39 | The Meaning of UKIP

After UKIP’s dreadful performance in the local elections we ask about the historic legacy of Nigel Farage’s party.  How big was its role in taking the UK out of the EU?  Will UKIP turn out to be the gateway drug for turning Labour supporters into Conservatives?  How do its fortunes compare with the Front National in France?  Plus we catch up on the latest development across the Channel and discuss the prospects for Macron’s presidency.  Can he find a solution to the perennial problem that hangs over French politics: Germany?  With Helen Thompson, Hugo Drochon, Chris Bickerton and Chris Brooke.

37 | Thomas Piketty

We're joined by internationally best-selling economist Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century, to talk about the French elections and what inequality is doing to democratic politics.  Recorded a few days before the 2nd round of the French presidential vote, we discuss Macron vs. Le Pen, the failure of mainstream social democracy, and why Brexit was such a gamble.  We also talk about what needs to be done to reform the EU.  With Hugo Drochon.