Guest host Arion McNicoll and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters.
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
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Political insults
A German minister is facing ridicule after filing a complaint about a tweet calling him a “dick” that resulted in a police raid. The so-called Willygate row has triggered fresh debate about how to deal with online hate speech, as the UK government also plans tough new laws for the policing of social media following the murder of MP David Amess. But will these protections work – and at what cost to free speech?
Academic poverty
While universities are well known to be struggling with stretched finances, the predicament of some academic staff has received less attention. According to The Guardian, nearly half of the undergraduate tutorials for which Cambridge University is famous are delivered by precariously employed staff without proper contracts. And In one extreme case, an English lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London, resorted to living in a tent for two years after a rise in rent made her housing situation untenable
Online dating
New research has found that divorce rates are six times higher in the early years of marriage for couples who met online compared with those who met at university or through friends and family. The suggestion seems to be that people who are less socially bonded come unstuck more easily. And with a rise in lockdown divorces – as well as post-pandemic dating – now is the time to study the odds.
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ICE memo OKs forcible entry without warrantSpeed Read The secret memo was signed last May
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Trump backs off Greenland threats, declares ‘deal’Speed Read Trump and NATO have ‘formed the framework for a future deal,’ the president claimed
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What is ‘Arctic Sentry’ and will it deter Russia and China?Today’s Big Question Nato considers joint operation and intelligence sharing in Arctic region, in face of Trump’s threats to seize Greenland for ‘protection’
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‘The science is clear’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
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‘The economics of WhatsApp have been mysterious for years’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
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‘It may portend something more ominous’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
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The high street: Britain’s next political battleground?In the Spotlight Mass closure of shops and influx of organised crime are fuelling voter anger, and offer an opening for Reform UK
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Is a Reform-Tory pact becoming more likely?Today’s Big Question Nigel Farage’s party is ahead in the polls but still falls well short of a Commons majority, while Conservatives are still losing MPs to Reform
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Summers out at Harvard, OpenAI amid Epstein furorSpeed Read Summers was part of a group being investigated by Harvard for Epstein ties
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‘The trickle of shutdowns could soon become a flood’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
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Taking the low road: why the SNP is still standing strongTalking Point Party is on track for a fifth consecutive victory in May’s Holyrood election, despite controversies and plummeting support
