Kir Royal episode - like being on another planet
I had to review this episode as it was such a massive missed opportunity, it reminded me of the days or years before the referendum and the way that a lot of the media/Westminster bubble would talk about the EU i.e. in a way that made it seem like an Leaver vote would be completely unfathomable. Now, to be clear, I voted Remain. And I don't think that everyone who voted Leave voted because of immigration. And I think a lot of those who voted because of immigration were confused about the extent to which the EU (not the UK government, or the UN conventions concerning refugees) facilitates the kind of immigration they do not like. But there is a meaningful slice of people who correctly connect the EU with the kind of immigration which they don't like or whose effects are having a negative impact on their lives and those people are enough, IMO, to have pushed the Leave vote over the top. The views of the confused people need to be corrected and the views of the people with legitimate grievances need to be considered in full. The rest of the EU is not immune to the kind of forces that gave rise to Brexit and the media need to stop looking at the organisation in the detached and abstract way that this episode did. Yes, of course the actual purpose of the ECJ is to level conditions across the EU so that there is a level playing field for business (the so-called Single Market) but what is the point in talking about standards for the sale of alcohols like cassis, really? When Brexiters in the UK, the confused and the more rational alike, complain about the EU/ECJ they are less concerned about the equal standards for trade of goods (in fact they will bang on endlessly about how they liked the EU/EEC when it was 'only about trade' if you let them) and more concerned about how the ECJ facilitates the free movement of people. That's what the discussion (perhaps *all* the discussions) should have been about. There was an opportunity there to also discuss why the EU/ECJ thinks free movement of EU citizens is good for trade and prosperity in the first place and the way that those decisions which are basically about level standards result in for example, an EU citizen being entitled to claim unemployment benefits in another county, being the kind of thing Brexiters don't like and fundamental to the UK's decision to leave. It was worth also thinking a bit more about the influence our own judges and our own legal system have on ECJ jurisprudence (this might have been addressed very glancingly) since our debates often overlook the collaborative nature of the EU institutions and the UK's own role in shaping its behaviour. Of course the diplomat from Moldolva is going to say, we want to emulate EU standards and practices as we think it will be good for business and prosperity. The Poles and the Hungarians would say the same thing but only a fool would conclude from that they are completely happy with the terms of their EU membership. Why didn't you ask the Moldovan diplomat if they would also mind paying child benefits to the non-resident children of EU migants as the ECJ might have them do? Or whether they would mind accepting refugees from Italy and Greece? The makers of this podcast have got to try and start talking about the EU as it is, as it rubs real people (not politicians or diplomats) up the wrong way and resist the urge to only look at it academically or theoretically, the way the Labour government did when it avoided transistional migration controls in 2004. I don't need to remind you how that ended up...Read full review »
Garbage N Rocks via Apple Podcasts · Great Britain · 09/02/17
More reviews of Newscast
So unusual to find people talking about UK politics in an accessible way. These podcasts are just enough info and great insight, and always have good contributors on the show. Really hoping this becomes a regular podcast and isn't about to stop now the election is over.Read full review »
Hsputters via Apple Podcasts · Great Britain · 06/17/17
Brilliant podcast, presented by reporters on both sides of the Chunnel, with a variety of guests that are, refreshingly, often not the usual pundits. Brexitcast is both informative and properly funny, covering the topic in more depth than most radio or TV programmes can manage.
steveh via Apple Podcasts · Great Britain · 07/15/17
It’s made me realise that I am turning into my dad. Great “under the bonnet” stuff about Brexit and the machinations and ramifications about leaving the EU. It’s not just about “being our own boss” but affects everything from consumption to science. I’m a woman so turning into my dad is...Read full review »
Evilidh via Apple Podcasts · Great Britain · 09/21/17
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