Podcast #20: Easter 2012 end-of-term report
The coalition is leaking political capital. Will the government be a shambles up until 2015?
There's much more than just the coalition to pick over as we consider the state of politics in Britain after the first three months of 2012. Yes, this period has seen the government's popularity mauled over its welfare and NHS reforms. But there's also been the millionaires' Budget, Ed Miliband's travails against the unions, the public's ongoing vilification of the bankers and the journalists and the police and… well, everyone, really.
Then comes foreign affairs, with Afghanistan, the Falklands and Syria ongoing concerns. The Scottish independence referendum is also beginning to be a big issue, if not quite in the same category just yet. Opening skirmishes here are foreshadowing much more serious debates in the months to come.
As parliament breaks for Easter we're taking a slight hiatus – this will be our only podcast over the recess period before normal service resumes on April 20th. We're planning a six-episode set of podcasts during the first half of the next parliamentary run, including analysis of the London elections and the coalition's reloaded legislative agenda following the Queen's Speech. Lots of politics to look forward to, then, in April and May this year…
