28 | Chris Clark / Germany and India

in

**Recorded + edited before the events of 22/3/17 in London**

We're joined by best-selling historian Chris Clark - author of The Sleepwalkers - to talk about German politics past and present.  How spooked is the German political establishment by Trump and Brexit?  How big is the threat to Angela Merkel from a resurgent SPD?  And how can Germany square its growing power with the legacy of its history?  With Helen Thompson and Chris Bickerton.  Plus Maha Rafi Atal updates us on the latest developments in India, where Modi's populism appears to be more popular than ever.

 

 

27 | Patience Wheatcroft & Brexit

In the week Brexit clears its first big parliamentary hurdle, we talk to prominent Remainer and Tory rebel Patience Wheatcroft about the view from the Lords and what it's like to be on the receiving end of the wrath of the Brexiteers. Plus we're joined by Helen and the two Chrises to talk about IndyRef2 and whether Project Fear could possibly work second time round. Is the UK finished? We try to decide.

26 | Election Season

We catch up with elections taking place here, there and everywhere: last week's vote for the Northern Ireland assembly, next week's general election in the Netherlands, the continuing drama of the French presidential race.  Do these votes have anything in common and what might it be?  Are we seeing the inexorable rise of populism or is the tide starting to turn?  And how did a thrown shoe change the course of recent political history?  Plus we ask what, if anything, the Trump presidency is doing for European harmony.  With Barry Colfer, Chris Bickerton, Maha Rafi Atal and Aaron Rapport.
 

25 | Dani Rodrik

We're joined by one of the world's leading economists Dani Rodrik to talk about globalisation, Trump and Brexit. Who are the real winners and losers from the integration of the global economy? What chance has Trump got of making good on his economic promises? How much are economists to blame for the mess we're in? Dani talks with David, Helen Thompson and Finbarr Livesey about the dangers of circling the wagons and the tough choices we all have to face.

24 | Mary Beard

Ahead of her LRB lecture at the British Museum, we talk to Mary Beard about women in power. Why are powerful women so often called phonies? What can we learn about women and power from the ancient world? We discuss what's wrong with the idea of glass ceilings, and what Hillary Clinton's treatment at the hands of Trump and his supporters really says about political misogyny. Plus Mary tells us what she thinks has gone wrong with the Labour party. On that note, we also have Helen and Chris looking ahead to this week's by-elections: who has most to lose, Corbyn or UKIP?

23 | Rory Bremner / France

Is Trump beyond parody? We talk to Rory Bremner about what it's like trying to do political comedy when politics seems to have lost its moorings. Plus Rory gives us his Trump (which we think is better than Baldwin's). We also catch up with the latest twists and turns in the French presidential election. Is Macron now the favourite? Can Fillon recover? And have we reached peak Putin panic, or is it only just beginning? With Helen, Chris Bickerton and Hugo Drochon.