The Times Red Box Podcast

Matt Chorley is joined by Assistant Editor Anne Ashworth and columnists Giles Coren and David Aaronovitch. Anne Ashworth: Pension tax reliefs for the higher-paid have already been reduced and more cuts are coming. The justification for this reform is fairness: the higher-paid have had it too good. But if you make company pension scheme membership less attractive to executives, this make it less likely that they will support these schemes - which will hurt the less well-off. This is just another Treasury tax grab, disguised as redistribution. Giles Coren: A survey commissioned by the Labour party has revealed that, "A disproportionate number of members who have joined since the 2015 general election are ‘high-status city dwellers’ pursuing well-paid jobs”. Most of them are from North London. So Corbyn and McDonnell rode to power on a crest of people exactly like me, except with the politics of Rik out of the Young Ones. One Labour MP has suggested that, "Members with properties valued at over a...

On this week's panel we have columnist Rachel Sylvester on the rise of Russia (in Labour), political reporter Callum Jones on Labour’s obsession with Twitter and columnist Matthew Parris on why an Oxford college might be right to tear down a statue of Cecil Rhodes.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Opinion podcast is back with a brand new host. Red Box editor Matt Chorley is joined by panelists Hugo Rifkind, Oliver Kamm and Lucy Fisher. Hugo Rifkind: The Tories are sleepwalking into disaster on the EU. For David Cameron, with ministers freely campaigning on both sides, if he loses, he loses, and if he wins, he still loses. Cameron has asked his government to remain civil on Europe, which is a thing no Conservative ever has been before. And what happens after the vote, to those on the losing side? Will they really still have a future? Oliver Kamm: The transformation of Labour from a party of government to an irrelevant sect continues apace. The lack of respect, let alone support, for Jeremy Corbyn among Labour MPs is palpable but still worse is the incredibility of the leadership’s views. On economic policy and defence, Corbyn & John McDonnell are far out of line with the position of the party both historically and in its current stance. Electoral retribution is guaranteed and extinction...

Host Philip Webster is joined by Robbie Millen, Philip Aldrick and Patrick Kidd in this 2016 preview special. Robbie Millen: In or Out? Leave or Remain? I have all sorts of firm views about relatively trivial issues yet on the greatest issue facing Britain I flip flop around in the no-man’s land of the undecided voter. I don’t want to be a “don’t know” that’s why I’m looking forward to the EU referendum and the debate it ought to provoke. Philip Aldrick: Interest rates will finally go up - but we will have to wait until after the Brexit referendum, which the ins will win. Perversely, those rates will increase into a slowing economy. The chancellor will tighten the screw with more tax rises in the march budget. House prices will come off the boil. And there will be a small financial crisis in emerging markets that everyone will panic about before it blows over. Patrick Kidd: Next year one of the main political parties will change its leader, but it's more likely to be David Cameron going than Jeremy...

Host Philip Webster is joined by Ann Treneman, Stewart Wood and Daniel Finkelstein in this end-of-year special as each panelists picks a topic to debate from the past year. Ann Treneman: It's been a terrible year for getting it wrong. The Westminster Bubble called the election wrong, the Labour leadership wrong and it still can't quite believe what's happened in Scotland. But, just say, that Jeremy Corbyn is right and that he will increase Labour's vote, as happened in Oldham. Is Britain heading towards an American situation where half of the electorate passionately believe one thing, and the other half passionately believe the other? Is the Bubble capable of acknowledging that politics has changed, possibly if not forever, then for the time being? Stewart Wood: 2015 was the year when politics changed fundamentally in Britain. It saw the rise & further rise of politics outside the traditional Westminster cartel – from the social movement that underpinned a triumphant SNP to the Corbynista movement tha

Host Philip Webster is joined by Rachel Sylvester, Libby Purves and Hugo Rifkind. Rachel Sylvester: David Cameron once said his Party had to stop banging on about Europe but now the rest of premiership is going to be defined by a referendum on Britain's relationship with the EU. The polls are narrowing and ministers who wants to stay in are increasingly worried that people will vote to leave. The essay crisis prime minister got the grades he needed in the referendums on AV and Scotland, and the general election but is complacency going to make him fail the biggest test? Libby Purves: The fear of ‘radicalization’ into actual violence is reasonable; so is public political correctness, which is basically just politeness. But they’re leading us too far down a dangerous path. Hate-speech laws haven’t helped. We need to accept that as long as you don’t incite or perform violence or discrimination, you can believe what you like, and insult other people’s behaviour and beliefs. That's a British value... &#

Opinion podcast with David Aaronovitch, Lucy Fisher and Phil Collins. -- Phil Collins: The anonymous man who said, to the attacker at Leytonstone tube station, “you ain’t no Muslim, bruv” has been hailed as speaking for moderate people of all faiths and none. Quite right too. Yet the statement is, alas, not quite true. We cannot attribute murder to faith but we cannot pretend faith is entirely irrelevant either. David Aaronovitch: Oh what a great brouhaha that Syria vote was. 'Momentous' said the BBC. A fabulous debate everyone agreed, with MPs congratulated - on either side - for weighing the issues and their consciences with almost exquisite aesthetic precision. Well, balls frankly. The decision was the minimum possible response a country like ours could have made. Anything else would have been an admission that, short of responding to being invaded, Britain had put its military out to grass. Lucy Fisher: It's received wisdom that Jeremy Corbyn is unelectable & Labour will tank at the 2020 poll

Philip Webster is joined by Fay Schlesinger, Giles Whittell and Anne Ashworth. Fay Schlesinger: After Jeremy Corbyn was elected, he promised a “kinder politics”. Fast forward two months and his allies are vowing revenge on shadow cabinet ministers at odds with him over Syrian airstrikes. Even the most attractive of Corbyn’s traits are turning sour. He must drop the Mr Nice Guy act or compromise over his ideals. He can't keep up the charade of both. Giles Whittell: There is an air of unreality about the Paris climate conference. The challenge is more urgent than ever but India won't stop burning coal, America won't be legally bound by anything and yet somehow delegates are optimist for a breakthrough. It won't happen until someone does for energy what cell phones did for communications - enables the developing world to leapfrog the developed. Anne Ashworth: There's a power grab going in the housing market. Schemes - like the Help to Buy Isa which makes its debut today and the stamp duty changes - are...

Philip Webster is joined by Stewart Wood and Daniel Finkelstein. Stewart Wood: The Syrian crisis looks set to dominate British politics for the foreseeable future. Issues around the response to terrorism in Europe, dealing with unprecedented migration flows & UK involvement in bringing the Syrian conflict to an end should be the overwhelming priorities for our Government. Given the seriousness and complexity of these issues, David Cameron should seek all-party support for postponing the EU referendum until 2019. Daniel FInkelstein: During the first years of this government, it was argued that we needed to borrow more because we were in a recession. Now we aren't in one it should follow that this is the time to borrow less. We can't continue with a massive structural deficit.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Philip Webster is joined by Alice Thomson, Roger Boyes and John McTernan. Alice Thomson: Looking at the rows of victims in Paris, they all have glossy hair, white smiles and youth. It used to be the police, establishment, businesses and commuters who were the most vulnerable to terrorism. This is the first time the Facebook generation has been targeted, on a Friday night when they're relaxing at cafes, concerts and matches, how will they respond? Roger Boyes: Our efforts to " contain and degrade" Isis have failed. We are left with two rotten options: accept that Putin now controls Syria's future and mount joint bombing campaigns, using unpalatable Hezbollah and Iranians to do the dirty work on the ground. Or we overcome our fear of using ground troops and confront Isis face to face. John McTernan: To be a credible potential government Labour has to convince voters they can be trusted with national security. In uncertain times that becomes even more critical. Opposing shoot to kill, condemning French...

Philip Webster is joined by Oliver Kamm, Lucy Fisher and Michael Savage. Oliver Kamm: Jeremy Corbyn has accused the chief of defence staff, Sir Nicholas Houghton, of political bias for intervening on the question of Britain's nuclear deterrent. The claim is absurd - a measure of the frivolity of Corbyn's own stance rather than any extra-constitutional manoeuvring by the armed forces. Every postwar government has supported Britain's nuclear deterrent and our participation in Nato. That is the policy of the Labour party, regardless of Corbyn's own views. Corbyn's parliamentary colleagues know that the voters will never trust a party that is weak on defence - and they should flatly contradict their leader's whims. Lucy Fisher: Britain is facing a crisis of confidence in foreign policy, “sidelined in Syria, ineffective in Ukraine, unwilling in Europe, and inimical towards refugees”. That was the damning verdict of some of the UK’s most senior former diplomats, intelligence officers and academics in a...

Philip Webster is joined by Rachel Sylvester, Emma Tucker and Philip Collins. Rachel Sylvester: George Osborne is the most intriguing politician of our age. He’s morphed from a short termist partisan tactician to a political strategist with a long term plan. But, as the tax credit fiasco shows, his biggest flaw is that he still lacks empathy - the ability to win people over by persuading them he understands how they feel. If he wants to become Conservative leader and Prime Minister he's got to prove he knows that that politics is about emotions as well power. Emma Tucker: Debate about Britain's relationship with the European Union is about to heat up as David Cameron prepares to outline his desired reform package in a letter to be delivered to Brussels this week. But he faces very tricky manoeuvres. Europe’s leaders don't really want to engage with him until he can reassure them that he will vote for Britain to stay in the EU. But if he does so, the Outers will accuse him of reducing incentives for... &

Philip Webster is joined by Sam Coates, Hugo Rifkind and Patrick Kidd. Sam Coates: George Osborne got the strategy wrong, the tactics wrong, the politics wrong, the communications wrong and the people-handling wrong - all the things the Chancellor is meant to be good at. MPs think his reputation has taken a hit. After riding high over the summer, the Chancellor's reputation was probably due a correction to the mean, but Boris would be unwise to think things have swung that much in his favour. Anyway the tax credit problem is still far from solved - anyone with any ideas should pop them on a postcard to the Treasury Hugo Rifkind: What's up with students? Last week, Germaine Greer cancelled a lecture at Cardiff University, after a petition circulated calling for her to be disinvited, due to her "problematic" views. When I was a student, visiting speakers included people such as the BNP's Nick Griffin and the radical Islamist Omar Bakri. If we could cope with them, how come students today can't cope with...

In his final Opinion podcast, host Tim Montgomerie is joined by Rachel Sylvester, Mathew Parris and Ann Treneman. Matthew Parris: Now that we're having to take seriously the possibility (though not, I think, the likelihood) that Britain may vote to leave the EU, we need to look beyond that possible Leave vote. What happens then? The government will have to begin a lengthy negotiation about the terms of our departure, with (of course) no negotiating cards to play at all. Much - a huge amount - will hang on the terms we are finally able to secure. It's perfectly possible voters who voted in principle to leave will find those terms unacceptable in practice. There will have to be a second referendum. Ann Treneman: What is Jeremy Corbyn playing at? Going on holiday (and to Scotland!) when he should be kissing the Queen's hand and becoming a privy councillor. It seems that we knew he was a republican but, hey, he actually seems to be a republican! Will Corbyn, in his own way, make us grow up as to how we...

Tim Montgomerie presents the Opinion podcast direct from Manchester at The Conservative Party conference: - Daniel Finkelstein and Jenni Russell: The Times - Paul Goodman: Conservativehome.com  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tim Montgomerie presents the Opinion podcast direct from Brighton at The Labour Party conference: - Andy Burnham: Shadow Home Secretary - Matthew Parris, Lucy Fisher and Marcus Roberts  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tim Montgomerie presents the Opinion podcast direct from Bournemouth: Norman Lamb - Liberal Democrats Patrick Kidd and Michael Savage from The Times Julia Unwin - Joseph Rowntree Foundation  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Philip Collins, Oliver Kamm and Libby Purves. Philip Collins Let's skip the bit where commentators ingeniously invent reasons why Corbyn might turn out to be Clement Attlee. No, this is man of no interesting ideas and no experience of running a political operation. He has started as he is condemned to go on. In chaos. The task for the sensible Labour party is to renew intellectually and engage the new members who will rapidly have buyer's remorse. Oliver Kamm In the 48 hours since Corbyn's election, I have dramatically changed my opinion. Yet again the great Phil Collins is vindicated. I've previously argued there's an ethical obligation on Labour MPs to withdraw cooperation from the whips and declare themselves opposed to a leader who is out of step with party's traditions & progressive values. Yet I hadn't reckoned on the scale of the incompetence of Corbyn & his allies. You can hold on as leader even in the face of bad polls; but it's much more difficult to do so

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Rachel Sylvester, Matthew Parris and Roger Boyes: Rachel Sylvester Politicians ought to like the country they want to lead but the Corbynistas seem to disapprove of modern Britain. They are Roundheads in a Cavalier age, collectivists in an era dominated by individualism. There is a sense of moral superiority on the left that is as off-putting as the born-to-rule attitude on the right. Labour moderates must take back the moral high ground in their party. There is nothing wrong with wanting to win. Matthew Parris There was something infantile about the apparent switch of public - or at least media - opinion after the publication of that photograph of a drowned Syrian toddler. As if we didn't know already that children were being drowned. My guess, though, is that public sympathy and generosity remains rather thin. People do understand the argument that European hospitality risks drawing in new waves of migrants. Still, the sentiment that photo stirred did give the Prime...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Michael Savage, Patrick Kidd and Melanie Philips: Michael Savage It's not been a good summer for our increasingly cramped second chamber. The latest set of peerages confirmed their use as a reward for political donors, allies and lieutenants - the appointment of a prominent figure felled by the expenses scandal caused wide disbelief, and it all came after Lord Sewell's alleged extra-curricular antics had provoked new calls for Lords reform of some kind. With the second chamber now bigger than ever and its reputation in question, will they - or should they - come to anything? Patrick Kidd The claim that David Cameron had to buy a cheap pair of Asda wellies to visit the Somerset floods when he had a perfectly good pair of Hunters in the car boot shows that we have reached peak vacuity in this image-obsessed era of politics. But is that their fault or ours? And is the key lesson of Corbynmania that looks really don't matter? Melanie Philips When I saw the Union Jack being... &#