Democracy, power and governance

Jason Pandya-Wood, author of 'The Kindness Fix', explores how the UK’s welfare system remains entrenched in punitive, outdated policies that perpetuate poverty and stigma, demanding a radical rethink rooted in dignity and compassion.…Read more

Iain Munro and Kate Kenny, editors of 'Perspectives on Whistleblowing', show how whistleblowers play a vital role in exposing abuse and protecting democracy, often at great personal cost, yet continue to face retaliation despite laws meant to safeguard them. …Read more

Rajat Mitra, Pankaj Singh, and Nidhi Mitra explore the collective, existential fear of extinction among Bangladeshi minorities, driven by historical trauma, rising persecution, and the struggle to preserve identity.…Read more

Stewart Lansley, author of 'The Richer, The Poorer', argues that Labour has abandoned its core mission, taking minimal action on poverty while upholding a system that deepens inequality.…Read more

Sandra Duffy Golden examines the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that trans women, even with legal recognition, do not fall under the Equality Act’s definition of “sex,” highlighting its role in fueling broader debates on trans rights and a growing moral panic.…Read more

In this episode, George Miller talks to Professor Paul Spicker about some of the historical roots, moral foundations, and practical workings of different welfare systems.…Read more

Janos Mark Szakolczai, author of 'Onlife Criminology' shows how the Onlife blurs digital and physical boundaries, creating a hyperconnected world where surveillance, control, and resistance define everyday life and its hidden harms.…Read more

Lee Gregory, Vanessa Boon, and Dave Beck highlight how the UK’s consultation on the socioeconomic duty offers a key chance to tackle poverty through a legal, intersectional, and evidence-based approach.…Read more

Daniel Briggs, author of 'Sheltering Strangers', reflects that the word "refugee" brings to mind a decade of witnessing the profound, often lifelong trauma faced by displaced children—and the sobering realisation that while empathy is essential, it alone cannot heal their suffering.…Read more

Ash Stokoe and Kit Colliver argue that, amid intensifying anti-trans rhetoric and legal rollbacks, trans* people in the UK are increasingly excluded from public life, with voter ID laws and a recent Supreme Court ruling threatening both their political rights and everyday safety.…Read more