So Here It Is, Mini Christmas

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

Institute for Government

News, Politics, Government

4.6 • 252 Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2020

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Can Boris Johnson get the country to stick to his plans for a Compact Christmas – or has he already blown the comms challenge? What has a year of lockdown and surveillance done to Britain’s liberal instincts? Plus, with the Brexit saga at least reaching the end of the beginning, how can Britain build a robust industrial strategy for the future without just throwing money about? Ed Conway, economics editor at Sky News and Times columnist, is this week’s special guest. “Whatever happens with Brexit, we’re really going to need our Christmas to deal with what’s coming up next year.” – Ed Conway “The mixed messages are too much for the public to take. You can’t say ‘go outside’ one day and ‘stay inside’ the next.” – Giles Wilkes “Everyone wants everyone else to be restricted, but not themselves…” – Cath Haddon “If these industrial tools for government weren’t a good idea last time, why would they be a good idea this time?” – Giles Wilkes “Trying to impose policies that nobody is going to follow is a question of realpolitik and I don’t envy anyone making that decision.” – Ed Conway “Politicians like to point at things and say ‘We should be better at that!’ But they seldom answer the question of how.” – Giles Wilkes Presented by Bronwen Maddox with Cath Haddon and Giles Wilkes. Audio production by Alex Rees See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to Inside Briefing. I'm Bronwyn Maddox.
0:14.0	Christmas is nearly with us that COVID-19 cases are rising past. The Prime Minister's plans to give the country five-day festive lockdown
0:21.7	release have been questioned by doctors, scientists and opposition empties that is sticking to it,
0:26.7	even as London goes into a tier three lockdown. We'll discuss his impossible choice. Perhaps his
0:32.5	Christmas gift to the nation will be a Brexit deal, or maybe the all-time New Year's Day hangover
0:37.4	will be a no-deal all-out at the start of 2021. Brexit deal, or maybe the all-time New Year's Day hangover will be a no-deal
0:38.2	all-out at the start of 2021. Either way, we'll activate an emergency I-FG podcast as soon as we get
0:43.9	new as a Brexit outcome. But this week, we're going to focus on how the UK might the economic
0:49.3	freedoms promised by Brexit to build a stronger economy through an interventionist industrial strategy.
0:56.0	Joining me in the virtual studio to talk through it all is the author of a new IFG paper on
1:00.8	how to build a successful industrial strategy. That's our senior fellow informer number 10 advisor,
1:06.4	Charles Wilkes. Hi, Giles. Good morning, for me. Also with us is Kath Havan, who leads all our work on the constitution and ministers. Hi, Kiles. Good morning, Bromyn. Also with us as Kath Haddon, who leads all our work on
1:11.9	the Constitution and ministers. Hi, Kaff. How are you? I am getting a lot better, thank you, Bronwyn.
1:17.5	Don't recommend falling off your bike and hurting your shoulder. I'm delighted to be joined as well
1:22.1	by our guest, Ed Conway, who's economics editor at Sky News and at Times columnist. Hi, Ed. Hi, Bronwyn. Thanks for having me on.
1:29.5	Not at all. I'm a huge fan of your columns. Thanks for joining us. Right, well, let's start with
1:33.7	this coronavirus Christmas and the government's latest anguish over what restrictions to bring in.
1:38.8	London's moved into tier three, the tightest. New strain of COVID-19 may form some part of the rising case numbers in the
1:45.3	South East, and yet the Prime Minister is sticking to his plans for releasing the public for five
1:49.6	days of festive unlockdown, with three households allowed a mix for a limited period, though,
1:54.2	northern Wales, where it's only two. But he is urging people to have a little Christmas.
1:58.9	Ed, this has been a tough one for the Prime Minister to decide,
	...

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