Politics Unpacked

Tim Montgomerie hosts this special edition of Did You Read? from the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham. Featuring Philip Collins, Ann Treneman and Tory MP Owen Paterson, plus Phil Webster talks about the most influential people on the right today. Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-you-read Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Montgomerie hosts this special edition of Did You Read? from the Labour Party Conference in Manchester. Featuring Jenni Russell, Matthew Parris, Phil Webster, plus Matthew Elliott from Taxpayers Alliance and Marcus Roberts from the Fabian Society on the fallout from the Scottish Referendum. Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-you-read Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo...

Philip Collins, Richard Fletcher and Melanie Reid of The Times join Tim Montgomerie for this special edition of Did You Read?, where they discuss the Scottish Referendum result, the consequences for the entire UK as well as ask which party leader has come off worst? Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-you-read Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The panel discuss the latest news ahead of the independence referendum in Scotland and debate the potential political ramifications. Tim Montgomerie is joined by Hugo Rifkind, Jenni Russell and political commentator and pollster Peter Kellner. Plus, the paper's Scottish Political Editor, Lindsay McIntosh, joins the debate direct from Scotland. Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Francis Elliott, Matthew Parris and Deborah Haynes. Francis Elliott David Cameron in Portugal, Ed Miliband in France and Nick Clegg in Spain - which of them will be most enjoying their break? Mr Cameron is famously good at "chillaxing" but with the polls not so far following the economic growth figures he - arguably - has more to worry about than Mr Miliband. It is Mr...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Suzy Jagger, Roger Boyes and Patrick Kidd. Suzy JaggerLibya is at risk of fracturing into three fiefdoms - tripoli in the west, Benghazi in the east, and Sabbha in the south. Libya has enjoyed no stability since the overthrow of Gaddafi and points to a sobering third chapter of the Arab spring - uprising and coup; nascent democracy; and terrifying chaos. As the Middle...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by David Aaronovitch, Matt Ridley and Anne Ashworth. David AaronovitchSometimes it is hard to grasp the meaning of an event. In the wake of the shooting down of the Malaysian airliner - almost certainly by pro-Russian separatists, it turns out that Vladimir Putin has been, in effect, waging war on his neighbour. The US claims that over 100 armoured vehicles have been give...

Special addition: Tim Montgomerie is joined by Phil Collins, Jill Sherman and Phillip Webster after an extraordinary day which has seen an extensive cabinet reshuffle. The panel attempt to answer the following:1. Is this still a reforming govt?2. Has the reshuffle met expectations for women?3. Is the Eurosceptic movement for an election or to last? Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Rachel Sylvester, Fay Schlesinger and Matthew Syed. Rachel SylvesterDavid Cameron is carrying out a reshuffle for women. How patronising. The truth is the Tories are struggling to get local associations to choose female candidates, and have failed to tackle the off-putting culture of the House of Commons. All the parties need more than tokenism to woo women voters. Fay...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Daniel Finkelstein, Ann Treneman and Patrick Kidd. Daniel Finkelstein: “The recent death of Gerry Conlon and the compensation paid to the wrongly convicted youths accused of raping the Central Park jogger, should remind us of the danger of hysteria and panic to the operation of the justice system. This week as I review the child abuse debate I wonder if we have forgott...

This week, Tim Montgomerie is joined by Francis Elliott, Matthew Parris and Jenni Russell. DYR? Francis ElliottIf David Cameron really wants the European Commission to be an agent for change and a place where dynamic politicians go to complete a glittering career two of his arguments from the Juncker J'accuse speech last week - then why on earth is he poised to send Andrew Lansley to Brussels? Mat...

Philip Collins steps in for Tim Montgomerie and is joined by Suzy Jagger, Phil Webster and Patrick Kidd. Suzy JaggerThis month's surprise - and to date, devastatingly successful - assault by Isis on Northern Iraq has led to a new cat's cradle of shifting internAtional alliances. The West has found itself to be a new uncomfortable bedfellow with Tehran. How do we manage these new allegiances? And a...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Melanie Phillips, Alice Thomson and Roger Alton. Melanie PhillipsPeople say the Iraq debacle has happened because we went in and got rid of strong man Saddam. On the contrary, it's because the US and UK got out of Iraq, allowing Maliki to alienate the Sunnis. Leaving a strong man in place hasn't worked in Syria, and Saddam would have run his own jihadi gangs. This chao...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Libby Purves, Daniel Finkelstein and newcomer, Giles Whittell. Libby PurvesAnn Widdecombe complains that it is ‘very difficult” to be an active Christian in Britain today. She says that Militant secularism stops people in workplaces from wearing crosses, saying God bless, or offering to pray for people - and that - quotes “stances of conscience” are prevented by politi...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Matthew Parris, Ann Treneman and David Aaronovitch. Matthew ParrisSpain's King Juan Carlos was respected in the 1980s for his brave refusal to support a coup against democracy. That respect has been squandered: hence (in part) the abdication, but are we smug in pointing this out? The fading of British republicanism in recent decades has been enormously dependent on the...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Jenni Russell, Philip Webster and Hugo Rifkind. Jenni gives advice to David Cameron:Cameron needs to become a radical dynamic insurgent, not the calm patrician chairman he is now. He must fight internationally to get companies like Amazon and Google to pay proper tax, change the rules on benefit and housing so recent arrivals can't claim, raise the minimum wage and enf...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Rachel Sylvester, Philip Webster and Stephan Shakespeare to discuss the following:Is UKIP here to stay as Britain's fourth party? Can Clegg do anything to revive the Lib Dems or is he finished as a political force? How big is Labour's Ed Miliband problem? Tory HQ is unconvinced that Labour's vote drops whenever he appears on TV.How big is the gap now between London and...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Alice Thomson, Richard Fletcher and Daniel Finkelstein. Alice Thomson discusses the moral implications of singer Gary Barlow's tax footing. Is it difficult to sympathise with the Take That star? Richard Fletcher puts forward the argument that the decision of a corporate acquisition should be left to shareholders and executives rather than MPs. And Daniel Finkelstein ar...

Phillip Collins is joined by Hugo Rifkind, Fay Schlesinger and Patrick Kidd. Hugo RIfkind, "For three decades, Max Clifford was the guru of the dirty secret. Looking back today, though, very few of the revelations he brought to tabloids - 'man sleeps with woman' - seem all that interesting. I think we're becoming a less censorious society and, in the process, leaving the people with real dirt, suc...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Matthew Parris, Rachel Sylvester and Melanie Phillips. Matthew Parris, "I don't believe David Cameron should resign if Scotland is lost this September. But I think he's in great danger. It will be said that he was too cavalier and too soft a touch in conceding this referendum on these terms, and that he "lost the Union" in a fit of inattention. We will be in stormy and...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by David Aaronovitch, Juliet Samuel and Robbie Millen. David Aaronovitch, "Lucky Scotland! Defence Secretary Philip Hammond is there this week, amid what seem like a co-ordinated series of warnings about the impact of a 'Yes' vote on the UK's defence capabilities. Are these scare tactics, or are these warnings essentially true? And even if they are, might they not be coun...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Jenni Russell, Peter Brookes and Phil Collins. Jenni Russell, "Maria Miller isn't being fairly judged because she has three powerful constituencies prepared to think the worst of her."Peter Brookes, "I feel instinctively against an across the board amnesty for murder in Northern Ireland as proposed on our front page this week by Peter Hain."Phil Collins, "The Royal Tou...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Hugo Rifkind, Alice Thomson and David Aaronovitch. Hugo Rifkind: "Teenagers and young people have never been so close to their parents in outlook, interest and core morality as they are today. Yet, the same time, they must look forward to a future in which they will lack many of the opportunities and privileges that an earlier generation enjoyed. Why aren't they more a...

Ann Treneman is joined by Matthew Parris, Libby Purves and Fay Schlesinger. Matthew Parris: "Ukraine: the Western powers should have decided in advance what their sticking point was, and privately communicated this to Moscow. Obviously it should have been that Russia could have Ukraine without a fuss if it was done in an orderly way. Instead they've squawked their protests at every inch taken, usu...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Daniel Finkelstein, Jenni Russell and Roger Boyes. Daniel Finkelstein: "It's time to scrap the Budget. We now have two major fiscal events a year - the Budget and the Autumn statement. This encourages gimmicks, reduces strategic thinking and makes it harder to plan. We should move from one event to two and then to Budgets every two years."Jenni Russell: "There's a viol...