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Across the UK, online, on DAB and on your smart speaker, the Independent Republic of Mike Graham,

on Talk Radio.

Good morning and welcome to the Independent Republic of Mike Graham right here on Talk Radio.

They're calling it happy Monday, apparently, but let's face it, you're not very happy, are you? You're fed up with being told what to do, where to do it, when to do it,

who to do it with, and why you can't do a load of other stuff with anyone. And you certainly

shouldn't do anything that might kill anyone like hugging. It's more like Manic Monday,

isn't it, rather than Happy Monday. This morning we're still two weeks away from being able to enjoy a meal outside a restaurant or indeed a drink outside a pub.

And yet we're being told we should be feeling grateful for our newfound freedoms which allow two households to meet outside without touching each other or you and five friends having a picnic as long as you're not sitting too close to each other on a blanket.

I'm sorry, I can't take any of this seriously. I can't take it anymore.

I'm telling you. It's ridiculous. Thanks, but no thanks. This morning we're kicking off with John

Whittingdale, the Minister for Media and Data, on the power wielded by big tech companies like

Facebook and YouTube, and government attempts to curb their enthusiasm for banning things and issuing

warnings about articles and videos posted by entirely legitimate and

regulated journalism, right? It's a story particularly close to our hearts here at Talk Radio,

and hopefully the online safety bill will make things better. 0344491,000. Coming up later on,

Peter Hitchens joins us from the mail on Sunday to talk about the latest lockdown situation,

the scourge of e-scooters,

and the problem with China. And we'll bring the latest from Scotland, where Alex Salmon has set the cat amongst the pigeons with his new Alba party.

As ever, of course, we want to hear from you. You're just a few days away from Easter. Are you really going to meet up in the garden for the Sunday roast. Is it going to be freezing at the weekend? Are you going to be buying a big coat? Well, good luck with that because you can't get into a shop that sells any.

Oh no. 344-49-1,000. We're taking on a tour of the travel business as well, and we'll be hearing

...