Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
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Opinion polls
After the events of the past few weeks, opinion polls suggest that Labour has opened up a substantial lead over the Conservatives. But can the polls be trusted? And even when they are accurate, do they help or hinder the national debate? Polls suggesting that Rishi Sunak stood no chance against Liz Truss set the tone for the Tory leadership race, and yet the result ended up being much closer than expected. Do we need a new approach to gauging – and reporting – public opinion?
Language tests
The language app Duolingo is reportedly in talks with the British government to provide English-language testing for people applying to become UK citizens. The advantage for potential applicants is clear: the new online test would cost £50, compared to £300 for the existing language test. Is there any reason not to move official testing online?
Danish royals
The Queen of Denmark apologised to her grandchildren this week after stripping some of them of their royal titles – but she didn’t reverse the decision. While Denmark’s monarchy remains popular, Queen Margrethe II said that cutting the number of princes and princesses was essential for the survival of the institution. Is she right? And could a similar streamlining come to the UK too?