Question Time: The War On Drugs, a Tory Green Party, and Long Covid

Is class still the biggest dividing line in Britain? Why do we not hear enough about the impact of Long Covid? Would the Green Party ever shift to the right?

On today’s Question Time pod, Rory and Alastair answer all these questions and more.

Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport

[timwilliams]

Totally agree on your approach to the former MP for Uxbridge.

[jezlawrence]

I haven't had a dentist appt in five years - I live in Leeds. They cancelled my last appt due to sickness, never invited me back and when I followed up they told me I'd missed an appointment so they took me off their books. No other NHS dentists available.

slow clap Tories.

[MazzaEliLi]

Norway consistently maintains pole position on the International Democracy Table. The Republic of Ireland is not too far behind but the USA & the UK are rated much lower than the RoI & have both slipped down two places in recent years.

[ianwoodall]

Private schools buy you contacts and a lifetime of free passes.

[jezlawrence]

Long COVID, ME and post-viral fatigue syndrome all seem incredibly closely related and none of them have the support and research they need.

[DornAndGrant]

Rory’s ‘public schools do a good job. I had links to the royal school in Surrey. Class sizes at gcse where around 8. Some serious concerns were had when an A level class had 5 to 8. Introduce these class size into state schools and watch achievement shoot up. As well as all the other standards he mentioned.

Rory seems nice but still is in reality an entitled but well intentioned Eton product.

[MazzaEliLi]

There is a petition on line to promote sick pay/disability benefits for health workers who are suffering Long Covid which was contracted while working in hospitals & care homes.

[jantyszka]

Rory doesn't think there are barriers to the non-private-school educated in the UK because he has never faced them.

[stivoarscott]

2023 and we come up with the idea that British interests abroad maybe served by respectfully learning from other countries.
Better late than never!
Waiting to hear a about follow through

[annishilcock]

Tory Rory also highlighted Kemi Badenoch and Gillian Keegan as rising stars!!! What is that all about?

[harrydebastardeharris]

The UK has the highest Prison Population in Europe.Along with the Voting System the UK needs to Reform its Prohibition Laws on Drugs.Especially it’s Marijuana Laws and Victimless Crime Laws.

[jonathanashworth]

I don't think there is a three word slogan the labour party can adopt. Johnson and Cumming's "Get Brexit done" and "Take back control, " were so meaningless and offered nothing in terms of the scale of work and effort needed to achieve their (selfish) goals. If labour adopts a three word slogan, then it will inevitably link to themes of a large scale effort to repair the damage caused by the Tories. A slogan like "fix this mess" has some appeal, but it doesn't offer the electorate that instant hit of hope. It just screams shirt sleeves rolled up and lots of work to be done to get us back to square 1 again. There is a slogan out there that is ready for repurposing; a slogan that I can imagine first time voters buying into - particularly given how the late 90s and early 00s seem to be highly in fashion again as a cultural touchstone. Its not three words long. Its 5 and with a smart bit of PR could work again - "things can only get better."

[simonspeechley]

Should we appoint BJ and DT to gain first hand knowledge of the prison system.

[tomenglish]

Good Whataboutism in this one. Also about that "Poor Britannia" This isnt about Paris, the east or the US.
I would have liked to have had a real discussion about it.

[pastyman]

Chinese growth is based on the largest amount of borrowing that a country has made, ever in history. The Chinese model is not sustainable. When a business person wishes to start up with a factory for example, they often go to the communist party and get asked how many people they will employ. The Chinese state then gives them money based on employment numbers and calls it a joint venture. They often produce goods to meet a basic demand that does not require marketing, but will undercut prices of alternatives. It is a not unlike a ponzu scheme and will collapse. The Chinese communists know they can only keep this going by employing most people and feeding them. They can only rely on importing a vast amount of food, fertiliser and energy. If they attack Taiwan they could have a famine and economic collapse after sanctions.

[oldschool]

I work for the NHS, and alcohol is by far the worst drug. There is no argument.

[revbenf]

The War on Drugs is a great great band!! 😊

[dougtsax]

Roary is good a pointing elsewhere when it comes to this government. In the discussion about how Germans see this country in poverty, then Roary starts talking about the USA.

[huwzebediahthomas]

The war on drugs within Westminster?
Discuss!

[timregester]

As one of the Councillors elected in the recent elections in Suffolk I wish to make three points.
1) The mechanism to get elected is to work hard for your electors, keep them informed and listen to them. Is this nimbyism? Not really in most cases the issues raised by disaffected Tories and disaffected Labour voters were much the same. We shall see if this same approach gives success in the next general election.
2) Your discussion of how economic growth in China is at odds with a circular economy (as espoused by Kate Raworth) ignores the fact that a thriving circular economy can bring living standards improvements to people, it does it in a way that is mindful of all the doughnut factors. Economic Growth is a mindless aim, it increases inequality and cares not for the planet or the people. China could do this with no dissent, as british people learn about it's effects they will dissent and hence vote green. In mid suffolk the old cabinet portfolio of economic growth has gone and replaced with portfolios about thriving.
3) People will vote, irrespective of political views, for politicians that demonstrate and promise to work for them. They are fed up with politicians who just turn up for photo ops and are otherwise invisible.