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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: 08/10/2010 Conservative Party Conference | Europe | Freedom

Factual: Politics

08/10/2010

08/10/2010 Conservative Party Conference | Europe | Freedom

BBC World Service - Politics UK Archive, 08/10/2010 Conservative Party Conference | Europe | Freedom

A weekly look inside British politics from the BBC with Susan Hulme.

The Conservative Party Conference: David Cameron's Big Society, welfare reform, the strange death of Conservative Euroscepticism - and is free speech is under threat in Britain?

At the Conservative Party's annual conference in Birmingham this week, British Prime Minister David Cameron tried to mobilise the ‘Big Society’ society to pull together in the national interest; but will today's public answer the call to volunteer at the end of a long working day, and especially when spending cuts start to bite? We talk to Nicholas Watt of The Guardian newspaper and Fraser Nelson, editor of The Spectator magazine.

In his conference speech, finance minister George Osborne said bankers, bailed out by the British taxpayers, must start lending to small businesses again if they are to take large bonuses. City of London MP Mark Field warns of the dangers of rabble-rousing over the banks.

We speak to the welfare minister Iain Duncan Smith, to find out how he plans to end the trap that keeps five million Britons on benefits and make it worthwhile for people to return to work.

The dog that didn't bark: the strange death of Conservative Euroscepticism. We ask Iain Martin, political editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe, if the Conservative party have finally put divisions over Europe behind them.

And fighting for freedom: is free speech is under threat in Britain? Alex Dean of pressure group Big Brother Watch and Claire Fox of the Institute for Ideas tell us their fears.

All in Politics UK with Susan Hulme.

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