The Why? Curve

What is happening to France? Violent riots, massive debt and a politics that seems likely to propel a far-right politician into the presidency next year. What has happened to the EU's second biggest economy? And why have so many of its citizens taken to the streets to demand change? Emile Chabal, Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Edinburgh, and author of ' France '...

A blue deluge - the Democrats broke past even their highest expectations in the midterm elections. But what difference will it make? President Trump is still in the White House, and he can veto any new laws and direct foreign policy over the next two years. And how does it affect the prospects for the presidential race in 2028? Phil and Roger get analysis from Dr Andrew Proctor of UCL's Instit...

The first UK budget under Andy Burnham was, by most accounts, pretty underwhelming. So is all the big stuff being kicked into next year in the hope of better times? Or are the problems of huge and expensive government debt, and a weighty benefits bill, plus stagnant household incomes, simply unmanageable for a Labour administration? Phil and Roger ask Paul Johnson, former director of the Institute...

Is it time for the UK, Europe, Canada and others to stop trying to keep up with the latest irrational policy change from the White House? If the US is an unreliable ally, is it time to make other arrangements? Or is Washington still too dominant economically, technologically and militarily to walk away from? Phil and Roger ask Paul Whiteley, Professor of Government at the university of Essex. Host...

Is social media on the way out? Are interactions with AI replacing the connections with friends and followers through Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok? New data suggests passive use of platforms - being shown ‘For You’ recommendations - is changing the way we engage, and the social part of social media is fading away. Could this be a good thing, if the bullying and angry intimidation also fades?...

The Greens have caused outrage by voting that Zionism is racism. Three years after the October 7 attacks in Israel, opinion is sharply polarised, and antisemitism is on the rise, while there seems to be no relief for Palestinians in Gaza or in the West Bank. So what IS Zionism? Has its meaning changed since it began in the late nineteenth century? Does it still make sense to have a state defined b...

Andy Burnham can deliver speeches, and TikToks - but can he deliver on his promises? Will people outside Labour's conference still find hope, after what looks likely to be a hard budget at the end of October? The prime minister is facing huge challenges, and Matthew Flinders, Professor of Politics and Public Policy at the University of Birmingham, walks Roger and Phil through the prospects of...

The conflict in the Gulf is now extending to the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia is being attacked by the Houthi rebels from Yemen, and risks losing its other main oil shipping route. Meanwhile President Trump seems undecided whether to escalate his fight with Iran, or make concessions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. And global oil prices surge again. After almost nine months, is there any off-ramp for any...

Government debt around the world is at unprecedented levels - and so is the cost of borrowing, which means there's less to spend on hospitals, school and defence. So why is the debt so big, and the cost so high? And is it up to central banks to try to rebalance the system? Muhammad Ali Nasir, Professor Economics at Leeds University, tells Phil and Roger where the crisis came from, and what could h...

Lake America - Donald Trump has decided to rename Lake Ontario, and the Gulf of Mexico, and even the state of New Mexico. It seems a ridiculous distraction from more pressing problems, but can the US president just change the names of places as he pleases? Who decides? And why does it matter what we call mountains, lakes and cities? Phil and Roger talk names with Rhys Jones, Professor of Huma...

As Reform UK hold their party conference, their polling numbers are dropping and the party leadership is beset by financial scandals and leadership arguments. Meanwhile Restore Britain is snapping at their heels, and the Conservatives seem to be back from the dead. So what is the future of the right in the UK? And what do they have to offer, beyond being tough on migration? Roger and Phil get the...

Moscow is warning of consequences for the UK's support of Ukraine, but - short of all-out war - what could they be? There's already a level of hybrid war, with sabotage of major industries, destruction of warehouses and hacking of key utilities, but could that escalate? How prepared is Britain for what the Russians could do next? Phil and Roger ask Dr Christian Kaunert, director of the Internation...

The UK is running out of cells, but there’s an outcry that convicts are being let out early. We already lock up more people for longer than most comparable European countries, so are we a more criminal society, or just a more punitive one? What could or should the government do? Are more and bigger prisons the answer? Or should we take a more lenient view of offences at a time when overall crime i...

The head of FIFA is clinging to his job because he announced a plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity firms - resulting in cries of outrage about the commercialisation of the beautiful game. But what’s wrong with getting the best return from a game that is already a billion-dollar cash machine? Or is there something beyond commercial advantage that matters to supporters and fa...

Why do we still have people rough-sleeping in our cities? How can an advanced economy like ours allow people to slip through the net so far, they have to live on the street? Andy Burnham has promised to end rough-sleeping, but how can he do it? Jo Richardson, Professor of Housing and Social Inclusion at Nottingham Trent University, tells Phil and Roger it's a complicated problem, but there is a cl...

Japan has the bullet train, Spain, France and Italy have fast connections across the country, China has a huge high-speed network...... and we have the shrunken remains of HS2. Why can't the country that invented railways now create its own efficient, well-managed express train system? Phil and Roger ask Christian Wolmar, the journalist and rail historian, whose new book - Fast Track - explores th...

As Andy Burnham vows to tackle the cost of living, could a Universal Basic Income be part of his reset of the economy? He’s supported pilots of the scheme, which would give every citizen a living wage, whatever they do or don’t do. Could it end financial insecurity, and boost the economy? Or is it an unaffordable gimmick that rewards freeloaders and would bankrupt the country? Phil and Roger ask G...

The BBC licence fee is a busted flush, ITV's in the hands of an American media giant - what is the future of public-service broadcasting? Can the BBC find a way of getting people to pay for it? Does the next generation just want YouTube and Netflix anyway? Jamie Medhurst, Professor of Film and TV at Aberystwyth University tells Phil and Roger about the changing media landscape in the UK. Hosted on...

After more than four years of destruction and slaughter, is the corner being turned in the Ukraine war? Kyiv is able to strike deep within Russia now and the pace of Moscow’s advance is slowing to the point of invisibility. But there’s no sign of an end to fighting - if anything, the scale of the conflict has increased. So is the ‘vibe shift’ being widely talked about, just wishful thinking? Is th...

How corrupt is our politics? Is a £5 million gift from a supporter to a politician - when he wasn't an MP - anyone's business but his own? Is it fine for a sitting MP to accept free gifts from a betting company, provided it's all declared? Does it matter if a minister who awarded a contract to a company, joins that company's board, once he's left office? Dan Hough, Professor of Politics at Su...

Andy Burnham seems poised to be the UK's seventh prime minister in ten years. Keir Starmer was widely seen as honourable but dull and ineffective - can Burnham take the Labour government in any better or even different direction? Is being a better communicator enough? Phil and Roger ask Professor Mark Wickham-Jones, Professor of Political Science at the University of Bristol and an expert on...

Could Cuba be the victory Donald Trump is looking for? Phil and Roger discussed this back in March, but after the messy and fragile deal with Iran, could bringing the Caribbean island back into America’s embrace be about to happen? Joe Gonzalez, Associate Professor of Global Studies at Appalachian State University, and a historian of the Cuban-American relationship, is back on WhyCurve.com with an...

The next El Nino could be the biggest in history. The Pacific atmospheric pattern that regularly disrupts global weather, is set to cause floods in some areas and droughts in others, on a larger scale than ever before, because of climate change. So how worried should we be? And what can we expect? Phil and Roger ask Manoj Joshi, Professor of Climate Dynamics at the University of East Anglia. Hoste...

Three months of US efforts to tame Iran, and Donald Trump is in a bind - there's still no deal, and Iran has a stranglehold on the Straits of Hormuz. Oil price rises mean the cost of filling up the car is painful for many Americans, and that could spell trouble for the Republicans in the upcoming mid-term elections. But the US stock market is buoyant and Trump seem unperturbed - so is he far more...

Has reality TV become too toxic? A number of scandals have shown the dark side of formats that put ordinary, vulnerable people in challenging situations - and let us be amused by the disastrous results. Whether it's Married At First Sight or Love Island, is there something wrong and damaging about this sort of entertainment? Helen Wood is Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at Aston University...