Coronomics: Recent Episodes
Coronomics
Stories from countries turned upside down by coronavirus. A podcast series brought to you by Kate Andrews, the Spectator's Economics Correspondent, and a special panel from around the world.
In this special edition of Coffee House Shots, Lucy Dunn speaks to the Holyrood leader of the pro-independence Alba party, Ash Regan. Regan was formerly a member of the SNP and even ran to be the party’s leader after Nicola Sturgeon resigned in 2023. She defected to the late Alex Salmond’s Alba party 18 months ago and ran for party leader after his death.
On the podcast, she talks to Lucy about the difference between Alba and the SNP, the threat of Reform in Scotland, the ‘performative’ nature of Scottish politics, the Supreme Court ruling over what is a woman, and why she was right to resign over the Gender Recognition Bill.
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Stewart McDonald, former SNP MP for Glasgow South 2015-24, and Lucy Dunn join James Heale on this special Coffee House Scots to discuss Sturgeon's legacy. She brought Scotland the closest to independence for 300 years, yet resigned in 2023 under a cloud over party management. Attention turns to next year's election, could the SNP's winning streak continue without her?
Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Natasha Feroze.
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Who could benefit from the increased fragmentation of voters in Scotland? Will demands for more time, money and attention cause even more issues for Rachel Reeves? As Scottish Labour meets for its conference in Glasgow this weekend, James and editor Michael Gove join Katy Balls to discuss the dynamics between Holyrood and Westminster. Michael also spots a positive avenue for Labour, should they wish to take it...
Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
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Katy Balls is joined by The Spectator’s editor Michael Gove, and data editor Michael Simmons, to discuss the separation, why the investigation is still ongoing four years later, and what chances Scottish Labour or Reform have against the SNP in 2025.
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Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf has just announced his intention to resign. Lucy Dunn speaks to Katy Balls and Spectator contributor Iain Macwhirter about how the past few weeks have led to this point and what to expect from an SNP leadership contest.
It's been quite the week for the SNP. Questions remain over the future of the Sandyford gender clinic, 'the tartan Tavistock'; the Scottish government ditched its flagship climate change target; and former party chief executive, and husband of Nicola Sturgeon, Peter Murrell was rearrested on embezzlement charges.
What does this all mean for the SNP? Lucy Dunn speaks to Iain Macwhirter, columnist at The Times, and Shona Craven, columnist at The National.
Produced by Natasha Feroze and Patrick Gibbons
Nicola Sturgeon was emotional whilst giving evidence at the Covid inquiry today – a highly anticipated part of the inquiry given the issue of deleted Whatsapp messages. How did the former first minister come across today? And what else can the evidence tell us about how the Scottish government operated? Katy Balls speaks to Isabel Hardman and Michael Simmons.
At his first speech as SNP leader at the party's conference, Humza Yousaf gave a policy-filled address. He hasn't had an easy start to his leadership, but can he turn things around? Katy Balls talks to Lucy Dunn and Iain Macwhirter.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Cindy Yu.
Lisa Cameron MP has quit the SNP to join the Conservative party, just days before the SNP holds its party conference in Aberdeen. What does this say about the state of the Scottish National Party under Humza Yousaf? James Heale talks to Isabel Hardman and Lucy Dunn.
Produced by Max Jeffery and Cindy Yu.
A by-election is on the cards for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, after former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier was recalled by her constituents. She'd flouted lockdown rules in 2020, taking a train from London to Scotland despite testing positive for Covid. Given that Labour will need to make gains in Scotland in order to win the next election, this by-election has become a bellwether for the party. Cindy Yu talks to Katy Balls and Lucy Dunn about what to expect.
Produced by Cindy Yu.
The arrest of the SNP's treasurer Colin Beattie in relation to the probe into the party's finances has overshadowed Humza Yousaf's relaunch speech scheduled for today. Beattie has been taken into custody two weeks after Peter Murrell, the SNP's chief executive, was questioned by police regarding loans made in June 2021. Can Yousaf distance himself from the chaos in his own party? What does this mean for Scottish Labour's chances at the next election?
Michael Simmons speaks to Katy Balls and Stephen Daisley.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
Humza Yousaf has been announced as the new leader of the SNP after a narrow victory over second placed Kate Forbes. What will this mean for the cause of Scottish independence?
Katy Balls speaks to Michael Simmons, Stephen Daisley and Fraser Nelson.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
The SNP has confirmed that its membership has fallen to 72,000 – a loss of over 30,000 since 2021. This has prompted an open letter from leadership candidates Kate Forbes and Ash Regan, calling for transparency when it comes to membership numbers. Why are so many leaving?
Also on the podcast, Humza Yousaf has committed yet another public gaffe when he went to visit a group of female Ukrainian refugees. Is he still the firm favourite?
Katy Balls speaks to Michael Simmons, Lucy Dunn and Fraser Nelson.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
After a tumultuous two weeks, voting is now open for the SNP leadership elections until 27 March. But are members any closer to knowing who they’ll vote for? The deputy first minister of the SNP, John Swinney has backed Humza Yousaf to be SNP leader. What could be seen as an influential endorsement by some, can also be a sign that the Yousaf campaign is worried things are tighter than hoped.
Michael Simmons speaks to Katy Balls and Alex Massie.
We had the first televised hustings for the leadership of the SNP last night, and it was a fiery affair to say the least. Will the lack of party unity end up costing the SNP?
Lucy Dunn speaks to Katy Balls and Stephen Daisley.
It's been an interesting week in the race for the leadership of the SNP. Kate Forbes's campaign has been plunged into fresh doubt by the news that her husband attended a private Tory hustings, whilst Douglas Ross has been forced to apologise after swearing during First Minister's Questions. We also had the first hustings, but who came out on top?
Michael Simmons speaks to Fraser Nelson, Katy Balls and Stephen Daisley.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
In the first of The Spectator's special Coffee House Scots series, Michael Simmons speaks to Isabel Hardman, Katy Balls and Stephen Daisley about the SNP leadership race. Given that the main motivation uniting the SNP is the ambition for an independent Scotland, how do the candidates differ ideologically?
The Coronomics series has come to an end after starting in mid-April, at a time when Hong Kong, Britain, the US, and Italy were at much more serious points of the pandemic. On this final episode, Kate Andrews talks to Nick Gillespie, Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli, and Jennifer Creery about what their respective governments have learnt during the crisis, and where they went wrong.
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In this episode, Mauricio Savarese reports on the latest from Brazil where the battle between the President Jair Bolsonaro and the media heats up. Kate Andrews updates on Britain's Covid situation with a report from the Times on an estimate for excess cancer deaths in 2021, and Cindy Yu reports on how Beijing's cluster infection has further damaged business and consumer confidence.
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Reporter at Canada's Globe and Mail, Robyn Doolittle, joins the panel this week to discuss what went wrong in Canada. Speaking to a series of infectious-disease experts, health officials and politicians, Robyn and her team pieced together an image of the 'lost months' - a period between January and March when more should have been done to prevent the pandemic. Also on the podcast: Kate Andrews gives an update on the latest in Leicester; Jennifer Creery reports on Hong Kong's latest worry - an influx of migrant workers; and Fredrik Erixon reflects back on Sweden's laissez-faire approach.
Read the articles discussed here:
Hong Kong: https://asiatimes.com/2020/06/hold-quarantine-centre-plea-as-domestic-workers-return/
Sweden: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sweden-self-isolation-in-the-country-that-didnt-do-lockdown-jdjdsc8mm
Canada: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/investigations/article-canadas-lost-months-when-covid-19s-first-wave-hit-governments-and/
UK: https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/hundreds-more-people-diagnosed-covid-4272970
The Spectator is looking for the UK's brightest entrepreneurs for our Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by private bank Julius Baer. If you run a business that brings radical positive change and is capable of achieving national or international impact, we want to hear from you. Apply by 1 July at www.spectator.co.uk/innovator.
Germany has launched its contact tracing app, but is it the only way to get out of lockdown? Kate Andrews talks to a panel of international guests and hears about the situation from Italy, where concerns over tourism and getting their cities back are conflicting the residents of Venice and Rome; from Germany, where uptake on the new app has been good; and from America, on how even 'science' is becoming partisan.
With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli from Rome, Nick Gillespie from New York, and Constantin Eckner from Berlin.
Presented by Kate Andrews.
The Spectator is looking for the UK's brightest entrepreneurs for our Economic Innovator of the Year Awards, sponsored by private bank Julius Baer. If you run a business that brings radical positive change and is capable of achieving national or international impact, we want to hear from you. Apply by 1 July at www.spectator.co.uk/innovator.
With post-Covid life a bit closer for some countries around the world than others, this week's panel takes a look at how businesses are navigating their way out of the pandemic. Jennifer Creery, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press, takes a look at the government bailout to Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong's airline; Peter Griffin, a science and tech journalist based in New Zealand, talks about balancing contact tracing with the demands of reopening businesses; while Cindy Yu, the Spectator's Broadcast Editor, kicks off the episode by taking a look at China's candidates in the vaccine race.
Presented by Kate Andrews.
Click here to try 12 weeks of the Spectator for £12 and get a free £20 Amazon gift voucher.
In this week's episode, the Coronomics panel discuss Brazil’s unknown death toll, Sweden’s cautious optimism for employment, the UK’s crawl out of lockdown restrictions, and the double standards uncovered in America’s lockdown rules. Kate Andrews is joined by Fredrik Erixon in Sweden, Nick Gillespie in New York City, and Mauricio Savarese in Brazil.
In this week's episode, the panel discuss the merits of treatment vs vaccine, American red tape, Hong Kong's fairly relaxed stance on new infections, and Italy running out of money.
With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine.
Presented by Kate Andrews.
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Read the articles discussed in the episode here:
Italy: https://www.thelocal.it/20200514/italys-new-poor-the-people-left-in-poverty-by-the-coronavirus-crisis
Hong Kong: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3084283/coronavirus-hong-kong-health-experts-doubt-new
USA: https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-backed-coronavirus-testing-program-stopped-by-fda-2020-5?r=US&IR=T
UK: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/16/blood-thinning-drugs-can-help-save-covid-19-patients-lives/
In this week's episode, the Coronomics panel discuss Hong Kong's reopening, lockdown confusion in the UK, the American unemployment nightmare, and the growing divides between northern and southern Italy.
With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine.
Presented by Kate Andrews.
Read the articles discussed in the episode here:
Italy: https://www.ft.com/content/6c2ad256-9452-4480-9d98-2444b07675d4?shareType=nongift
Hong Kong: https://asiatimes.com/2020/05/hk-to-relax-social-distancing-rules-from-friday/
USA: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-terrible-jobs-report-gets-worse-the-more-you-read-it/
In this week's episode, the Coronomics panel discuss the confusions of Italy's lockdown easing; Hong Kong's large-scale repatriation of residents from South Asia; the potential watershed moment of American news outlets accepting federal funds; and whether China is looking down the barrel of a second wave.
With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine; and guest appearance from Cindy Yu, Broadcast Editor at the Spectator.
Presented by Kate Andrews.
Read the articles discussed in the episode here:
Italy: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccahughes/2020/04/29/italians-angered-by-chaotic-and-confusing-phase-2-lockdown-lift/
Hong Kong: https://asiatimes.com/2020/04/hk-to-repatriate-5200-citizens-from-india-pakistan/
USA: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/29/business/news-media-federal-aid-coronavirus.html?action=click&module=News&pgtype=Homepage
China: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/is-harbin-china-s-new-wuhan-
This six-part series is the latest addition to Spectator Radio. Each week, our panellists from around the world each select a story that gives you an inside look at what's happening outside their windows.
In this episode, we take a look at Italy's route to freedom, Boris's return to work, intergenerational tensions in New York, and Hong Kong's non-Covid patients.
With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; and Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine.
Presented by Kate Andrews.
Read the articles discussed here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/italy-coronavirus-phase-ii-may-4/2020/04/23/3bb47b52-84ae-11ea-81a3-9690c9881111_story.html
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-bearer-of-good-coronavirus-news-11587746176
https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1522723-20200425.htm
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/04/26/boris-johnson-could-ease-lockdown-may-7-deadline/
This six-part series is the latest addition to Spectator Radio. Each week, our panellists from around the world select a story that gives you an inside look at what's happening outside their windows.
This episode, we take a look at Italy's cautious reopening, the political blame game stateside, and Hong Kong's second wave worries.
With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; and Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine.
Presented by Kate Andrews.
This six-part series is the latest addition to Spectator Radio. Each week, our panellists from around the world select a story that gives you an inside look at what's happening outside their windows.
With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; and Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine.
Presented by Kate Andrews.