123 | America First?

in

We talk to the historian Sarah Churchwell about the origins of some of the ideas churning up politics in the age of Trump: 'America First', 'Make America Great Again', 'Fake News'. Where do these phrases come from and what do they mean? We try to unpick the racism from the isolationism and the anti-immigrant from the anti-elitist sentiment. Plus we discuss whether fascism in America was a real threat in the 1930s and whether it's a real threat today. With Andrew Preston, historian of US foreign policy. Next week: the midterms!

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122 | How Bad Could it Get?

in

As crunch time approaches, we talk through some worst-case Brexit scenarios: for the government, for the economy, for Remainers, for Europe.  Have the negotiations been a humiliation for Britain?  Is the Tory Party facing an existential crisis?  And what might go wrong if the marchers for a 'people's vote' got their way?  Plus we speculate about what a no-deal Brexit would mean for Britain's service economy.  With Diane Coyle, Helen Thompson and Chris Bickerton.

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121 | Gandhi's Politics

in

David talks about the enduring influence of Gandhi with Ramachandra Guha, author of an epic new biography Gandhi 1914-194: The Years That Changed the World.  A conversation about the politics of protest, the legacy of empire and the possibility of moral leadership. Plus, what was it like having Gandhi as your father?

120 | Francis Fukuyama

in

David talks to the author of The End of History about his new book, Identity.  Can 'identity politics' really make sense of everything from populism to #MeToo?  Why are liberal democracies struggling to meet their citizens' desire for recognition?  And what happened to the end of history anyway?  Plus we discuss the Kavanaugh hearings, 'getting to Denmark' and the challenge of an ageing population. 

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119 | Democracy Hacked

in

We try to uncover the truth about fake news with Alan Rusbridger, former editor of the Guardian, and Martin Moore, director of the Centre for the Study of Media, Communication and Power. Why have elections around the world been so easy to hack? Can newspapers survive the age of free? And is anonymity a friend or an enemy to democracy? Big questions, big answers.

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118 | Brexit Choices

in

Back to Brexit: as decision-day approaches we try to work out what might happen next.  Did Labour patch up its differences? Can anyone really start the negotiations again?  And what would it take to get the EU to deviate from its script? Plus we explore some of the ideological roots of Tory opposition to Chequers and we ask what happened to the good old British by-election. With Helen Thompson, Chris Bickerton and Wassem Yaqoob.

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