Growing pains: how to grow an economy and get young people voting
Radical with Amol Rajan
BBC
4.5 • 919 Ratings
🗓️ 19 June 2024
⏱️ 55 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Amol and Nick take a look at why politicians are so keen to talk about economic growth in this election campaign – and whether any have the right policies to deliver it.
They’re joined by professor of economics at the LSE, Tim Leunig, who worked as an advisor to the Lib Dems during the coalition government and went on to formulate the furlough scheme for Rishi Sunak when he was chancellor.
They assess Labour’s pledge to jumpstart the economy via planning reforms, and the Conservatives’ promise of National Insurance cuts. Will any of these plans have an effect quickly enough?
Also, are young voters disenfranchised? Kelly Beaver, chief executive of pollsters Ipsos UK, swings by to discuss – and analyse the latest polling.
Plus Nick and Amol share their moments of the week.
Episodes of The Today Podcast during the election campaign will land on Mondays and Thursdays. Subscribe on BBC Sounds to get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories of the week, with insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme. If you would like a question answering, get in touch by sending us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 or email us Today@bbc.co.uk
The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson, both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the UK’s most influential radio news programme. Amol was the BBC’s media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he’s also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV’s political editor.
You can listen to the latest episode of The Today Podcast anytime on your smart speaker by saying “Alexa, Ask BBC Sounds for The Today Podcast.”
The senior producer is Tom Smithard, the producer is Hatty Nash. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths. Technical production from Hannah Montgomery and digital production from Joe Wilkinson.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:04.8 | I can't get out of my mind. |
| 0:07.4 | A really simple question. |
| 0:10.2 | Why is a party promising change? |
| 0:13.1 | In fact, it's the only word on the Labour manifesto, |
| 0:17.7 | the only word on the backdrop, |
| 0:19.1 | the only word on the lectern when Kirstama and Rachel |
| 0:23.0 | Reeves speak, promising so little actual change. I'm so disappointed because when you started |
| 0:31.1 | that sentence, I thought you're going to say that you couldn't stop thinking about why does |
| 0:34.7 | a mole look so handsome in a suit and shirt? |
| 1:04.4 | And I was going to say it's because I went to a rather posh social mobility conference this morning. But on the way there, I listened to your interview with Rachel Reeves, where you pursued the question which you did just mention. And I've got to say, this is the 8-10 interview this morning, I found it one of the more fractious Robinson Reeves interviews, and there have been a few, because you pushed her, and I was very glad you did, on the whole, and I think we could call it that, in this election campaign, which is where the money is going to come from. |
| 1:09.9 | And her answer was growth, and we should be blunt and honest with people and say, you can achieve growth. |
| 1:10.8 | Governments can play a role in achieving growth, but right now, across most of the Western world, except for America, |
| 1:15.0 | which is very unusual and exceptional, mostly leaders of Western democracies are really struggling |
| 1:20.7 | to get growth. Now, the reason it's such a pressing issue now, and the reason I wanted |
| 1:26.5 | to pursue it in that interview with Rachel, when she is |
| 1:30.1 | possibly, probably two weeks away from moving into Downing Street, number 11 and becoming |
| 1:36.2 | chancellor, is the promises in the Labour manifesto are so tiny. Not my word, the word of Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for |
| 1:47.8 | Fiscal Studies. Two quick examples. Teachers, 6,000 new teachers, the Labour Party promises. That is one |
| 1:55.8 | teacher for every three state schools over five years. |
| 2:01.4 | Tiny. |
| 2:02.6 | Health. |
... |
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