The Why? Curve

Are committees of randomly-selected amateurs the best way to decide someone’s guilt or innocence? As the government studies a report that recommends the right to jury trial be restricted further, to ease the court backlog, is there a case for changing the justice system further? There have been many severe and tragic cases of people being wrongfully convicted by juries over recent years, and claim...

Far away from the headlines, a war is raging in Africa that has taken at least 150,000 lives, has displaced 12 million people from their homes, and created what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Sudan is being fought over by two armies, with rape, bombardment of civilian areas and massacres a normal part of the conflict. There are no major peace initiatives and there is litt...

How did it all go so wrong for the Labour government? A massive majority of MPs, and a country yearning for change, but now, a year on: rock-bottom poll numbers and a seeming inability to get bills through parliament. Can Labour learn and improve? Can they roll back the growing disenchantment with both the main parties? Can they get some wins? Robert Ford, Professor of Political Science at th...

Has the rise of new weight-loss drugs become a game-changer for the obesity crisis? Can we all now inject ourselves thin? Will restaurants and gyms go out of business as we don’t want to eat, and don’t need to exercise? The drugs are becoming available on the NHS and will soon be in pill form - and they seem to be safe. But does the medical treatment ignore the complex social and economic backgrou...

Why is it that we can't seem to run a railway project that's on time or affordable? Why do our trains also fail to turn up or charge reasonably? Is nationalisation going to make difference. Phil and Roger ask Paul Plummer, Professor in Rail Strategy, and Director of University of Birmingham Centre for Rail Research & Education,. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f...

The conflict between Israel and Iran shows no sign of easing and the threat of US involvement has heightened concerns about a war that is rapidly getting out of control. How does this end? Can Iran be forced away from building a nuclear bomb? Can Israel be reassured about its security? Is there a way to de-escalate when none of those involved seem to want that? Phil and Roger quiz Simon Mabon, Pro...

More than a quarter of UK voters back a party that’s only got 5 MPs. Labour won a stonking majority in parliament last year with just over a third of the vote. What’s happening to our democracy? Does the system still work? Or is the social media-fuelled clamour for instant policy-fixes not suited to going to the ballot box once every five years? Is autocracy becoming more attractive to voters who...

Is the Wild West of digital currency now becoming a respectable place to put your money? President Trump likes it, and his vice president, JD Vance, backs a US government digital reserve. Does that mean the crazy volatility of Bitcoin and the rest will calm down? Or is the essential ungovernability of blockchain money going to remain? Phil and Roger ask Dr Larisa Yarovaya, associate professor of f...

Billions in new spending for the UK’s defence, but how to spend it? Does Britain need more soldiers? More shells for artillery? More tanks? Or are drones the future of warfare? What has Ukraine’s war against Russia told us about what weapons we need to stand up to Putin? Dr Bence Nemeth, co-founder of the Centre for Defence Economics and Management at Kings College London, tells Phil and Roger wha...

Keir Starmer has launched his bid to claim back migration policy from the right - talking about the UK becoming an “island of strangers” unless the number of incomers is slashed. But is he correct that this is at the top of voters’ list of concerns? Is tackling this what will win back the Red Wall? Do most Britons really want big cuts in the number of immigrants? Claire Kumar, senior researcher at...

The confrontation between the two south Asian neighbours this month seems to have been resolved into a ceasefire. It is almost certainly only a pause of conflict, in a toxic relationship that has lasted since 1947. And the stakes have risen - both nations now have their finger on the nuclear trigger. That’s why the world shudders when New Delhi and Islamabad launch a new session of vituperation or...

The minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv is pretty opaque, but does it at least give the Trump administration a reason to stick with Ukraine? Or will the president just walk away from the whole crisis, as he has threatened? And can Kyiv keep the war going with just help from the Western European nations? Plus - why is Putin so opposed to a long ceasefire, when it could give him the chance to...

The leader of 1.4 billion Catholics is about to be decided by 132 men in red hats, locked away in a renaissance chapel beneath one of the greatest artworks in human history. The conclave of cardinals is supposed to be guided in its choice by the Holy Spirit, it will there also be some very secular political concerns dictating their votes? Do they want to continue Pope Francis’ progressive age...

Local elections are usually a yawn, but the results next week could overturn the political geography of the UK. Will Reform, riding high in the polls, cause a Tory meltdown, unseating Kemi Badenoch? Will it suggest it’s more than just a protest party, and one that could be a contender for government? And what will happen when it leads councils and has to make actual policy decisions? Rohan McWilli...

Anyone with money faces a dilemma right now. Where do you invest it? Historically it’s been quite simple. If you are prepared to take risks, buy shares. If you want to play it safe, buy government bonds because, although the returns can be quite slim, you know major economies, like the US, will always repay their debt. But now bonds aren’t such a safe choice. Last week Donald Trump did a u-tu...

The most powerful man in the world doesn't listen to advice, makes up facts, changes his mind on a whim, thinks he was sent by God to save the USA, and loves nothing better than flattery - is he a classic malignant narcissist? Does the man with his finger on the nuclear trigger also have a personality disorder? Dr Steve Taylor, senior lecturer in psychology at Leeds Beckett University and aut...

Is the pendulum swinging back against gender equality, with aggression and misogyny encouraged by influencers and populist leaders championing traditional roles and behaviour? Is the rise in attacks on women a symptom of this? Is there a risk of young men being drawn to a masculinity that glorifies violence, and gives them a role and purpose they lack? Phil and Roger explore all this with Dr Eliza...

Is the state too big? As Rachel Reeves announces cuts in welfare and civil servants, is it a recognition that the administration of the UK needs to slim down? Is there inefficiency and capacity we can’t afford? Does the UK need a US-style purge of government jobs? Or does that risk harm to those who depend on state-support for genuine need? Phil and Roger ask Patrick Diamond, Professor i...

The aid tap is being turned off. USAID has suspended all its programmes and the UK is diverting much of the budget for overseas development to buying tanks and bombs. Projects to vaccinate, medicate and educate have been suspended for millions of the world’s poorest people. So what will happen? Will China step in to fill the gap? Will societies already in crisis collapse altogether? Michael J...

Is the ceasefire going to happen? Will Moscow sign up? And where will it leave Ukraine - the country that was subject to the largest land war in Europe since 1945? Donald Trump has forced through Kyiv’s cooperation. Can he do the same with Russia? Does he even want to? David Galbreath, Professor of War and Technology at the University of Bath, sets out to Phil and Roger the likely next steps, as t...

Is cinema dying? The Oscars were the usual triumphant mix of glamour, glitz and terrible speeches, but is the film industry what it was? Streaming, video games, Covid and the cost of living have led to a downturn in audience figures in the US and the UK, although there are faint signs of a revival. Do we still want to sit passively in a big dark room to be entertained, or would we rather be in our...

Taking over Greenland, turning Gaza into a US resort, switching sides over Ukraine - the world has faced a whirlwind of Trump initiatives in the opening weeks of his presidency, some madcap, some sinister. How are foreign leaders and diplomats supposed to deal with this? Is he serious? Or is he just trolling the international liberal establishment? Or a bit of both? Is it best to flatter the...

Labour is promising 12 new New Towns across England, to spur growth and provide housing. But those who know Telford, Milton Keynes, Welwyn Garden City and the rest might question the model - concrete social engineering hasn’t always been successful in bringing prosperity, especially if there aren’t enough jobs in the area where they’re built. But is there a case for New towns as regeneration in th...

Donald Trump wants big tariffs on US imports, and the countries affected are threatening retaliation - it’s the beginning of a trade war, with China, Canada, Mexico, the EU and others weighing in. So how does Britain ride this out? Can Keir Starmer’s government find ways not to get caught in the crossfire, and maybe even benefit from not being high on Donald Trump’s target list? Or do we need...

Have you tried DeepSeek? China’s new, cheap artificial intelligence app has startled Sillicon Valley. It’s wiped billions from the worth of some of big tech’s biggest names - Nvidia, Microsoft, Google - because it seems to be able to do what they can’t, quicker and better. So is this the wake-up call western tech needed, or a threat to our assumptions about AI leadership, or even a fraud engineere...