The Bylines Network Podcast

Welcome to the third audio edition of the Bylines Network! Thanks to our writers for producing these articles, our readers for recording them, and our editor, Jules, for putting them all together. 0:23: Unite’s new general secretary – new dawn for Labour, or cold war? - Jane Thomas (Yorkshire Bylines) read by Alex Toal  5:20:  Hauliers dismiss ‘bring in the army’ plans to stock supermarket shelves...

Welcome to the third part of our miniseries on the state of higher education in the pandemic. In this episode, John and Alex speak about the "marketisation" of higher education, with the introduction of tuition fees. What does it mean to "get a degree", and how does the university experience weigh up to how it is sold? Then, Alex speaks with Nick Hillman of the Higher Education Policy Institute on...

Welcome to part 2 of our education mini-series, focusing on the lives of students during the pandemic. In this episode, we focus student housing: throughout Covid many students were either forced into mass-produced university accommodation, or trapped in run down private housing. With discussion of rent rebates, strikes, and evictions, Paige and John speak with:  - Brandon Olufowobi (Unite Student...

We're delighted to be introducing the first ever audio edition of the Bylines Network! This week, we're taking four articles from across the network, and bringing them to life with the voices of our hosts. 0:50: Anti-vaxxers, past and present - Pen Hemingway (Yorkshire Bylines) read by Alex Toal 7:56: A 3% pay rise is not enough for NHS England - Louise Brown (North East Bylines) read by Gareth Ke...

We're delighted to bring you the first episode of our new education miniseries! Our hosts Paige, Connor, and John have all been in university for the past year of Covid, and have put together a four-part series on the reality of being a student during the biggest crisis in a generation.  In the first episode, Connor, Paige, and John give personal testimonials of the last year. The unique challenge...

Our Article of the Week for this week is by Mo Kanjilal , written for Sussex Bylines . We'll be speaking with Mo about the article and the week's news this week, we hope you enjoy this little preview here! Be sure to check out the full article here . 

This week, four bills appeared in Parliament and were scrutinised by MPs:  - The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which passed its Third Reading this week and is now in the Lords.  - The Dissolution and Parliament Bill, which went through its Second Reading this week. - The Nationality and Borders Bill and the Elections Bill, which both went through their First Readings this week.  With...

This week, Chris and Jules dig into the Chesham & Amersham result, as the Liberal Democrats surge to a shock win. With tactical voting from many in Labour and the Greens, what does this say about the future of progressive politics, and the state of the blue wall.  Then, in place of our "article of the week", Jules speaks to Liz Webster about the new UK-Australia trade deal, and its impact on B...

At the height of pride month, join the team at the Bylines Network podcast, as we discuss the history and state of LGBTQ+ rights in the UK and across the world.    Hosts Chris Davis and Connor Lamb open the discussion with a look at what Pride has become in 2021, the commercialisation of pride and the “pride-washing” which many companies do, making statements supportive of LGBTQ+ rights while acti...

This week, Alex and new host Connor Lamb from North East Bylines discuss the resignation of Kevan Collins, the government's education tsar. Why did the government ignore their own advice, and what will the £1.4bn dedicated to closing the education gap actually do?  Then in our "article of the week" section, we speak with Viv Griffiths of Sussex Bylines about an article which she wrote about plans...

Over the weekend of the local elections, all eyes turned North to Hartlepool and the so-called “red wall”. The weekend’s narrative quickly became one of disaster for Labour, and triumph for Johnson.    However, something very different was happening in the South. The Conservatives lost control of county councils in Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire, and Labour gained the mayoralties in the West of En...

Join us for this week’s episode of the Bylines Network podcast, as Alex and Jules discuss the Queen’s speech. Listen as we take a broad look at what bills have been announced, and what they indicate about the government’s plan for the country over the next few years. In our ‘article of the week’ section, we speak with Brian McHugh, who wrote on the exam arrangements for GCSE and A-Level students t...

This week, join our team of young hosts: Kerry, Jules, and new host Chris Davis, to discuss being young, in politics, and in Bylines. What drew us to politics? How to we reach out to engage other young people? How did we get involved with Bylines, and what good can it do long-term?  Be sure to follow all of our hosts: @jewelsog @kerrya_pearson and  @Chris_Davis1998 on twitter. Thanks Kevin! 

Fed up of people asking what the local elections mean for Keir Starmer? Sick of hearing about the vaccine bounce or post-Brexit realignment?  Join us as we break down the local results in terms of what they actually mean for the people who voted in them. This week, we have our first ever returning guest, as Georgia Taylor (now Councillor Georgia Taylor!!) comes back to discuss her successful campa...

This week, we speak to some of the people hoping to get elected to local office at various levels of local government.  1. Julian Greenbank speaks with Liz Webster, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Wiltshire and Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner.  2. We revisit our local elections webinar with Labour Tees Valley mayoral candidate Jessie Joe Jacobs.  3. Katrina Best speaks with Georgia Taylor...

This week, we turn to the question of democracy and the local elections. With an unrepresentative system, and efforts to suppress voter turnout, our system is looking less and less democratic.  This week, we are joined by Abbie Jones from Make Votes Manchester Manchester, and Tom Brake, Director of Unlock Democracy, to look into these problems, and what can be done to solve them.  Be sure to check...

At a generous estimate, 35% of people vote in local elections, a little over half the number that vote in General elections. Given how important local government is, this simply can't do!  In the first of our four-part series covering the local elections, we speak to Rachael Farrington, creator or votingcounts.org.uk , and Professor Colin Copus, Director of the Local Government Research Unit at De...

For this episode of the Bylines Network podcast, George Richmond speaks with Sam Philips, a farmer in Gloucestershire. Sam has been promoting sustainability in farming, and trying to encourage farmers to give back more to the planet.  Across the conversation, George and Sam discuss the obstacles to sustainable farming, the challenges and opportunities of Brexit, and the need to educate people abou...

The Bylines Network podcast is back! This week, we travel down to Sussex, with Mo Kanjilal interviewing Stephanie Prior, Standing Invitee on Brighton and Hove City Council's Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture (TECC) Committee.  In this week's episode, Mo and Stephanie discuss why it's so important to encourage representation at a local level, and what can be done to lower barriers to ent...

This week the Bylines Network podcast comes to Yorkshire, as host Grace Pritchard speaks with Dr Pam Jarvis and Dr Stella Perrott about coercive control, a psychological technique common in the public sector for reducing opposition along the chain of command.  With powerful anecdotes from both the public and private sector, the podcast explores what can be done to call out this practice.  Be sure...

This week we revisit our Bylines Network webinar: Democracy under Fire, with Peter Jukes (Executive Editor, Byline Times), Tom Brake (Director, Unlock Democracy), Clive Lewis (Member of Parliament for Norwich South), and Natalie Bennett (Green Party peer).  If you'd like to get in touch, be sure to email us at editor@yorkshirebylines.co.uk, we hope you enjoy! 

Our first episode of the Bylines Network podcast visits the North East, speaking to Jessie Joe Jacobs, Labour’s candidate for Tees Valley Mayor.    Host Ellie Rainsley speaks with Jessie about her work in the charity sector, how the North has been let down by successive governments, and what she plans to do to make the Northern Powerhouse more than just a soundbite.    Their conversation is an exp...

As the Agriculture Bill returns to the House of Commons today where the amendments made by the House of Lords will be debated. Grace Pritchard sat down with Baroness Natalie Bennett and farmer Joe Stanley to discuss the bill.  

In this episode of the Yorkshire Bylines podcast series Grace Pritchard is joined by Jane Thomas, John Harris and Andrew Brown to discuss all things Yorkshire devolution.

Welcome to the first episode of the Yorkshire Bylines podcast series ' A Britain of two nations'. The question we're asking our guests this week is: "Has social mobility in Britain come to a standstill?"  Yorkshire Bylines writer Grace Pritchard is joined by Charlie McCarthy and Marc Limon.  Get up to date with the latest stories:  https://yorkshirebylines.co.uk/ Follow us on Twitter: @YorksByline...