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Politics UK Archive

A weekly look inside British politics from the BBC

*** This programme is no longer on-air, but please listen to our archive of available episodes ***

Issues affecting British social and political life.

*** This programme is no longer on-air, but please listen to our archive of available episodes ***

Politics UK is the weekly programme that covers British political and policy issues, economic and cultural change and Britain’s standing in Europe and the rest of the world in a way that is relevant to an international audience.  
It's the flagship programme for UK political analysis and debate on the BBC World Service.  
Leading politicians, commentators and intellectuals take part each week to discuss and reflect on the main events shaping British politics.

Politics UK

Politics UK Archive: 16/07/2010 Public Sector Cuts | The Mandelson Memoirs | The Swedish Solution

Factual: Politics

16/07/2010

16/07/2010 Public Sector Cuts | The Mandelson Memoirs | The Swedish Solution

BBC World Service - Politics UK Archive, 16/07/2010 Public Sector Cuts | The Mandelson Memoirs | The Swedish Solution

Public Sector cuts, the Mandelson memoirs and why the Tories admire Sweden.

Public sector cuts; the Mandelson memoirs and why the Tories find so much to admire in Sweden.

Is Britain facing another Winter of Discontent?  The trade unions are squaring up for a fight with the Coalition over public sector cuts. The Prince of Darkness spills the beans about what really went on between Mr Blair and Mr Brown, but what will the public make of the revelations of skulduggery in high places? And what is it about Sweden?  Politics UK explains the Tory love affair with the Swedish model.  Presented by Edward Stourton.


The coalition government's attempts to reduce spending, and so cut the budget deficit, are likely to have a huge impact on public sector workers. The public sector unions are bracing themselves for a battle to save jobs and benefits for their members. The veteran political journalist Nicholas Jones compares the current situation with previous clashes between Government and the unions.
Mark Serwotka is General Secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS). He assesses the impact of the government's proposed changes on the workers he represents.

Lord Mandelson, the so-called 'Prince of Darkness', was an extremely influential figure in the last Labour government. His memoirs have just been published and they are extremely candid about the long-running feud between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Anthony Howard, a seasoned observer of the political scene, and Lance Price, a former BBC political correspondent who later worked in Downing Street's communications department, discuss what they make of the book.

Sweden holds a lot of answers for how best to run the public sector - as far as many Conservative ministers are concerned. Dan Lucas, the London correspondent of the Swedish newspaper "Dagens Nyheter", and Fraser Nelson, editor of "The Spectator", analyse why the Tories find so much to admire in Sweden.

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