets-loud-with-echoes

We've crossed the pond and made our way to the intersection of France, Germany and Switzerland to bring you all the latest straight from the Eurovision Song Contest, and oh boy is there plenty bring you from Semi-Final 1. There were huge glow-ups, a glow-down, potential new front-runners - everything you could hope for from the "easy" Semi-Final. Jeremy takes a nibble of a dangerous dessert, Dimitry awards a perfect performance to one of the acts, and Oscar rejoins his digital brethren once more.Watch Semi-Final 1 on Peacock, YouTube, or your local public broadcaster!Check out our guide to this year's songs on PopHeist: https://popheist.com/eurovision-2025-song-list-guide-meaningThis week's companion playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4nWZKymmUZ475daKUMt7Z3?si=e1f88d970b66409d The Eurovangelists are Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya and Dimitry Pompée.The theme was arranged and recorded by Cody McCorry and Faye Fadem, and the logo was designed by Tom Deja.Production support for this show was provided by the Maximum Fun network.The show is edited by Jeremy Bent with audio mixing help was courtesy of Shane O'Connell.Find Eurovangelists on social media as @eurovangelists on Instagram and @eurovangelists.com on Bluesky, or send us an email at eurovangelists@gmail.com. Head to https://maxfunstore.com/collections/eurovangelists for Eurovangelists merch. Also follow the Eurovangelists account on Spotify and check out our playlists of Eurovision hits, competitors in upcoming national finals, and companion playlists to every single episode, including this one!

Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics.   Today, Sir Keir Starmer heads to Albania to announce a crackdown on migrant smuggling gangs in the Balkans whilst internal political unrest continues to brew at home.  Sam and Anne discuss the growing tension inside both the Labour and Conservative parties, and Sam reveals how the first cracks between the chancellor and the PM have started to form. What does this mean for an increasingly under pressure Starmer?  Plus: Tory uncertainty deepens, leaving MPs wondering where Kemi Badenoch leadership is taking them.

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. NordVPN Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.com/tcp It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP If there's one thing the Race Radio boys love more than a pun, a pint, or podcasting, it's the Giro d'Italia. The passion, the culture, and - of course - the racing; does it get any better?! It's a Giro special episode this month, and boy do these guys deliver. The Giro is generally regarded as the fan-favourite of all the grandys, and that's exactly what Harry & Stu are; super fans.  In true Giro fashion, the race has started with a bang over in Albania. We've already seen some amazing wins, some unfortunate early departures, and more excitement than you can shake an arancini at. The boys wrap up all the action so far, talk about some of the main characters of this year's race, and - as always - tell the stories  you won't hear anywhere else. The Giro is a race that Harry & Stu have spent a fair bit of time at over the years, so they've got some cracking stories to tell.  Here's what the boys had to say about this month's episode of Life In The Peloton's Race Radio: “We love ‘grand tour season' here at LITP's Race Radio, and in this week's ep we celebrate the grande partenza of the Giro d'Italia. We discuss the Lidl-Trek love-in, Josh Tarling's amorous post-stage antics, before lamenting the heartbreaking loss of Mikel Landa. There's a ‘tourism' section starring man of culture Tom Pidcock, and we reminisce about our own grand tourism at the Giro a few years back before pro cycling photographer Zac Williams sends us a voice note from the race. Finishing off with a review of two great races also on, Tro Bro Leon and the Vuelta Femenina, this show is amore infinito from start to finish!” I only started the Giro twice, and only reached the finish once, but I absolutely love it. It marks the start of Grand Tour season, and I love being able to follow the story of the race over nearly a whole month. The Giro is a race defined by the Tifosi - the fans - whether that's on the roadside, watching on the TV at home, or being pumped directly into your ears in this month's Race Radio.  Pull yourself a shot of espresso, pour yourself a crisp Italian lager, order a pizza; whatever you need to do to get into the Italian spirit - and enjoy this month's Race Radio.  Ciao, Mitch

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Indeed If you are looking to hire someone for your company, maybe the best way isn't to search for a candidate but to match with Indeed. Go to indeed.com/cycle now to get a £100 sponsored job credit and get matched with the perfect candidate fast. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

G's back on the pod to reflect on the first three days of Giro action - and it's fair to say Albania kicked up a storm for its first-ever Grand Tour Grande Partenza. Again, there's no spoilers here... but it's fair to say Mads Pedersen had an excellent few days, while Primoz Roglic cemented his reputation as the favourite for the maglia rosa. G also got on the phone to young star and teammate Josh Tarling, to ask him all about his huge TT win on day two. He joined G for the final 10 minutes of today's pod to go through the action and give the inside line on the INEOS camp. Our stage three Continental Tyres Chapeau of the Day is a leadout man who's already made a big impact on the race and, as the race now hits Italy, we'll be picking our Chapeau of the Day after every single stage. Check out our social channels to see our picks. G and Tom will be back later in the week as the race heads for the high mountains for the first time. See you then. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the 2025 edition of the Giro d'Italia Matt Stephens has a live in-studio role providing commentary and analysis for TNT Eurosport Discovery. But he's taken his pod-mic along and will give us his daily reactions to each stage, right after it happens. In this episode, Matt looks back at the first three stages in Albania, which saw some pretty hectic racing right from the very start of his favourite Grand Tour. Matt being Matt, this podcast features tips on how to eat well with only a hotel kettle to cook with, and plenty of laughs along the way. Disclaimer: This episode contains mild swearing. Two "S-words" to be precise! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rouleur's Chris Marshall-Bell explores the roads, culture and politics of the first-ever Grande Partenza taking place across the Adriatic Sea in Albania. Chris spent a few days riding through the beautiful rolling roads used in stage one, chatting to locals about all things from bike racing to the cult following of a British comedian, all to find out why 2025 was one of the most unique starts in the Giro d'Italia's history. From the vibrant liveliness of the capital of Tirana to the peaceful winding mountain roads, from the country's communist past, its multi-faith present, to the hopes of it being the next cycling holiday destination, Chris delves into the stories behind this fascinating Balkan country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Saily If you are travelling abroad and want to reduce or even eliminate roaming charges you need an eSim from Saily, brought to you by the creators of NordVPN. ⛵Download the SAILY app and use our code cycling at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase. Or go to saily.com/cycling for full details Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

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Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

The Giro d'Italia is officially underway in Albania - and the opening two days have already lived up to the hype. A crazy stage one saw a reduced bunch do battle for the stage win, today's TT was won by a second, we've seen two maglia rosa wearers , GC hopes extinguished... Ahhh you can't beat Grand Tour racing. No spoilers here, but tune in and let Tom and Luke talk you through the action from the first two days. G will be back Monday to recap stage three - and pick our Continental Tyres Chapeau of the Day. See you then. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Giro d'Italia is upon us! Chris Marshall Bell rings in from Albania with the answers to cycling's biggest questions - whose legs are good? Who will be taking it day by day? We've got everything you need to know about the year's first Grand Tour. Plus, there's been a massive shakeup at GreenEdge. Longtime director Matt White is out. What are we hearing? 

Join us for daily coverage of the Giro d'Italia recorded on the road as the race makes its way from Albania to Rome. Our daily coverage features race analysis, interviews and daily postcards from Italy, plus our regular check-in with Tudor Pro Cycling's Larry Warbasse. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to Dvine Cellars to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP Guys, the Giro is almost upon us! This weekend, the 3 week beast that I raced twice in my career kicks off over in Albania of all places. The start list is absolutely stacked, with the likes of Roglič, Ayuso, Bernal, and heaps more huge riders going toe to toe to try to take home one of the most iconic jerseys in cycling; the Maglia Rosa.  One rider who's going to throw his hat into the ring and have a crack at this year's GC is the young Canadian talent Derek Gee - and I'm stoked to have him on this month's pod to talk all things Giro, preview the race, and answer a few questions sent in by you guys!  Derek's been a pro on the road for just 3 years, After spending his early years racing on the track, he burst onto the scene at the 2023 Giro d'Italia where he finished 2nd on 4 stages and spent more time in the breakaway than he did in the peloton! I think I managed to make it into the breakaway at a grandy once in my whole career - it's bloody hard - but Derek made it look easy, and absolutely ripped that race to pieces. Although he didn't come home with a stage win, he sure made a name for himself and put himself up there as one of the most exciting racers to keep an eye on. The year after, he made his debut at the big one; the Tour de France! Going into that race, Derek was looking to repeat his exploits from the ‘23 Giro and poach a few stages, and it was great to hear how this focus shifted to GC over the course of the race, leading to him finishing in the top 10 overall; an absolutely huge ride, that really proved he can do it all!  Derek's a cool guy. Born in Ottawa, I loved hearing about how inspired he was by the Canadian World Tour races the GP's Quebec and Montreal, and how that led him down the path of professional racing, eventually coming over to Europe and joining Israel Premier Tech - the team he'll be riding for until at least 2028!  After chatting a bit about his career, and how he's feeling ahead of the 2025 Giro that kicks off this weekend, we preview this year's race and take a bit of a look at how Derek's going to approach it. He's been at the front of races for long enough now to be heading to the start as one of the favourites; so he's definitely feeling the pressure!  It's been a while, but I wanted to bring you - the listeners - in on this interview, so we wrapped up by answering some of the questions you all sent in over the last week. Does Derek see other ex track stars like G and Wiggo as inspiration? What interval session does he use to get race ready? What's his favourite Celine Dion Song? I ask Derek all these questions, and more, and he's got some cracking answers.  I loved chatting to Derek. As well as being a mega talent, he's a really chilled out, humble guy and no doubt one of the most exciting racers in the pelo. I can't wait to see him race the Giro - the most beautiful of all the Grand Tours - and reckon he's a real Maglia Rosa contender. The Giro? More like the Gee-ro……..right? Enjoy this ep, guys. Sit back, relax, grab yourself a limoncello and some gelato, and get excited for the Giro with me and Derek.  Cheers! Mitch   ----more---- This episode is supported by Shokz Shokz are the leaders in open-ear headphones — perfect for cycling, running, or just staying aware while you listen. I've been using the new OpenRun Pro 2s, and the sound and fit are unreal. Head to shokz.cc/LITP-2505 and use the code LITP for a special listener discount! This episode is also brought to you by our good friends at Epic Ride Weather Epic Ride Weather gives you super accurate, personalised forecasts based on your route, speed, and timing. Know when to ride, what to wear, and where the wind's coming from. Get 25% off at epicrideweather.com/LITP or by scanning the QR code below.

The first Grand Tour of the 2025 season is also our tenth Giro d‘Italia on the ground with daily episodes. We kick things off here, with Daniel Friebe, Brian Nygaard and Rob Hatch looking ahead to the next three weeks of action, first in Albania and then Italy. First, we examine a route that may lack summit finishes but should deliver excitement from the middle of stage one. The riders on the startline should also see to that, particularly the stacked field of GC contenders led by pre-race favourites Primož Roglič and Juan Ayuso. We also meet a new addition to the podcast team for the Giro, Michele Pelacci, and hear more about what we've got in store over the next few weeks.  NordVPN Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.com/tcp It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to https://dvinecellars.com/products/the-cycling-podcast-giro-ditalia-2025 to make an order. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

The Giro d'Italia rolls out from Albania on Friday and in doing so will introduce cycling fans to one of the more mysterious and probably misunderstood countries on the continent of Europe.  We, too, knew very little about the 'Land of Eagles' but, in January this year, were invited on a remarkable treasure hunt that began with a listener's enigmatic direct message into Daniel Friebe's Twitter inbox. The story that then revealed itself - without giving too much away here - was one of an epic cycling journey that also turned into an astonishing voyage of self-discovery, into the so-called ‘Accursed Mountains' of northern Albania.  This KM0 is exceptionally available to all listeners, whether Friends of The Cycling Podcast or not. See below for details on how to become a Friend of The Cycling Podcast and thereby help fund our daily, on-the-ground coverage at the Grand Tours and output throughout the rest of the cycling season.  The episode was written and narrated by Daniel Friebe and produced by Adam Bowie.  Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). Dvine Cellars 2025 Girovagando Wine Selection As every year, Dvine Cellars and The Cycling Podcast have selected six wines that showcase the 'terroir' of the Giro d'Italia. Head to https://dvinecellars.com/products/the-cycling-podcast-giro-ditalia-2025 to make an order.