98 | Oh Italy!

 A new Italian government spells a heap of trouble for Europe.  We ask how we got to this point and what it means the future of the Euro.  What really spooked the markets?  Who blinked first?  And why does Italian politics have such a soft spot for university professors?  Plus we talk about the new government in Spain and we weigh up the state of democracy across the continent.  Is this how democracy is meant to work or is this really how democracy ends?  With Helen Thompson, Chris Bickerton and Lucia Rubinelli from the LSE

97 | Socialism in this Country?

After John McDonnell said he was still committed to the socialist transformation of Britain, we ask what that might mean.  Does socialism really require the overthrow of capitalism?  What's the difference between socialism and communism?  And with successful Democratic candidates in the US starting to use the s-word in public, what does socialism have to offer in America?  Plus we talk about whether social media and social networks offer the possibility of a new kind of socialism for the twenty-first century.  With Helen Thompson, Chris Bickerton and Chris Brooke.

96 | Iran, Israel, Korea, the World

This week we try to make sense of what's happening to the international order, from the end of the Iran deal to the on-again-off-again US-North Korean summit to opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem.  Can Europe carve out a separate foreign policy from the Trump administration?  Is regime change still the name of the game?  And what has it all got to do with the price of oil?  Plus we ask if anything is left of Obama's legacy and why it was so easy to undo.  With Helen Thompson, Aaron Rapport and Chris Bickerton.

95 | The Politics of Mental Health

This week we discuss how and why mental health has become a growing political issue.  What are the differences in the way the political parties approach this problem?  Is it something that unites or divides people across generations and classes?  And what can politicians do to help us cope?  Plus we talk about whether politics itself has become a more stressful job than it used to be.  With Helen Thompson and Chris Brooke.
 

94 | Strike

After the largest strike in the sector for a generation, we talk to Stephen Toope, Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University, about the politics of higher education.  How did the issue of pensions become so politically charged?  What are the long-term consequences of treating students as consumers?  How should universities respond to the challenge of Brexit?  Plus we return to the question of why having a university degree is now one of the main dividing lines in contemporary politics.  With Helen Thompson and Chris Brooke.

93 | How Democracy Ends - The Book

An extra episode this week to talk about David's new book How Democracy Ends, out next week.  With a clip from the lecture we put out at the start of the year and a chat with Helen and Chris Bickerton.  The book is available with a special discount for Talking Politics listeners  (£12 including free P&P from profilebooks.com using the code TALKINGPOLITICS at the check out)