The Times Red Box Podcast

Philip Collins, Richard Fletcher and Melanie Reid of The Times join Tim Montgomerie for this special edition of Did You Read?, where they discuss the Scottish Referendum result, the consequences for the entire UK as well as ask which party leader has come off worst? Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-you-read  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The panel discuss the latest news ahead of the independence referendum in Scotland and debate the potential political ramifications. Tim Montgomerie is joined by Hugo Rifkind, Jenni Russell and political commentator and pollster Peter Kellner. Plus, the paper's Scottish Political Editor, Lindsay McIntosh, joins the debate direct from Scotland. Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-you-read  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Francis Elliott, Matthew Parris and Deborah Haynes. Francis Elliott David Cameron in Portugal, Ed Miliband in France and Nick Clegg in Spain - which of them will be most enjoying their break? Mr Cameron is famously good at "chillaxing" but with the polls not so far following the economic growth figures he - arguably - has more to worry about than Mr Miliband. It is Mr Clegg, however, who most needs a break. Matthew Parris As the situation deteriorates in LIbya, the voices keenest for the 2011 intervention (including perhaps The Times) will re-set their advice, arguing now that the problem is that we haven't intervened enough. They will advocate further intervention. But these are the voices that originally advised that intervention-lite, all done from the air with no "boots on the ground" would do the trick. We must remind ourselves that they were wrong then, that we have no reason to trust their advice now, and that a period of silence from the neocons would be... &nbs

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Suzy Jagger, Roger Boyes and Patrick Kidd. Suzy Jagger Libya is at risk of fracturing into three fiefdoms - tripoli in the west, Benghazi in the east, and Sabbha in the south. Libya has enjoyed no stability since the overthrow of Gaddafi and points to a sobering third chapter of the Arab spring - uprising and coup; nascent democracy; and terrifying chaos. As the Middle East burns, literally, we have a foreign secretary with no foreign policy experience and a government with no foreign policy. Roger Boyes It's a hot summer. Wars in Syria, Iraq, Gaza, Ukraine, Afghanistan, trouble brewing in the South China Sea, Libya in flames. It hasn't been that bad for a century. All these flare-ups seem insoluble so it's tempting to look away, do the Harold Macmillan thing and shoot some grouse on the moors. But is all this killing really so difficult to stop? Patrick Kidd Cameron's packing the latest Ben Macintyre book (sensible fellow), Miliband's sucking up to a Labour donor... &n

Tim Montgomerie is joined by David Aaronovitch, Matt Ridley and Anne Ashworth. David Aaronovitch Sometimes it is hard to grasp the meaning of an event. In the wake of the shooting down of the Malaysian airliner - almost certainly by pro-Russian separatists, it turns out that Vladimir Putin has been, in effect, waging war on his neighbour. The US claims that over 100 armoured vehicles have been given by Russia to the rebels in recent weeks begs the question of why we have done so little about it. Anne Ashworth Ain’t nothing going on but the rent, so long as millions of twentysomethings are concerned. However, politicians do not seem to be aware of the explosive growth in the private rented sector - now bigger than social housing - and the need for imaginative policy in this area which would provide more affordable homes to let. No wonder younger voters are so disaffected. Matt Ridley We’ve spent years encouraging faith schools, and when a group of Birmingham schools come along and show us what real...

Special addition: Tim Montgomerie is joined by Phil Collins, Jill Sherman and Phillip Webster after an extraordinary day which has seen an extensive cabinet reshuffle. The panel attempt to answer the following: 1. Is this still a reforming govt? 2. Has the reshuffle met expectations for women? 3. Is the Eurosceptic movement for an election or to last? Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-you-read  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Rachel Sylvester, Fay Schlesinger and Matthew Syed. Rachel Sylvester David Cameron is carrying out a reshuffle for women. How patronising. The truth is the Tories are struggling to get local associations to choose female candidates, and have failed to tackle the off-putting culture of the House of Commons. All the parties need more than tokenism to woo women voters. Fay Schlesinger In 1961, a new law challenged the so-called sanctity of life and raised fears of a 'slippery slope' and the untimely death of thousands. That law legalised suicide. This week Lords will debate assisted dying, which crosses another line by giving doctors a proactive hand in death. With the right controls, it makes compassionate and practical sense. In an ageing society, governments cannot shirk responsibility for helping people to die well. Matthew Syed There is a proposal to make “honesty lessons” for new MP’s compulsory. I think this is silly. The problem with trust in politics is much...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Daniel Finkelstein, Ann Treneman and Patrick Kidd. Daniel Finkelstein: “The recent death of Gerry Conlon and the compensation paid to the wrongly convicted youths accused of raping the Central Park jogger, should remind us of the danger of hysteria and panic to the operation of the justice system. This week as I review the child abuse debate I wonder if we have forgotten this.” Ann Treneman: “Are we seeing the return of Parliament as a power in the land? On Monday, the Home Secretary repeatedly acknowledged the "relentless" campaigns by backbench MPs on the issue of alleged child abuse. But there is also the power of the Europhobes, who have got the government on the run. I would also say that Mr Speaker himself, by simply re-discovering something called the Urgent Questions, has made the Commons much more relevant. People say Parliament isn't what it used to be. Actually, I think it's growing in importance every year.” Patrick Kidd: “The warning is stark: to meet a £30bn...

This week, Tim Montgomerie is joined by Francis Elliott, Matthew Parris and Jenni Russell. DYR? Francis Elliott If David Cameron really wants the European Commission to be an agent for change and a place where dynamic politicians go to complete a glittering career two of his arguments from the Juncker J'accuse speech last week - then why on earth is he poised to send Andrew Lansley to Brussels? Matthew Parris Neither my time nor my capacity for enquiry and deliberation are unlimited. So I have decided to have no opinion at all on what those involved should do about the ISIS crisis. We British are not involved. I have no opinion on the future of the US Space Program, either. Jenni Russell There's been outrage over the revelation that Facebook spent a week manipulating the news its users read to discover whether giving them sad or happy stories affected what they then posted online. The anger is justified. But we are all being manipulated all the time by what we read, see and choose to follow...

Philip Collins steps in for Tim Montgomerie and is joined by Suzy Jagger, Phil Webster and Patrick Kidd. Suzy Jagger This month's surprise - and to date, devastatingly successful - assault by Isis on Northern Iraq has led to a new cat's cradle of shifting internAtional alliances. The West has found itself to be a new uncomfortable bedfellow with Tehran. How do we manage these new allegiances? And are we right to blame much of the crisis deepening in the region to President Obama's complete absence of real foreign policy? Philip Webster Cameron has played the Juncker appointment badly, unnecessarily losing Merkel on the way. He can salvage something from the wreckage by facing other leaders down on Thursday and staging an immediate press conference at midnight to tell the world who voted for whom. Patrick Kidd Shocking in Sao Paulo, humbled in Hamilton and now stumped by Sri Lanka in Leeds, it's been a grim few days for England sports fans. Whatever happened to that glorious summer of 2012 when we... &#

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Melanie Phillips, Alice Thomson and Roger Alton. Melanie Phillips People say the Iraq debacle has happened because we went in and got rid of strong man Saddam. On the contrary, it's because the US and UK got out of Iraq, allowing Maliki to alienate the Sunnis. Leaving a strong man in place hasn't worked in Syria, and Saddam would have run his own jihadi gangs. This chaos directly threatens the West, as did Saddam, but the main focus should be on the head of the snake, Iran. Alice Thomson The real battle in education is not between Dominic Cummings and David Cameron whom he tells Rachel Sylvester and me is like "a sphinx without a riddle" but between Michael Gove and The Blob . The Education Secretary is determined to face down the trendy modernists who want all children making paper mâché puppets and set schools free while promoting academic rigour, he's right. Roger Alton Many people, not always women - are quite happy to say "I don't know anything about football" as if...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Libby Purves, Daniel Finkelstein and newcomer, Giles Whittell. Libby Purves Ann Widdecombe complains that it is ‘very difficult” to be an active Christian in Britain today. She says that Militant secularism stops people in workplaces from wearing crosses, saying God bless, or offering to pray for people - and that - quotes “stances of conscience” are prevented by political correctness and equality law. I say - render unto Caesar: and show don’t tell...and that applies to other religions too. Daniel Finkelstein What is the point in Britain having influence if it doesn't use it? And what better cause could there be than trying to prevent Jean Claude Juncker from being President of the European Commission? For both procedural and substantive reasons, Mr Juncker is the wrong President for the Commission and this matters even if you believe that the EU must be only a single market. Giles Whittell I’d like to talk about what Putin does next. Little mentioned in our... &nbs

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Matthew Parris, Ann Treneman and David Aaronovitch. Matthew Parris Spain's King Juan Carlos was respected in the 1980s for his brave refusal to support a coup against democracy. That respect has been squandered: hence (in part) the abdication, but are we smug in pointing this out? The fading of British republicanism in recent decades has been enormously dependent on the growing personal popularity of our Queen. Our real monarchists are probably a minority. The majority are, firstly, Elizabethists. Woe betide our monarchy if we ever got a real stinker on the throne. David Aaronovitch The Newark by-election on Thursday is a genuinely interesting contest. My contention - and polls seem to back it up - is that the Euro elections were a Ukip high point. As Ukip has grown, so the proportion of people alarmed by them has grown too. But the media appreciation of this fact has been slow in developing. If the Tories hold on to Newark with any degree of comfort then the understanding...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Jenni Russell, Philip Webster and Hugo Rifkind. Jenni gives advice to David Cameron: Cameron needs to become a radical dynamic insurgent, not the calm patrician chairman he is now. He must fight internationally to get companies like Amazon and Google to pay proper tax, change the rules on benefit and housing so recent arrivals can't claim, raise the minimum wage and enforce it, and restrict the right of people from the EU's poorest countries to work here. Phil gives advice to Nigel Farage: Nigel. Having achieved your much vaunted tremor you now need to level with your party and voters. Otherwise a year from now there will be a lot of disillusioned people. Hugo gives advice to Nick Clegg: Nick, your only hope is absolute honesty. Start explaining what you've done in government, why you did it, and what else you'd have liked to do but couldn't. Most of all, start talking about future coalitions. Don't fall into the trap of merely sitting around, wistfully dreaming of what... &

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Rachel Sylvester, Philip Webster and Stephan Shakespeare to discuss the following: Is UKIP here to stay as Britain's fourth party? Can Clegg do anything to revive the Lib Dems or is he finished as a political force? How big is Labour's Ed Miliband problem? Tory HQ is unconvinced that Labour's vote drops whenever he appears on TV. How big is the gap now between London and the rest of England? Which of the three big Parties has most reason to panic over the next few days? Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-you-read Subscribe to The Times: www.thetimes.co.uk Follow The Times Opinion pages on Twitter: @TimesOpinion  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Alice Thomson, Richard Fletcher and Daniel Finkelstein. Alice Thomson discusses the moral implications of singer Gary Barlow's tax footing. Is it difficult to sympathise with the Take That star? Richard Fletcher puts forward the argument that the decision of a corporate acquisition should be left to shareholders and executives rather than MPs. And Daniel Finkelstein argues that England's expectations in World Cup competitions are far too high considering the size of the country. Has the national team over-achieved in the past? Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-you-read Subscribe to The Times: www.thetimes.co.uk Follow The Times Opinion pages on Twitter: @TimesOpinion  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Phillip Collins is joined by Hugo Rifkind, Fay Schlesinger and Patrick Kidd. Hugo RIfkind, "For three decades, Max Clifford was the guru of the dirty secret. Looking back today, though, very few of the revelations he brought to tabloids - 'man sleeps with woman' - seem all that interesting. I think we're becoming a less censorious society and, in the process, leaving the people with real dirt, such as Clifford himself, fewer places to hide." Fay Schlesinger, "Across the rich world crime is falling. 70% fewer murders in Estonia over the past 20 years, violent crime down by a third in the US...just 86,000 cars stolen in England last year against 400,000 in 1997. There are myriad explanations, from education to targeting policing and more prison places, but no real satisfactory answer. So are we, as criminologists are starting to conclude, simply a nicer and less macho society." Patrick Kidd, "One of the plum jobs in journalism is up for grabs as the BBC seeks a new presenter of Newsnight to replace that... &

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Matthew Parris, Rachel Sylvester and Melanie Phillips. Matthew Parris, "I don't believe David Cameron should resign if Scotland is lost this September. But I think he's in great danger. It will be said that he was too cavalier and too soft a touch in conceding this referendum on these terms, and that he "lost the Union" in a fit of inattention. We will be in stormy and uncharted waters if the answer is Yes. I believe an early or a postponed general election would be one of the results." Rachel Sylvester, "Ed Miliband wants to remake capitalism. He says “inequality is the new centre ground” and plans to follow Barack Obama in championing hard working families against a wealthy elite. He mustn’t let this deteriorate into bash the rich class war, but he is onto something and David Cameron will suffer if he becomes the defender of the super-rich." Melanie Phillips, "It's doubtful that David Cameron anticipated the storm he would provoke by saying he was a Christian. Indeed the...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by David Aaronovitch, Juliet Samuel and Robbie Millen. David Aaronovitch, "Lucky Scotland! Defence Secretary Philip Hammond is there this week, amid what seem like a co-ordinated series of warnings about the impact of a 'Yes' vote on the UK's defence capabilities. Are these scare tactics, or are these warnings essentially true? And even if they are, might they not be counter-productive? It is very hard to judge." Juliet Samuel, "With Greece reentering international bond markets for the first time in four years last week, the eurozone has clearly turned a corner but Europe now faces the danger that it could let up on reform needed to provide long term prosperity. Do Europeans have the stomach for it? Robbie Millen, "Sajid Javid hadn’t even a chance to peek in his red box before he was attacked for not being sufficiently cultured...the new Culture Secretary could help the creative sector by de-nationalising it. Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-you-read...

Tim Montgomerie is joined by Jenni Russell, Peter Brookes and Phil Collins. Jenni Russell, "Maria Miller isn't being fairly judged because she has three powerful constituencies prepared to think the worst of her." Peter Brookes, "I feel instinctively against an across the board amnesty for murder in Northern Ireland as proposed on our front page this week by Peter Hain." Phil Collins, "The Royal Tour brings out the worst in the press." Subscribe via iTunes: itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/did-you-read Subscribe to The Times: www.thetimes.co.uk Follow The Times Opinion pages on Twitter: @TimesOpinion  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.