Episode Archives

Proroguing Parliament: What does it really mean for Brexit?

August 28, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:50:17

As predicted, Boris Johnson has decided to end the current parliamentary session (the longest in modern times), and trigger a new Queen’s Speech. Remainists are naturally going crazy, and talking of constitutional outrage.

But what does it actually mean for Brexit on 31 October? Is there time for fast-tracked, Bercow-enabled law that would either revoke Article 50, extend the deadline, or somehow prevent a “no deal”? What about passing a law that would stop prorogation itself? Is there even time left now in the parliamentary session?

We discuss all this and the finer details of the Fixed Term Parliament Act, and whether Boris has pulled a blinder.

Fixed Term Parliament Act 2011 – http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2011/14/enacted

House of Commons Library Briefing Paper on Prorogation – https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-8589

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Bit of a chat: driving whisky, ruining Monopoly and the Chuka Umunna Award

August 7, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 01:18:49

In this edition, we have a longer chat than usual, but try to get in all the smaller topics that we feel were too short to be podcasts in their own right, or that we just want to rant about.

We discuss gaming culture, and whether the terminology is creeping into political life, how Andrew feels like we’ve been brainwashed into thinking the game Monopoly is really capitalism, and Nic names the first recipient of the Chuka Umunna Award.

And over a whisky or two, we talk about how Brexity the new Boris Johnson cabinet can be, and whether the Tories are missing a trick with making everything about Corbyn.

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Negative Rights And Moral Relativism

July 20, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:23:12

This week, we’re interested in rights. Specifically, the difference between negative & positive rights and what they mean.

We also discuss the difference between moral absolutism & relativism and how the left use the difficulties in defining boundaries for nefarious means when they talk about the greater good.

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Should May, Not Boris, Prorogue Parliament?

July 16, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:19:48

How could the Remainer establishment blunt Boris Johnson’s threat of proroguing parliament to force through Brexit?

Maybe, just maybe, there is a way of playing politics that blunts Boris’s endgame ambitions for no-deal.
In short, what if Theresa May prorogued parliament now, before Boris gets a chance to?

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The Left Right Game

July 13, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:28:44

This week, I surprise Nic with a new jape: The Left Right Game!

I had the idea to state a number of different, collectivist policies and Nic had to tell me whether they were left or right wing, with evidence of course, to test my theory that many people associate all forms of statism with the left. Did Nic fall into my trap?

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Does Capitalism Need A Reboot… Into Valueism?

July 5, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:48:49

This week we talk about capitalism in an unapologetic way. We talk not about the ethics, but the morality of capitalism. Something we feel isn’t talked about enough these days, if ever.

We consider what capitalism means, we try to define it in a moral, meaningful way, before finally asking ourselves if it needs a new term altogether. One not created by its enemies. Valueism?

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The Uniqueness of Human Thought and Win-Win Transactions

June 26, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:42:23

Why is it that only humans trade?  In this edition, we discuss how the human capacity to think has lead us to invent the concepts of specialisation and exchange, and that there is a common fallacy that trade transactions aren’t in fact Win-Win.

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What’s Up With Communism?

June 14, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:59:04

This week another book on communism was published. We know what you’re thinking. This time, it’s going to be different… So we question various obvious, and not so obvious, aspects to communism. What happens to privacy when others decide what I am allowed? How much slavery is acceptable? How is value determined? How can communism cope with scarcity? After all, resources aside, there are only a certain amount of man (or robot) hours in a day, limiting what we can build.

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Change UK: The Splitters Have Split

June 7, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:12:04

This time, we revisit Change UK: The Independent Group. Actually, hang on: Change UK and The Independent Group. The splitters have split again. Warning: contains mild gloating.

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Lib Dems and Change UK: Anti-democratic Politics in the UK

June 5, 2019 Andrew Elliott Podcasts 00:37:41

In this latest episode, we discuss the Lib Dems and their recent successes in the EU elections and the latest polls. We reason why they’ve experienced a recent uplift before discussing Change UK: The Independent Group and why they’ve seen precisely the opposite.

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Please visit our website to download or stream all our previous episodes and to read our articles.
Remember, you can now subscribe on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzAT–UxzErq_UU5SCUtFg
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