Friday 8th Febuary 2019

At six – discussing the big stories in Bristol, Britain and around the world
After seven – straight talking and investigative reports

BCfm’s weekly Politics Show presented by Tony Gosling

Listen live http://www.bcfmradio.com/player or http://stream.bcfmradio.com:7017/live.mp3

BCfm audio files usually available 1hr, Radio4All 3-4hrs, after TX
Any probs mp3s should be on alternative links below by then

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozfrKbJk_Qw&t=10m35s

First hour news review: with Labour activist Mal Sainsbury and Labour Councillor for St George Troopers Hill Fabian Breckles. Lloyds Bank alleged fraud not looked into by Avon and Somerset Police – Steve Brodie’s report on BBC Points West – cuts to police. Dru Marland, a trans woman, discusses how the Gender Recognition Act could be improved and why having your gender legalised is important– toilet sharing issues, is gender a social construct??, book written about Dru by Richard Beard ‘Becoming Drusilla’. Albert Finney dies – clip of him in ‘Saturday Night, Sunday Morning’ (1960) – which was X rated certificate in 60s and is now PG – what happened to British film industry? All about the money – good modern films and TV dramas. Brexit: Michael Foot and Ted Heath discuss the rights and wrongs of the EEC in the 70s; The decision for the UK to leave the European Union was overwhelmingly supported in parts of England with low income; Irish PM Leo Varadker discusses what he thinks of the backstop – Irish peace process; Corbyn in 2009 in Ireland – discussing the second Irish referendum on EU Lisbon treaty and the EU creating a ‘military Frankenstein’ – Germany and France considering an EU army; why May’s deal is so bad; People’s Referendum and uncertainty; Mark Carney warns no deal is increasingly likely – and could spark recession Mark Carney discussing how markets are sensitive to uncertainty; but why does Carney always gets economic forecasts wrong? QE and Bank of England – socialism for super rich.
Radio4All download pages
BCfm audio file
Radio4All audio file

Second hour Investigative reports: Trump’s State of the Union Address – France and Germany fall out over Nordstream 2 – Trump and State of Union Address: US flawed voting system;  could Trump be impeached? Behind Trump are the usual US fasces signs – a bundle of sticks – something Fascists used to mean strength in numbers; Fasces everywhere ‘big’ in the USA including the Lincoln memorial and Virginia Washington statue indicating the USA may simply be an attempt to re-create the Roman empire where the fasces symbol originated? Trump’s speech – he talks about ‘the wall’; reasons for immigration – also West intervening in countries;  drugs and military – prohibition; Trump discussing NATO in his speech and US’s nuclear treaty with Russia; Moscow military holds ‘press conference’ with 9M729 ‘Iskander’ missile explaining its maximum range is 480 km so it is not violating INF treaty: The Russian 9M729 land-based cruise missile, contrary to the allegations of the United States, does not fall under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), senior Russian officials said Wednesday.   “Russia has fulfilled and continues to strictly observe the provisions of the treaty and does not allow any violations,” said Lt.-Gen. Mikhail Matveyevsky, Chief of the Missile Troops and Artillery Branch of the Russian Armed Forces. – He spoke at a news briefing on the cruise missile for military attaches and Russian and foreign media, saying that the United States uses the missile to accuse Russia of violating the 1987 treaty and threatens to abandon it. – “The 9M729 missile could not be tested at the prohibited range of 500 to 5,500 km, as it was developed for other purposes,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said at the briefing – China’s Li Xiaofeng, an aide to a Chinese military attaché is implying that Russia is not violating INF treaty; nuclear weapons as a deterrent – Nuclear instability at levels not seen since Cuban Missile Crisis, says former US ambassador – business and profit in war;  Cuba and sanctions – socialism; Trump’s state of the union speech – socialism and Venezuela;  Venezuela – US coup to control oil;  US sanctions and ‘making economies scream’ to gain control – Argentina and Chile; Trump’s speech – Socialism – US ‘born free’; problems with US – health system, most unequal society;  Finland is top of the world for happiness, according to the World Happiness Report 2018, closely followed by Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and the Netherlands. UK and poverty;  UK food banks – job centres can’t refer anymore Universal credit: DWP ‘bans jobcentres from referring people to food banks’ – Benefit claimants ‘slipping through the net’ after claim government is ordering local jobcentres to stop referring them to food banks in a ‘ploy to hide those needing help’; Universal Credit disaster; citizen’s income a brilliant humane system; Bristol University suicides; life expectancy starting to fall; homelessness; enough council housing for everyone in 70s The end of council housing – In 1979, 42% of Britons lived in council homes. Today that figure is just under 8%. Now, by scrapping secure tenancies and bringing in a pay-to-stay scheme, the government’s new housing bill could mark the end of a century-old dream – 80s ‘Right to Buy’; Trump’s speech – his crescendo – the American dream = survival of fittest? – the Christian right – antithesis to Christianity. PMQs Venezuela – a role model for Corbyn? – Venezuela and US interference about oil; Is Oil Behind Washington’s Venezuela Coup Madness? By F. William Engdahl 3 February 2019 – RAJAR: LBC grows to record 2.2m audience while BBC Radio 4 sheds 770,000 listeners – BBC and bias to right – John Humphries from Today Programme will retire this year; mainstream news and how to break and regulate the media monopolies.
Radio4All download pages
BCfm audio file
Radio4All audio file