The Why? Curve

Phil Dobbie

Each week Phil Dobbie and Roger Hearing get to grips with one issue that impacts our lives. It could be economic, social, technological or geopolitical. Whatever the subject, they'll talk to the experts who can give help explain what's really going on. And Phil and Roger back it up with their own research and opinions. It's half an hour to get across one of the key issues of the time, and they promise, it'll never be boring.

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Top 10 The Why? Curve Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Why? Curve episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Why? Curve for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Why? Curve episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Nips and Tucks

The Why? Curve

10/17/24 • 37 min

Why do so many of us opt to go under the knife to change our appearance? Cosmetic surgery is having a boom, with injections as well as scalpels and offering cheaper and barely-regulated treatments. It can be dangerous as well as pricey, and often ineffective, so why do it? Is it down to a distorted perception of beauty, conditioned by social media and reality TV? Does it need more regulation, as well as a push to ease social pressures? Phil and Roger ask Ruth Holliday, Professor of Gender and Culture at Leeds University, and co-author of the book "Kitsch! Cultural Politics and Taste"

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Red Sea Crisis - Choking The Global Economy

The Why? Curve

01/18/24 • 36 min

The UK and US launched air strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen after their missile-attacks on international shipping - could this all turn into a regional conflict? London and Washington tell Iran to stay out, but its backing for Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis suggests it’s already involved. So can this be stopped from exploding into something much bigger, with an even more devastating effect on global trade? Shahin Modarres of the International Team For the Study Of Security tells Phil and Roger about the risks for all of us from this regional crisis

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A Matter of Life and Death. Who Decides?

The Why? Curve

02/15/24 • 36 min

Should we have the right to end our lives in the way we choose - with others allowed to help us? Euthanasia is back on the agenda after a number of celebrities pushing for a change in the law. But what about the risks - the sick and elderly feeling they are a burden to be dispensed with? The devaluing of life itself? Dr Sam Carr lecturer at the Department of Education and the Centre for Death and Society at Bath University talks to Phil and Roger about the issues surrounding assisted suicide

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Election Day - But Does Your Vote Count?

The Why? Curve

07/04/24 • 40 min

What's the point in voting? The answer, if you're not in a seat where there's a chance your candidate will come first or second, is not much. The first-past-the-post system means many, or even most of us, are effectively disenfranchised at each general election. So is there a better, fairer way to run our polling? A proportional system, perhaps? Or is there a risk that that would mean no clear outcome and we will have constant unstable coalition governments? Dr Heinz Brandenberg, senior lecturer in politics at the University of Strathclyde, picks through the options for democracy with Phil and Roger.

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The real bill for energy

The Why? Curve

11/16/23 • 40 min

Drill, baby, drill - but does it make sense to hand out, every year, new North Sea extraction licences for oil and gas as the UK government has promised? Aren’t we supposed to be ending our reliance on fossil fuels? Or is it essential for energy security to harvest what we have on our doorstep? And is the cost of a more rapid transition to renewable sources of energy too high for hard-pressed families struggling to pay their bills? Phil and Roger quiz Gavin Bridge, Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Durham, and Fellow of the Durham Energy Institute, on the costs and benefits of more North Sea extraction.

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A tax cut that’s good for Britain or a last-ditch hope for the Tory party?

The Why? Curve

11/23/23 • 34 min

Jeremy Hunt delivered his Autumn statement this week, with 110 policy measures. The most significant of those was a 2% cut in National Insurance contributions. Roger and Phil ask Simon French, Chief Economist and Head of Research at UK investment bank, Panmure Gordon, whether the main aim of the cuts was to bolster the chances of a win for the Conservatives at the next election? On this week’s podcast Simon says that, political cynicism aside, there is a need to boost growth in the economy, and administering cuts in tax through National Insurance ensures that it is the working population that benefits. But will it make that much difference, when those same people face higher tax contributions through the freezing of the income tax thresholds? A wide-ranging discussion that includes the need for more comprehensive tax reform, plus a snapshot on the economic wellbeing of Phil’s barber.

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Getting It Right On The Far Right

The Why? Curve

08/15/24 • 39 min

Riots and disorder on a scale Britain hadn’t seen in a decade, but then the streets re-taken by anti-racist crowds - what to make of what happened after the Southport stabbings? Keir Starmer said the white men throwing rocks and setting fire to hotels were “far right”. Was he correct? And what does “far right” mean? Is it a coherent political force in the UK, or just a bunch of drunken yobs? Phil and Roger look at the evidence with Aurelien Mondon of Bath University and the Reactionary Politics Research Network.

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Must Try Harder - Why Britain’s Economy Is Bottom Of The Class

The Why? Curve

07/20/23 • 40 min

Why is the UK trailing the rest of the developed economies when it comes to growth and the post-Covid recovery? Why is our inflation higher, our investment lower, and our prospects gloomier? Is it poor leadership, or just the nature of an economy too slow to adapt to the modern world? Or is it just Brexit? Simon French, managing editor, chief economist and head of research at Panmure Gordon, tells Phil and Roger where it has gone wrong for UK PLC, and what needs to happen to reverse that.

Brought to you by Wigmore Associates Wealth Management

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Hard Tax

The Why? Curve

07/06/23 • 39 min

Is our revenue system too taxing? Are the thousands of pages of rules and regulations just an invitation to fraud and expensive accountants - with low earners left to fall into the traps set by HMRC? Or do we need to be able to take into account all the subtle nuances of modern life with allowances and exemptions to ensure a fair and equitable system? Judith Freedman is the Pinsent Mason Professor of Taxation Law and Policy at Oxford University, and she tells Phil and Roger of the simplifications that could and should be done.

Brought to you by Wigmore Associates Wealth Management

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Democracy in Crisis

The Why? Curve

01/11/24 • 39 min

It's the biggest year in the history of democracy - more than half of the people on earth have the chance to choose, through the ballot box, who governs them. So why is democracy - the system that gives the ultimate power to the people - in such deep trouble? Autocracies like China say their form of government works better. "Illiberal" democracies like Russia claim the countries where your vote actually counts, are weak and failing. And even beacons of democratic values like the US are caught up in threats of dictatorship and allegations of vote-rigging. Do those who say a system can't work if it's paralysed by instant popularity and short-term vote-winning, have a point? Is there something fundamentally wrong with western style of government? Natasha Lindstaet, Professor of Government at the University of Essex tells Phil and Roger why democracy is in trouble, and suggests some ways to fix it.

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FAQ

How many episodes does The Why? Curve have?

The Why? Curve currently has 129 episodes available.

What topics does The Why? Curve cover?

The podcast is about News, Society, Geopolitics, Podcasts, Economics, Technology and Business.

What is the most popular episode on The Why? Curve?

The episode title 'What is racism, and is it on the rise?' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on The Why? Curve?

The average episode length on The Why? Curve is 39 minutes.

How often are episodes of The Why? Curve released?

Episodes of The Why? Curve are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of The Why? Curve?

The first episode of The Why? Curve was released on May 27, 2022.

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The Why? Curve

Phil Dobbie

Top 10 The Why? Curve Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does The Why? Curve have?

What topics does The Why? Curve cover?

What is the most popular episode on The Why? Curve?

What is the average episode length on The Why? Curve?

How often are episodes of The Why? Curve released?

When was the first episode of The Why? Curve?

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