Podcasts about britain's eu

Dominic Cummings helped Boris Johnson win power by pitting the people against the elite. Johnson’s Conservative administration has branded itself “the People’s Government.”The prime minister’s populist appeal has been hammered by news that, as the coronavirus outbreak raged, chief adviser Cummings drove 250 miles (400 kilometers) to his parents’ house while he was falling ill with suspected COVID-19 — allegedly flouting lockdown rules that the government had imposed on the rest of the country.Cummings says he traveled to the family farm in northeast England so that his nieces could care for his 4-year-old son if he and his wife both became sick. But that explanation cut little ice with many Britons, who say they have endured isolation, anxiety and sometimes loss in order to follow government advice to “Stay Home ... Save Lives.”On Tuesday, junior Scotland minister Douglas Ross quit Johnson’s Conservative government, saying “the vast majority of people” didn't agree with Cummings’ action.“I have constituents who didn’t get to say goodbye to loved ones; families who could not mourn together; people who didn’t visit sick relatives because they followed the guidance of the government,” Ross wrote in a resignation letter. “I cannot in good faith tell them they were all wrong and one senior adviser to the government was right.”Johnson, however, appears determined to hang onto an aide who has been dubbed “Boris’ brain,” even if it fractures his government and erodes Britain’s response to the pandemic.Arguably, Johnson owes his job to Cummings, a self-styled disrupter who disdains the political establishment and slouches through the halls of government in sweatpants and T-shirts.In 2016, Cummings honed populist messages that helped the “leave” campaign, co-led by Johnson, win Britain's EU membership referendum. He is credited with coming up with the campaign’s powerfully simple slogan: “Take back control.” He also hired a firm linked to Cambridge Analytica, which detractors say unleashed the poison of data-harvesting and social-media manipulation into the British political bloodstream.A TV drama about the referendum, “Brexit: The Uncivil War,” made Cummings the central character, played by “Sherlock” star Benedict Cumberbatch.When Johnson became prime minister in July 2019 after interminable battles over Brexit defeated his predecessor Theresa May, he hired Cummings as his right-hand man. In December, Johnson won a commanding majority in Parliament with a ruthlessly focused election campaign and another simple slogan: “Get Brexit done.”Johnson, who spent three nights in intensive care with COVID-19 last month, has backed his adviser, saying Cummings “followed the instincts of every father and every parent.”Cummings denies breaking regulations, imposed on March 23, that said people shouldn't leave home except for trips to get essential supplies, exercise and emergencies. At a long, unrepentant news conference on Monday, Cummings argued that his need to ensure care for his son was an “exceptional situation.”“I don’t think there is one rule for me and one rule for other people,” Cummings insisted. But that’s exactly how it looks to many.Senior police officers said Cummings’ interpretation of the rules made it harder to enforce the lockdown,Thousands of people in Britain have been fined for breaching stay-at-home rules. Health Secretary Matt Hancock was asked at a news conference whether the government would review the penalties for people who could provide a childcare excuse. Hancock didn't commit, but said he would “take away that question.”Scientists said Cummings' example could harm messaging about the importance of social distancing.“It threatens to undermine that sense of community if a figure as prominent as Dominic Cummings and if the prime minister himself starts undermining that ‘we’ message and starts talking about ‘I,’” said Stephen Reicher, a behavioral psychologist who helps advise the government.Cum...

One week before Britain votes in a national election, fractures were emerging Thursday within jittery political parties unsure how a volatile electorate will judge them.The Brexit Party led by Nigel Farage, which became the U.K.’s top party in European elections earlier this year, saw four senior officials quit with a broadside accusing Farage of putting Britain’s exit from the European Union at risk.Meanwhile, Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson and main opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn both faced criticism of their moral character.Appearing on “This Morning” — a cozy morning chat show — Johnson was asked about a 1995 magazine article in which he called the children of single mothers “ill-raised, ignorant, aggressive and illegitimate.”“You must be able to understand how hurtful that is to someone's feelings,” host Holly Willoughby said.Johnson swerved the question, saying “I don't think this is the time to talk about articles that were written a very long time ago."Johnson has made offensive comments much more recently, including a newspaper column last year in which he called Muslim women who wear face-covering veils “letter boxes.”Asked about that and other comments, Johnson has said he’s sorry if his words caused hurt — but hasn’t apologized for writing them.All 650 seats in the House of Commons are up for grabs next week when voters will pass judgment on an ill-tempered and divisive election.Johnson pushed for the December vote, which is taking place more than two years early, in hopes of winning a majority and breaking Britain's political impasse over Brexit. He says that if the Conservatives win a majority, he will get Parliament to ratify his Brexit divorce deal and take the U.K. out of the EU by the current Jan. 31 deadline.Labour says it will negotiate a new Brexit deal, then give voters a choice between leaving on those terms and remaining in the bloc. It also has a radical domestic agenda, promising to nationalize key industries and utilities, hike the minimum wage and give free internet access to all.Labour's campaign has been dogged by allegations that leader Jeremy Corbyn — a long-time champion of the Palestinians — has allowed anti-Jewish prejudice to fester in the left-of-center party.On Thursday, the Jewish Labour Movement group campaigning group, said it had compiled sworn statements from 70 present and former Labour members and staffers. They include allegations of verbal and online abuse of Jewish members and claims that party officials blocked complaints being properly investigated.The statements have been submitted to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, which is investigating alleged anti-Semitism in the party.Sam Matthews, a former head of Labour’s legal department, said he and his team had not received “support from those above us to tackle the problem effectively.”"Anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial and bullying — bullying those who fight anti-Semitism — are now commonplace,” he told reporters.Corbyn has called anti-Semitism "a poison and an evil in our society" and says he is working to root it out of the party.Corbyn said Thursday that when he became Labour leader in 2015, “there were no processes in place to deal with anti-Semitism."“We introduced an appeals procedure to deal with it and we introduced an education process so that party members understood the hurt that can be caused by anti-Semitic remarks or anti-Semitic behavior," he said.But many British Jews are skeptical of his claims. Last week, Britain’s Orthodox Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, said that "the very soul of our nation is at stake" in the election. He said Corbyn and his allies had failed to stop anti-Jewish prejudice and "hounded" those who tried to challenge it.Johnson's Conservatives are ahead in opinion polls, but analysts say this election is particularly hard to predict because Brexit cuts across traditional party divides. The 2016 referendum on Britain's EU membership split...

Britain's main opposition leader has rejected Prime Minister Boris Johnson's taunting demand for a no-confidence vote in the government, saying he won't support a new election unless a no-deal Brexit is ruled out.Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn says Johnson should secure a delay to Britain's EU exit — scheduled for Oct. 31 — and "then let's have an election."And he called for Johnson to resign over his illegal suspension of Parliament.He said Johnson "should have done the honorable thing and resigned" after the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the prime minister's attempt to shut down Parliament for five weeks was unlawful. Johnson says he won't quit.Johnson accuses his opponents of being scared of the verdict of the public for refusing to back an election.

It's the inaugural Thought Police Questions as Mike and Matt open the mailbag to you for your queries, comments and suggestions including discussion points around Britain's EU membership, unintentionally offending people and the widely held view of Iran. Oh and there's also a bit of Merseyside football chat too...

Chief Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins has suggested that Theresa May is bluffing over Britain's EU exit, Donald Trump opens the door to extending trade talks with China and more than 7m Americans are now 90 days behind on their car payments. Plus, the FT’s Madhumita Murgia explains what researchers are doing to try to mitigate the bias in data and computer algorithms. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As parliament debates the legislation for Britain's EU exit, we discuss the dangers of the Henry VIII powers and Keir Starmer's new line on customs union. With George Parker, Jim Packard, Miranda Green and David Allen Green. Presented by Jonathan Derbyshire and produced by Anna Dedhar. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Stay or Leave? A panel in London debate the issues on Britain's EU membership.

According to the findings of a large international study, an antibiotic-resistant "superbug" strain of typhoid fever has spread globally, driven by a single family of the bacteria, called H58. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12162 The US Department of Interior granted permission to Shell Oil to perform exploratory oil drilling in Alaska's Chucki Sea, a rich oil deposit long sought by the oil industry. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12163 Eurosceptic Conservative MPs demand major concessions when David Cameron renegotiates Britain's EU membership. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12145 According to a new report, thousands of people arrested by Baltimore police over the past three years have been turned away from the city's jail because their injuries are too severe. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12143 Russia and China have agreed not to launch cyberattacks on each other. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12152 George Zimmerman has been shot at in an apparent ongoing feud in central Florida. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12161 Google said that its self-driving cars have been involved in 11 accidents over six years. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12160 Reports from the Philippines show Typhoon Noul has killed two people and has forced approximately 3,400 to evacuate to shelter. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12144 The NFL suspended New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for the first 4 games of the 2015 season as a punishment against the organization for its actions in the "Deflategate" scandal. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12158 Journalist Seymour M. Hersh is asserting that the Obama administration lied about certain details relating to Osama bin Laden's death. http://www.infobitt.com/b/12139 http://infobitt.com http://www.facebook.com/groups/infobitt http://twitter.com/infobitt

Chris Bowlby profiles German Chancellor Angela Merkel - always underestimated, physicist and ruthless politician, the woman at the centre of the eurozone crisis. What has shaped a figure who grew up under East German communism, came to dominate united German politics and proclaims her love of football and opera? And as her friendship with David Cameron deepens, might she be key to Britain's EU future? Producer: Chris Bowlby Editor: Richard Knight.