Episodes
Is The UK Sliding Into War?
January 24, 2024 08:42 - 30 minutesIs Britain sliding to war in the Middle East? The RAF has once again taken part in US led attacks on military sites in Yemen from where Houthi fighters have been targeting cargo vessels in the Red Sea - one of the world’s most important commercial shipping routes. This followed similar action on the 11 January. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insists the UK’s military action amounts to nothing more than self defence; and that its unconnected to the conflict between Israel and Gaza. But is that ho...
"Doctors On The Cheap?"
January 19, 2024 13:29 - 23 minutesIs the NHS putting patients at risk by expanding the role of medical professionals who aren’t qualified as doctors? Physician Associates have been around in the Health Service for a couple of decades now and there are plans to more than double their numbers in an attempt to plug gaps in the workforce. They don’t have a medical degrees and while they must complete a two year training course, there are concerns that physician associates don’t meet the ‘gold standard’ of a qualified medic. In ...
James O'Brien Interview
January 16, 2024 13:17 - 39 minutesAdrian Goldberg interviews best selling author and LBC radio host James O'Brien about his latest book, 'How They Broke Britain'. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Inside Gaza's Al Aqsa Hospital
January 11, 2024 09:13 - 26 minutesAdrian Goldberg gets a view from inside Gaza’s Al Aqsa Hospital which is caught in the crossfire of war. British surgeon Dr Nick Maynard has just returned to the UK after spending two weeks as clinical lead at the hospital for the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians. MAP is helping victims of Israel's bombardment of Gaza, which followed the massacre and hostage taking of Israelis by Hamas on October 7. The death toll on both sides is grim. 1,200 Israelis died on October 7; 23,000 Palestin...
Austerity Kills; A Matter of Life and Death
January 10, 2024 08:50 - 31 minutesThis time – shocking new evidence that austerity kills, featuring Professor Sir Michael Marmot, who leads the Institute for Health Equity at University College, London. Tough constraints on public spending were imposed by the coalition government in 2010 in the wake of the banking crisis, and continued for the rest of the decade. The IHE found that between 2011 and 2019 more than a million people in England had shorter lives than those who lived in the most affluent areas; and fewer years o...
Piers Morgan and the Press 'Protection Racket'
January 03, 2024 10:24 - 22 minutesThe phone hacking scandal was part of the origin story of Byline Times, prompting founding editor Peter Jukes to switch careers from playwriting to journalism. In the latest episode of the Byline Times podcast he joins Adrian Goldberg and Byline Times Chief Reporter Josiah Mortimer to reflect on Prince Harry's recent court victory against Mirror Group Newspapers. In his verdict, the judge Mr Justice Fancourt, described phone hacking across the Mirror group as "widespread and habitual". Th...
Michelle Mone, PPE, and Covid Bungs
December 27, 2023 16:36 - 18 minutesThis time, a look in the Byline Times "year view mirror" as we explore the latest aspects the perennially unravelling Covid scandal. These include the belated admission by Baroness Michelle Mone that her family trust was a beneficiary of PPE Medpro, a company which provided millions of pounds worth of unusable protective equipment to the NHS.Adrian Goldberg is joined by Peter Jukes, executive editor of Byline Times, and Josiah Mortimer, chief reporter of Byline Times. Produced in Birmingham ...
The Great Post Office Scandal: The Unanswered Questions
December 19, 2023 19:06 - 31 minutesInvestigative journalist Nick Wallis Shares insights from his book, The Great Post Office Scandal. Nick will be on tour in the UK during 2024, sharing his story. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Conflict in Kherson...and Russia's Hybrid Warfare
December 12, 2023 22:51 - 24 minutesThis time, Adrian Goldberg hears from Kherson, on the front line of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. His guests are photo journalist Paul Conroy, and Zarina Zabrisky, an expert in the Kremlin's hybrid warfare. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Migration: Rhetoric vs Reality
December 05, 2023 10:39 - 26 minutesThe government has made a shibboleth of cutting down the numbers of people coming into the UK. As far back as 2010 the then Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to reduce net migration below 100,000 but that target has never been met - not even during the pandemic. Recently updated figures from the Office of National Statistics showed that last year net migration reached a record 745,000. The gap between rhetoric and reality could hardly be more stark. Now Home Secretary James Cleverley has...
Artificial Intelligence - Friend or Foe?
November 27, 2023 13:41 - 25 minutesWhat is Artificial Intelligence? And is it our our friend or foe? Elon Musk recently claimed that AI would eliminate the need for human jobs in the future; which is great if you’re a billionaire like him, but doesn’t explain how the rest of us would earn enough to live. This poses big questions about who controls the technology – and what their plans are for the rest of us. Will AI liberate us from the drudgery of boring admin jobs – or become a tool to control us? There are even doomsday...
Palantir and the NHS
November 22, 2023 10:37 - 24 minutesUS data firm Palantir Technologies Inc has won a £480 million contract (along with professional services firm Accenture) to handle the new Federated Data Platform for the Health Service.On the face of it this looks like a positive for patients. The new Platform is designed to facilitate information sharing among hospital trusts and other parts of the NHS, enabling them to communicate more efficiently. No more having to repeat your past medical history every time you see a doctor.But Palantir’...
Return Of The Cam
November 13, 2023 21:34 - 23 minutesUnelected Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has given the plum job of Foreign Secretary to the equally unelected former PM David Cameron, who has been fast tracked into the House Of Lords after giving up his parliamentary seat. Adrian Goldberg gets reaction from Jessie Joe Jacobs, Director of the Democracy Network, a group representing 800+ organisations seeking to renew UK politics and David Wearing, a lecturer in International Relations at the University of Sussex and an expert on UK foreign relat...
Spotify Discord: Big Tech vs Small Independents?
November 13, 2023 15:15 - 28 minutesStreaming giant Spotify is coming in for flak over proposals to cut revenue for small independent artists. The idea is that Is that tracks which would otherwise account for the lowest 0.5% of royalty payments will be demonetised.Adrian Goldberg hears from Skepwax Records co-founder Amelia Fletcher who has played in a host of well loved indie bands including Talulah Gosh and Heavenly. Amelia is also an economics Professor with expertise in competition policy at UAE. Adrian also hears from o...
Sportwashing...And Then Some
November 08, 2023 20:38 - 25 minutesAs the UK government announces plans for an independent football regulator, how well governed and regulated is sport internationally? In this episode we look specifically at how Saudi Arabia is extending its global geopolitical reach through football, golf, F1 and esports, despite its well documented human rights abuses. The repressive regime of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - or MBS - has effectively been guaranteed the right to host the 2034 soccer World Cup after its only rival Aus...
Ukraine War Diary
November 05, 2023 17:31 - 44 minutesByline Times contributor Zarina Zabrisky presents her Ukraine war diary - a series of dispatches from Kherson and beyond. There's an account of life under fire in Kherson with war photographer Paul Conroy. Zarina also discusses Russia’s nuclear blackmail and meets Yaroslava Antipina aka @strategywoman – a Ukrainian using the power of social media to show the beauty of her war torn country. There are reflections, too, on the rise of anti-semitism in Russia in the wake of the fighting ...
A Royal Exclusive as Byline Times Hits The News Stands
October 31, 2023 20:14 - 24 minutesAfter four years, the Byline Times has finally hit the UK's news stands and has secured an exclusive royal story to mark its arrival. Byline Times editor Hardeep Matharu and executive editor Peter Jukes explain why it's so important to extend the availability of the newspaper, while talking us through the connections between King Charles, Dan Wootton, Prince Harry and press freedom. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. ...
"Violence Breeds Violence"
October 23, 2023 16:07 - 23 minutesAdrian Goldberg hears from UK medics calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Israel has launched the onslaught in the territory, in retaliation for horrific attacks by Hamas in which more than 1400 people were killed. More than 200 hostages were taken. More than 4300 people have since died in Gaza, many of them civilians, as a result of aerial strikes, which are thought to be the prelude of a ground invasion. Humanitarian Aid has been allowed into the territory after several days of siege and...
Israel and Gaza: One Man's Quest For Peace
October 20, 2023 15:52 - 33 minutesAdrian Goldberg talks to Udi Goren, whose cousin Tal Haimi was kidnapped by Hamas after a terrorist attack on the kibbutz where he lived on the day the war broke out. Hamas committed terrible atrocities, including the slaughter of unarmed young people attending a music festival; but more than 3,700 people have died as a result of Israel’s retaliation. Palestinians argue the bombing and siege of Gaza is a war crime, because it is a collective punishment upon a civilian population. Produced ...
Care Leavers Homeless Crisis
October 18, 2023 06:10 - 25 minutesThis time…new figures showing a sharp rise in the number of care leavers facing homelessness. The figures come from the government’s annual Statutory Homelessness in England report They show that 3,710 care leavers were either homeless or under threat of homelessness for the year 2022/23. That represents a rise of 33 per cent since 2018. To find out what lies behind the statistics and what we need to do about it, Adrian Goldberg is joined by Sophie Shasby, a recent care leaver; Kathari...
Brexit's Blurred Lines
October 13, 2023 07:17 - 33 minutesAlexandra Hall Hall is the 'undiplomatic diplomat.' She was Britain’s Ambassador to Georgia, and later lead envoy for Brexit at the British embassy in Washington but she quit that joh in 2019 in protest at having to be the bearer of messages that she says were untrue. Alex tells Adrian Goldberg that she thinks Brexit is only half the story. Democracy itself at risk, she warns; and not only in the UK. Produced by me Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White in Birmingham. A We Bring audio product...
Kherson: The Destruction Of A City
October 03, 2023 07:01 - 21 minutesAdrian Goldberg hears about the destruction of the Ukrainian city of Khersona city from Zarina Zabrisky, one of only two foreign journalists in the area, alongside war photograoher Paul Conroy. You can also hear Zarina on the Russia Ukraine War News podcast. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad...
Taking Over The Asylum?
September 27, 2023 15:39 - 22 minutesUK Home Secretary Suella Braverman has questioned whether the United Nations’ 1951 Refugee Convention is fit for our modern age. She told a meeting of the right wing American Enterprise Institute in Washington DC that "we now live in a completely different time" from when the convention was signed. Ms Braverman said, "we will not be able to sustain an asylum system if in effect, simply being gay, or a woman, and fearful of discrimination in your country of origin is sufficient to qualify fo...
Hard To Swallow? Farming, Food and Brexit
September 20, 2023 08:23 - 26 minutesThe UK government has once again postponed border checks for food being imported to the UK from the EU, because it would increase inflation. That’s the fifth time the deadline has been put back. But British food exporters have faced additional checks when they sell their goods into Europe – putting them at a competitive disadvantage. Is this the 'Brexit dividend' promised by the Leave campaign. Keir Starmer has said that if Labour gets into power, he wants to renegotiate the UK's trade d...
Voter ID: Democracy Under Pressure
September 14, 2023 07:47 - 24 minutesMost people in the UK would take pride in the fact that whatever your political persuasion you can take part in free and fair elections. But two new reports suggest that this right isn’t always all it seems. The Electoral Commission – the government’s own watchdog – has warned that hundreds of thousands of people could be excluded from voting the next time the country goes to the polls because of new laws on voter ID. 4% of those who didn’t vote in the local council elections in May told th...
Pitch Battle - Saudi Sportswashing and Newcastle United
September 08, 2023 10:30 - 29 minutesOn the weekend that this podcast is released, Saudi Arabia will be playing two international football matches at Newcastle United’s St James Park, against Costa Rica and South Korea - but the results won’t really matter, and not just because the games are friendlies. Critics say that whatever the final scores, the despotic regime of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) will already have won, simply by virtue of being allowed to host such prestigious games at a venerated English football...
ULEZ Expansion
August 28, 2023 15:00 - 27 minutesLondon is about to have the world’s largest pollution charging area, as the capital’s outer suburbs are added to the inner city Ultra Low Emission Zone - ULEZ. Drivers of vehicles that don’t meet emissions standards will be charged £12.50 a day – with motorists facing the threat of a £180 fine if they don’t comply. ULEZ expansion was widely regarded as a key factor in the Conservatives holding onto Boris Johnson’s old Uxbridge seat in a recent by election; and unlike in other English citie...
The Life And Death Of Yevgeny Prigozhin
August 24, 2023 17:02 - 28 minutesThe life and death of Yevgeny Prigozhin tells us much about modern Russia. After spending years in prison, he launched a business career in St Petersburg in the 1990s, supported by former KGB agent Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin became the figurehead of the Wagner mercenary group, whose troops supported the regular Russian army in Ukraine before launching a short-lived rebellion against Putin, now his country's President. The cause of crash in which he died is still unknown, but it conforms ...
Detained - For Helping Migrants In Distress
August 24, 2023 05:46 - 20 minutesAdrian Goldberg hears from Nathan Akehurst a British volunteer, working on a search and rescue boat in the Mediterranean. The vessel - the Sea Eye IV - has been impounded by the Italian authorities after saving 114 migrants who'd been drifting for days without food, fuel, and water. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio...
From Trump to "Woke"
August 07, 2023 05:48 - 32 minutesAdrian Goldberg hears from former US congressman Joe Walsh, once a member of the low tax, socially conservative Tea Party faction of the Republican party, who supported Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016. Joe has since been on a remarkable political journey that led him to challenging Trump for the 2020 presidential nomination. He now calls himself 'woke' and is on a mission to heal the divides caused by populism through his White Flag podcast. He warns that the US needs "marria...
Ukraine's 'Silent Genocide'
August 02, 2023 10:47 - 24 minutesAdrian Goldberg hears from Byline Times writer Iain Overton, freshly returned from Ukraine, about how Russia’s invasion has led to a plummeting birth rate. This is perhaps understandable at a time of war, but many Ukrainians see it in the context of attempts to downplay their culture, destroy their history and erase their language. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...
Carmageddon: How Cars Make Life Worse
July 26, 2023 20:27 - 30 minutesJournalist Daniel Knowles talks about his new book 'Carmageddon - How Cars Make Life Worse and What To Do About It'. Daniel tells Adrian Goldberg that, “car manufacturers are really not much different to the oil industry or big tobacco”. He explores the racialised road building helped segregate the US, discusses how UK cities were rebuilt around after the Second World War in ways that militated against pedestrians; and looks at the urban areas pointing the way to a car free future. P...
Fair Game Football
July 20, 2023 21:31 - 30 minutesAs we stand on the brink of a new football season, is there an alternative to the global financial and political interests now dominating the national sport? There are clubs like Newcastle United which are owned by the oil state of Saudi Arabia – keen to greenwash its reputation and desperate to promote its sporting credentials rather than discuss its human rights abuses. Or Manchester United – leveraged to the hilt by US owners The Glazer family, who have somehow managed to get ordinary s...
Heatwaves, Damp Squibs and the Climate Crisis
July 18, 2023 15:40 - 26 minutesAs Mediterranean countries grapple with an unprecedented heatwave, the UK is dealing with April showers in July. It seems that we’re now starting to experience the extreme andf unpredictable weather, climate scientists have long predicted. Is it too late to act – and what can we as individuals do. Adrian Goldberg is joined by Erika Coppola, a climate scientist working at the Abdus Salam International Centre in Trieste Italy – she’s been lead author on reports for the IPCC - and Gareth Redmo...
Murdoch Most Foul
July 14, 2023 15:06 - 24 minutesAdrian Goldberg discusses The Sun's headline grabbing and untrue Huw Edwards story and reflects on what it tells us about Rupert Murdoch's media empire, with Nathan Sparkes, CEO of Hacked Of and Francesca Cociani, an Associate at Hodge Jones Allen solicitors. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ...
What's The Real Migrant Crisis?
July 11, 2023 06:19 - 25 minutesWhat is the REAL migrant boat crisis? The British media seem obsessed with small boats crossing the Channel, but there's been far less coverage of the vessels carrying hundreds of migrants from West Africa which have gone missing en route to the Canary Islands. They were seeking the relative safety of Europe, after fleeing instability in Senegal. A fleet of three boats set sail a fortnight ago on the treacherous journey of more than 1,000 miles from the port of Kafountine. One has been ...
NHS at 75: Public Health v Private Wealth?
July 05, 2023 20:20 - 28 minutesThe NHS is 75, but it's birthday that comes with warnings that the institution – like many of the people it serves – is showing signs of ageing badly. The Health Service is arguably a victim of its own success with people genera living longer than in previous generations, but with conditions that require long term care – including dementia, diabetes and heart disease. A combination of austerity and the pandemic has left waiting lists for non-emergency operations at record levels – so too i...
"My Extinction" - The Movie
June 29, 2023 06:01 - 22 minutes"My Extinction" is a new documentary by award winning film maker Josh Appignanensi about his conversion to climate activism and the battle against climate denialism. Adrian Goldberg hears from both Josh and Peter Pomerantsev, author of This Is Not Propaganda, a book about disinformation and the denial of objective truth. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See...
Boris Johnson and The Lebedevs
June 26, 2023 17:55 - 30 minutesThis time, a new twist Boris Johnson and the Lebedevs…a long running story which has featured extensively in the Byline Times and here on the podcast… Alexanxder Lebdev is a former senior KGB spy and businessman; Evgeny his son owns the Evening Standard and is an investor in The Independent…Boris Johnson is friends with both men, and as Foreign Secretary attended their 'X Rated parties' in Italy without his security officers who were left at home. Documentary maker Mark Alden and Tortoise...
Windrush 75: On Racism and Reparations
June 22, 2023 08:21 - 24 minutesIn June 1948, the HMT Empire Windrush set sail from Jamaica carrying 802 people to Tilbury In Essex. Along with their suitcases they carried dreams of a better life in the 'Mother Country.' It wasn’t the first migrant ship from the Caribbean to arrive in the UK but it was the largest and most famous – a former troopship which gave its name to a generation of willing workers coming to a country looking to rebuild itself after World War Two. Between 1948 and 1971 more than half a million p...
From Colour Bars to Desi Pubs
June 20, 2023 14:08 - 25 minutesDesi pubs are Indian owned drinking establishments in the UK and they tell two very different but inter-related stories about this country. One is a story of segregation that most British people would rather forget; the other is a story of communities growing together through a shared love of food and beer. David Jesudason, author of "Desi Pubs, A Guide to British Indian Pubs Food and Culture" reflects on both elements in conversation with Adrian Goldberg. Produced in Birmingham by Adria...
Protest - and a Police State?
June 14, 2023 20:31 - 15 minutesHas Britain officially become a police state? That might seem like an over-egged question, but thanks to legislation introduced by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, the authorities will now have the power to restrict any protest that could cause a “more than minor hindrance or delay” - and its the police who'll be able to define precisely what that means. As if that wasn't serious enough, the mechanism by which the law was passed also has troubling implications for our liberties. A first attem...
The Prince and The Press
June 12, 2023 15:03 - 29 minutesThe Duke of Sussex aka Prince Harry is taking the media to task over intrusion into his private life which he claims crossed a line into illegality; He believes that Mirror Group Newspapers – publishers of the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror and The People published details about his private life that could only have been obtained by hacking or other unlawful means; MGN is contesting the claim. More than 100 people in total are involved in the High Court action; Harry’s is just one of four ...
What's Appening To The Covid Inquiry?
June 07, 2023 14:12 - 24 minutesThe secrets and silence of the state. Adrian Goldberg explores the government's reluctance to release What's App messages in defiance of the Covid Inquiry Chair Baroness Hallett, with Iain Overton and Josiah Mortimer. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"Kids As Commodities"
June 07, 2023 07:05 - 23 minutesIs It time to stop treating kids in care as commodities? In this episode, Adrian Goldberg examines the outsourcing of children’s homes to private companies. The evidence suggests that profit making firms in the sector generally provide a worse service than local authority providers; and are more likely to move youngsters away from their families and community networks. Adrian's guests are Dr Anders Bach-Mortenson from Oxford University’s Department For Social Policy and Intervention and...
NHS Waiting Times - Time For A Change?
June 01, 2023 06:03 - 22 minutesMore than 7 million patients are on waiting lists for non emergency operations – the highest number since record began 16 years ago. The government’s solution involves telling GP’s to give a range of options to anyone referred for treatment. Choices might include travelling further for healthcare or going private - but is this the only way forward? Or is there an alternative? Adrian Goldberg talks to Chris Thomas from the left leaning think tank the IPPR. Chrisheads up their Commission...
'Eastern Front - Terror and Torture in Ukraine'
May 27, 2023 10:54 - 26 minutesJohn Sweeney discuss his new movie for Byline TV, 'Eastern Front - Terror and Torture in Ukraine'. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Money Rebellion
May 23, 2023 13:45 - 27 minutesAdrian Goldberg hears from Gail Bradbrook - co-founder of Extinction Rebellion and its offshoot Money Rebellion - about the wave disruptive actions against banks and financial institutions accused of funding the climate crisis. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White. Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...
Zelensky Returns To The UK
May 16, 2023 06:52 - 24 minutesRishi Sunak has pledged more help for Ukraine as President Zelenksy visits the UK. But can President Putin be defeated? Adrian Goldberg hears from Zarina Zabrisky who has spent the last year covering the war from Odessa. Produced in Birmingham by Adrian Goldberg and Harvey White Funded by subscriptions to the Byline Times. Made by We Bring Audio for Byline Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bullingdon Club Britain
March 31, 2023 05:57 - 27 minutes - 37.4 MBThis is the story of an Oxford University institution known as the Bullingdon Club, and its influence on the UK government. Bullingdon alumni included Boris Johnson, David Cameron, and George Osborne – so to what extent have its values and connections come to define Britain since 2010? Adrian Goldberg hears from Sam Bright whose book Bullingdon Club Britain: The Ransacking Of A Nation can be pre-ordered now from Byline Books and publisher John Mitchinson who was a member of the Bullingd...