Podcasts about eurosceptics

The European Commission has faced multiple criticism. Eurosceptics and observers have called it undemocratic and questioned its legitimacy. Is the European Commission undemocratic? Tune in to today's episode of PowerPoints where we unravel this question.

From Maastricht to Brexit, the European Union's first three decades have entailed plenty of political and economic drama. Danny Bird speaks to Dermot Hodson about his new book, Circle of Stars, which focuses on some of the key individuals that helped shape the history of the EU, from advocates of European integration to dyed-in-the-wool Eurosceptics. (Ad) Dermot Hodson is the author of Circle of Stars: A History of the EU and the People Who Made It (Yale University Press, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Circle-Stars-History-People-Made/dp/030026769X/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GUEST 1 OVERVIEW: eter Ramsay is a Professor of Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He mainly teaches and writes about criminal law and punishment. His academic research focuses on the relationship between the criminal law, civil liberty and the state's sovereignty. After the Brexit referendum in 2016 he was one of the founders of The Full Brexit, a network of academics, journalists and other writers who supported leaving the European Union but were not traditional conservative Eurosceptics. He blogs about politics at The Northern Star online. GUEST 2 OVERVIEW: Philip Cunliffe is Associate Professor in International Relations at the Institute or Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London. He is one of the co-hosts of the @bungacast podcast and is widely published on questions of sovereignty and international politics.

Boris Johnson testified for his political life this week but was it enough to save his political career? George Parker discusses the former prime minister's future with the FT's political commentator Stephen Bush and political correspondent Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe. Plus, while the Tory Eurosceptics may have been crushed after Rishi Sunak won a vote on a new post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionist party is still saying it won't return to power-sharing in Stormont. The FT's Ireland correspondent Jude Webber and public policy editor Peter Foster give their analysis.Produced by Anna Dedhar and Manuela Saragosa. The sound engineer was Breen Turner -Follow @GeorgeWParker -Subscribe to FT UK politics newsletter -Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com -View our accessibility guide Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Boris Johnson may have criticised the prime minister's deal on post-Brexit trading in Northern Ireland but a number of formerly staunch Eurosceptic rebels — including Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker — have enthused about Sunak's success. How is the PM going to manage dissent within his own ranks, or is Eurosceptic opposition crumbling? Plus, what the deal on the new-look protocol - aka the Windsor framework - means in practice for business.Presented by George Parker, with political correspondent Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe, Ireland correspondent Jude Webber, Brussels correspondent Andy Bounds and special guest former Tory cabinet minister and New Statesman columnist David Gauke.Produced by Anna Dedhar and Manuela Saragosa. The sound engineer was Breen TurnerNews clips: BBC, GB News, Sky-Follow @GeorgeParker -Subscribe to FT UK politics newsletter -Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com -View our accessibility guide Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You'd think Rishi Sunak would be pushing ministers to take the flack amid the current crises – but they're remarkably quiet. Where are the rest of his Cabinet? Plus, while Eurosceptics suggested Britain's EU departure would weaken the bloc, the opposite has happened. Quelle surprise… And we talk about the spread of toxic masculinity online. Can we stop it earlier? Special guest Anoosh Chakelian, Britain editor at New Statesman, joins our panel this week.  “Hunt is like the villain in a kids' cartoon, you never see him but you hear whispers of him” – Marie Le Conte  “It's slim pickings for Sunak, he's inherited a party that was deliberately purged.” – Tom Peck  “Politicians can only do okay in the media if they have okay policies, and everything is so bad right now there's no win for the Government.” – Tom Peck  “People abroad have no idea how things have ended up so bad in Britain.” – Anoosh Chakelian Check out the latest podcast from Podmasters, Jam Tomorrow – an assessment of the promises made to Britain after the Second World War: https://kite.link/JTS1  Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Alex Andreou with Marie Le Conte and Tom Peck. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jet Gerbertson and Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Jade Bailey. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The success of Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy in the recent Italian general election has sent shudders around Europe. With Meloni set to form a coalition of right-wingers and Eurosceptics, her foreign policy agenda could call into question the very foundations of the European project. Alongside Poland and Hungary, Italy could join calls for greater national sovereignty, aiming to shift the balance of power away from Brussels technocracy. In this week's episode, Mark Leonard is joined by ECFR council members Nathalie Tocci, who is the director of Italy's Istituto Affari Internazionali, and Marta Dassu, senior advisor for Europe at the Aspen Institute, as well as Arturo Varvelli, head of ECFR´s Rome Office and senior policy fellow. They discuss the implications of the new government in Rome and whether it does indeed point to a shift to the right. What will be the new government's stance be on Russia and its war in Ukraine? And how could constraints such as debt and the coherence of the coalition challenge Meloni's government? This podcast was recorded on 27 September 2022. Further reading: The Draghi effect: Italy's new-old national interest by Arturo Varvelli https://buff.ly/3SpBirt Bookshelf - “Italy Transformed: Politics, Society and Institutions at the End of the Great Recession” by Martin J. Bull & Gianfranco Pasquino - “Bloodlands” by Timothy D. Snyder - “A Green and Global Europe” by Nathalie Tocci - “Il mago del Cremlino” by Giuliano da Empoli Image by picture alliance / EPA | CLAUDIO PERI ©

Why has Turkey's president picked a fight with his Nato allies? We also explore what Germany's new government will look like, why Croatia's Eurosceptics are pushing back against plans to join the single currency and Japan's royal wedding preparations.

When hundreds of far-right activists gathered in Berlin earlier this month, banners and T-shirts bearing US President Donald Trump’s face could be clearly seen among the crowd. Many waved the American flag. The demonstrators, who later tried to storm the German parliament, had assembled to protest against the German government’s COVID-19 restrictions.Related: Is there a ‘Nazi emergency’ in the German city of Dresden?The US president is a popular figure among far-right groups in Europe. Patrik Hermansson went undercover with far-right groups in the US for one year. Credit: Courtesy of Patrik Hermansson  Patrik Hermansson, a researcher with Hope Not Hate, a British advocacy group that campaigns against racism and fascism, says far-right activists see Trump as an anti-establishment figure, someone who rallies against the elites. Swedish-born Hermansson spent a year undercover in 2017 as a member of alt-right movements in Europe and the US. Trump’s time in office “put the wind in the sails of far-right groups and populist parties in Europe,” he said.Just hours after TV networks announced that Trump had won the 2016 US election, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen took to the stage of her party headquarters in Paris and celebrated the result. “Americans have voted, they’ve rejected the status quo. What happened last night was not the end of the world, it was the end of a world,” Le Pen said. She wasn’t alone in her jubilation. In neighboring Germany, the then-leader of the far-right Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party, Frauke Petry, tweeted "this night changes the USA, Europe and the world!"And in Britain, Nigel Farage, former leader of the populist UK Independence Party, compared Trump’s win to the passing of Brexit a few months earlier, saying 2016 was a year of “political revolutions.”Supporting an American president is highly unusual for far-right politicians in Europe.Related: Artists in Germany fear backlash after far-right party wins big A portrait of Sylvia Taschka Credit: Courtesy of Sylvia Taschka Sylvia Taschka, who teaches history at Wayne State University in Detroit, says US presidents usually represent everything European far-right parties oppose: “Unrestrained capitalism. In other words, you know, a globalized free-market economy and an interventionist, some would say imperialist foreign policy," she said. Trump challenged both of those stereotypes, Taschka says, and upended their long-held tradition of anti-Americanism. Taschka, who was born in Nuremberg, Germany, has witnessed the rise of the far-right in Germany with dismay. As a young child growing up in a city famed for its enormous Nazi party rallies in the 1920s and '30s and later the Nazi war trials, she was well aware that support for far-right views still existed. But those views were never openly celebrated."I was not blind when I lived in Germany.  Germany always had a far-right element — even when I grew up — but they were kept more under the lid.”In the last decade, Taschka says that has changed dramatically. But she doesn’t attribute the growing strength of the far-right AfD party to Trump. A changing political landscape and the refugee crisis in 2015 were key driving factors, she says.Related: With far-right topping Dutch polls, EU elections could see Eurosceptics take the leadDutch political scientist Cas Mudde agrees. Mudde, who’s a professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia, says far-right parties like the National Front in France or the Freedom Party of Austria don’t need to look to Trump for ideological motivation. “They have a much more developed ideological frame than Trump will ever have,” he said.Mudde says President Trump takes little notice of Europe’s populist politicians — but that’s not the case for some of his diplomats. The US ambassadors to Germany and the Netherlands have both been guilty of normalizing Europe’s far-right parties, he says.“One can think of Richard Grenell, in Germany, who was criticized for normalizing the AFD and in the Netherlands, it's even stronger with US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra," Mudde said. It’s alleged that far-right Dutch party leaders met with Hoekstra at the US Embassy to discuss their plans for the future, Mudde says.Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon has also been holding court with far-right parties in Europe over the last couple of years. Bannon plans to convert a monastery outside of Rome into a political academy for ultraconservatives and future populist leaders, a move that has met fierce resistance from Italy’s Culture Ministry. The former White House aide also helped establish a foundation in Brussels aimed at supporting Europe’s far-right parties. But so far, it has received little attention from the parties themselves.French political analyst Jean-Yves Camus, a specialist on the French and European radical right, says parties like the National Front in France have little interest in taking advice from an American. They were doing just fine before Bannon came on the scene, he says.“When Steve Bannon tried to present himself as the man who could unite the extreme right in Europe, he forgot a very important thing: The National Front was a very strong party well before Steve Bannon became known in Washington, DC. So, basically, they did not need him.”The policy of "America first" that Trump promotes has been a mantra of the far-right movement in France since the 1970s. Slogans like “France for the French” or “French first” have been around for some decades, Camus says.     While the rise of populist parties in Europe might seem like an anti-establishment vote, Hermansson says it’s important to recognize that many grassroots supporters believe violence is the only way to achieve their goals. In his first few months undercover with far-right groups, Hermansson was shocked at how openly they condoned the use of violence.“I think in the beginning, I was quite surprised over how openly supportive of violence they were, or at least how implicitly they gave credence to even mass shootings," Hermansson said. Hermansson was in Charlottesville the day of the Unite the Right white supremacist rally in August 2017. He was standing just yards away from Heather Heyer when she was killed by James Alex Fields Jr., an alt-right supporter who plowed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, injuring 19 people and killing Heyer. Screenshot of video footage of a white power rally in Chartlottesville, Virginia, taken by Patrik Hermansson, who went undercover with far-right groups in the US for one year.  Credit: Courtesy of Patrik Hermansson Hermansson says the incident was hugely traumatic and although he never expected someone would get killed that day, he had become increasingly concerned that things would turn violent. After Hermansson revealed his cover, he received threats from far-right groups for months afterward. Today, he says he feels relatively safe. The alt-right supporters Hermansson met in Europe would most definitely support a second Trump term, he says. In the last year, populist politicians in Europe have also been tweeting their support for another Trump win in November. Political scientist Mudde says their support hinges on the fact that they share a number of common enemies with the US president. They don’t believe a Trump victory will boost their standing in the polls, he says, but it’s better than seeing Biden get into office.Biden is no friend of the far-right, Mudde says. 

With radical change on the horizon this week on Over The Farm Gate we're talking FUTURE.Farm shops, commercial units, rural housing, and a myriad of other farm diversifications and community needs, all rely on getting through the planning system. But it can be hard work, complicated, frustrating, expensive and not always successful. Will Prime Minister Boris Johnson's promised a ‘radical reform' for England's planning system deliver the change needed to allow rural communities to thrive?Jez Fredenburgh speaks to Laura Dudley-Smith, a planning consultant at Strutt and Parker, to find out what's in it for farmers.Jez also speaks to Hertfordshire farmer William Ashley, who does battle with the planning system more often than most, and has even been helping other farmers navigate it. She asks William about his experience of the current system, what he would change, and his top tips for other farmers. Trade and Agriculture Commission member Shanker Singham, known in political circles as the brains of Brexit for his close ties with Eurosceptics, speaks about the commission's role in protecting British farmers in new trade deals. He tells our chief reporter Abi Kay why there needs to be ‘more light and less heat' on issues like animal welfare, why the notion of being on a level playing field with European colleagues is fanciful, and why he's so confident the UK will secure a deal with the EU.Links:planning system - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/launch-of-planning-for-the-future-consultation-to-reform-the-planning-systemLaura Dudley-Smith - https://www.struttandparker.com/people/laura-dudley-smithWilliam Ashley - http://monksgreenfarm.net/Trade and Agriculture Commission - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/trade-and-agriculture-commission-membership-announcedShanker Singham - https://twitter.com/shankerasingham?lang=en See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today’s episode, we investigate the complexities of Sino-Italian relations, which over the last few weeks—like a focusing lens—brought together many interesting topics: the outbreak of COVID-19, China’s disinformation campaigns, Euroscepticism, and wider discussions on EU solidarity. There’s really a lot to unpack here. Fortunately, we are joined by an expert in the field.Lucrezia Poggetti is an Analyst at the Berlin-based MERICS, a leading European think tank focused on China. She researches EU-China relations and China’s public diplomacy strategies in Europe, and also has experience working on China’s domestic policies at the EU Delegation to the PRC. Her works have been widely published by, among others: The Diplomat, China File, Project Syndicate, Il Sole 24 Ore, and the Berlin Policy Journal. Being Italian, she frequently comments on Sino-Italian relations and can help us shed light on the rapidly changing dynamics of Italian-Chinese interactions.More at: euchinahub.comPhoto credit: ©MERICS/Marco Urban

Loot boxes, Eurosceptics, New Zealand bees, and acyclovir. Plus left kidneys, Yellow Fever, the Social Attitudes Survey, and plastic scousers. Less funny than a Shakespearean comedy, it’s Skeptics with a K. Mixed and Edited by Morgan Clarke.

Brexit - "British" and "exit" references the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. This term was first coined by Peter Wilding, the chairman of British Influence, in a 2012 blog post called "Stumbling Towards the Brexit." Brexit culminates after several decades of history. Originally, the European Communities, predecessor to the EU were created in in the 1950s. Great Britain attempted to join in 1963 and again in '67 but was vetoed by Charles De Gaulle, President of France - some of those not always warm and fuzzy Anglo-French relations. Finally, on the third attempt, the UK joined in 1973 under the Conservative government of Edward Heath. But not everyone was happy with the arrangement. There was a segment of the population known as Eurosceptics - another portmanteau. In the 1970s and 1980s these voices for withdrawal were mostly from the political left. Then in the 1990s the political right started showing opposition to further EU integration and this led to the creation of The United Kingdom Independence Party - UKIP which split off from the Conservative Party. This may also have been a factor in the UK never adopting the euro and staying with the pound sterling as their currency. Prime Minister Tony Blair declared that there were five economic tests that the euro must meet. It failed the five-tests and the pound has remained in the UK. Fast forward nearly 20 years and on June 23 2016, 51.9 percent voted to leave the EU. This vote resulted in Prime Minister David Cameron resigning after losing his campaign against Brexit. He was succeeded by Theresa May. The UK was scheduled to exit March 29th 2019 but that deadline was extended to October 31st. Also in March, Prime Minister Theresa May proposed "slow brexit" but ultimately under pressure she resigned effective June 7th of the year. July 24th 2019 Boris Johnson (BoJo - another portmanteau) was elected Prime Minister in his first statement to the House of Commons as prime minister, he affirmed his absolute commitment to leaving the EU October 31st, with or without any kind of deal. Brexit is a perfect example of the scope and power of one word.   Resources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euroscepticism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Communities https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_European_Union–United_Kingdom_relations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brexit https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/100314/why-doesnt-england-use-euro.asp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BoJo

Poland holds a position of economic, strategic, and political importance in Europe. While some former Eastern bloc countries look to Poland as a model of autonomy, the Western European establishment is sending clear messages that Poland may not enjoy the benefits of European Union membership while thwarting EU governance. At the same time, Eurosceptics in Western Europe and Great Britain also look to Poland’s independence as an inspiration when Brexit has proven difficult to attain.Poland’s expressions of political will through Law and Justice Party court restructuring have triggered an unprecedented invocation of Article 7 by the European Commission and the European Court of Justice mandated that Poland reverse the court reforms.Warsaw will be the site of an imminent summit to address wide-ranging security issues. Originally considered a platform for considering the threats emanating from Iran, the United States has recently characterized the summit as a discussion of cybersecurity, terrorism, extremism, and anti-missile security.Germany and France just concluded a “friendship treaty” that is understood to implicitly warn countries like Poland and Hungary that too much “nationalism” is a threat to the common goals of European member states.Is Poland becoming too autocratic and did court restructuring fundamentally threaten European notions of rule of law? How does the United States maintain a close relationship with this valued ally while balancing NATO and European allegiances?Featuring: Prof. Jakub Grygiel, Associate Professor, Catholic University of AmericaModerator: Dr. James Jay Carafano, Vice President, Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, and the E. W. Richardson Fellow, The Heritage Foundation(Prof. Andrzej Bryk, Professor, Jagiellonian University, Poland, was unable to join in this teleforum.) Teleforum calls are open to all dues paying members of the Federalist Society. To become a member, sign up on our website. As a member, you should receive email announcements of upcoming Teleforum calls which contain the conference call phone number. If you are not receiving those email announcements, please contact us at 202-822-8138.

Poland holds a position of economic, strategic, and political importance in Europe. While some former Eastern bloc countries look to Poland as a model of autonomy, the Western European establishment is sending clear messages that Poland may not enjoy the benefits of European Union membership while thwarting EU governance. At the same time, Eurosceptics in Western Europe and Great Britain also look to Poland’s independence as an inspiration when Brexit has proven difficult to attain.Poland’s expressions of political will through Law and Justice Party court restructuring have triggered an unprecedented invocation of Article 7 by the European Commission and the European Court of Justice mandated that Poland reverse the court reforms.Warsaw will be the site of an imminent summit to address wide-ranging security issues. Originally considered a platform for considering the threats emanating from Iran, the United States has recently characterized the summit as a discussion of cybersecurity, terrorism, extremism, and anti-missile security.Germany and France just concluded a “friendship treaty” that is understood to implicitly warn countries like Poland and Hungary that too much “nationalism” is a threat to the common goals of European member states.Is Poland becoming too autocratic and did court restructuring fundamentally threaten European notions of rule of law? How does the United States maintain a close relationship with this valued ally while balancing NATO and European allegiances?Featuring: Prof. Jakub Grygiel, Associate Professor, Catholic University of AmericaModerator: Dr. James Jay Carafano, Vice President, Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, and the E. W. Richardson Fellow, The Heritage Foundation(Prof. Andrzej Bryk, Professor, Jagiellonian University, Poland, was unable to join in this teleforum.) Teleforum calls are open to all dues paying members of the Federalist Society. To become a member, sign up on our website. As a member, you should receive email announcements of upcoming Teleforum calls which contain the conference call phone number. If you are not receiving those email announcements, please contact us at 202-822-8138.

Theresa May needs to be quit as Prime Minister to because the Brexit talks "resemble a Greek tragedy and it only ends when everyone is dead", a leading Tory party donor says today. Jeremy Hosking, a City financier who has donated £375,000 to the party since 2015, says the Government’s strategy to exit the European Union had to change. Mr Hosking is the first major donor to speak about against Mrs May and her Brexit talks. He tells today’s Chopper’s Brexit Podcast that it is time to take decisive action to ensure that Britain gets the best possible deal to leave the EU in March next year. He says: “We are three-nil down and it is half time. We are in the dressing room having half time oranges and the plan is to wait until we are six-nil down and hope for a miracle in injury time? It just resembles a Greek tragedy and it only ends when everyone is dead.” Mrs May had to be replaced “as soon as possible. There needs to be an audit on the strategy – the strategy is not working. “I feel like a bit like the story of the emperor’s new clothes – someone has got to say it – it ain’t working. Mr Hosking claims that the difficulties over the talks were part of a "deliberate" attempt to keep the UK in the EU, saying: "I personally have joined up my dots and concluded that it is deliberate... It doesn't really matter if it is deliberate or not if it is a failing strategy." Mr Hosking says other donors shared his concerns. "The collapse in morale in the last four weeks is absolutely staggering.  "We see absolutely no way out of the box on the current strategy, the same team is being sent out after half time with the same inability to play football, and they are scoring goals at will... Our troops are on the beach and they are surrounded." He adds: “There very definitely needs to be a change and a reset. You would need to have a new person to implement a strategy that is completely different to the old strategy. “A lot of the parliamentary Conservative party think everyone is going very well – and I am talking about some of the Brexiteers.  “It is a bit like the man who jumps out of the 50th Storey window – as they fly by the 20th Storey it is all going great but it is not going to have a happy ending.  “The way it is going at the moment we are going to wake up in February 2019 and realise it is not going very well and we have only got injury time to score five goals. He says that "somehow being a Brexiteer is politically incorrect. Those who oppose Brexit are playing on that like mad. There is a Pavlovian reflex from people to believe it, that we are xenophobes, racists and wife-beaters". Eurosceptics were considered to be “nutters and lunatics”, he complains. The party’s leadership felt that “the people who voted to leave didn’t really mean it and he idea of the Tories betraying Euroscepticism – and they are repeat offenders in this regard – that is still OK”. Separately, David Mundell, the Scottish secretary, says people in Scotland were getting bored of the SNP’s repeated calls to make Scotland independent. He tells the podcast: “The public’s appetite for discussing these issues is waning. People are fed up across the political spectrum of constantly hearing about independence and constitution.                 “Even people who voted yes in 2014 – a lot of those people don’t want another independence referendum because it was a very divisive event.   “And although we politicians went out afterwards and said ‘isn’t it great, 80 per cent of people voted, virtually everybody who was alive in Scotland voted in that referendum.   “And although we say it is great public engagement, most people hated it when you speak to them, they hated the fact that they fell out with friends and family, with people in pubs like the Red Lion.   “People were divided, at their work they were divided. It was very intense in the final weeks. In the street you could not go out and avoid it.   “People don’t want to return to that. They feel it was a once in a generation event. There was a divisive result in favour of staying in the United Kingdom and we should leave it be.”   Mr Mundell, the second longest serving Cabinet minister who voted to Remain in the EU at the 2016 referendum, says he would vote to remain again if there were a referendum today.   He says: “I voted Remain and I would probably still vote Remain but I accepted the result.”   Asked how he deals with abuse from nationalists on Twitter, he says: “I just don’t look at it. I know what I am taking on.   “I asked to do this – nobody is making me. It is a harsh political environment in Scotland, indeed across most of the UK, you just have to get on with it.”   Other guests are Ayesha Hazarika and Tom Hamilton, former aides to ex-Labour leader Ed Miliband, who have written “Punch & Judy”, an account of preparing for the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons.   Chopper’s Brexit Podcast is available on the Telegraph’s website and iTunes from 6am on Friday May 25

The Conservative party's efforts to renew themselves while in government are ramping up. But how big is the challenge they face? And with tensions increasing between Eurosceptics and the EU , what kind of Brexit deal will Theresa May be able to broker? Presented by Sebastian Payne. With George Parker, Robert Shrimsley, Miranda Green and Henry Newman. Produced by Anna Dedhar See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The leader of the Eurosceptics on the Tory backbenches talks about why the state should respect our individuality, when the gloves should come off in political debate and why we should keep personal morals separate from politics – and of course, Brexit.

Nearly 760 giant sculptures went up in flames on Sunday night when the Spanish city of Valencia ended its famous Fallas celebration. Around 3,000 police officers and over 400 firefighters patrolled the streets of the Mediterranean city to ensure safety during a time-honored celebration that has made it into UNESCO’s list of World Intangible Heritage of Humanity last November. Civilian intermediaries speaking in the name of ETA, the Basque terrorist organization, will notify the French judiciary of the location of its arms caches in what constitutes a unilateral and unconditional disarmament to be completed on April 8. THOUSANDS took to the streets of Barcelona to protest against Cataluña’ s independence bid. The demonstrators were protesting against the Catalan government’s plans to hold an independence referendum in September. More than 100 tourists spent the night on Mount Teide, Spain’s highest peak, and dozens were trapped in gondolas The multibillionaire behind the Zara retail chain has banked another £1bn after the fashion group reported record sales and profits. Amancio Ortega, Europe’s richest man, will receive €1.26bn (£1.1bn) from Inditex, the Spanish company he started more than four decades ago, which owns Zara and many other brands.. Eurosceptics have reacted with fury after Jean-Claude Juncker boasted that no-one else will want to leave the EU after they see how harshly Britain is punished. The European Commission chief crowed that the 'example' of the UK would ensure the survival of the Brussels club. Jeremy Corbyn provoked fury today after paying a glowing tribute to former IRA commander Martin McGuinness as a 'great family man'. The Labour leader, who was friends with the former Northern Ireland deputy first minister, said he was thinking about McGuinness's relatives this morning. He tweeted: 'Martin McGuinness played a huge role in bringing about peace in Northern Ireland. He was a great family man and my thoughts are with them.' The BBC has been accused of ' despicable fawning' over 'terrorist godfather' and former IRA commander Martin McGuinness in their obituary pieces this morning. On Twitter some furious viewers accused the corporation of having 'blood on their hands' and 'fawning over [him] like he was some sort of misunderstood peacekeeper.' The extraordinary news that George Osborne is to become the new editor of the Evening Standard has sent the twittering classes into an uproar. The Tory party was in crisis over the election expenses scandal after it was fined a record £70,000 for breaking the rules and its former treasurer was reported to the police. The Electoral Commission said the party had failed to record correctly a total of £275,813 at the 2015 general election and three by-elections in 2014. Sparkbrook has become synonymous with Islamic extremism; one in ten of all Britain's convicted Islamic terrorists, we now know, have come from Sparkbrook and four adjoining council wards. The BBC has been blasted for not cutting off a paedophile who rang in a phone-in to say how his eight year old daughters enjoyed being raped by him. This week, ITV’s late-night car-crash of a programme, The Nightly Show, hit a new low when its ratings slumped below a million. For the 10pm slot, it’s an embarrassing figure. Mind you, with potty-mouthed Davina McCall in the chair — following comedians David Walliams’ and John Bishop’s less than glorious turns at hosting — is anyone surprised? The Nightly Show is a pathetic creation: puerile, witless and embarrassing to watch. The presenters try their hardest, in a desperate sort of way, but what happened to the script? Where are the jokes?

Nearly 760 giant sculptures went up in flames on Sunday night when the Spanish city of Valencia ended its famous Fallas celebration. Around 3,000 police officers and over 400 firefighters patrolled the streets of the Mediterranean city to ensure safety during a time-honored celebration that has made it into UNESCO’s list of World Intangible Heritage of Humanity last November. Civilian intermediaries speaking in the name of ETA, the Basque terrorist organization, will notify the French judiciary of the location of its arms caches in what constitutes a unilateral and unconditional disarmament to be completed on April 8. THOUSANDS took to the streets of Barcelona to protest against Cataluña’ s independence bid. The demonstrators were protesting against the Catalan government’s plans to hold an independence referendum in September. More than 100 tourists spent the night on Mount Teide, Spain’s highest peak, and dozens were trapped in gondolas The multibillionaire behind the Zara retail chain has banked another £1bn after the fashion group reported record sales and profits. Amancio Ortega, Europe’s richest man, will receive €1.26bn (£1.1bn) from Inditex, the Spanish company he started more than four decades ago, which owns Zara and many other brands.. Eurosceptics have reacted with fury after Jean-Claude Juncker boasted that no-one else will want to leave the EU after they see how harshly Britain is punished. The European Commission chief crowed that the 'example' of the UK would ensure the survival of the Brussels club. Jeremy Corbyn provoked fury today after paying a glowing tribute to former IRA commander Martin McGuinness as a 'great family man'. The Labour leader, who was friends with the former Northern Ireland deputy first minister, said he was thinking about McGuinness's relatives this morning. He tweeted: 'Martin McGuinness played a huge role in bringing about peace in Northern Ireland. He was a great family man and my thoughts are with them.' The BBC has been accused of ' despicable fawning' over 'terrorist godfather' and former IRA commander Martin McGuinness in their obituary pieces this morning. On Twitter some furious viewers accused the corporation of having 'blood on their hands' and 'fawning over [him] like he was some sort of misunderstood peacekeeper.' The extraordinary news that George Osborne is to become the new editor of the Evening Standard has sent the twittering classes into an uproar. The Tory party was in crisis over the election expenses scandal after it was fined a record £70,000 for breaking the rules and its former treasurer was reported to the police. The Electoral Commission said the party had failed to record correctly a total of £275,813 at the 2015 general election and three by-elections in 2014. Sparkbrook has become synonymous with Islamic extremism; one in ten of all Britain's convicted Islamic terrorists, we now know, have come from Sparkbrook and four adjoining council wards. The BBC has been blasted for not cutting off a paedophile who rang in a phone-in to say how his eight year old daughters enjoyed being raped by him. This week, ITV’s late-night car-crash of a programme, The Nightly Show, hit a new low when its ratings slumped below a million. For the 10pm slot, it’s an embarrassing figure. Mind you, with potty-mouthed Davina McCall in the chair — following comedians David Walliams’ and John Bishop’s less than glorious turns at hosting — is anyone surprised? The Nightly Show is a pathetic creation: puerile, witless and embarrassing to watch. The presenters try their hardest, in a desperate sort of way, but what happened to the script? Where are the jokes?

Is Donald Trump or Ted Cruz the real ideologue? What would Brexit mean for the future of the UK? And why is Cambridge so different from Peterborough? We talk the EU referendum with Jeremy Cliffe, who writes the hugely influential Bagehot column on British politics for the Economist, and he tells us what divides the Eurosceptics from the rest: it's not what you think. Plus the panel catch up on the news from the US as we track developments in the endlessly fascinating and occasionally terrifying race to the White House. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Philip Stephens of the Financial Times, plus Ayesha Hazarika and Andrew Gimson, discuss whether the Eurosceptics or Europhiles are right about British sovereignty and why Labour has been mostly absent from the EU referendum debate. Presented by Sebastian Payne. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Fighting over crumbs: Eurosceptics and the EU deal Released 04 February 2016 With James Forsyth, Freddy Gray, Stephen Bayley, Vote Leave's Stephen Parkinson, Kate Andrews from the Republican Party Overseas and Historic England's Posy Metz. Presented by Isabel Hardman

University of Birmingham’s Adam Quinn sits down with Christalla Yakinthou and Scott Lucas to discuss the important issues of the week. This edition features discussion on the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet. We have our regular feature with our numbers of the week and on the home front, will this […]

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Lucy Fisher, Rachel Sylvester and Helen Rumbelow. Lucy Fisher: As the referendum on Britain's membership of the EU looms closer, the “out” campaign is beginning to take shape. But its proponents now face a number of tough questions: who to lead them, with whom to ally and what strategies to pursue? The right business chiefs must be recruited, Tory Eurosceptics and Ukip must calculate how closely to embrace each other, and theoretical reasoning about UK sovereignty must be carefully balanced with more tangible arguments about the impact of immigration. Rachel Sylvester: Labour is speaking in code as it launches its leadership contest. Aspiration, equality, responsibility, choice, Blairite Brownite - these are words used to signify a political direction rather than simply to communicate. The party has to face up to electoral reality and go back to celebrating success even if that means some people doing better than others. Helen Rumbelow: Flexible working the male way: ask... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Euroscepticism has a long tradition in Britain, particularly among conservatives. But the Fresh Start parliamentary group is bucking that trend. Fresh Start sees itself as a counterweight to the eurosceptic wing of the Tory party. The parliamentary group has about 100 members, among them Julian Smith from North Yorkshire. While Smith believes Europe needs reform, he staunchly defends Britain remaining in the EU. Smith has been facing criticism in his district, where the UK Independence Party has been gaining ground. But he enjoys support from industry and business.

Why are the Eurosceptics still flocking to Farage and preparing to humiliate the Tories in next month's European elections? This week Tim is joined by Benedict Brogan, Louise Mensch and Dominic Raab. Note: this recording is from a live Google Hangout. Apologies for the compromised audio quality.

21 years after the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, Britain is trying to cut the cost of the European Union. As the institution comes of age, Gerry Northam asks whether the EU's spending on itself has become excessive and - if so - whether member states do anything about it. In Brussels, hundreds of millions of pounds have been found for projects described by Eurosceptics as "self-aggrandisement". An art deco showpiece is being transformed into a new headquarters for the European Council at a cost of around 300 million Euros (£250m). A further 55 million Euros (£46m) is going to create a House of European History - a museum celebrating European integration. A new 20 million Euros (£17m) visitors' centre at the European Parliament, called the Parlamentarium, has been dismissed as a multimedia tribute to itself. Meanwhile alarm has been raised that money the United Kingdom designates as aid for developing countries is being diverted by Europe to encourage Turkey, Serbia and others to join the Union. MPs claim this money directly disadvantages Britain. Critics say Europe's expansion comes with an unnecessarily large price tag. Are they right? Reporter: Gerry Northam Producer: Chris Doidge.

As another wave of financial fear sweeps through the Eurozone, with Spain seemingly staggering towards a bail out and Italy not far behind, the voices of the continents Eurosceptics grow louder. Most prominent among them is Nigel Farage, leader of the UK independence party and self-styled scourge of the EU establishment in his role as a member of the European Parliament. In Europe's crisis he sees political opportunity; but is he playing with fire?(Image: Nigel Farage)