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.

We are having virtual cabinet meetings. We could be having an e-prime minister's question soon.

And we are midway through the second week of our virtual lockdown.

This morning, we're going to take the temperature of the nation's media to discover whether it is helping the cause or hindering it.

Don't get me wrong. Obviously, I'm part of the media,

and the media is a very important part of the questioning of the government.

But with each daily briefing, it seems we're going over the same old ground

about whether we should have been more prepared,

whether the government could have done more to stock up on things they weren't aware they had to stock up on,

and whether other countries are doing things better than we are. You'd have to ask whether there's much point anymore to these briefings.

We'll be asking John Rensel from the Independent what he's making of the media,

not exactly covering themselves in glory here. And of course, I don't mean John Rental.

I just mean certain parts of the media, certain people who keep asking questions as if it's all about them. Coming up, we'll be hearing from Labor's Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth,

music promoter and nightclub owner Donald McLeod up in Scotland,

and Grammy Award-winning record producer Steve Lillywhite,

who's checking in from Jakarta in Indonesia.

But of course, we want to hear from you as well,

the eyes and ears of the Independent Republic of Mike Graham,

as we continue our quest to find out what's

going on in the shops out there and in the streets of your towns, your villages and your cities.

Call us please with your stories, your questions and your experiences.

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