Ain’t no party: scandals hobble Britain’s government
The Intelligence from The Economist
The Economist
4.5 • 3.7K Ratings
🗓️ 9 December 2021
⏱️ 22 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
At two years into Boris Johnson’s premiership, yet more scandal ensures attention will still stray from the sweeping agenda of change he promised. An archaeological find in the state of Tamil Nadu rewrites the timeline of civilisation in India—raising questions of identity in a charged political atmosphere. And the man listening intently to the staggering variety of Beijing’s birds.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to the Intelligence from the Economist. |
| 0:06.6 | I'm your host, Jason Palmer. |
| 0:08.9 | Every weekday we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world. |
| 0:17.6 | The history of Tamil Nadu India's southernmost state is murky, but an archaeological find |
| 0:23.1 | has pushed back the date of the first civilization there. |
| 0:26.4 | Despite modern India messing with that timeline has serious implications for politics and identity. |
| 0:33.1 | And high up on a building in Beijing, there's a listening post, not to sniff out dissent, |
| 0:38.4 | but to gather information on the wildly diverse bird populations that pass over. |
| 0:43.4 | One man hopes the data he's gathering will lead to new policies that preserve that variety. |
| 0:55.7 | At first, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new restrictions for England |
| 1:05.2 | yesterday, an attempt to buy time while the Omicron variant spreads. |
| 1:10.0 | They include more masking requirements, proof of vaccination for big events, and a recommendation |
| 1:14.7 | to work from home. |
| 1:15.7 | I've been rightly smith of the telegram. |
| 1:17.3 | Thank you, Prime Minister. |
| 1:19.1 | But reporters wondered whether the announcement was a distraction from other potentially damaging |
| 1:23.6 | news for the government. |
| 1:24.9 | The story in peace have suggested you've called this announcement forward to bounce headlines |
| 1:28.4 | about the Christmas party. |
| 1:30.0 | Is that true? |
| 1:31.0 | A day earlier, a leaked video published by the broadcaster ITV showed the Prime Minister's |
| 1:35.3 | staff joking about holding a lockdown defying Christmas party last year. |
... |
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