The Why? Curve

Andy Burnham can deliver speeches, and TikToks - but can he deliver on his promises? Will people outside Labour's conference still find hope, after what looks likely to be a hard budget at the end of October? The prime minister is facing huge challenges, and Matthew Flinders, Professor of Politi...

The conflict in the Gulf is now extending to the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia is being attacked by the Houthi rebels from Yemen, and risks losing its other main oil shipping route. Meanwhile President Trump seems undecided whether to escalate his fight with Iran, or make concessions to reopen the Strait of...

Government debt around the world is at unprecedented levels - and so is the cost of borrowing, which means there's less to spend on hospitals, school and defence. So why is the debt so big, and the cost so high? And is it up to central banks to try to rebalance the system? Muhammad Ali Nasir, Profes...

Lake America - Donald Trump has decided to rename Lake Ontario, and the Gulf of Mexico, and even the state of New Mexico. It seems a ridiculous distraction from more pressing problems, but can the US president just change the names of places as he pleases? Who decides? And why does it matter wh...

As Reform UK hold their party conference, their polling numbers are dropping and the party leadership is beset by financial scandals and leadership arguments. Meanwhile Restore Britain is snapping at their heels, and the Conservatives seem to be back from the dead. So what is the future of the right...

Moscow is warning of consequences for the UK's support of Ukraine, but - short of all-out war - what could they be? There's already a level of hybrid war, with sabotage of major industries, destruction of warehouses and hacking of key utilities, but could that escalate? How prepared is Britain for w...

The UK is running out of cells, but there’s an outcry that convicts are being let out early. We already lock up more people for longer than most comparable European countries, so are we a more criminal society, or just a more punitive one? What could or should the government do? Are more and bigger ...

The head of FIFA is clinging to his job because he announced a plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity firms - resulting in cries of outrage about the commercialisation of the beautiful game. But what’s wrong with getting the best return from a game that is already a billion-doll...

Why do we still have people rough-sleeping in our cities? How can an advanced economy like ours allow people to slip through the net so far, they have to live on the street? Andy Burnham has promised to end rough-sleeping, but how can he do it? Jo Richardson, Professor of Housing and Social Inclusio...

Japan has the bullet train, Spain, France and Italy have fast connections across the country, China has a huge high-speed network...... and we have the shrunken remains of HS2. Why can't the country that invented railways now create its own efficient, well-managed express train system? Phil and Roge...