The Why? Curve
Each week Phil Dobbie and Roger Hearing get to grips with one issue that impacts our lives. It could be economic, social, technological or geopolitical. Whatever the subject, they'll talk to the experts who can give help explain what's really going on. And Phil and Roger back it up with their own research and opinions. It's half an hour to get across one of the key issues of the time, and they promise, it'll never be boring.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 38 minutes
- Episodes
- 171
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
Show me where to put the money
Anyone with money faces a dilemma right now. Where do you invest it? Historically it’s been quite simple. If you are prepared to take risks, buy shares. If you want to play it safe, buy government bo…
00:32:33 |
Thu 17 Apr 2025
The White House Ruled by Pathocracy
The most powerful man in the world doesn't listen to advice, makes up facts, changes his mind on a whim, thinks he was sent by God to save the USA, and loves nothing better than flattery - is he a cl…
00:36:33 |
Thu 10 Apr 2025
The Return of Toxic Masculinity
Is the pendulum swinging back against gender equality, with aggression and misogyny encouraged by influencers and populist leaders championing traditional roles and behaviour? Is the rise in attacks …
00:45:07 |
Thu 03 Apr 2025
Time to Shrink the State?
Is the state too big? As Rachel Reeves announces cuts in welfare and civil servants, is it a recognition that the administration of the UK needs to slim down? Is there inefficiency and capacity we ca…
00:44:43 |
Thu 27 Mar 2025
Aid Emergency
The aid tap is being turned off. USAID has suspended all its programmes and the UK is diverting much of the budget for overseas development to buying tanks and bombs. Projects to vaccinate, medicate …
00:42:23 |
Thu 20 Mar 2025
Ukraine - Peace In Our Time?
Is the ceasefire going to happen? Will Moscow sign up? And where will it leave Ukraine - the country that was subject to the largest land war in Europe since 1945? Donald Trump has forced through Kyi…
00:40:03 |
Thu 13 Mar 2025
Closing Credits?
Is cinema dying? The Oscars were the usual triumphant mix of glamour, glitz and terrible speeches, but is the film industry what it was? Streaming, video games, Covid and the cost of living have led …
00:32:39 |
Thu 06 Mar 2025
How To Handle The Donald
Taking over Greenland, turning Gaza into a US resort, switching sides over Ukraine - the world has faced a whirlwind of Trump initiatives in the opening weeks of his presidency, some madcap, some sin…
00:42:27 |
Thu 27 Feb 2025
New Towns - Old Ideas?
Labour is promising 12 new New Towns across England, to spur growth and provide housing. But those who know Telford, Milton Keynes, Welwyn Garden City and the rest might question the model - concrete…
00:38:27 |
Thu 20 Feb 2025
Winning The Trade War
Donald Trump wants big tariffs on US imports, and the countries affected are threatening retaliation - it’s the beginning of a trade war, with China, Canada, Mexico, the EU and others weighing in. So…
00:41:50 |
Thu 13 Feb 2025
Deeply Seeking - China’s AI Challenge
Have you tried DeepSeek? China’s new, cheap artificial intelligence app has startled Sillicon Valley. It’s wiped billions from the worth of some of big tech’s biggest names - Nvidia, Microsoft, Googl…
00:36:31 |
Thu 06 Feb 2025
WFH No More?
Emails on the beach - we all left the office in 2020, and some of us never went back. But is business calling time now on working from home? Is it part of the problem for UK productivity? Are we work…
00:35:24 |
Thu 30 Jan 2025
Trump - How Crazy Will It Get?
The 47th president of the United States has begun his administration with a rush of executive orders intended to change the direction of the US. Some seem destructive but predictable - moving against…
00:37:42 |
Thu 23 Jan 2025
The Sick Men of Europe
France and Germany are the pillars of the EU, the strongest economies and most stable democracies - except they’re not: Paris and Berlin are caught in crisis, with their political systems failing to …
00:36:24 |
Thu 16 Jan 2025
Starmer Stuck - Labour’s Poor Start
Labour’s first six months in office has been something of a disappointment, with rows about pensioners’ energy payments, farmers’ inheritance tax and a budget that satisfied nobody. So is it unreason…
00:38:15 |
Thu 09 Jan 2025
What May Kill You in 2025
Alien invasion? AI takeover? A new pandemic? Nuclear war? The list of dangers to mankind is long, so what could ACTUALLY bring the curtain down on planet Earth this year, and what is the likelihood? …
00:39:25 |
Thu 02 Jan 2025
An Epidemic of Loneliness?
More people living on their own, fewer social connections - is the UK facing an epidemic of loneliness? And not just among the elderly. Young people are reporting higher levels of social isolation, t…
00:35:41 |
Thu 26 Dec 2024
A New Age In Syria
A sudden change in Syria. The men with beards and guns, labelled terrorists by the West, have seized power from a murderous dictator. Is this a recipe for peace in a war-blighted land? Can the US and…
00:41:30 |
Thu 19 Dec 2024
Workplace Abuse
Rape, sexual assault, bullying - the list of allegations of abuse by powerful men in some of Britain’s most important institutions keeps growing. Many of the claims go back decades, with victims scar…
00:38:34 |
Thu 12 Dec 2024
Why Is Africa Left Behind?
40 years since Band Aid - the lyrics and attitudes have dated badly, but the problem is still there. Africa remains desperate and underdeveloped and the only part of the world regularly threatened by…
00:42:05 |
Thu 05 Dec 2024
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