The Wardman Wire

Politics Podcast

What do you expect in 2008?

I promised to post the full version of the BBC programme “The Correspondence Look Ahead to 2007“. Here it is. It is a radio link up of key BBC journalists from around the world that occurs on December 28th or thereabouts that I have been listening to for perhaps 20 years.

An excellent way to start your own reflections as we begin to come to the end of 2007.

Areas covered in detail in this programme include:

• The prospects for Gordon Brown.
• The Surge in Iraq.
• Prospects in Iran.
• What was expected to happen in China.
• The USA and Greenery.
• The USA Presidential Election.
• The prospects for George Bush.
• Is anti-Americanism a problem?

Two things that they did get right were the demise of Ming Campbell as Liberal Democrat Leader, and the savage rise in oil prices. You will have to listen for the things they got wrong.

Bearing in mind the febrile and fluid state of politics about Labour’s funding operation, I thought I would post today’s Prime Minister’s Questions as an extra Politics Podcast.

I have left a few minutes analysis on the end from the BBC News 24 team.

[audio:http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/20071128-prime-ministers-questions-gordon-brown-donation-gate.mp3].

Matthew Revell and studio guests discuss politics from a Wolverhampton perspective.

Studio guests: Carl Husted (Conservative) and Mark Watson (Editor, Minority Perspective)

01.35 - Are we all too fat to think for ourselves? Academics, think tanks, pressure groups and politicians are fond of telling us that we’re drinking and eating too much. Now they’re telling us it’s not our fault because society makes us eat more than we should. There’s also a proposal for smoking licences and an enforced hour’s exercise each day! Is this an Orwellian nightmare come true or are we really all too stupid to look after ourselves?

21.52 - Tax on school savings: should local authorities be allowed to take 5% annually from each school’s savings?

This is the first real “Politics Podcast”, excerpted from Episode 12 of the Wolverhampton Politics Show.

Matthew Revell takes a look at the practical and ideological in the world of politics.

Blogger Dizzy aka Phil Hendren talks about the film Ministry of Truth that was part of the BBC’s Why Democracy? season and discusses the practicalities of implementing a law to prevent politicians from knowingly misleading the public. 11 minutes.

[audio:http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/20071028-wolverhampton-politics-matt-revell-ministry-of-truth-film.mp3]

Following up the series of articles I have written about the closure of local post offices, the Politics Podcast this week is an interview with Kim Ledgar, Executive Officer for the Midlands region of the Federation of Sub-postmasters, talks about the Government’s Post Office closure programme.

[audio:http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/20071014-wolverhampton-politics-matt-revell-post-office-closures.mp3]

She explains the odd situation where sub-postmasters invest in and run their business but have the hands tied by Royal Mail/the Government.

This is the first real “Politics Podcast”, excerpted from Episode 10 of the Wolverhampton Politics Show.

David Hartley (Labour) and Doug Hope (UKIP) talk about their parties’ conferences and debate the contribution that Labour have made to the country.

[audio:http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/20071009-wolverhampton-politics-matt-revell-value-of-party-conferences.mp3]